Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-01

and very cruelties are in good taste. They
are the cream OF Paris; and the ladies'
know 1t.
The ladies are sweet-faced and sweetly
dressed. 1t all depends upon the hour
which kind Of ladies shall predominant in
the swell skating rink of Paris.
You ought to see the place at first by
night, because the morning and the after
noon have no electric lights. AT night 1t Is
a burst Of light, all white, white, white
The amphitheater Is dazzling with the
white electric light. reflected from the cell
ing, which is pale blue, reflected from tf o
floor. which IL white ice. Around the edges
Of the circle. seated at their little care
tables by the railing, is a circling audience
all In black and white. OF men In evening
dress Their red and purple faces match
the brilliant bodices Of skating ladies. ladies'
prorenading, ladies ogling slipping their
Manhattan cocktails, sherry cobblers, IL
Queurs, sirups, punches. The yellow strd"s
even in the cocktails. match the piond
tresses Of the brunette girls who slip and
slide.
Around the circling walls are frescoes OF
the Mediterranean, series or sweet scenes
around the Bay Of Naples. AS the electric
light floods their blue skies and their warm
greens and yeilows, rose and salmon, You
forget the cold, the red-hot stoves and tie
pneumonia which you risk. Above II Is all
blue. below 1t is all white; and the warm
colors of the Mediterranean frescoes match
with the bright blues, reds, puppies or the
ladies' corsages.
The Wheat and the Tnres.
An orchestra Of fifty pieces trips the
march Of Ling a-ling" The skates are
tinkling against the ice. The ladies utter
little shrieks. Down goes lady In glory
Of white lace and linen; pure white edsing'
white like the white ice. "A-a-a-a-h!
There IL q murmur Of subdued apprecia-
ton from the evening coats. , as when =, -, q
heavens. "A-a-a-a-a-h" All, madame did
you fall designedly? Madame, take care:
Do not disgrace the gentle demi-monde OF
which you are O shining light. For We
were 1ust about to say that you and all
the rest Of you seem to demean yourselves
with more real worthiness than the swell
princesses and other swells who skate In
the Ice palace In the afternoon;
1t all depends upon the hour In the swell
skating rink Of Paris. There IL parable
not often preached on nowadays OF one who
found both wheat and tares In the tame
field In America you will see wheat fields
without a single corn flower, even, to dis
figure them. In the swell skating rink OF
Paris they pursue middle course. FROM
am. to pm, all wheat; from pm TIL
pm. mixed wheat and tares; from p m
TIL midnight, tares, all tares-except the
gentlemen, Of course. Except on Satur-
days, when all rules fail. On Saturdays
the pleasure-loving world OF CLERKS GnG
careless, frank and free, till after mid
night.
They Lack Ancestors.
Place for the wheat! It surely 10 the
place to see the best society. At II o'clock
Of any morning you will encounter here
the most arlstocratic Of child's nurses.
Who are all these little gentlemen and
ladies'. aged from eight to fifteen years
dear little snobs. not only French, but
some Americans and many FngliEh? As
to the French contingent, they are the
great-srandchildren OF the revolution: ~
blood to float their families Just hun
drsd years ago. Or they are the great
grandchildren Of such aristocrats as ran
away. made terms and :ru'kled with
Napoleon, and there are not many of them.
Bourget finds americans lack areat-grard
fathers. The right reply 70 Frenclmen is
to say. Well. show US yours" The bulk
cestors. Drunken shop keepers, with bloody
hands. engaged In plundering private
houses, would you call such types an
cestors? Skate on, you little snobs. your
Napoleonic mobiles, Polish princesses, Rus
sian barons and Brazilian half breeds
you have no more ancestors than poor
Americana The widowed noblesse Of the
Faubourg Saint GermaiIl-a little handful
do not mix with you. They are too poor;
they are too stupid and too sleepy.
It Is the palace Of young girls and very
little boys. And Just IKE little girls ans
think about their ancestors. They are
content to skate and shout. Their elder
sisters come with them, but scarcely with
to see upon the faces of their men ac-
Quaintances that curious look Of a6mira
ton for their little sisters, which says
plainly: Perhaps I'd better wait and
marry one Of those sweet babies when she
grows up old enough"
All Their Ambition.
The mamnas also come. They have
Jumped out Of their soft beds at a good
hour to please their babies. They GER
tainly do love their little ones. The high
est proof Of love that rich married wom-
an here in Paris can show possibly is to
quit her warm he'd before the hour of
lunch. Because her highest pleasure is to
lie about and eat and sleep to read to
look at pictures. to converse to patronize
the cake shops and drink too much Spanish
wine In them. the opera, the theater, the
social whirl. to shop, to scold the serv-
ants, to deceive ones husband; all these
are charming. But your true Parisenno,
from a young girl, dreams of her future
marriage. not for the fulfilnlent of such
tribes. but for the solid luxury of sleeping
late and over-eating. To take the slightest
exercise is very fin de steele. II is even
trifle fast TO take a morning bath.
husband would suspect his wife of some
queer crookedness II she should take q
bath each morning.
Perhaps that Is the reason why the
Er glish and American young girls who
ccme to skate In the ice palace IN the hope
Of looking over the fence at French So
ciety appear so much more fresh and
wholesome, rosy. healthy. brilliant than
the anaemic French girls, weakened Span
iards and kinky-haired Brazilian half
breeds.
A man of patience might make valua-
bic studies on the subject How American
and English residents of Paris may pick
up desirable French friends" II you are
very, very rich, the French will take yor.
UP, Just as the Princesse &c Sagan took I'D
Helen Gould. But If you are only half
rich, If you have come to Paris to be more
important socially than you could hope
to be at home-which Is the actual condi-
ton Of the bulk of the American colony
In Paris" you may live in the gay capital
for twenty years and have no French
friends but some refined boarding house
keepers, some few doubtful countesses.
who cadge for o'clock teas wherever they
may be Found. Some OF the most pitifuliy
placed american girls IN the whole wor!1
are those whose friends at home are envy
ing them their Paris residence. Observe
them skating round the rink. They know
they have not the American honest lib
erty, and yet they have not the deceit nor