Evening star., 1898-03-19

IL taches and rolls his
eyes until they start
from his head the swearing is quite lurid
enough for the Frenchman who takes
sweetened water for his intoxication.
The old soldiers have reason to grumble
A little over two hundred years ago the
grand monarcn"-Lcuis XIV, the Sun
King" as his courtiers called him-built
the great Hotel des Invalides for them 1t
was only for the 'invalided" ones-the old,
with their breasts covered with medals and
decorations Tor past bravery, OF the mu-
ulated, one-armed or one-iegged, or, like
''Silver-BellIed'' General de Gallifet, with a
n.etal plate instead of the natural covering
of their wounded abdomens.
Soldiers of this kind have never been
wanting to France, for she has always
been the turDulent nation, slapping her
glove across the face of her neighbors and
then running them neatly through with
her chivalric rapier-wheLev ever she was al
lowed. When not allowed-but that is an
other story. of which the last act SO far is
the trial of Zola.
What can the world be coming to when
france permits mere man of letters-half
Italian at that-to attack the army 1.-The
supreme idol of the fatherIand?'
Scrogneu-gneu:'
Before We criticise we must remember
that the army is to the French people
s.mathing of which We commercial Ameri-
cans can have no idea. The stories told to
little children. the models put before young
men and the heroes of maidenS' dreams
ali belong to the grand army. with officers
and man handsomer in their slashed uni
forms and feathers, Drawer in battle, more
generous and generally daredeviIish and
gallant than all the other soldiers of the
world. taken singly combined.
Even Prussia is not so thoroughly soaked
with the military blue. Since the explosion
OF the great revolution century ago every
femily in France in every generation has
krown what military glory is like. No
wcnder that the few old veterans left
around the Invalides walk sadly in these
days when the republic is permitting law
yers and other word-tricksters to call the
generals to account.
Put to Other Uses.
1t was sign of the times when 1t was
decided to change the destination of the
1rvalides. No more old soldiers are to be
sent here to keep guard over the tomb of
II cir demigod, Napoleon. Preparations are
aIr5 ady making to give up the whole i'm
mense building to the offices of the mill
tary governor of Paris. The veterans who
are now here will be allowed to stay until
Trey join the phantom army; but then it
Will be finished.
Perhaps few, a reward of merit, will
stin be kept in the Museum of Artillery
which occupies small portion of the build
ipS, 20 show around tourists, as do the
Queens Beef Eaters in the Tower of Lon
den Hut the special character of the In
vaiides is going Visitors to Paris must
hurry IL they would see what is left of the
Clden time-tbat which furnished SO fit a.
setting to the tomb of the great conqueror
who was more Italian than Zola, but who
knew how to make himself the greatest
Zero of the French.
Tie old soldiers are not consoled by being
tcld that nowadays. the army is the whole
nation since every able bodied man has to
do lis years OF military service. and that
cor sequeatly, the hotel fer the invalides of
Louis NIV's time is far too small besides
having lone of the accommodations which
the nineteenth century has taught even old
soldiers TO expect.
The Situation.
You come up to the Invalides from the
left bank of the River Seine across the long
parade ground of the EspIanade, with its
borders of trees. Here a good part of the
exposition of 1900 Is to be placed and a
railway is to cross its lower end along the
riverside. In the middle the new bridge of
Alexander Ill is building. and the broad
avenue which will be opened clear across
to the Champs Elysees will have the gilded
dome Of the lnvalides for perspective.
All round the terrace in front of the
building passes fosse wide enough not to
be jumped over, but of earthly use in
modern warfare. 1t is dry. and green grass
grows at the bottom Aleng the stone en-
bankment of its further side frown rows
cf cannOns which France captured from
her enemies OF other days. They would be
about as practical the fosse in our day,
but they are highly ornamental
Among them are bronze pieces-long
large. decorated with all manner of orna-
Eiertal sculptures and inscriptions, like
works of art, forming the ''Triumphal Bat
tory Two were taken from Austria and
eight from Prussia 100 years ago and more.
and here are two captured from Russia
within the memory of man. There are fine
Algerian pieces. with Arabic inscriptions.
and a Chinese cannon fine as the Chinese
AZ ftla S.,ex
OF the suElmer palS Ce to the Louvre.
On the two square gate houses across the
crawbridge are carved in solid stone the
fat, ro1nd face Of Louis XIV with his
symmetrical wig accurately parted and
waved from the middle. in the midst of
rays. The wicked Germans have given the
Fame Of the royal wig to the peculiar ar
Chitecture which the Sun King used in the
magnificent buildings of Versailles and here
at the Invalides. 1t is the "Perukenstil" !"
Solemn buildings they are, accurately part
ed in he middle, with massive gable at
each end like the heavy curls over the ears.
Napoieon's Tomb.
With all its plainness and monotony it is
q truly royal architecture. and casual yisi-
tors do not get the proper enjoyment out of
it, AS the guide-he IS seldom one of the
old soldiers, who too dignified for visi-
tors TO ask-hurfies them inside the build
ing :hey co not stop to look at the unique
facade 1t Is an Immensely long, straight
building of four low stories. broken in the
middle by great arch rising above the
portal oi the caves.
This in itself is a lesson in the Louis XIV
style of furniture. All the decoration Is
made up of symbols of the spirit which lie
imprinted on the susceptible minds of his
people. The bundles of weapons and arms
are agreeably surmounted with the radiant
face of the sun king. The state-thats s
me-. said this monarch. and the whole out
side of this building showed he was right
But the moment We step inside the great
quadrangular court, round which this SOL
emn barracks of the Invalides Is built we
are III another presence. On the further
side, in the middle, rises the front of the
church of the place. with the beautiful gilt
dome. the masterpiece of Mansart, which
architects compare with the dome of st.
Paurs in London rising proudly above it,
In the central niche. where some holy
statue should be. stands the only incarna-
tton OF France since the sun king went the
way Of all flesh. Without pomp of mythol-
ogy. in his plain coat and hat, with his
hand thrust In his vest, stands the great
Napoleon, whose tomb Is visited by all the
world. just behind the high altar. In the
church itself hang the flags conquered by