Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-04
Paris. July 10 1900

Paris, July 10, 1900.
If there is one place where weeks fly
swiftest it is Paris. Ours have left us
like SO many moments, and now we
realize that to even tell the half If
what we've seen, the time has come,
in the words of the illustrious tortoise,
Ito talk of many things" We deter
mine our last day to crowd two in one,
so made an early start, but halted on a
street corner vainly cudgelling our
brains to recall whether the last direc-
ton given at chain-lightning speed was
droit or gauche. Suddenly a clamor of
youthful voices. shouting and singing.
reached our ears, deciding us inStanter
that straight ahead was our way to
discover what the uproar meant. We
by no means had a monopoly of curios-
ity or sidewalk. Seemingly, as in the
fable of old, from the ground sprang
men, armed with canes. soon Joined in
some mysterious manner by as many
women and children. An We're intcntly
watching an old stone gateway. from
which soon rushed out hundreds of
young men, wearing extremely long
hair, as well as very broad-brimmed,
low-crowned hats, and carrying i'm
mense black portfolios, the size of
which we had never before beheld.
Broad bright scarlet ribbons fiuttered
from their sleeves and shoulders. num-
erous flower girls, their baskets filled
only with red pinks. passed from one
man to the next, and soon each had
pinned to his lapel bunch of Grim
son carnations During the entire
time, the singing continued with UNI
abated vigor and unintelligible words.
What does it all mean" and visions
of communistic risings passed before
us. At our elbow was our composite
friend a policeman, ever near, never
importunate, an encyclopedia OF 1nfof-
nation. .'Ah mesdames it is the stu
dents of the Ecole Polytechnic; they
have passed their examinations sue
cessfully and this is the yearly custom.
It's s'amusent' with the inevitable
shrug; and as we left, vociferous
cheers rent the air for favorite pro-
fessOr.
We spent the forenoon looking in the
Louvre. we spent the afternoon looking
at the Louvre. Oh! little propositions
freighted with such "wait-y" difference
in their meaning. This makes the
eighth" groaned W." as still another
bus numbered by, leaving us once more
to count TIE windows and statues OF
the classic building. We were now
fully experiencing the reverse side of
the Partisan system, which hitherto
had been at our beck and call. Despite
the exasperating little placard COM
Met" we mounted the steps OF the
clumsy conveyance and appealed to
/, the conductors commonsense. Come.
| let us reason together: here is all this
unoccupied space in the center, why
can't we stand?" As we reiterated
stand" an expression of horror such
as only a glimpse of the gorgoh head
| could have equalled. spread itself over
the mans face, and abashed at our
own temerity in thinking we could
abate lone jOt or one title OF the law
we fled to Seine boat.
Before leaving home we were con-
Scious of deep-seated, though I'M
| snoken conviction that Paris. this year.
contrary to all other Junes, would give
rs more than even we desired musical
| " Trprooted conviction! We found a
| da.rth Of operatic stars for which even
two Paderewski concerts failed to COM
pensate. for Delna. in "Hansel and
C.rateI" interesting as Is the opera.
can hardly be called great artist.
Three years ago We left samson and
De,j,ab'' at the Grand Opera House.
on,v to return in 1900 to find them still
there. deceiving and deceived. We
analIv awoke to the fact that even a
twentieth century exposition cannot
command operate queens, when Ma
dame Nordica, beautiful and charming
as ever. spent June in Paris. only for
rest and recreation. The revival Of an