The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-18
GREAT CITIES IN CONTRAST
An Intelligent and Discriminating
Comparison Of Paris and London.
The First Is q City Of Pleasure and the Second
aCity OF Enormous Business-Some of the
Striking Points Of Difference.

Viva
London the opinion grows upon us that
the capital of the British empire is far in
the lead of the French capital in the things
whic's tend to security and national rreat<
ness. To speak generally. LONDON Is thS
business city and Paris the pleasure city Of
the world. To spend money one should
certainly come TO the city on the
Seine. but if a center for safe investments
were desired, preference would surely be
given to the city on the Thames. There is
nothing In Paris that inspires such con.
fidence as one feels in looking at the Bank
OF England. and no doubt the ParisianG
are thankful not TO have In their midst a
pile so unsightly. They would hardly
accept 1T for the money IL contains
Far more to Partisan taste is the
Arc de Triomphe. with Its vast circular
Place de PEtoile, and the round dozen of
magnificent avenues which slope there
from into all parts of this wonderful city.
The English capital has nothing TO come
pare to this. and. on the other hand, Paris
has nothing so grand IN the way of churches
nothing that is so large or that invites so
much reverence-as either St Paups
or Westminster Abbey. The Palais
bourbon, In which the French laws are
eAfs1Ns = NnOA 1Ou lCCaAA ED0
British houses of Parliment. In this CITY
the biggest tides of traffic are found. not.
as in London. where the representatives Of
q mighty eonsregate. bnt or ave-
like the avenue de Champs Ely
sees. and that still wider and
granoer thorougfare leading TO the Bois de-
Bouloene. And all these things are in
keeping with the proverblsl notion of the
two places-London for commerce. Paris
for gaiety; London as the capital of O ma
ton with q sure future. Paris rs the city
which. REGARDLESS OF what the future may
bring, is bent on having o GOOD time right
now.
In many things. of course, the two biggest
cities in the world are alike. Paris, though
it is so gay. has a darker side. and IL one had
time to hunt up its miseries. we should
probably find that the struggle of life 10
inst as real and quite as hard for
the masses, notwithstanding their
bright surroundings, as that which
goes on under, the gloomy skies
and amid the sombre buildings of the big
city across the channel. Knowing Of our
RurpS ssid q to w us: .W W ,usselis vent d rs1 don'e
say we are all happy" No. the people are
not all happy. There is pinching want
here. as elsewhere. and it would perhaps be
GLASSES are SO little contented. II is the
knowledge Of this that makes thoughtful
Frenchmen shrng their shoulders with
such q manifest spasm of apprehension
WuCn lOu bSh 10 ~ lu0 nktllUOOQ Oh Aus
other rising of the Commune. Ii IL this
which makes Paris so panicky after an OK.
plosion of dynamite. and which renders n
almost certain that two such explosions in
quick succession would shake out of their
seats. so to speak, any existing Ministry.
BETTER CLOTHED AND BETTER
But whether they are better of or not
and spite of the mischief they may again
cause, the lower GLASSES Of Paris certainly
present q more tidy appearance than tho
same classes in London, and in their out.
door life they seem to be moro civil,
and better behaved. IL is seldom you
see rags and t~atters. and TO ind
here such besotted and brutal-lookinG
creatures as you can see oil the time on
the streets OF London, you would surely
have to search the slums with that specisl
object In view. and even then you might
look in vain. There is more general drink.
ing than in London. but far less drunken.
ness. The cafes are numerous enough ana
sufficiently ~obtrusive. as every visitor wele
knows. But they are hardly so ~viciousf
looking as the public houses in the world's
metropolis. Perhaps their very opepnese
Is o means OF restraint; certainly they turn
out inebriates at q less rapid rate. and:
their victims, moreover, are OF q typ ~ much
| less repulsive.
After a month or so amid the unvaryiues
stretches of high stone dwellings. all built
upon the same general plan. and nearly all
seeming TO be adorned still with the dew
and brightness of their youth, the visitor
grows weary of this architectural monots
ony. One cannot help wondering why, in
this city of art, this particular departments
of art should have SO little variety infused5
into Ii. London Is much blacker than
| Paris, and some of it's buildings are hideou6
monstrositles put IN the chaTm when az.
versity gives it far excels its French rivalf
| No one would suspect London of beine
o city without o past for it's hoary history
Is proclaimed wherever you go by frown<
ing, time-worn edihces which speak unmisS
takably of ages long gone and of the Rradk
nal progress through those ages of the arts
and forces by which great centere of life
are built up. Paris has some such meInof
rails ae these. but the impression upon the
casual visitor must be that it 10 q city Of
to-day, quite too new 10 be venerable. and
built on quite too uniform q plan to ohak
ienee unqualified admiration. tits beauti.
full. but one grows tired of seeing 50
much beauty cast in the came pattern.
The American visitor will hardly sympa-
thize with that Londoner whose chief CONS
R,s,n we're aeS anf sS1as Sss f sna such ,ef hi = di na .
of chimney tops as be had been used TO az
home. but be will surely wish that the
houses about him were not all so high, and
after a little experience in getting 10 NTH
and sixth floors, with elevators as few aud
far between as angels visits, his feelinge
on this subject will become quite toe fuu
for utterance.
A CITY OF BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS.
FOL long yIstas. with trees OF uuif0rm
height. and stately buildings whose white
fronts CLEAN in the sunlight, n Tor such
effects as one can see in the Place de Il
Concorde. with the Tuilleries behind, the
mighty Arc de- Triomphe looming MP in
front, the Madeline to your right. and thd
gilded dome meath which the greats
Bonaparte rests on the other side of the
Seine-the Eifel Tower also being near
enough to be seen TO good advantage-foR
such things rs these Paris has no equal
and no rival The Circuses at which tho
thoroughfares of London converge are mere
| bagatelle pockets In contrast with the
grand places Astounding IN Paris. The
only American city which giyeo substan-
tial promise OF ever competing with the
capital of France in broad avenues ard
magnificent distances 10 the city of Wash
ington. After night Paris. In the scene Of
light and change il presents. is like .
fairy land. To look nc the long rows OF
street lamps. so much nearer together
than in other cities. which IN many places.
owing TO the length and straightness
of the streets and boulevards. stretch
their lines of beauty SO far away
from you that the two opposite sides seeH
at the farther end TO come together. and to
finally lose themselves in the midst iof the
clustering lights of some vast circular
place-to see q sight like this. as you can
o dozen times over in Paris. is simply en-
chanting. IL this city is beautiful by day
1.rht .ha a.. a1,lfnU and olranaf ha-siAar.