The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-21
PRESENT STATE OF PARIS.
PICTURE ny JULES tLARETiF, VIII
SOME ADDITIONS.
Incidents That Mark the Beginning OF the
Century. as He Insists on Calling 1t
-Turmoils of tho French ana Antici-
pations of the Exposition Of 1000.

Century. as He Insists on Calling IL
-TurmoiIs of tho French and Antici-
pations Of the Exposition of iO00.
PARIS, Jan. IL. jules Claretie IL writing
history n Ia Victor Hugo. Apropos of the new
year, Paris Is In q turmoil. The papers are full
OF letters on the subject of the beginning u a
new century, Those who favor Jan. |, 1900
ns the opening day are furious with those who
declare for Jan I, 1901. Aud the 1901 contingent
nave Tor the 1900 creatures a contempt which
they say Is inoxprcssible but which their ian.
guage manages TO convey very clearly.
NJ Clareue really believes the century begins
with 1901, but he is disposed to b. am.able and
Ia play that 1t began a week ago Monday. Per.
hhps this Is because he was burning 10 write
history a la Victor Hugo. In les Miserables."
Hugo gives n picture Of the year 1917; n picture
made up Of u multitude Of small touches. de.
tached facts, which at this distance Of time blend
as do the innumerablc spGtty daubs Of an i'm.
pressionist picture. and give a really vivid idea
Of the time he describes. This is what Claretie
tries TO do for The opening Of the new year. or
as he is willing to play" the opening OF the new
century II Is a picture Of up-to-date Paris.
Here" he says, is what the future will say
Of the present"
"1he first Of January, 1900. the third French
republic began the thirticth year Of its existence.
Every day at noon, along the broad passage
Of the Champs Elysees, pass \ the mounted guard,
going on duty at the Elysne palace. The French
continued to Insult them The old saying Of
Sebastian MERCER was still true: TO be treated
"a a rogue, an assassin, an impostor, that doesn't
mean anything! 1t merely signifies a difference
Of opinion
The EiiIcl tower, Just repainted, shone 10
the sunlight like an immense torch Of brass. On
the black walls OF factories could be seen the words:
Wire the strike The span Of the new bridge
Of Alexander IL surpassed in the opinion of engi
peers the celebrated daring o. the Machinery Hall
Exposition Of 1891 which made the glory and
caused the death Of Contamin. The now palaces
Of the Beiux Arts were sp%routiug from the ground.
Above the renina nj Of the palace Of former expo
sitions was an enormous sign: Destruction OF
the last vestiges Of the Palac, Of Industry
behind the Madeleine a place had been pre-
pared for the statue Of l.ayoisier and before Saint
Augustin a broad space awaited the statue OF
Joan Of Arc. Shakespeare was being played
at the Boutfes Patisiens. Shakespeare was the
name Of a dog, This was thought to be very
funny, Two other foreign names, Otero and
I0ie Fuller, fla med in the posters OF Paris. Above
the Chamber Of Deputies a new flaS Aonted. A
beggar on the Pont Royal toll, as in the olden
time. tho fortunes Of tho passcrsby. The room
wh"ro Noltaire died was still closed, after the
lapse Il a century.
"TolStOi, almost dying, refused the remedies
OF the physicians ana wanted only this sovereign
remedy; 10 b. alone with his conscience and TO
dictate his moral last testament. lbSrn was
about Ia produce n new drama and Verdi, an
octogennrian, was finishing q new oparl, Rouen
was busy with q s,a'u" If Guy de MaupaSSant
and there was 'alk Of putting q bust Of. Nerlaine
IN ia" LuxemDonrt. After the love letters Of
Musset were to De published the love letters Of
Victor Hugo: %'lottr's q Ia F0ncce'
After complainIr; that There were not enough
trHmwa"s tho PnrlSianS began To- complain be
coue dangerous 4 man who crossed a squar'
was q hero. IN IN" shops was 10 he seen The
March Of he Bo'rs' People wore felt hats with
The l'o@r, colors' Among the toys were Beers
'Sardou. studied old prints in search Of the
costumes fo' his nov, play ,'Pn,rie' Sarah Ban
4 wcnvers' strike ana a coal famine. Ii was
hoped thot during this year q 1900 the cure for
sands Of persons We're searching eagerly fo- some
thing with which they could triumph at the Tx.
