The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-13


the originals of the well known pic
lures of Napoleon at Austerlitz. Wag-
ram, Jena, Egypt and elsewhere, by
Vernet and other artists Still larger
pictures, depicting some one or other
scene in the career of Napoleon. are in
adjacent galleries, and are from the
brushes of LIE Brun and David.
This was the first Sunday in the
month, one of the few dates for the
playing of the fountains. These gorg-
eous cascades are put in operation. as
a rule. but once in thirty days. The
expense for the exhibition is about two
thousand dollars. We missed the sight.
because Just at the appointed hour.
four o'clock. rain set in and continued
till night.
1t is a long walk. through a park. to
the famous Trianons. The grand Tria-
non IS Ions ene-story palace. shaped
| like letter ~, and contains more
paintings and sculpture; several of the
rooms are fitted up with the rich fur
nlture which served Napoleon, and one
bedroom. was occupied by Victoria
on a visit to France. NeaFhV is an in
tereSting museum of gilded royal car
riages and gold-mounted harness and
saddles.
The little Trianon, the place always
referred to as Marie Antoinette'S fa-
vorite residence. is of two stories, and
IS another show place, through which
thronsS of visitors walk from end to
end One of the notable things here is
a SeVreS china bust of the unfortunate
queen This article was shattered, dur
ing the Revolution, but the pieces have
been collected and cemented. Sur
rounding the palace are little lakes and
meadows and apartments and dairy
houses where Marie Antoinette enter
tanned her friends and actually made
butter. but at cost greater than that
Oh the products from Horace Greeleys
experimental farm.
The good nature of the French was
well illustrated on our trip back from
Versailles to Paris. A drenching rain
FELL, the train was crowded: we could
get only the seats on top but We're
fortunate in securing center ones. Those
who came later filled out the ends,
sheltered the others and took their
drenchings good naturally. They
laughed and chatted as if it were fun
to get wet in their Sunday clothes
A truly valuable bit of advice was
given us by Lincoln Steffens of New
Y DIRK as we were sailing. He has travel
ed much and lived in Europe several
years. He said: IF you will remember
this, you are likely to enjoy every mo-
ment of your time. Don't let little
things annoy you. You will find for
elgnerS do not do things as we do Your
eggs may not be cooked Just as they
would be at home. but never mind. I
know of some people who would allow
an oVer-done steak to spoil the day for
the party
Many times when some little thing did
not commend itself, we would recollect
Steffens and the incident would be
turned to our pleasure.in stead of
against it.
The things we must have missed in
Europe would fill a large book, but the
things we saw filled US with pleasure
and profit and gave us a new horizon
whose breadth is not likely soon to be
forgotten.
The most valuable assistants in our
travels were the red guide books by
Karl Baedeker. They are complete and
invaluable. Every traveller with whom
we talked agreed with us. The books
of a handy size, easily fitting in the out
side coat pocket are of three to four
hundred pages bound with a flexible
cover. One book is devoted to London.
one to Paris. another to Great Britain,
two to Germany and three to Italy and
so on covering the principal countries
visited by the tourist. The subject is so
thoroughly treated that one may easily
do without any guide but Baedeker.
With such completeness does the work
deal that one may turn to the chapter
on any art gallery, look at the number
of the room in the gallery in which he
may be and find in proper order the
names and corresponding numbers of
each work of art with a description of
the notable pieces.
These books are not kept in Topeka,
but Ralph Moore of the Hall Stationery
company can readily secure them. They
cost from $1.50 to $500 each. Those who
are going abroad next season could
spend their time to no better advantage
than studying Baedeker at odd times,
marking in the book and turning down
the leaves at the places describing and
noting the things to be seen.
On the seventh day in Paris, a seven
I, Nv oeyf troll of
cars similar to American Pullmans, took
us through a beautiful country to Cher
bourg, where the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the
greatest steamship af1oat, was In wait
ing for us, homeward bound. having
sailed from Bremen the day before. Az;
the train neared Cherbourg we were at
tracted to one side by merry shouts and
splashings. Here for quite a distance
were scores of women, touching elbows,
and washing clothes at the edge of a
clear, narrow stream. The bank was a
continuous wash-board.
There were two other special trains
lust for the passengers of our ship. There
were two lighters. or tenders, which
took US out from the dock, through the
harbor, to the deeper water, where the
Kaiser was anchored.
The trip homeward was similar to
that outward bound, requiring about six
days time The weather was of all
kinds, rough enough for the first days
to make nearly every one sick and suf-
give a smooth and beautiful ride into
the New York harbor On shipboard
there were the usual scenes, the music,
the pleasant company, the captains
dinner the last night at sea and other
incidents described in early articles of
this series.
My most valuable friend in Paris
was Charles Z. Thompson, agent of the
Associated Press, for he cashed a
check 1t is no easier to travel abroad
within the estimates than it is to build
a house within the first figures. If the
proprietor of the Hotel de LAthenee,
and he was an exceedingly accommo-
dating gentleman. had known the ac-
tual condition of my pocketbook, he
might have Eesitated in his assignment
of rooms One of my first duties was
to pay my respects to Mr. Thomson:
the letter I gave him, if it meant any
thing, was certainly good for small
sum at the hank.