New-York tribune., 1894-04-15
TOPICS IN PARIS.
OUT-oF-DOOR FUN OF THE CITIZENS
rIcNrcs IN THE CoUNTRY-cRowING ToURNA-
MENTs-THE PARAsIAN HORSE SHOW.

| follo0,ing Monday were exceptionally me anu
! sunshny days. the metropolis was almost ue
/ serted and the principal thoroughiares preseh'e"
/ the same empty appearance as on one Oh tro"c
! hot and sultry August Sundays When eNerypouS
,vbo ran afford II makes his or her way into the
| countrv in order to obtain breath of fresh air
/ There were two distinct currents In TINS holuay-
/ making crowd The lower middle classes ana the
pcople n the humber walks of life directed their
steps eastward toward the gingerbread ialr 0"
the Place du Tr6ne and to the Bois de Nlhceh"e'
lust beyond. while the wel-to-do bourgeois an"
society in general nocked westward toward the
Eois de Eoulogne, st. Cloud, 81. German anu
Suresnes. In recent years the gingerbread fair
has been very popular among the upper Glasses
and both in the afternoon and in the evening
after dinner the faces Of many weli-known
mondaincs and clubmen were to be recognized
o,,or, tho visitors to the various booths. But
,his vear for some reason or other. 1t is entirety
/ ho,.cottcd bv the classes This does not prevent
IT'S doing A roaring trade with the masses ohe
NJ the features Of this exodus from Paris on
| Easter Day was the astounding NUMBER OF
| bicycles that passed through the octroi gates oi
the capital. There seemed to be an unbroKeh
stream. nay. ore might almost style II 'oiIo"'
Of 'whcels." the number Of feminine riders being
almost rs great as that Of the men, III appeaIe"
as If nearly every man. woman ana child was
thus mounted Certainly the riders represented
every class and position Of life. Independent Oh
those who left Paris on bicycles. in tram"ayS'
omnibuses carriages Of one knd ana al"''e'
aud ON foot tho various railroad companies. as
their returns show. carried over a million passeh-
ger, in and out Of the city on those two days
Tho Partisan bourgeois is seen at his best when
engaged in plcncking. His eagerness to enjoy
himself Is tempered by his sense Of dignity as
head Of the family Tho preparations have gen
orally been made long I'm advance, and the rcla-
tiycs ard best friends invited. Then equipped
with huge baskets containing the provisions ana
rod wine the whole party set forth. pater ana
mater familias I'm the van and the entire band
| Of children relatives and servants bringing up
the rear They submit to the discomfort of car
rvlng the heavy baskets, of trudglng through
the dusty strc"ts and roads and of being Josued
and hustled IN overcrowded public conveyances
without a murmur. determined at all costs To
enjoy themselves Finally. when they nave
reached their destination generally shady tree
f., one Of the bols around Paris. they establish
themselves on the grass. The men take OF their
/ coats the women their bOnnets and hats, hnd'
after having enjoyed the good things when they
brought with them. they pass tho rcmalhner ''
,bo d,v tho men in smoking and chatting. the
~ the party in flirting and in games. There Is
none II that heavy drinking that constitutes the
lnyorlablc accompaniment Of plcnics among the
lov.r classes in Germany and England Every
thing is quiet and dccorous. the comical feature
- tho whole affair being the endcavor OF the
worthy paterfamlllas % lay aside for the nonce
all his bourgeois and city manners and instincts
and - assume a bucOllc role. Then In tho
evening tncrc is th" homcward journey. the
women Laden with Wild flowers. the men carrying
m. empty hampers and baskets. and everybody
dusty and tired. but cmInen,y contented. lhS
,s the holiday of probably three-fourihs OF the
Parlsian population. and f. is holiday t. whlch
they look forward through the entire month, ana
In some cases even through the whole year
Taking ~ bucolism and of country life. II Will
doubtless interest many American readers 80
.,,tl,. those ~ the rural districts 20 learn that
:, curious poultry show IS In process or being
,r,>,,,zeJ here Tho principal feature ~ It Will
re a concours or championship competition ''r
Growing ROSTERS. That IS t. say. tho bird that
crows the loudest. the longest and the greatest
number n times in a given period will take the
nrize This is a form Of sport which IS very pop
ular in Belgium and In Normandy where on
some occasions rs many as 200 winged compeu-
tors take part In tbs growing bec. 1t has this
advantage that there IS no possibility n any "r
that fraud or uniairness which constitutes the
drawback ~ almost every other form OF sport.
Tn, chauufon cock II France is "A little bantam
haiiing from the ncighborhoOd 0f Srrding. lie
is on record NJ having crowed no less than 337
times I'm one hour. His superiority is SO gener-
ally admitted and his rcnown SO great that he
is not permitted II enter into any ordinary
competition. though. Of course. his master Is pre-
pared at any time t. match him against birds
the owners Of which banker after the champion
ship Most Of these rOOsters are specially trained
with regard to the development OF their Growing
talents. This training requires a great deal Of
care especially Just before the competition takes
place. since. unless proper precautions are
adopted. the rooster Is apt to exhaust his voice
before the tournament. The training consists.
as rule. In placing the candidate for hon
org in a cage in the midst Of cir
Gle Of other cages. each containing cock.
The in the centre sounds first stri-
dent note. and thercupon those around him
spond and the concert is kept up. the birds each
cndeavoring to outcrow the other Growing birds
Of this kind bring large prices. in some cases "a
much as fouI and five hundred dollars. This is
not excessive. however. when the financial value
of the prizes which they win FOR their owners Is
taken into consideration. The tournament Is 10
take place In the Palais de rlndustrle az soon "a
The Salon is closed, and ought to achieve a big
success not only by reason Of its novelty To
Parisans and the excitement thai 1t will fur
nish TO the betting and sporting element OF the
population but also because the rooster may
justly be regarded the national bird Of
France. fact embodied In that familiar old song
which begins with
lie coq Gauois est 10 COZ de la glore"
Paris has just lost one of her most ornamental
ana decorative citizens in the person of the
suisse" or beadlc of the Church of St Roch
He was the biggest funciionary Of his kind In
Paris. and looked very imposing and gigantic
when arrayed In his huge thrcc-corncred hat. his
g)ld-embrodcred coat, with his halberd I'm one
hand and his gold-ponmelled STAFF Of office I'm