Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-03-16

are Cast ''Out Into the cold world.
Another most disagreeable msnnerism
they have here IL the French shrug-the
favorite way Of expressing disapprova
which the Americans think 10 next door
to downright insult. have never yet
seen the American It did not make mad
der than hornet, and I've seen one that
II make madder than ten h0rnets--l see
her In the mirror every morning.
II you can't speak the language you
might as well be 10 Purgatory as Paris.
We can well uuderst.Ld how Lord Byron
felt when he gave the advice to
"Never 20 to France unless you know the lingo
For II you do you'll repent, by jingo."
We are very fortunate in having plenty
of interpreters at our elbow, and hope
to be our own interpreter Ia time, though
| methinks that to be able To interpret
ones SELF were task harder to learn IN, n
all languages.
They also h,sa way OF turning night
into day here. for they do not retire till
the s'wee sma' hours" begin TO grow
large. We recently went to concert
which began at Q 80, the usual time, and
at IL O'Clock, three numbers on the pro-
gram had been given, when We got up
in disgust and went home.
They have no Sunday here, though
some OF the more pious ones ITO church
in the morning, TO the theatre in the
afternoon, and to dance 10 the evening
| for the theatres and dance halls are all
open Sundays, as are all the stores, ex-
cept the Magaz de Louvre and the
Bon Marche, the two largest dry goods
stores.
IL Is said that the good Americans go
to Paris when they die, but 1t does moi
necessarily follow that the bad ones 60
there when they are slive, for about the
only good thing we have st uck so far Is
what came from America. a friend
made the remark that they were pretty
sure 10 die when they got here, II they
stay long, for the climate /, something
terrific. Every other person you see l.
apparently In the last stages OF consump-
tion, and II Is the exception to see
any one without ears stuffed with
cotton or tied up with bindsges
We determined 10 die II We must, but 10
follow this hideous and vulgar, though
necessary fashion, never, but found We
had to come to II, or never step our ears
out of doors. II seems very infantile to
again become Victim To the childish
ailment OF ear-ache, but almost every
one OF our countrymen here suffers from
the same afiliction, and We find some
con solation 10 that, Ms misery loves com
pany.
In some OF our home letters from our
own town OF Paris, our friends were con-
graduating US on being privileged to
spend the winter meath the sunny skies
OF France, In stead OF there, where they
could only find relief Ia ''cussing their
ancestors for settling In that d. cold
country. but we surmise that they
might tell US something OF how the sun
looks. One day we saw bright thing
iu the sky We imagined might be the sun.
but not having seen II for so long, are
unsble 70 say. When II does not rain Ii
pours, and when II does not pour II rains
the rest Of the time Il storms, and the
mud Il such an element of destruction TO
shoe-leather, crinoline and temper, that
for the first time, we envy the blooming
New Womsn and her boomers. We
supposed that snow was fable to peo-
pie In France, but we've seen two snow
storms here, and mercury flirting with
zero.
Paris streets are scrupulously clean
when they are clean, and surprisingly
dirty when they are dirty-like the "little
girl who had little curl-when she was
good she was"-etcetera Every day at
certain distance In each street, man
and three officers 60 around and turn the
hose on in big stream, and men and
women who are assigned TO q certain
district, take their rubber brooms and
wipe up the street, when they don't wipe
IL up with each other-as they did on
one occasion We witnessed, but presum-
ably the woman who appeared In the
role OF eet.broom was the wife OF the
man who posed as brOom-hsndle, so IL
was all right, rs long as 1t was all In the
family.
Speaking OF water, makes us wonder
why they use so much on "all outdoors, )"
and 40 little on their own natural raj
ment, for bath Is almost an unhesrd Of
thing In Paris, even In the houses OF the
very wealthy; and the process the poor
victim has to 90 through In order to take
one, Ia almost rs much OF an excitement
to the neighbors as Is 4 circus come to
town In one OF cur country towns In
Maine.
There are one or two establishments
in the whole city where they retail hot
water, and rent bath-tubs, and send the
bath around 10 their customers In little
tank on wheels. Whenever the inhabit-
ants see one of these vehicles coming,
they rush to the doors and windows ex-
claiming, "Oh, who's going to take a
BATH" and the vender OF cleanliness Is
watched TO see at whose house he deliv-
ers his hot water and tub. You may
generally infer that it Is some one from
the United States, for the natives call IL
all ridiculous and unnecessary waste
of time, energy and money, AS well as
dirt.
Towels and soap cost extra, which
makes the bath cost about 81, for even
| IL you have twenty hundred weight OF
your own soap, and use 1t all, 1t will not
make soap suds enough to manufacture
soap bubble; which Is the fault OF the
water we suppose-shich reminds US
that to glass OF good cold water
drink her down." our lips have been 4
stranger since We left the shores OF the
land which flows with milk and-water.
These impressions" may not be the
same as others have told them, hence we
know they at least have the merit OF be-
ing original, for the usual description OF
"Divine Paris" deals only In superla-
tives, but we will save them till next
.;,.o MApTtIA MAyJM