The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-13
NEW YEARS IN PARIS.
What a Seattle Student Saw in
the French Metropolis.
FRicHTFuL MISERY OF THE POOR
Grateful for Crumbs Of Bread Thrown
to Them-Almsgiving Cniversal
ON January I.

IABIo, Jan. s, lSSZ.-t0flS IL always IN
Sunday dress, but she wore her best robes
yesterday. Everybody seemed happy and
bent on having . good time. and even the
deputies forgot for time banks and
checks and Panama To the poor it has
been day of great rejoicing and many
ragged gamin enjoyed last night the treat
OF square meal. Many Parisians. how
ever, breathe with sigh of relief now that
this day is past, with all its attendant
ceremonies. II means respite from New
Years dinners. parties. presents and pour
boirs. The well-tO-do Partisan must sub
stantially remember his friends. One
sold to me: Il have appeased my friends
this year with 200 francs;" and another:
Now that the concierge and servants
have received their presents, there
will be peace for another year"
The custom Of giving presents to
those who are in the habit of rendering
you service is very general here. "Why
should you give the doOrkeeper . pres
ent?" asked Of . merchant whose store
is situated on one of the upper floors Of
large business block. ''Because must"
was the laconic reply, land" he added,
''if have not his good will he might be
the means of turning away many of my
customers" You must the give postman
little present for the extra trouble he has
been put to in waiting on you to sign re-
ceipts to registered letters. packages, etc
The servant also must have something.
She will then be more mindful of her
duties and more faithful in your absence.
Ordinarily you are supposed to give in
proportion to your means and the services
rendered you.
Leaving the grand Boulevard ST. Michel
and following the Rue st. SEVERN to the
west, a friend and myself yesterday found
ourselves in another atmosphere. where
for the time we could easily imagine being
in some qAiet little town in the province. 1t
is a crooked, narrow street, and the stone
walks are hardly wide enough fer two
while high up on either side. like two
great walls, rise the ancient stone build
ings. Every inch of the way shows the
effects Of time. In fact. we are in the
heart of the oldest quarters of Paris. We
find evidences of this at every step. Close
by is the ancient Hotel Dieu, begun IN the
middle of the seventh century, and the
church st. Julien of the Poor, one of the
oldest religious monuments here. After
following the Rue st. SEVERN for short
way we turn to the left and are now in the
Rue Lacharie, a short, dirty street. far
more gloomy and dismal than the other,
if possible. 1t Is, from its mar
rowness, more of passage than
street, and the stone pavement
is strewn with dirt and rubbish. There is
a sadness and gloom in everything that
meets our eyes, and We try to believe that
if We see human beings apparently loca-
ted here, they at least have homes some
where else, for we doubt that men and
women can breathe the foul air of
such miserable atmosphere and live. If
the prison-like walls do not hinder the
falling rain or the cold, damp fog they
ward off the glad rays of the sun and
throw an eternal shade in these wretched
habitations of human beings. Is it a won.
der that those little children whom we
see dirty and half naked playing
in the gutter end their lives in
tie hand cart loaded with vegetables
and drawn by . woman in queer little
leather harness takes the place OF the
fiacre and the weli-groomed span. There
is Ia fish.peddler chanting his monot-
onOus song, stopping now and then
to look up to the windows above for the
appearance of a customer. The, ground
floors are occupied for the most part by
various sorts of small proprietors-here
wines and liquors, there little stand
where soup is retailed, cheap in price and
quality: a little farther on a rag stand
where ''hattering inducements" are offered
to all good pickers who wish to embark In
the enterprise.
We passed door over which read the
word 'hotel," but u glance down the long
hallway revealed nothing but darkness.
NV companion led the way into an ancient
court paved, like the street. with blocks of
stone. The old-fashioned curbed we'll and
the crumbling walls plainly marked it as
belonging more htly to generations past
N
adorned with stable and the other with a
workshop, strewn with ali sorts of debris,
in the center Of which. around an impro-
vised table of rough boards laid together,
sat four ragged lads. playing cards and
drinking. Just across the court was an
inner door. partly open, through which We
passed, cropping our way in the dark along
a narrow hallway leading to a pair
of stairs. l searched for match but found
had none. On the second floor a dim
light penetrated through a little window,
barred with iron and opening on a small
of the three walls. Our steps
sounded dismally hollow as they fell in
the well worn stairs. Suddenly, on
reaching the third story, my companion
stopped abruptly with the exclamation,
Music" 1t was muse, indeed. and
two male voices were singing to
the accompaniment Of violin. On the
fifth floor we found a short, dark passage.
Into this several doors opened without ap-
parent order. Before one Of these We
stopped, listening for moment before
rappIng. The refrain of each verse ended
with the word Panama" which was pro-
nounced with ali vim and energy A rap
on the door and the music ceased, the
voices were hushed, and for a moment
there was not a sound then it opened and
one Of the occupants invited us In. There
were two Of them-an old man of, perhaps.
so. with long hairssand unkempt beard.
heavily streaked with grey, and q young
man whom he called his son. From a
little shelf on the wall famed dim taliow
candle, which, scanty as it was. was yet
enough to show the poverty stricken ap-
pearance of this gloomy abode.
In one corner was low bunk
made Of rough boards and filled with
straw. and the ouiy covering was an old
quiz, and pair OF blankets. The rest Of
the furniture consisted of a small table
and a stool. That was all. The walls
were as bare as the ceiling and equally
dirty. On the table was an empty bottle,
a wine glass and stack of little sheets
bearing the important heading lie Pan
ANA" Why were these mys terious be-
ings in this dingy place? What was there
here to cause one to sing or play? One
word we'll answers ali-bread. They were
praeticing their song, which they would
sing in the streets In the afternoon of the
glad New Year. and the rich man dressed
in MS silk hat and kid gloves and the
pretty little maid with dark hair and
eyes would buy sheet. for they cost
only 2 sous. At our request the old
man took up his violin, and with
s.rSf }a hue