New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-15
PARIS.
SKETCHES BY AN ENGLIsHMAN AND AN
AMERICAN.

8 Harper 4 Brothers
Mr. Adolphus is an Englshman VINO knew rai
before 1t had been transformed by HaussmanH.
was stu the old Paris but Paris that had al
,eadv learned that all the world to be founo
IN the Champs Eiysees. When the end OF the worIo
was announced for day In May. 1916, an enterprls
ing speculator up trestles under the trees anu
offered standing room a. five sous 10 VIC" ZIG
world go by. A..
Twenty years made different Paris ana u'l-
serent peop,e a city OF magnfcence and popula-
ton content with the magnifcence, conscious Vi "o
possibility CT reverse, ripening some seeus VI
tent but not yet shocked into the oespaii al" w
subseouen, ferocity that loosened passions ''
marks OF which may be noted still. Inc news %
Sedan came on a country which hao Deco'e ie"-
<ul n, disaster but expected nothing quite so
humliating There seemed suddeny 20 NC "o'.''-'e
left Mr. Adophus reports that ne "aiAe' 0a'
the streets and found everybody at once ua%eu any
angry Their first thought was OF the power tHa'
had failed them. They said: There VIII DC "o I'll
,,jra lef, Tonight" and cursed the Emperor lhey
He,erm,ned 10 overthrow what was left OF 'he HoV-
eminent and in their bitterness lorRo. i0' nv
ment the Prussian. 81 noticed again anu "s, 80
everywhere that one spoke OF f'a"0e' " i
,eared 10 be alone in my intense preoccupatio"
about her future and l well remember the iee''iis
nj strange solicitude experienced IN those cro"us
where so far as ] could judge from the Signs ="
tbs surface no one seemed to share my anxiety 'o'
the country herself.
The mt
fare al the evil forces of society. The criminals
who ordinarily skunk in corners dared anu !"
measure by misery were forced. to snow 'he'i as
,xnua law-ahidins but narrow-mndcd people OF the
middle class found themselves destitute an" W.
scryatism and hunger poor yoke-1elio"s' nc
author Joined the English committee for the us
sr,hut,on Of relief after the capitulaon. He is con-
WINGED that there was almost no such ''""s do
actual starvation as a direct result OF 'he $50
rbers were privations, food was coarse, H''"i"s
suffered Lack OF work. the WITHDRAWN OF "ase
earners from families 10 the army the poNeiH az
Discrimination OF homes brought a Tram Vi ms .
disease and death which did not END with inc ue1
1araton OF peace. But there never was 'nio WY"
food such as IL was could not be had by al fnils
r.o ,aor,o who came TO take the English gifts
.oarod more miserable. il,-condtloneo' anu
esnecially more evil-faced than such cro"us uso
ally are 1T contained. here ana 'heie so'"e
those strangely awful faces-the races Oh "aoI'u1
Criminals-which. when perceived suoue"''' CO. 60,
rhoke those who catch sight of them. lneie
49, ,,oro IN ubsr,v and peace. conditions which.
tm then I h; d never associated with thelh' anu
,bsv showed no shame. Their right to the EhsAs"
riffs was as real as that of all the others
AR Adolphus attempts explanation OF inc
madness which infected both men ana "o"e" W.
ing the period OF the Commune Inc "o" ' ~
saw fighting were determined ana 'ihuio'' .' "
any men, When the Versailias entered ''e wy
~. oeuar NJ an unfinished house near his own was
used as temporary prison This was oeio'o ''0
final struggle when all Communards' men OF "0'',
on taken were shot out OF mana. ABDUL t'"'
NJ the prisoners in the cellar were women ana '"e
author tells a grewsome story about one OF 'hei'
"A lneman staggered into the courtyard Win
,urio half stripped off and deep wound IN inc
reck dragging with him creature who looked
ika mad woman. The soldier stamlnereo ou'
p,She has killed my captain; she has Killed TWO Oh
my comrades: she has cut NY throat ana yet
bring her TO you alive!" Then he fell. Inc "oh-
ms shoulders arms and hands were spashed with
Slood her ewes hard her teeth clenched. her face
h,storted They bound her and threw her
into the cellar. She was the last person brought
In red-handed who not taken across the park
and executed. In the afternoon she was marched
off with the rest TO Versailles. AS she stood with
hands tied behind her friehtful with dried blood
and dirt soldier sluiced her with stabe-bucket
and horse-sponge and dripping, half-naked and
horrible, but unfinching she took her place in the
line. Two months afterward Mr.. Adolphus saw
her at the woman's prison in a neat brown dress.
with bright well-combed hair and sngularly deli
cate hands The matron said: "She Is the best
and cuetest OF them all and really educated
person. The lady visitors quite fond OF her
she is so gentle and obedent. OF course. there
may have been some reason for sending her here;
and. besides. IT is suspicious that not single
friend has to her. and that we cannot
lind out who she Is. But there is not the slightest
evidence against her. even any imputation So,
as she is accused OF nothing. she will. expect. be
Set at liberty The author recalled the cry Of the
dead soldier and wondered IL Re o'.ght 20 inter
fere. but he held his tongue. TIE woman had
perceived that she was noticed ard looked at me
uneasily with something OF the feidish express
sion I had seen in her face before. / heard no
more OF her. and have always supposed that she
returned in peace to private life. Perhaps she
married. had children, and loved them" He might
have added land became the founder Of race Of
Anarchists for 1t Is impossible TO believe that
such woman should bear children free from the
faint OF a murderousy fevered blood The Grim
tnal records OF the present day tell the story OF
Communard heredity Emile Henry the Of
@ rioter OF the Commune, and numbers OF his fel-
aow-assassins and bomb-throwers trace their de-
scent from those who served the desroyers OF the
Hotel de Vile Others have left children who are
making the dead-eyed. soulless-faced men and
women who haunt the Paris boulevards A
Mood Of hate and animal passion does not abate in
one generation.
Mr.. Adolphus writes his impressions OF NJ Worth,
Boulanger. the opera. and OF Partisan indoor life,
put on those topics his memories are neither so
Interesting nor so significant as are his records of
the street sights which the city has witnessed In
the last forty years The spirit OF an occasion
appeals TO him; the pompous parade Of a Boulanger
Is more freighted with material to illustrate that
edventurers character than all the facts that he
marshas about his career. He Is the reporter who
tells much less than he makes a picture reveal
Mr.. Davis is also the reporter. taking rapid
glances. dealing mainly with externals but like Mr.
Adolphus. bringing 10 those externals an intuitive
faculty for catching the spirit Of place and an
occasion He has the essential fault OF the reporter
that OF using hastily gathered and not well proven
material; but he has also the reporters virtues
HIS readers may question the accuracy OF his report
but they have to confess that II is entertaining
The Paris streets OF forty years ago claimed the
first attention Of Mr. Adclphus and Mr.. Davis be-
wit "a mic Of of
day 80 sharply IN contrast with that Of the elder
writer as to carry conviction of the complete trans
formation which the other had asserted. The I'M
travelled reader might wonder In turning the pages
of this book II there is much else besides pageants
In Paris but Il must be remembered that II