New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-12
TOPICS IN PARIS.
STATESMEN HANDY WITH folho'
THE PRESIDENT Uses LOUIS NAfolhoN "0'''
A TRAVELLERS SAFETY VALNE-K"cE
PREJUDICE-M HENRFS JOKES.

Paris, August e
Frances three leading men at the present mo-
ment. namely the President OF the Repuohc'
tho President of the Chamber Of Deputies and the
President OF the Council Of Ministers, are all
,ustly noted for their skill as swordsmen' ana IL
the wonderful quiclsness with which they parry ana
thrust with the foils, the sureness OF their haos
and the yigor Of their wrists can be regarded as
constituting any indication of their intellectual
qualities. the country ought assurediy TO De re-
garded as In safekeepng. and the worthy pour
geois should be able to take his sleep as they
say here ION both ears" Fencing constitutes an
Indispensable feature Of the education OF all pub
lie men in France, and, having once accustomed
themselves to the of the foils they Keep 'hei-
selves in practice for the sake or their heai'h'
there being no exercise better calculated 10 MAIN
tain both body and mind In such splendld cohoi-
ton NJ Casimir- Perier. as stated ABOVE Is uis-
t,nguished for his skill as swordsman' ana mas
frequently figured as a second In dueis hotapiy
In the one between NM. de MontebeHo ana CAS-
sagnac. His principal secretary, NJ Laiarsue' ~
also a clever fencer. as IS likewise NJ. bartho"'
the Minister Of Public Works; NJ Dupuy' 'he
Prime Minister and the Minister OK foreish
Affairs Other public men ceeoTated III 'hi9
respect are Senator Ranc, NM. Floquet' An
drieux Renault Clemenceau. Maret Mehhe'
Etienne Cavaignac. Roche Rouvier lie froV"s'
de Launay Boissy dAngas and LocHroy seine
Of these are on record "a having Killed their al
versaries In duel which Is regarded az constitute
ing ra her a fea Their In their cap than any Draw
back 10 their social prestige or political repu'a-
ton Many OF those mentioned are ex-Caoihet
Ministers and the names enumerated constitute
only small moiety OF the fercers conspicuous
I'm public life who could be comprised IN the
list To what extent fencing is, so TO speak, IN
grained in the mind and character OF French
man. may be gathered from the remark made by
President Grevys son-n-law. Daniel Wilson,
splendid swordsman. when he heard mat VI
Sadi Carnot had been stabbed with a poignard
III aurait du parer." QIe should have parried the
Blow
President Casimir- perier has selected az his
particular salon at the Elysee the favor'te room
Of Napoleon III wher living there as President
Of the Republic of ls49. and II was that salon
which played 30 great part IN the coup de'a'
and where Napoleon delivered his instructions 10
his fellow-conspirators. There are also associa-
tons Of a lighter character connected with TINS
salon. for NAPOLEON in those days at any rate
was very fond 81 frtvolities and shared with the
present ruler Of Germany a Hiking for boyish
chaude." which consists in blindtlding the vie
tim. causing him to kneel with his head on the
knees OF lady. and then to CUES, who it was tina;
administers a slap with the open hand. paying
forfeit II he makes a mistake. One evening
Lord Normandy, who was British Ambassador
at the time came post haste TO the Elysee for
the purpose Of communicating some message OF
great Importance to the Prince president Tired
% sha
this particular one by pushing aside a curtain.
or, FOUND ~ chief magistrate Of France kneel-
ing on the ground his head resting on the knees
., tho Marnuise de tontades The Ambassador.
notwithstanding his sense Of official dignity ana
h,s ordinary ponposity. could not FOR once in
his he resist the temptation. and with one
finger placed 10 his lips. trpped up to the Prince
and gave him a light and may add diplomatic
sia, uhareupon Napoleon cried out. "Ah. this
time I'm sure it's Pauline abiding to one OF
tho ladies' present The shout OF laughter which
mot this remark caused him to arise and to re-
,rove tho bandage from his eyes, when he FOUND
himsaIf face 10 face with the representative or
oueen Victoria who might possibly not have al
together approved OF this method Of conveying
her official communications TO her ally AT Paris.
II will doubtless he news To many American
tourists I'm Europe that at every railroad station
throughout the length and breadth Of France
there is kept a big register upon which d!scon-
tented travellers are expected TO place on record
the grounds which they consider they nave Tor
complaint against the company or its officials.
Once a week 1: is vised and countersigned by the
Neyor OF the locality besides which duly cert!-
fled copies OF the entries have to be transmitted
at the close OF each week to the government
department charged with the supervision OF
those railroads which do not form part OF the
state system. My attention was drawn 10 the
existence Of these registers by the issue OK a
circular letter addressed to the companies and
published In the journal Ohiciel, wherein the
Minister Of Public works demanded that greater
celebrity should be shown by the managers In
rcsponding 10 and investigating the grievances
r.y,s,ered in the complaint book. Since then |
have been inuuring into the matter and find
that although travel on Sunday is almost ten
times as heavy as on weekdays. the trains being
overcrowded and the passengers therefore greatly
Inconvenience, yet It Is apparently the one day
OF the week on which there are no complaints,
everybody II seems. being in a good humor and
determined to put the best face upon things In
the view OF It's being a holiday. The travellers
ON week DAYS cover the pages Of the register
with the most extravagant and Outlines rldicu-
lous complaints many Of them manifestly written
in moments OF great evaporation They appear
% ludicrous 10 any one reading them In cold
blood that their authors must surely have re-
GREETED putting them on paper. Thus. one gen
tleman who was bringing back basket of fresh
eggs from the country and had placed them In
the net above his head declares that owing to a
sudden stop Of the train the basket was precipi-
ia ted upon his head. covering him with its frag-
ie contents, an accident for which he held the
company responsible. Another worthy pater
familias records that while travelling with his
two daughters. their sense OF maidenly proprety
was shocked by some scene that they witnessed
from the carriage window. and insists that the
Government should force the railroad companies
to maintain modest and decent behavior on the
part of the inhabitants OF the rural districts