Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-23


triumphant, bright
and loud. The boulevard Is the main street
of Paris
The likeness of the Boulevard to the main
street of any Of our little towns Is in the
essence of the thing; in 1t consists the
secret of the boulevard's great charm. Each
country village in America has it's own
boulevard-the main street-which becomes
the focus of the township. with the bank.
the post office, the town hall and the
plaza of the brick hotel. where cows are
auctioned once n month. 1t Is the spot
where the community Is conscious of it.
self. The other streets are vague. The
farmers sons who sit around the temper
ance hotel at night are your true boule-
vardiers. because they sit upon the side
walk tilted back. where they admire. con-
denim, discriminate and pass on all the citi-
zens and strangers going by, because they
know their world completely. The very
village loafers. splitting their tobacco Juice
upon the pavement of their favorite cor
ner, are more Partisan than the uncertain
FOUNDERS Of our hustling cities, cramped in
bar rooms and in the corridors of the hotels.
1t Is not SO q man keeps touch with all
that passes in his sphere. To keep this
touch with all that happens day by day In
Paris Is the true pleasure of the boule-
ward. and the true boulevardier ignores
all other happenings. There may be earth
quakes on in South America, the king of
Servia may Jail his ministers. and Coxey's
army may be at the Capitol. he reads 1t
all In three short paragraphs and then
forgets 1t.
OF Interest to Parisians.
What is the new piece at the varieties?"
Tha. is the real thing. did you see the
Revue? Jeanne Granier is simply scream
ing In her imitation of Otero. She marches
around the stage four times IN a bull
fighters costume. They have the colored
lights like Loie Fuller's PLAYING on her.
Mais. c'est charmant! They cry. Say,
beautiful Andalusian dancer, why do you
not dance. why do you walk around" She
stops and answers. This is very difficult.
l am impersonating a bull fighter hunting
bull by moonlight. When find one /
will take him home with me- Or-'They
say that the police are going to asphyxiate
all the unmuzzled dogs again. just as they
did in 1892. Two thousand dogs dead In q
single week. Now that is cruel Or
Emile lola will be sure of his election
next year. You understand. his friends IN
the academy refuse to vote for any can
didate who will not pledge himself to vote
for lola when the time comes"
Not by Reading.
In Paris one learns things by seeing
them. by hearing them. and not by reading
them. In Paris they know little else but
Paris. Parisians are sufficient to them
selves. Thus Paris has unity like any
little country town. This unity gives Paris
It's completeness and it's charm which comes
from that completeness. Each Partisan in
the 2,o00.o00 of the Partisan population be-
lieves that every other Partisan is more
interesting than anything else In the world.
Every one from the outer world Is q bar
barian. 1t is on the boulevard alone that
the high mark of civilization is touched.
1t is a common thing for the Partisan to
iu1pinR al
Paris by the boulevard. Yes" one will
say. you sit on the boulevard. read Gil
Bias. visit the Moulin Rouge and think
you know Paris" THE boulevard" a
French lady will say, Il have not seen 1t
for a month" Yet she likes to know that
It Is still there and is secretly proud Of IL.
And the Partisan exile in an American city
will say of a torchlight procession, a po-
iiticai parade or bicycle meet. to give Ii
his highest praise. 1T is like the bouie-
ward"
The Grand boulevard.
The Grand Boulevard extends in a semi
circle from the Place OF the Bastille to the
Church OF the Madeleine distance OF two
miles. This is the region of the tourists. the
opera and theaters. the most celebrated
cafes. restaurants and brasseries. 1t is the
quarter OF the newspaper offices and Of the
expensive shops. part of It Is the prom
enade OF all the world. the meeting place of
every class, and the center Of disturbances
when Paris Is excited.
In Paris there are many other boulevards.
or various names. wide streets, with shade
trees and great shops and bustling life.
They,too have their theaters, their cafes
and their life OF pleasure. But the veriest
stranger feels the difference. he hastens
back to the great focus when his business
in these imitation boulevards is finished.
The boulevard-the real and only boulevard
was born and grew up with the life of
Paris itself. 1t Is as much part of the
great city as the main street Is Of the
American country village.
What May he Noticed.
The old aristocrats Of the Fauborg-Saint
German have named the boulevard the
Faubors des Singes, the Monkey quarter, be-
cause of its livelness. the mixed character
OF Its frequenters and the sensual nature of
its attractions. Here may be seen the dem
liens of every part of the world, civilized
and uncivilized. They have come to Paris
to be pleased, and they have brought with
them the first essential thing-the money.
Their hearts are full of enthusiasm and
their heads are full of preconceptions Of
what the delights of Paris are. So they
find themselves Immediately at home on
this street of streets. They see that they
are elbowing other strangers and they do
not feel alone. To them the boulevard is
Paris
Nevertheless after the first flush of novel;
ty has passed, and the tourist has done
admiring the tones of the English language
which will strike him all the way from the
Madeline to the Cafe Mazarin, he will OBJ
serve that the bulk of the crowd is, after
all, thoroughly Partisan. He will note also
the gayety of the people, the ceaseless grind
Of pleasure i'll which there is no drunken
ness, the trees broad in their foliage the
Wilderness of the street and the smartness
of the cafes. He will begin to note that just
as tourists of the most diverse sorts swarm
on the boulevard, also Parisians of every
class frequent il.
In the Evening.
For those who frequent this great street
in the evening there is need of little other
amusement. The electric lights and the gas
jets spangle the darkness the shops are
open and shining brilliantly, and the crowd
rolls like the progress of mighty river.
1t is a crowd not beyond reproach and 1t
N vssy ,'tssrsa at .hars 50 A. }eas. alwsy.