The Daily Texarkanian., 1900-07-25
PARIS LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
PARIS, FRANCE, July 10, 1900.

SOuQu 10 tue UNDERSTANDING AuA VI
tinsel sights and unmeaning gaiety
side by side with loveliest forms of
art aud the most admirable results
of industry aud of education. Such
at least were my thoughts as l
came out of the Palais de Gongres
after spending an hour in the So
cial Economic section. Outside
were the aimless crowd, the gilded
domes and plaster decorations, the
amusements, the gossip and laugh
ter. Inside you were in another
atmosphere - an atmosphere of
knowledge and utility and peace.
Here under some very attractive
forms is offered to you the most
diverse information of which one
example will suffice. The corner
devoted to the Russian Temperance
movement is charming in its sim
plicity novelty, and instructive
ness. All about you are diagrams
showing the success of the govern
ment'S propaganda against spirit
drinking in the Russian empire;
and a very pleasant young Russian
lady, dressed in black, with dark
eyes and fair hair, not more, l sup
pose, than twenty, will answer in
the most delightfully."- broken French
such questions as you may care to
put. But the eye and the heart
are even more interestingly drawn
by the model debit de the"-tea-
pubhchouse; if one can say so with
out paradox, than by the amiable
Russian. 1t is fitted up exactly as
| it is seen in thousands of Russian
villages. The shop, not unlike the
sections of a log hut, has at one
end a short counter with hard
boiled eggs, red colored, glass jars
of sweets and preserves, and bot
ties of kvass, non-alcoholic drink
made from barley with something
of the taste of cider; while behind
the counter is a sideboard contain
ing cups and tea-pots. At the op-
posite end of the shop is another
counter with papers and periodicals
and behind that, a bookcase filled
with books. The middle of the
shop is occupied by tables where
the tea or kvass is leisurely consum.
ed, where village politics are deba-
ted, or where a game of draughts
or domiuoeS is played by the mou'
| iik customers. The rest of the
furniture is simple and characters
tically Russian, that is to say rude,
With a dash of o-ientalism; noble
brass samovar filled with ever boil,
| ing water behind the counter at
one end; brass ever under a tar
and comb hanging beside it from
piece of string close to the en-
trance; homely faced, loudly-tick.
ing clock fixed to the wall and the
never-absent colored prints of the
Car and the Czarina. Guess now
how much cup, or cups, OF tea
taken under these humanizing con.
ditions costs, less than two cents
The price hangs on the wall:-a ii
ny measure of tea, l kopeck; two
pieces of sugar, / kopeck, slice Of
lemon, kopeck; teapot Of boil
ing water, kopeck; and three ko-
pecks are not quite two cents
What vast organization this state
propaganda is may be appreciated
by the fact that though five years
ago when it was started the state
paid 100000 in subventions, il
1899, with its influence penetrating
all over Russia, the state subven
tion was 81, 900, 900, and the propa
ganda does more than establish
tea-publichouses. 1t gives thou
sands of concerts and conference!
and entertainments. The effect Il
known to be enormous, and what
with Tolstois writings-The Czar'i
phiIanthrophy, and the propaganda
Russia in few decades ought t
have one of the most civilized peas
antries in the world.
Mention of the Cars philantro-
ply reminds me of another conver
sation had in the same building
but now not with a Russian girl
but with Polish Prince and Prin
cess. was examining the exhibit
of the "AlIiance Universelle det
Femmes Pour la Paix", admirine
the photographs of many devoted
woman workers, not few of them
American, when happened to ask
an elderly gentleman, who seemed
to have something to do with the
exhibit, what was the name of the
lady president whose handsome
photograph / was looking at,