Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-04-20
FROM PARIS, MAINE, TO PARIS
FRANCE.
No. %.
THE DARK SIDE OF STUDENT LIFE IN
PARIS.


PARIS. FRANCE, Msrch %, 1897.
Many people have a mistaken notion
regarding the resources OF Paris-many
girls coming here with limited means,
thinking they can live on SO much less
than at home, but alas. they are soon
sadly disillusionized, for provisions OF
all kinds cost twice as much IA they do
at home. Our reason for this is, that
duty has TO be paid on everything thst
comes through the gates OF the city.
which IL surrounded by Notifications,
and at every thoroughfxre leading out OF
the city, there Ia gate, with keepers.
IL YOU have no more than lunch-box.
the, will ask you what Is In L..
One poor girl actually starved to death
Ia her fruitless attempts to keep soul
and body together, and there are many
more In condition bordering on starva-
tion, but who are too proud to 60 home
before they have accomplished what
they came here for.
But that Ia not the only sad part Of IL,
for in nearly every case the dissppoint-
ments are great that must come To both
students and parents who send their
daughters over here TO study. In many
cases the girl who comes here is furnish
ed with money by her parents, who have
little themselves, but who are bending
every energy, and economixing and saw
ing, TO give their daughter musical
education, expecting her to come home
In n year or two years, full-iledged
prims donna, and able to earn enough
money TO keep the whole family In
luxury the rest OF their natural lives,
besides covering them with glory, and
laurels enough for dead hero. SO the
poor girl works and slaves, and lives on
half enough to eat, drink, and wear, till
at last she has 10 go home, either broken
down In health. or nine times out OF ten,
not able TO sing half as we'll as she did
when she came over here. For II Is n
well known fact TO those who are initiat-
ed, that most of the teachers over here
are bent only on backsheesh, and don't
care so much as sou, whether their
pupils learn anything or not. Somehow
We don't much believe In this heroic treat
men; for the voice-it Is too delicate an
instrument.
In this part Of the city, we see little OF
this kind OF suffering, but 10 our numer-
Gus sojourns In the Latin Quarter, where
all the real hard working students live.
we have acquainted ourselves with many
facts that would make your heart bleed.
When the girl with the pale face, and
eyes that told of suffering, came in one
night, and tainted at the dinner table,
then her sad story came out. She had
been here two years studying, and living
In the most extremely economical way,
so as not TO distress her parents too
much, who were sending her money to
live on-which would have enabled her
TO live luxuriously at home, but was only
pittance here-and OF late, her people
had kept writing and writing, that she
must work, rork, and get everything
possible out OF the time and opportunity,
for she must come home now soon, ana
they expected her To do great things In
return for what they had done for her.
The poor girl had not the heart to tell
them that day by day and week by week,
she had realized that her voice had gone,
and she must go home and dash all their
great hopes TO the ground. She told Us
afterwards that, coming back To her
boarding place across the bridge OF
Notre Dame, she had the same impulse
that Trilby did in her despair-to throw
herself into the Seine and end II all. We
tried to comfort as well as We could, by
telling her 10 90 home and rest, and not
try 10 sing a note for two years, and
give her voice n chance TO recuperate
| from the ravages to which il had been
subjected, and she might recover IL
again.
We could enumerate many similar
cases that have come under our own
personal observation, but as this Is not a
musical journal, and we have no occasion
to vent any spite on anybody In particu-
lar, We desist.
With the same amount Of money and
time, in the United States, a girl can ac-
complish about twice AS much, with
more comfort physically, mentally,
spiritually and morally, especially the
last.
Girls who are sin the swim" must g0
to Paris because 1t Is fashionable II
| finish their education with smattering
of French, and a season with some Paris
ian teacher of singing. Many of them
have said to US that they didn't know
what they were making martyrs OF them
selves staying over here for, while many
others are willing to put up with any
sort of accommodations in order to stay
in wicked, gay Paris. A recent writer