position and thousands Of others were all in a
fever, thinking Of tho prize Of 1OO,0DO francs
offered by. NJ. OSiriS for the most useful inven-
ton. AZ Lyons a Pnsteur Institute was opened
It wn a IN" c eighth i in l,, Hn,,s ,b Dr. E.nS had
Or Metchnlkoif WAS in a fair way to do away
With Did age,
into the hilarious 'ljuite a turSy' ON H.,
posters could b. seen President Kruger with Mr.
Chamberlain Who. in r,ql flesh and blood, con.
tinuAl To- occupy hllnr-lf with orchids People
began, TO call him The fool of birmingham -"
And 50 on. With due RESPECT Ia VI Jules one
feels tolerably certain that Hugo could have
done this sort Of thing h'i'nr Even an uupre-
tending Yankee visitor couldn't DO much worse.
! So here are a few more impressions OF Paris a la
Ila-eng-llugo. In the, first place, the city is
up that sort Of thing indefinitely Just nov
it IS the Transvqai. II there is onc thing in the
world that would put the Psrisans IN a good
humor with themselves and The rest Of humanity
" would be TO have the English beaten in South
A,frica In the meantime the journalists write
tended 10 charm the English. the Gates concerts
ring, with songs which have not passed through
the hands Of a British censor, The very boys Of
the street scorn the English with a deep French
sc"rn and make the mistake Of crying "ioers'
Bo"rs' at the innocent Americans, under the
hated ii Briish hun %hde slr tfot 4I fca s. last grinding the
The political pot boil, even harder and faster
,hnn NE one in which 'he hated English ara
tinues to invent new terms Of cndea rment to be
Gpil.Nd to the Government. After exhNusting
the list Of thief, r1bher. assassin and simllar cpl;
SIliEaiors. The high G1urt in its turn has
condemned Doroulede and Guerin, the opera
bouiie 'evolutionists on New Years Day. Fran.
WHY N'IlVr bllifh On bNI'|altNe III DIS prison
and recited some original verses. OF course
D'roulede couldn't get away That's one Of
the inconvrninncos NJ prison life. one can't
be. not at home u poets who call with verses.
Did any ono say there were too many tram
wavs in Paris? II must have been a cab driver.
Paris in 1909 makes one think Of the old saying:
Roll up, Tumble up Any way To git up"
The Parislans bound Tor any part Of the city
ore desperately glad OF any way TO get there
St-ange,s are in despair ard say: "liut how
will You handle the Exposition crowds" The
parisians are not disturbed. They shrug their
shoulders and tell you that Paris has handled
other tx issltluns,
Then they add. triumphantly And there
Is the Metropolitan" The Metropolitan Is the
underground railway. The Parlsians are not
quite sure where il goes, but they have a vague
idea thnt It's subtorrancan wandcringS are very
comprehensive One can hardly blame them.
Paris has been and still is "A city Of holes in the
ground, Almost every important street has
been dug up, or has ca yed IN, or been barrlcaded
and II the Metropolitan Is Responsible for il all
then IL must meandar far and WIDE, Tho city
Is sure IL wall handle the crowds all right. Why,
the tramway companies are gong ~ have l2O
new Oulnibuses during tho opposition That
settles the question.
Tie theatres are as uncomfortable and as eX-
pcnsivc as over. Dernhardt is playing Hamlet"
anl"CanIlle, and rchrHrsing Il Aigl n Cuque-
lin IL having fair success in lie, MiScrallrs'
lie IL keeping "Cyran Tor the ENpCsitlan,
R,iGnr is gUin: 10 give her two trlunpls, Mad
anne Saus Gene" and Xa.a' at The same time.
Mounrt Suily has retained rom q { VI # Fur pc,
HcI, almost blind, but hhs u ErratNY que rs sever,
Nvrtts trullDertIN 9, nyG lrSCln, alter an operation
There are IN urlnurS That he Is pISset. tn" music
halls have been invGlrl by an rnllcSS series u
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