Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-02

and Home Life by n Tour of In
spectIou-Two Mtserables Getting
Married for Comfort.
PARIS, Dec. Il.
To the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND CoURIER:
The public ball rooms of Ps,is have
furnished many sslscious morsel for
American readers. They are still in full
blast, and judging from the photogFsy hs
one can ses in hundred windows of this
city, they are still presenting nightly to
Parisian youth the came old scenes of
female indecency. We were recently,
however, in one of these rooms which 10
now used for totally dlnerens purpose.
The gallery Is there, from which in for
mer years the eyes of lust looked down
upon dancers whose attitudes and move
ments ministered to the lowest passions,
but these galleries are occupied now by
those seeking q better life, and are adorned
in front with notices from the holy word.
On the ground floor we find now, instead
of the gay votaries Of vice, deosnt as
semblsgs of middle-sged danes, with q
bright intermingling of innocent, clean
faced childhood. 1t is mothers meeting,
held under the auspices OF the great Nc
All. The women are all poor, but they
look very clean and remarkably intelli-
gent. Most of the two hundred have
brought their knitting with them, and the
diligent plying of their needles, while q
young lady reads to them some whole
some story, is a reminder t. us of how,
in the gathering storm Of q hundred
years ago, the women of Paris used to
knit into their work the names of those
whom their revolutionary vengesnoe had
marked for the guillotine. But what 3
change since then, we reflect, and how de-
lightfully suggestive is the scene we now
bshold of the revolution which is quietly
going on In these days in the morals and
habits of these Psrisian women.
In our visit to this interesting place we
we're chaperoned by 4 gentlemen whoss
knowledge of the poor of this great city
has been gained by many years of self-ssc-
rifoing labor for their advancement; and
when We saw over the door of this erst-
while ball room, "Salle New York." in
dicating that the work done in this par
ticular locality wss backed by American
means, we felt quite sure that what our
guide could tell us and show us of lowly
life in Paris, and of what is being done to
redeem 1t, would be as welcome to the bet
ter class of American readers as other and
less innocent views are to readers VINO de-
light in having scandal end vice described
to them.
"The poor of Paris, /" began our friend
"well they are not SO vulgar, not SO brutal
not so drunken as the poor of London.
They are more self Prospecting and will
make altogether better impression upon
| you" This was the opinion of one who is
proud of old England as his native coun-
| try, and it Ia a view which Ia fully borne
out by our own observations "HoE do
they livel Well, to begin with they have
scarcely any home comforts. That's why
they are on the streets 30 much. Of fire
they have next to none, and lights the
same. The candle or two they may keep
about are brought into service only when
some one drops In. Cookingi Why, the
very poor hardly ever do any. They get
their food from the numerous little shops
where meat and vegetables are sold for the
table. Cheapi No, meat is not, unfortu-
nately, but vegetables are, and these form
the staple of their living. Perhaps, by
the way, you've visited the great markets
and have noticed the stalls there where
plates of cooked edIbles are sold at -four
sous tour cents) o piece. These are eager.
ly snatched up as special delicacies. They
are scraps from the tables of the wealthy.
How collectedi Well, IL is something of G
mystery, but there they are, and IL Is gen-
orally supposed that they are obtained fol-
q trifipg bounty through the servants"
SO orr friend talked on, and occasional
", as we logged together through the mar
row and crooked thoroughfares in the
neighborhood of Rus St. Antoine, b,
would call oar attention to something par
ticularly tquslid or ancient In our sur
-oundings. We should not and here, b,
said, many Of the very poor. II was no
the worst part of the city, but it approx
mated TO that distinstion, and II had som
features not to be found sny1here elss
The district is known a. "Old Paris.
Before the time Of the grand monarch tn
French nobility dwelt in this quarter
What were palaces then are now eithe
nsgaxins Of trade or common tsnemeu
houses. Several msdisval towers wer
pointed out to Us, one of which lie associr
ted with the murder by the Duke Of Bul
euudy of the brother Of French kin,
We saw also the old palace which for Ion
years was the residence Of the Archbishop
of the Seine. Now the courts of this va
structure resound to the tread of poyert
, and its massive etsisways are elimhed