Evening star., 1898-09-10
The Great Sums That Americans
Spend in Paris,
WE LIKE What We GET IN EXCHANGE
Whether 1t is in Grand Hotel OF
Latin Quarter.
CHEAP EVEN WITH TIPS
Written for The Evening Star.

Paris shopkeepers. who were alarmed at
the prospect Of losing Yankee custom has
brought up discussion of the subject of
what Americans spend in Paris. Estimates
have been made which, though not ac-
curate, show that the sum total is remark
ably large. OF course, there is no limit to
the sums that very rich Americans may
spend in Paris every year. The Countess
of Castellane. for instance. and Mr.. James
Gordon Bennett probably spend there, good
years and bad years, quarter of million
or half million dollars of their great for
tunes Mr. Bennett has been known to give
an ordinary cabman thousand-franc note
for driving him few blocks, and once he
added a decentralization note when the
jehu protested that his fare only two
francs 1t is likely that there are fifty rich
Americans who make their homes in Paris
and between them spend an aggregate OF
So 900 600 a year
Then there are the very poor Americans,
who are equally without limits in the mod
csty or poverty of their Paris lives. The
writer lived in Paris for an extended period
on 80 francs a week, and suffered small
discomfort He was better off than many,
notably than a student in chemistry from
Colorado who had only 50 francs a month
to spend, and managed to exist on it. His
bed room was dark closet that knew no
fire, and cost him II francs month His
one meal a day was had at wine shop
where cab drivers eat and cost him 10
cents including a slice of meat some vege-
tables, a pint of bad wine and a bit of
cheese. In the morning he bought himself
a bowl of coffee and a piece of bread at a
creamery, He did his own washing, never
entered a cafe walked wherever he had to
go, enjoyed none of the regulation pleas
ures-sin2ply wore an old blouse and
worked at his chemistry.
Between these two extremes there is all
-orat n nf
Americans in Paris, and in their manner of
living. Students in the Latin quarter will
tell you that they can get as good room
as any one needs, furnished and looked
after for 80 francs a month-that is. SO
and quite a tolerable dinner with formal
progression from soup to coffee, for two
francs or less. The meat served at these
Latin quarter establishments is not always
above suspicion, but It goes down well
enough with the sauce Of gaiety.
Good Dinner for so Cents.
There is no doubt that an excellent din
ner may be had at many places in Paris
for three francs, while IS francs month
will secure room good enough for any
one, large and well lighted. There is one
just such room at just such a price in Paris
in which James Russell Lowell used to live
Robert Louis Stevenson lived in one on the
Rue Racine which cost very much less The
average dweller on the left bank artist
or student, man or woman, will find it
necessary to spend about $3.50 year to live
decently in Paris. There are over a thous-
and Americans of this class in Paris, so for
them we may put down an annual aggre-
gate expenditure of about a million dollars
Rising now in the scale to those Ameri-
cans who have their own apartments
it is to be noted that rents are very much
lower than they are in New York. A
charming little apartment, three rooms
and kitchen, just back of the Madeleine
he had for ODlV 1o,, francs month
furnished. For larger apartments the rents
will range up to thousand francs a
month, which amount will insure accom-
mediation for large family on one of ,-e
finest avenues.
And the cost of unfurnished apartments
is ridiculously small compared with what
we pay in this country. In the new build
ings goining up about the Arc de Triomphe,
buildings containing the most modern i'm
prOvements, small apartments of three
rooms and bath may be had for 100 or 800
francs year, while for 1908 francs year
an excellent apartment, with six or eight
rooms. may be had in a good part of Paris
There are probably 1000 resident Americans
in Paris, people in easy circumstances, who
may be put down as spending 5000 apiece
each year in the gay city, and that makes
81, 900, 900
The number of Americans in Paris who
rent or own entire houses-hotels they are
caled-is comparatively small, and the cost
of these hotels, which are built only for the
per year to keep UP an establishment like
that of the late DR.. Evans on the Avenue
Du Bois de BoulOgne is a matter of pure
conjecture. He made his great fortune out
of the French and could afford to be lavish
with 1t. But even Mr.. James Gordon Ben
nett is content to live in an apartment.
what the Tourists Spend.
Coming now to the great army of Amer
leans who do not reside in Paris, but visit
it frequently, it is estimated that $1,000 of
these pass through Paris every year. The
chief expenses of such persons may be put
down to eating and drinking, sleeping ac-
commodations. purchases at shops, cabs
and passing pleasures. A room at a good
hotel may be had for 81 or 81 a day; cafe
au lait in the morning costs 30 cents. a
lunch at one of the good places costs at
least 8 francs, usually more. An excellent
dinner for two may be had, if the things
are chosen wisely, for % francs. What a
man drinks at cafes and American bars de-
pends upon himself. A book (glass of beer
costs 10 cents, including a tip of 2 cents; a
mazagran (giass of Coffee costs y cents,
including the tip; srups and lemonades cost
10 cents without the tip, and American
drinks cost American DriceS-sometimes q
little more.
1t is likely that each one of these passing
Americans will spend 81 or IS a day during
| their stay in Paris for food. drink and bed,
and that IS but small part of the outlay.
cent tip. or at francs an hour will mount
up to 10 francs day, and what the pleas
ures will cost and the purchases depends
upon the individual case. 1t costs two or
three francs to enter each one of the music
halls, which exist Without number. and it
costs good deal more, sometimes, to get
out of them. Seats at the theater or the
opera cost a dollar or two, about the same
scale of prices as in NeY York, although
there are seats to be had for 20 cents if one
Will take them.
Leaving aside purchases at the shops, 1t
! Is safe to say that the average American
visiting Paris for the pleasure Of it, and
| spending only a week or two there. will
| distribute his money at the rate of about
$40 day, say $3.50 week, for he will spend
| $40 extra on Sunday. And that makes over
| $4,000 900 year for the $4,000 transents, if
| we assume that each one stays a week.
And purchases in the shops are still to be
| counted.
| A Costly Days Shopping.
| 1t is hard to estimate the amount of
these purchases; some spend thousands of
dollars, others spend very little. One au-
thentic case came to notice a few weeks
| ago where young lady from New York
bought seven dozen pairs of silk stockings
for herself at 20 francs pair and the same