The Somerset reporter., 1895-09-05
For the Reporter.
Paris as seen by an Artist.


PORTER. | am sure there arr ,eme Who
will he Interested in al aft.-t.- impress
.ions Of Paris. thai CITY. which 10 most
Americans seems Paradise. l. : the
most cosmopolitan capital II Europe
and Is Truly pleasure loving city. many
If the citizens Of he upper classes APP
parentlv. having no other business bun
the pursuit of pleasure. However long
one NAV stay here there will always re-
main something 10 be discovered, all
tastes NAV be satisfied. To the lover OF
historic "reminiscences its interest Is quite
nekhaustible, though. many saerlf1ces
have been made that the city might be
bcautified and moderniz-d. Buildings IN
America in comparatively few years
fall into decay. while here being bullt OF
stone they stand for ages, aud time most
charmingly tnts them for the artist
brush.
In a city built Of stone fire depart
ment is something Of farce have
not seen fire during my stay here, ana
would not have known there VAS fire
department here if frie nd had not seen
an engine on its way to fire. There
wore three men on the engine, the
driver did not appear in a hurry the
second was blowing 4 horn, while the
third was consulting a map as 10 the
shortest way to get to the fire.
Many things in Europe seem very
primative, and at first may be interest
ing, but after the novelty wears OF they
become wearisome, aud ones thoughts
turn to the comforts of their own
country. Electric, cable and pullman
cars, elevators, steam heat ana many
other American necessities would De
considered luxuries here. There Is no
doubt that with the exception OF art,
music and history, America Is lar IN ad-
vance of Europe. History they possess
by right of heritage, we have little. In
art as well as music We are making
rapid advancement. And when We can
claim such artists "a Whistler Sergeant,
Chase, Harrison and others too numer-
Gus 10 mention. we need not fear for our
art. IL is true we cannot boast OF such
a genius as Israels, neither can France,
that honor belongs alone to Holland,
think Millet and Corot are the only
modern men who could approach him
and the greatest work of the former Is
owned BY one of our own countrymen.
We are gradually picking up works OF
art and in time will not only have many
fine gallerys but school of art.
Paris is most artistically laid out with
many places, gardens, parks and beauti-
fully shaded boulevards. The streets
and avenues usually radiate from some
center, of which the Place de la Con
corde is not only the most beautiful but
the most extensive in the city. There Is
but one Acropolis, one st. Marks Square
and one Place de la Concorde in the
wol Id, and the last is said to surpasss
them all in beauty. While it has many
historical associations, they are mostly
of a somber character. The obelisk of
Luxor is one of the chief attractions, 1t
is Il single block of red granite or syenite
from the quarries OF Syene, it was pre-
sented to Louis Philippi by Mohammed
Ali Viceroy of Egypt. Its height is
greater than that Of Cleopatra's Needle
in London or of that in Central Park
New York. Two fountains form an
other striking ornament of the Place,
each consisting of round basin fifty
three feet in diameter, above which rise
two smaller basins, surmOunted by a
spout from which Jet of water rises to
a height of twenty feet. There are
eight stone figures around this Place
which represent the chief towns of
France. At night the Square is lighted
bv twenty bronzed rostral columns on
the surrounding balustrades, each bear
ing two gas lamps and over one hundred
candelabra. Ii is impossible to portray
the beauties of the Place by Il pen pict-
ure.
De rEtoile is another beautiful Place
from which radates twelve avenues,
among them the avenues Champs
Elysees and de Bots du Boulogne, two
of the most fashionable avenues in the
most aristocratc part of the city, 1t is
here also that the Arc de Tromphe rises,
the largest triumphal arc IN the world,
and like the buildings is of grey stone
with beautifully carved facades, the de-
tail of which when seen from distance
disappears and melts into one magniti-
cent whole, under the charming grey
atmospheric light for which France is
noted.
The Louvre, the most important pub
lie building in the city, both architecture
ally and on account of its art treasure, is
palace of vast extent rising on the
borders of the Seine and consists of two
main divisions. the Old Louvre and the
New Louvre. The older part of the
Louvre has been the scene of many
memorable historical events. The
Louvre is considered one of the best
works of French architecture and in spite
of its lack of unity the effect of the
whole is harmonious. 1t is more than
one hundred years since the old Louvre
has been used as museum and part OF
the New Louvre also contains collec-
tions, while a portion is occupied by the
offices of the Minister of Finance.
The dimensions of this immense place
can be partially realized when one con-
siders that it takes two hours to walk
through the numerous galleries without
stopping. The history of these collec-
tions dates from the time of the French
Monarchs of the Renaissance Of the
sixteenth century. This Museum con-
tains the celebrated Venus Of Milo, the
history of which is familiar to all lovers