Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-03-23

slty Of this structure, when he reflects
that It is 100 feet In height, and lag In
breadth. On each Of Its four mammoth
pilasters is colossal group Of statuary
portrsying Napoleon in his various
victories. Il was built to commemorate
his numerous defeats Of the enemy In
1866. From the base Of this arch,
radiate IL of the finest avenues In the
world. Paris is laid out 10 the form OF
a spiders web. The Arch Of Triumph
is the spider. The greatest Of these
avenues Il the Champs Elysees (pro-
nounced Shons Eleesy). This street l.
the widest and most beautiful In the
world, being really park, between two
rows OF houses, With walks and drive
ways, bride path, and bicycle thorough
fare, all running alongside, perfectl,
straight, from the Arc de Triumphe "
the Place de Ia Concorde, and In th'
evening when the straight rows Of gas
lights on each side are glimmering, and
you see them meet iu perspective at thu
farther end, 1t really Is quite spectacu-
lar spectacle. The intervening space
are taken up with cafes, jugglers, Punch
and Judy shows, cake stalls, restaurants
and drinking places, for everybod,
drinks here, everything but water, and
chairs and settees are NIL around, unde,
the trees, for the convenience OF the
traveller, who will here see one OF tn,
characteristic phases Of Partisan life,
for In mild weather the place 10 alive
with human beings Gill after midnight.
but the less frequented parts had
better he avoided after dark
| The Place de Ia Concorde Is the finest
ami largest square In the world. 1t |,
very nice to have such breathing place
In the heart OF city. Ii Is filled with
statue, and fountains, but It's history |,
anything but inspiring, for the scenes OF
bsrbarity and cruelty that have been re-
corded here and passed into history.
make the place almost revolving, for on'
can think OF nothing else but the blood
that has washed the streets, for only 100
years ago the guillotine began It's deadly :
work here, and kept on till $500 person
had been beheaded on this spot, among
them the Inflated Queen, Marie An
toinette, and that brave young enthusiast,
Charlotte Corday. An immense foun-
tain has been erected on the spot wher.
the scaifold sto d, but Chateaubrisn nd
apfly observed that all the water In the
world could not wash away the blooj
stains which sullied the place.
The "Obelisk OF Luxor" Is the most
interesting object here, the history OF
which IA, that X ,mses II, King Of Egypt,
better known by his Greek title OF
Sesostris the Great, who reigned J.,
centuries before Christ, erected huge
gate before temple which his great
ancestor Amenophis had built in q
suburb OF Thebes, which Is now the poor
village OF Luxor. In front OF the gate
stood two beautiful obelisks, and II i.
one Of these, more than 5000 years old,
that now ornaments the Place de Ia
| Concorde. Each OF its four sides are
covered with hieroglyphics inscribed by
Rsmses IL, and record how he, the
Lord OF the earth, the sun, and the
annihilator Of the enemy" erected the
obelisk In honor OF Ammon Ra, the
Egyptian deity, In return for the victo-
riou, might with which the god had en-
| dowed him.
Right here also are the Gardens OF the
Tuileries, but where the gardens come 10,
We haven't discovered, unless the soil OF
fertile Imagination is sufficient TO cult
vste them-ours Is not fertile enough,
and our eyesight Is not endo wed with q
| sufficient halo, even though We are In
Paris to discover anything but the ce-
mented pavements and macadamized
ground, which we walk over, and which
We can see no beauty In, unless We look
over the tops of the trees, and see the
sky through their leaness skeleton
branches, for when We look down to the
ground, all feelings OF admiration are
dispelled, for these artificial cemented
grounds are poor substitute for
natures sweet m0ssy banks. Ii Is bad
enough to shave the grass down with II
razor, wherever little stingy plot Is al
lowed To grow, but TO compel these beau
tiful trees to grow up" through such
an unnatural, unbeautiful soil, seems
adding insult TO injury; and the trees
them mselves, poor things, seem TO stretch
out their arms sppealingly, and ask US
TO take them back TO their own wildwood
element, where they can live and breathe
and have their being, once more. But
even q tree has It's sphere, and Its work
TO do, and We hope these trees find COM
pensation in sheltering and comforting
the children Of the poor, who come here
TO sit aud play beneath their branches,
but we can't help wishing they might
also have the soft, green blanket, OF
mother earth, on which TO recline, which
she SO generously throws over all.
We believe the Tuileries were once ex.
tcnsive gardens belonging to the Palace
of the Tuileries, which was burned BY
the communists 10 1871.
The history of France Is bloody one.
From the time of the PARISH, tribe
who settled on the banks Of the Seine
about the time Of Julius Caesar, till the
time of the communist war, q quarter
of q century ago, France had never laid
aside the sword scarce six months al
q time.
The B0is de Boulogne Is a beautiful
park, covering an area Of 225O acres, just
outside the city gates. Here the eye ID
not distressed with the cemented floor
of the earth, but the green carpet Is al.
lowed to remain. The trees are small,
and not very near together, and the
trunks, way up into the branches, are
covered with sort Of moss, or mold,
vivid green In hue, making them look
exactly as II wound around with green
velvet, and the ground is also covered
with green carpet, even at this time OF
the year; and when the green leaves are
on the trees, we can imagine how II
might almost equal In verdancy the 80
Ijourner from the state of Maine.
We shall have to give you another
chapter on the Bois de B0ulOgne ut some
future day, but space forbids at this
time. And now, dear friends, notwith.
standing the "hayseed" In our hair, and
the fact that we have not stood with
Iopen mouth before these wonderful
triumphs Of art and architecture, snG
have had the courage to depart from thu
usual gush of the usual visitor to Paris
don't imagine that we think we've seer
nothing worth seeing 10 "La Belle
France" but just the same, the art ol
lold Dame Nature and the architecture
of the Almighty, Is good enough for us
MARTHA MAXIM.
| WHERE THE SURPRISE CAME IN.
A certain young man in Atchis0r
| stood on corner last night WONDERING