The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-11
PARIS, FOR PARIS, IS QUIET
WHAT PERIANDER HAS DESERTED DURING HIS STAT IN THE CITY.

Form of Government-Omnibu In the
 Gay Capital-Comfort and Convenience
 to be Obtained by Their Use.
 Paris, Sept. 20, 1897.
 10 the Editor of the Journal and Courier:
 Paris, for Paris, is very quiet. There are no revolutions going on; no barri- cades being erected; no seditions plot ted; no instructions planned. The Bonapartists, the Orleanists and the anarchists do not seem to be engaged in their peculiarities. The Due d'Or- leans ridiculous duel with his cousin killed him off as a possible pretender to the throne; and his cousin, who nearly ran him through, though the most prominent Bonapartist living, is so in- tense an Italian and such a rabid hater of everything French, that he wouldn't accept the French crown if it were of- fered him. At least he is reported to have said so. Prince Roland Bonaparte, who one time figured as the idol of the people, has since his marriage to the daughter of the proprietor of the Mona co gambling establishment, lost caste with everybody. He has built for him. self with his wife's money magnifl- cent palace, has the finest private libra ry in Paris, poses as man of learning, gives things to learned societies and en- tertains scientific and literary congress- es. He invited the Oriental congress to huge spread. Many went. Some wouldn't, on the sound principle of not accepting the hospitality of a man to whom you would not extend your own.
 The French seem to be slowly awak- ening to the conviction ,iaat a republi- can form of government is not such a bad form of government after all, and that they might be very much worse off under a king or an emperor. From our Anglo Saxon point of view their repub- lie is no republic at all. The executive is as autocratic as ever The same sys- tems of administrations exist as existed under Napoleon III. There is no more personal liberty, no relaxation of rule There is relaxation in it's application, and an injuriol relaxation For in- stance, the rules governing all kinds of vehicles are as strict in Paris as they are in any other capital of Europe. But they are not enforced. The scorcher scorches as he pleases. If he have a bell, half, the time he doesn't choose to ring it. Those new instruments of de- struction called Automobiles go at railroad speed through the most thronged avenues. In every morning S paper you will see a long list of the ac- cidents of the day before. Fortunately the scorcher and the automobilist come to grief quite as frequently as the inno- cent pedestrian; and in collisions with cabs the cab is always on top. Still safer is the ponderous omnibus. With in it's mighty walls you are as safe from scorchers as you would be in your own bed. Whether for this reason, or be- cause they are cheap and warm, Amer jeans are patronizing them more than ever before. Omnibuses are not swell conveyances; so you must not let your swell friends see you in one; but they are comfortable and economical. Paris is substantially sound. Its omnibusses run from points or or near it's circum- ference to other points on or near it's circumference and opposite the points of starting, not with mathematical &C., curacy, but within reasonable limits. There must be forty or fifty different lines, most of which cross one another somewhere. One fare entities you to a Correspondence" as it is called, which gives you a ride in one other and crossing omnibus. So YOU can go all most anywhere for one fare of six cents. One great charm of the French omni- bus is that croWding is not tolerated. About twenty can sit on top and nearly the same number inside. Four and no more are allowed to stand on the plat form. When the bus is full up goes a sign "complet," and when that sign is up the omnibus would not stop for Jul lius Caesar or Queen Victoria, though 1t were raining cats and dogs and the omnibus in question were the last bus for the night Wherever lines cross there are little offices, and you are rath- CT expected to get in and out at the of flee. When the 'bus isn't full it will stop, but it doesn't like to. To be on good terms with your bus you had bet ter get in and out at bureau" as the offices are called. In each bureau is 8 large box divided into partitions, and in each partition a number of cards, each card bearing number, while each par- tition has a name indicating direction and destination. When you enter the bureau you go up to the box and take a numbered card from the partition bearing the name of that part of the city where you want to go, or near where you want to go, or in the direc- tion in which you want to go. For in stance, you are living near the Arc de PEtoile and you want to go to the Na- tional library. Over one partition you find written the word "Bourse'' and you happen to know that the library is but 8 block away from the Bourse. So you take a "Bourse" number and wait for the Bourse bus to come along. It may happen that there are so many people waiting for your bus with numbers ahead of your number that you can't get into bus No. 1 and must wait for 'bus No. 2 or even No. or 4. On a Sun day afternoon you may have to wait half an hour. The American crowding system is far more expeditions. The French system is far more comfortable When you are seated and the bus has started the conductor takes the fares and criuac uou uo,, fo,. n ,o,,