The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-12-13
APARRISIAN SCENE.
THE GAY THRONGS THAT MIN
GLE AT THE ICE PALACE.
They Skate, Gossip and Sip Drinks-Iligh
Society is in Evidence During
the Afternoon Hours-Then
Somewhat Mixed.
8 nrrespondence of the Evening Star.

Correspondence of the Evening Star.
Paris, Nov. 13-Of all the light amuse'
ment places the Ice Palace is the most
fashionable. The gentlemen who lounge
around the broad, low galleries, with
their cigarettes and high-priced Ameri'
can mixed drinks, who, skating, filrt,
who yawn and make remarks, are cos
TUNED in the latest mode. They are
well fed well grOomed. Their ways are
elegant and quiet, and their imperti-
nences and very crueltes are in good
taste. They are the cream of Paris
and the ladies know it.
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 it is
burst Of light, all white, white, white.
The ampitheatre is dazzling with the
white electric light reflected from the cell
ing, which is pale blue, reflected from the
floor, which il white ice. Around the
edges of the circle, seated at their little
cafe tables by the railing, is circling au-
dence, all in black and white, of men in
evening dress. Their red and purple
faces match the brilliant bOdices of skat-
Ing uultS, BlOhShhhihS' iu'iro
oeling, slipping their Manhattan cocktails,
sherry cObblers, Liquors, sirups, punches.
The yellow straws, even in the cocktails,
match the blonde tresses of the bru-
nette girls who slip and slide.
Around the circling walls are frescOes
Of the Mediterranean, Il series Of sweet
scenes around the bay of Naples AS the
electric light foods their blue skies and
their warm green's and yelows rose and
cal fnrpnt ihn ppI1 tln rod lDt
stoves and the pneumonia which you risk.
Above it is all blue, below it is all white;
and the warm cOlors of the Mediterranean
frpscoes match with the bright blues,
reds, puppies of the ladies' corsages.
THE WHEAT AND THE TARES.
An orchestra of 50 pieces trips the
march of "Ling-a-ling." The skates are
tinkling against the ice. The ladies utter
little shrieks. Down goes a lady in
glory of white lace and linen; pure white
edging, white like the white ice
"A-a-a-a-a-h" There is murmur of sub
dued appreciation from the evening coats,
AZ when II crowd looks on a rocket burst
ing in the heavens "A-a-a-a-a-h" All,
Madame did You fall designedly? Mad
sme take care. Do not disgrace the gem
tie dcm-monde of which you are shin
ing light. For we were just about to say
that you aud all the rest of you seem TO
demean yourselves with more real worthy
ness than the swell prncesses and other
swells who skate in the ice palace in the
afternoon.
II all depends upon the hour in the swell
skating rink of Paris. There is parable
not often preached on nowadays of one
who found both wheat and tares in the
same field. In America you will see
wheat fields without single corn flower,
even, to disfgure them. In the swell
skating rink of Paris they pursue mid
die course. From 8 a. m. to 5 p. m, all
wheat; from p. m. to T. p. M. mixed
wheat and tares; from Z p. m. till mid
night, tares, all tares--except the gentle
men, Of course Except on Saturdays,
pleasure loving world of clerks and en-
ployes whoop around the Bay of Naples,
careless, frank and free, till after mid
night. .,.,e.,,oo,
THEY LACK ANCESTORS.
Place for the wheat! 1t surely is the
place to see the society. At IL o'clock
of any morning you will encounter here
the most aristocratic of child's nurses.
Who are all these little gentlemen and
ladies, aged from to Is years, dear little
snobs, not only French, but some Ameri-
cans and many English? AS to the
French contingent, they are the great
grandchildren of the revolution. 1t took
deal Of mercenary letting out of blood
to float their families just a hundred
years ago. Or they are the great-grand-
children of such aristocrats as ran away,
made terms and tucked with Napoleon,
and there are not many of them. Bourget
finds Americans lack Great-grandfathers.
The right reply TO Frenchmen is to say:
'Well, show us yours" The bulk of rich
Parisians of today have no ancestors.
Drunken shop keepers, with bloody hands,
engaged in plundering private houses,
would you call such types anccstors!.
Skate on, you little snobs. your blood is
lust as new as ours. Skate on, Napoleon
&c mobiles, Polish prncesses, Russian bar
ons and Brazilian half breeds, you have
no more ancestors than poor Americans!
The widowed mobiles of the Fauboug
Saint Gcrmain-a little handful-do not
mix with you. They are too poor; they
are too stupid and too sleepy.
1t is the palace of young girls and very
little boys. And just like little girls and
little boys in every land, they do not
think about their ancestors. They are
content to skate and shout. Their elder
sisters come with them, but scarcely with
good will. Girls in society do not desire
to see upon the faces of their men ac-
uuaintances that curious look of admira-
ton for their little sisters, which says
plainly: perhaps I'd better wait and
marry one of those sweet babies when she
grows old enough"
ALL THEIR AMBITION.
The mammas also come. They have
Jumped out of their soft beds at Il good
hour to please their babies. They GER
tainly do love the little ones The high
est proof of love that a rich married wo-
man here in Paris can show possibly is to
quit her warm bed before the hour Of
lunch. Besides 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 Span
ish wine in them, the opera, the theater
the social whirl, to shop, to scold the ser
wants, to deceive ones husband; all these
are charming. But your true Parisienne
from young girl, dreams of her future
marriage. not for the fulfllment of such
trifles, but for the solid luxury of sleeping
late and over-eating. To take the slight
est exercise is very fin de steele. 1t is even
trihe fast to take morning bath. A
husband would suspect his wife of some
queer crookedness if she should take
bath each morning.
Perhaps that is the reason why the
English and American young girls who
come to skate in the ice palaces in the
hope of looking over the fence mt French
society appear so much more fresh and
wholesome, rosy, healthy, brilliant than
the anaemic French girls, weazened Span
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