New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-17
SCHOOL TEACHERS FETE
One of the Many annual Festivities
ia Paris.

T-cTT
thousands into some sort OF order. and the hori-
IS, closed l., by two shut doors II Is clearly a
,e,e From every part OF the country these peo-
le have obviously, come; the discerning OBJ
server could detect tai. sturdy Bretons blue
eyed Normans. short and thickset men from the
eastern departments. dark. swarthy, vivacious
hooking 8Ieridionals. 4 common cause has
,-,,,e,,- them 20 the metropolis where many OF
.n.rn find themselves for the first time IN their
,;res IN The city dear 20 the heart Of every
zn-encbnan. They had just crossed the gardens
~ the TrocaderO. and so beautiful had seemed
% the ultraviolet souls the green. carefully kept
svrsrd the beds Of brilliant flowers and the cool
shade q the tender green of the chestnut trees.
-ba whole dominated by the Moorish towers
~ the Trocadero Palace. that there had been
some difficulty in keeping the flock on the path
N she irhospitable doors Of the Gaerie des Ma
chimes For here the crowd was 10 be fed.
Twelve thousand covers were laid IN the huge
bI;lding-only. unhappily. two mortal hours OF
.rsi,ing lie between the holiday makers and the
longed for reDasr
An exemplary patience and good hurnor were
brought 10 bear upon the tedious interval; but,
then these men and women (fOr there are some
,ror,en in the crowd. some who are young and
some who are noD all belong 10 a profession
q which the setting OF e good example is OBJ
sentatives Of the great army Of secular school
teachers Of France and they are celebrating the
centenary OF the educational system OF the re-
rublic on this Saturday. June % they are the
ruests Of the republican government. and the
t.,,oue- in the Galerie des Machines is mark
q, snprecistion on the part OF grateful country
~ +beir badly paid efforts in the cause OF edu-
cation.
tn organize a luncheon party on so vast
.csla as this was indeed. a gigantic enterprise
esualled only in the history OF the tetes by the
Colossal gathering Of al the mayors OF the land
in the gardens of the Elysee Palace. held during
The exhibition Of 1900. Both entertainments were
q triumph Of arrangement
But in fact OF fetes IN Paris there is end.
II would appear that there Is always ami
versary OF some kind on hand. and the citizens
SET themselves gayly 10 the task CT celebrating
Il worthIly. Only resident IN the capital for.
say. twelve consecutive months could realize
how large a proportion OF the national rejocings
take place in Il.
Recently French savant went 20 the United
States TO visit some Of the larger centres Of pop
ulation there hoping IN a few weeks 10 gain
fsir idea Of municipal and national life. He
started with the idea that New-Tork as the cap
ital city, would be 20 all the others as Paris is
10 Lyons, Bordeaux. Marseilles. and he therefore
began and ended his tour IN that city. But 20
his surprise he found very different conditions
Each place he visited seemed a metropolis IN
itself. and Chicago the furthest point TO the
west that he reached. impressed him being
more wholly self-contained, n fact more metro
politan even, than the rest.
Far otherwise is II IN France. The hunblest
official in the smallest village ia. In the highly
centralized administration OF the country.
sponsibie 10 and. in some sort, dependent on
prolonged chain OF officials and Offices. ending
finally at headquarters IN Paris. Every parish
priest. every Mayor. every postman. derives hts
stipend, his ernoluments. more or less directly
from the special department OF the state 10
which he is attached. whether TO the Ministry
OF Public Worship. that OF Posts and Teiegraphs
the Interior. or whatever II may be. In this
way. each commune township. each village
or hamlet. is allied 70 the mother city Of which
Il may almost be called suburb. And these
intimate relations between the different parts
Of the country find unequivocal expression in
the celebration OF the national fetes nine out OF
ten Of which take place in the capital.
Without leaving HIS favorite cafe. the Partisan
has ample opportunity in the course OF single
season Of acqualnting himself with the exterior
characteristics OF the inhabitants OF the most
distant parts OF his country. The quaint and
picturesque dress OF the Breton and Bretopne.
the latter Of which, al least, has been more Or
less correctly copied az fancy dress dances from
uEae imrnemorial. the former perhaps. being
somewhat less familiar 10 foreigners by his odd
little coat. tight breaches long cane and oueerlv
folded cap. is no unfamiliar figure or the boule
wards. Recently. the streets were full OF such
when the heroism Of a young Breton girl. Pose
Here, received public recognition, and q fEts IN
her honor was held at the Trocadero A num-
Der OF her compatr1ots, OF course. accompanied
her 10 Paris 70 share IN the retoicinss. and
their faces were a study as they listened to the
panegyric pronounced on her action In risking
her life 70 assist boat in distress on her dan
gerous coast.
But there Is no lack OF variety in the pretexts
Tor these numerous fetes. A new problem III
Titiculture. perhaps. calls 10 the active ana IN
curing French mind for congress- 10 SIT IN
eT1tably IN Paris. Wine growers from tho
Charente and Gironde districts viii Join hands
with their brethren OF the cote dor and Marine
70 discuss n the metropolis their difficulties
Or the question or a new method OF treating
tuberculosis crops up; AT once the medical men
RON north, south east and west flock 10 Paris
sno form themselves into commission 20 con-
sioer the subject II infant mortality is on the
taps, and fresh regulations are to be imposed
Oh Foster mothers ali over France forthwith
patriots ard philanthropists from the remotest
districts uudeterred by the length OF the Jour
heg' proceed TO Paris 10 take part in the con-
leronces. and as every congress- conference or
commission becomes in Paris an occasion for a
Dahqnet CT gala. the air OF festivity, which is
NE charm Of this city IN many eyes and which
certainly always prevails therein, Is easily
understood In this way. too, everything in the
ne Of the nation contributes 10 the prestige OF
NE metropolis.