Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25

aroused by some old-time book about what
was once the most famous botanical and
geological garden of the world. Many are
contented with what they are told. and go
! Off to the spick-and-span Jardin dAcclima-
| tation. organized as money-making con-
| Germ by private corporation in a corner
of the Bots de Boulogne.
There they can view conveniently the
great mandril ape, can ride on the minia-
| ture tramway, drawn by ponies, through
| the trees and by the lakes, and on Sundays
| and Thursdays lirten to one of the good
| concerts Of instrumental music for a few
sous. So they forget all about the old
| fashioned Jardin des Plantes, which is far
away in part of the great city which
no one who is anybody ever visits.
! The loss Is their own for it is still beau
| tiful, 1t is full of "reminiscences of some of
the worlds best men. it has many things
! 10 snow which are not found elsewhere. and
| the crowd that saunters and chatters and
| opens wide eyes without shame of their
wonder are things to see in Paris by one
who would know something besides the
boulevard and the foreigners quarter.
Where 1t is.
The Jardin des Plantes covers nearly
seventy-seven acres of land in the south
east corner Of Paris, stretching back from
the river Seine. 1t is the lowland across
which the troops of Julius Caesar had their
| first sight of the Gauls, camped on the hill
above, under their native king Camulo-
genes. The Romans did not have the best
of 1t that time, but the leader of the Gauls
was killed.
On the hill, only a step from the upper
entrance OF the Jardin des Plantes, there
has been recently dug out one-half of the
amphitheater, which the conquering
Romans built for their gladiatorial games,
| when they came back to take final pos
session of Paris.
The stone benches ard the stems leading
down to the arena have been restored ana
children play about them. The visitor can
figure TO himself the fine Partisan ladies of
that time looking down or the combats be-
tween men and wild beasts. Nowadays
they scruple to allow moderate bull fight
and the beasts are confined in cages here
in the buildings that surround the famous
Jardin.
Across the street to the west is the great
Wine market-Halles des Eins-a town by
itself, carefully inclosed, with streets along
which are the warehouses, cellars and Of
fees. through which must pass all the
wines Laat enter this wine-6rnking city.
History Of the Place.
1t is strange history how the Garden
Of Plants became also a garden of beasts
and fishes, stuffed and alive. 1t took sew
eIal centuries Of progress and revolution to
do it, Long ago. when it was no easy task
to get around the world, only kings could
pretend to menageries The good Haroun-
al-Raschid, when he was Caliph, sent to the
mighty Emperor Charlemagne a monkey
ard an elephant. Many centuries later,
Bocaccio. the story teller, reckons it one of
the greatest happineSseS of riches that they
allow one to keep a monkey.
In Paris itself, it was the reverend canons
Of the Cathedral Church of Notre Dame
who kept the beasts inside the cloister. or
part of the island which was reserved to
the clergy. But in 1245 along came a dele
gate from the pope, who ordered the lonely
canons to get rid of their ''boarders," which
were. SO he said. a ridiculous distraction for
men of serious profession
Then the French kings went into the
show business. and we can follow the court