The evening times., 1899-01-14
PARIS AND PARISIANS.
The Possibility OF Revolution
OPfimisticaiI. Discussed.
TL.m ~ L.Elon - Rev.ew.L

h
When Sebastien Ner,ie- called Paris ia gu;u-
quetJe du monde. lie simply stated an old fact
in new form Long before the clever Bohemian
wrote his spirited sketches OF the capital it had
become tLe playground Of Jhe Downright idle
Is well - OF the more CultuUcd classes Ot Europe.
Louis NV perhaps. 900 polite to compare
the foremost city Of his Kingdom 10 a mere resort
for amusement. rot 10 say JUuS5tInls-g ground, bur
he was fully alive TO the fascination it had tOI
plcasuTe-loyIng foreigners and 20 the advantages
that might accrue 10 the PIrisiIas themselves
from the increase OF that attraction. When Man
sart, his architect, got frightened at the enor-
NOUS outlay involved in his IoyaI masters plans
t0F the establishment Of Paris, and more less
muddCd in his sCvnJLtS. Louls told aim tn o.
on building. Iii you ruH short OF funds viii
advance the money the foreigner Is sure to re-
lEibuISc u>. he said
To sAip a couple oi centuries and to come in
days, Napoleon HIS faith in the willing
Of the foreigner TO pay literally for the enter
tainmtrt provided fer him probably as srronr
as that of the Bourbon; the O1 H0rtense did
not, however, possess the private wealth OF the
latter 20 back his faith Nevertheless, he virtual
| ly took a leaf from the Grand Mondrque's book
I but slightly tfanspoSed the text Go on build
/ Ing, he said 10 llduS>mann: THE foreigner viii
/ reimburse the funds expended; but YOU must ask
| the PaFiSiIns TO advance them" The PariSians
! did as they were hidden, though not without
| srumbng at tine beginning, but ior many wears
they had their reward tor the Third Republic
| continued in that respect the traditions of The
| Second Empire, and made the capital Ia gum
| qGette Oh. monde IN Il sense the harJIn SCdrum
! author of lie 1ablcau de Paris could not have
! fcrescen in his widest Imagination. In a little
! less than forty years the Second Empire and
| the regime that ousted it organized four big
! exhibitions Much WAS forgiven 20 the Third Re
public and its adyentureTs Tor having brought the
| sheep to be heeced to the door OF the ParisiaIs
| themselves. To be baked ar the eleventh hour
OF the glitterinS spoil methaphoricaIly dansled
before their eyes iGT couple Of years, viii puC
them out OF COnCeit with the Powers that be-
Viii the ParlSlans endeavOr to sweep them
| 3gIy2 To put the question plainly VIII they
| en,!cIvor TO f1ulent a revolution, IS they az.
| supposed to have done twice within this ccntlry .
| j. E., in 1850 and in ISIS! Personally we doubt
! IT, Tor We happen to Ie aware that there are two
! CategOTies OF Parisians that frequently con
founded Ey the distant observer There Is th-,
real parisian. ''Un vrai Plrisien dc Paris; uu
| archi Parisien du bon Dicu, bonhomme conme
| un Champenois' as Je5n-JIcVles Rousseau dc
scriics him. lie i the native his father
and, perhaps his grandfather: for the pOpu alton
Of Paris Is recruited from the provinces. and to "a
| small extent from foreign countries. Tie real
| Parisians constitute at the most bat thir, part
ii the inhabitants; the rest PLriSiaEs by adop-
| tion. The real Partisan does not make revoi1I-
| tons. but he submits u them and is even dragged
into them.
| History is there TO prove what we say Michele.
has conciusiveiv shown that after the compulsory
flight of Henri III. CIIy Il, L5SSl and at the
Joprnee de5 Barrieadss during the regency ef
Anne OF Austria august p, IG4S), not third os
the Paris population rallied to either OF the in
surgert chiefs. The police reports On the Sta.
Oi public opinion during the Revolution make it
clear beyond doubt tai the excc=seS comm ted
in its name were Submitted to rather than ac-
ccijted by Pari5-we still referring to the IA
tive ponuation. beOncin. To the lower middle
and higher hourgeoisie. We could 60 on with our
proofs had we space. But he IS as one to TIVE.
HALF ape, half tiger Voltaire Is supposed L,
have said when speaking Of the population 81
Paris, after the horrible execution OF Damient
| What VoltaiIe realty did say was that Paris was
inhabited by tigers saaded by apes. The s.al
| Partisan is the ape: the sham Parisians and the
| p-oyincals who have to seek their fortune OF
! mere subsistence are the tigers.