Evening star., 1897-03-13

furnish dance music. lights waxed floor
and refreshments to any one" their lead
ers say. IF the city's money is TO be spent
in such celebrations, let 1t be with some
result They deplore thesinequality of the
distribution of cards, whAeorecognizing it's
inevitableness under the present system.
Let the municipal fetes be given hence
forth In honor of great Scientific discover
les, or to glorify great events interesting
to all France as well asntn' Paris, or fete
some great man or category of men. This
would afford opportunity TO invite the lead
ing men of different professions and trades
and give special characref to each func-
ton 5;if
Glimpse of n Ball.
Without attempting to derive any moral
from them, I can only express the wish
that every fellow-countryinan in these
days of distraction when no one knows
what is right, could take look In at these
democratic balls of the Paris Hotel-de-
Vile. They will always stay fixed in my
memory as brilliant and gigantic, If con-
fused and pandemoniacal, living pictures
giving rise to none too clear and all too
complicated reflections, II not on the
search for happiness, at least on the ef-
fort to produce happiness in others. There
are those magnificent corridors, lined with
guardsmen. blazing with light those gor-
geous halls. where over and around the
binding effulgence of the great gided
chandeliers the color schemes of the fore
most Paris artists fight each other as in
war where demigods make bombs of
rainbows; those all too decorated mazes,
halls, ball rooms supper rooms, reception
rooms, the salons of the Hotel-de-Ville,
whose like we plain Americans may not
imagine. Then there are, undoubtedly, the
great ones of the nation, Felix Faure, the
president, the ministers, the presidents of
the two chambers, the senators-or some Of
them-the deputies-and most of thep-and
all the train of employees.
Then they must be, after all. exactly
what your barber said.' you will exclaim
ma magniticent-lights, music, perfumes and
in floods! multitudes of incredibly beautiful
DANES and demoiselles in pistache and
strawberry, vanilla and raspberry-and not
the vulgar scrambles you would make
them out?''
From "Charles'' - Point of View.
Without making any point of the fact
that the president of the republic and his
satellites put in their appearance quite as
much from necessity as inclination-not
even a president dare refuse the invita- ton
of that proud corporation, nor dared any
French king in the days gone by-I will
quote whit Charles, the valet de chambre
who makes my bed. said on the morrow Of
last weeks great function. He had been
there Did you remark, monsieur" he
said. the number of ladies who would dart
their hards suddenly to their knees or
their sides or their backs?" Yes, they
seemed to be struck by sudden emotion. -
''Or sudden iea!' he responded, scratch
Ing his nose sympathetically at the thought
of it. Then, resuming, he expressed his
admiration for the activity and muscular
strength of his felloW-countrymen and
women. still admirable and beautiful de-
spite all pessimistic talk about degenera-
ton. 1t was at the buffet, he said that
he made these observations. There at
the buffet, monsieur, where man-and wo-
man also-manifests himself in all the
simplicity of his nature which is to con-
will in
ton everything in sight provided it costs
nothng! STERLING HEILIG.