The National tribune., 1903-02-26
HUMAN WRECKAGE OF PARIS.

HUMAN WRECKAGE OF PARIS.
shivering wretches Gathered in the Cal
| leries of The Louvre for Warmth.
(Argonaut.)
These magnificent corridors and CALLER
| les of the Louvre are now being put to
novel uses. OF late, in Paris, the weather
has been extremely cold. As n result, the
shivering wretches from the streets have
| hastened to the wellwarmed halls. Poor
devils. 1t was impossible to look on them
without pity. One in particular moved
me, he had such an expression of abject
misery; he was ragged but decent-loOl-
ing man, with the hard hands of a me-
chanic, and he wore the workman's dress,
which in France is distinctive. As he sat
staring wretchedly out of the window
approached and got him to tell me his
pltifui story. He was an iron-worker, but
had met with an accident in n foundry
which had rendered him incapable of work
ing; he had tried vainly to get some
lighter employment, but had failed; he
had sunk lower and lower, until
he had no money for food or lodging; he
had been sleeping on the straw in stable,
but the hostlers drove him out; since then
he had walked the streets by night. In
the daytime he sought for warmth from the
bitter cold without by coming to the
Louvre Gallery
was struck by one thing about these
poor wrecks of humanity-there were no
women among them. There were men Of
all ages, from the evil-faced youth of IS,
with sinking, furtive eyes, to the older
wrecks of three-scOre-but not a woman
among them all. The F-enchwoman
seems to be more capable than the French
man; they are excellent business women.
You see them hard at work at all ages.
You see little girls of II carrying enor-
nous boxes through the streets. You see
aged danes in the newspaper kiosks, their
red; frOst-bitten noses shining from their
hooded heads, wrapped and muffled in
shawls in this bitter air, their feet in
enormous OvershOes, reposing on hOt-water
tins; but they are always cheerful; when
you buy a paper from them, they take off
their mittens to make the change, and you
see that their old and fumbling hands are
chilblained. But they always give you a
smile, and cheerful ''Thank, you, Mon
sieur," for your extra copper.
Yes, there are plenty of men amid this
human wreckage at the Louvre, but no
the difference.
One bitter cold day, when the Louvre
was filed with tatterdemalions, l was
wandering through the galleries, and
reached the angle of intersection Of two
of the vast wings; thus / could look
in two directions through long Wis.,
tas of rooms. o. In each direction
THERE were rows of ragged citizens stand
ing stiff,y in the center of the long gal
leries as if on parade; they seemed to be
gazing intently on the pictures, but they
were as carefully aligned as if they We're
soldiers. This naturally excited my sur
prise, which was increased ON entering
the "SaIon Carre," which is said to con-
tain more fine paintings than any room in
the world. The Square Salon" was
crowded and all its seats filled with shah
by citizens, apparently gazing in rapture
on the priceless pictures on the walls.
Still L noticed that in the adjacent gal
lery, which is devoted to 18th century
art, there were but few art-lovers, and
these were all well-dressed. This fine dis
elimination, this subtle art sense on the
part of the poorer citizens, somewhat per-
picked me, and conferred with an intel
ligent custodian:
"How is it, Monsieur" I asked. 'that
these men, who are some of them in rags
and apparently destitute, should display
such taste in art? They neglect the gal
leries containing mediocre work for those
in which one finds only masterpieces"
ooh, Monster" replied the custodian, "it
is not on account of the masterpieces. The
hues in the Grand Gallery are not work.
ing well, while those in the Salon Care
give a beautiful heat. They come not for
the fine pictures, but the fine heaters. As
for their admiration Of art, my orders are
to wake them up when they fall asleep. !
and they are falling asleep all the time"
Here three citizens who occupied red |
plush covered backless bench. and who |
had skillfully propped themselves should |
er to shoulder for nice nap in front of |
Paul Veronese's Marriage Feast of |
Cana" fell over backward to the floor |
with loud crash. The custodian has,
tened to the spot, and reprimanded them
severely. The abashed citizens picked |
themselves up, and shuffled off.
l went away much edited. and as
walked through one long gallery, I saw
that the rows of citizens in the center of |
the room were not gazing in speech
ess admiration at the gorgeous canvases |
IF Rubens; they were standing over the
1ues, and allowing the hot air to percolate
Upward through their raiment.
The ups and downs of fortune are thus
,trikingly shown in the Louvre of today.
The whirligig of time does indeed bring
is revenges. The older parts of the pal
ice date back to the time of Philip
Augustus, more than 200 years. Think of
he long line of kings and queens, favor
ties and mistresses, miniOns and lemans,
VINO nave Strutteu their DrleI nOur through
is lofty corridors, its echoing halls.
Francis L, whose cunning eyes gaze
Town upon you from its walls; Catherine
lie Medieis, whose long life lasted through
he reign of three of her royal sons;
Henry of Navarro, the debonair king,
owed of ladies, whose subjects had hun
lred reasons for calling him father of
lis country; his masterful widow, Marie
lie Medicis, who was clever enough to hire
he greatest artist of the day to paint her
raises on the Louvre walls; the three
4ouis, the "Grand Monarch" the "Well-
and the last Louis, who laid his . .
ritless head on the bloody block of the
Through these halls they all
araded, gained, made love, and caroused,
TENDED by pandar and prOcuress, court
IT and courtesan. Yet this ancient royal
alaee was wrested from its royal mas .
ers by men of the common people: its !.
oval tenants were driven to the further !
nds of the earth; its very walls are ,,
overed with pictures taken from all the !.
ings of Europe by soldiers of fortune born !. .
the common people; and its real own
rs-the common peOple-cOme here to-
ny freely and unchecked-come for what g
ley will-to study, to stare, to read-even
} warm their poor shivering bodies in
Winter in the sometime palace of the I
killed kings.
Not A Surgical Operation.
Boston Transcript) II
DR.. Smarty: Had a very delicate surgi-l
II operation at my rlace yesterday. Re- {