New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-15
PARIS. PILGRIMS AND PRICES.

The soul of the tourist is in commotion and
his knees have turned TO water. for he is going
10 the Exposition this summer, and there is
every indication that Paris has sinister inten-
lions touching the little matter of his purse.
This has recently been shown by our CORE
spondent. He reports movement on the part
of the Partisan landlord and restaurant keeper,
to say nothing of tradesmen i'll general which
BODIES i'll for the foreign visitor. 1t is curious
movement" Those who began 1t are sit
ting still mice, or spiders. Calm in the con-
viction that the world and his wife are bound
10 come their way, they have busted themselves
with little refurbishing of their premises; but
to-day they wait in deadly repOSe for the tour
ist He will come TO bargain. He will stay to
pray. But prayer, SO they say, will avail him
naught. The Parisians will have ''priX fXe,"
a price immovable as fate-except when it flies
upward-and the tourist, poor thing! will pay it
or ship himself out of the city as promptly as
he may.
That is to say, he will do either of these things
if he is inexperienced, or timid, or ignorant of
the French language, or otherwise unprepared
for conflict We hope that countrymen at
least will school themselves for a more valiant
Let them meet extortion with high
courage and the onset Of true men. Let them
bring all their native w.t. audacity and skill to
bear upon the fight Let them rather retreat to
a police station and there. in some peaceful cell,
wait for a happy issue, than yield to the oEt-
rageOus demands which will be made for room
and three meals day. The American need not
be discouraged. Sooner later the obstinacy
of the landlord will disappear. The hauteur of
the restaurant keeper will melt The tradesman
Will beg for trade. The tourist will get things
at rational price, for. Chicago and the
Worlds Fair showed the tourist, when he
makes up his mind TO il, can win.
If the landlords of the Windy City thought of
tempering the wind to the shOrn lamb at all, 1t
was only on condition that they might them
selves have the shearing of him in the first
place. But he was not so innocent as he looked.
He frisked about in obscure streets for lodgings;
he carried his midday meal to the Fair wrapped
in piece of brown paper Ito the undOing of the
attendants who tried to keep the turf and road
ways clean; and when at night, the big restau-
rants on the grounds attempted to lure him
within their gates he hied him back TO Chicago
where he found that good dinner was avail
able at tolerable price If only one looked for 1t
long enough. We fancy it will be the same in
Paris. At first the landlords and all the rest
will stand together and as firm q rock. Then
in the more distant and less popular neighbor-
hoods the prices of lodgings will begin to de-
cline. and the demand for cheap food will make
stood before, The newer houses will have a
civilized price list
The Partisan bourgeois is remarkable for
nothing so much as for his common sense. To
say that he knows which side his bread is
buttered is 10 put it mildly indeed. II he is
hungry he will not wait for the butter. In
palmer terms, he will swallow the tourist at
the tourists own price. with possibly slight
premium such as no right minded tourist could
object to paying. 1t is important to remember
this when Illuminating on the trip to Paris, on
modest bank account, and on the forecasts Of
Partisan rapacity. Thousands will spend inf
ntely more than they ought to he asked TO
spend, of course and in many cases will doubt
less enjoy the experience. Other thousands by
using patience, judgment and An unbending will,
may easily see the Exposition and stay solvent.
Let II be remembered also that Paris is one Of
the hugest cities In the world. possessing lodging
houses, hotels and miscellaneous shelters IN