The Washington herald., 1907-12-29

fS4NAesNeu OF "l4tiy separated polltS OF NIlt
city Since the Underground railway has
been constructed means Of getting about
have been facilitated yet circulation in
Paris is stIIl very difficult, and 1t takes
days # one wishes 70 Go even a small
amount Of purchasing and make a good
selection.
The Bon Marehe is on the line Of many
omnibuses. but the Metropolitan does not
touch 1t by a long fifteen minutes walk.
If the visitor has only a short time in the
city and wishes 10 make good every mo-
ment the best means is 70 hire an auto
! taxameter- They run in half the time a
facre does. are but a trihs more expen-
/ sive, and the person within has no con-
scientiOUs scruples against the speed OF
the machine. as would be the case were
he or she riding behind one OF the ili-fed.
Overworked brutes. urged along BY con-
I t.nUaI crack or lash Of whip.
! Paris Is fast becoming the European
center for curios Of al genre. and the
best places 10 find the shops is not in the
best quarters Of the heart of town. but
rather in the hooks and corners Of the
Latin Quarter and in the neighborhood Of
the Seine. In the stalls which line the
high banks OF the river one is apt 10 run
across valuable old manuscripts and vol
/ umes that would be priceless were they
less covered with the dirt and damp Of
/ generations As in the cUrio shops, after
making the investment the books might
be soaked in carbOlic acid when the decay
and dust had been scraped of.
Rare old pieces Of furniture and bibeIots
may be found in almost any Of the little
shops in the vicinity OF the Church 81.
German des pres Boulevard Montpar-
nasse. famous for its curiO shops and the
stands where gargoyles and old bronze
/ imitations-so dear 70 the American tour
ist-may be had II is not difficult 70 find
what one wants in passing, either. for as
a rule the goods are dumped on the side
walk round the door.
These same relics have probably been
! the property Of certain families for ages.
I and new blood coming along, attaching
no Importance 10 associations, decides %
/ dispose Of the old-fashioned rubbish and
furnish their homes anew. II the amount
be large. everything IS sent 70 Hotel
Druout. the big auction house under sur
/ veiIlauce % the government. II only
1 small number, the little merchants profit
by a private sale. Auctions may be held
I only at Hotel DrUout- Here. high-priced
curiO merchants spend their time. ever
I on the Qui vive for wares that they viii
I export 10 foreign countries. getting many
times the money they give for articles
I Sales are advertised days ahead az
Hotel Druout. but Bidding never becomes
excited. for the merchants know that
I other auctions are coming on. which viii
be quite as advantageous. Good modern
house furnishings may be bought az sec
ond-hand furniture houses AT great re-
ductions. NothIng-except. perhaps. shoes
and medicines 50 dear IN Paris as fur
niture. Generally speaking. pieces are
handmade and skifuuy finished; but 20
an American the prices are exOrbiJaut
The best furniture establishments are in
Phase Ciichy.. on the Rue dc Rivoh near
Hotel de Vile. and quite a number are
springing up near Porte St Martin
In buying paintings by the old masters
the stranger Is advised 20 look and con
slider many times before purchasing
Even when one is sure OF not being swim
died IL IS best 10 ask the opinion OF an
4 expert-cne not IN league with the dealer.
i The frauds practiced upon rich Amer!-
cans annually run into the thousands il
Paris alone. II has been proved that
nothing Is easier TO counterfeit than an
original old master" The dust Of ages.
the sunlSen-in coIors, and the honorable
CRIME OF old age-au are there. made on
demand.
Most American women are feverish
after their arrival until they visit the
best shopping streets-Aveuue de rOpera.
Rue &c j. PaIx, Rue s.. Honore and
others. The latter street is the best for
lingerie Models are not always as new
as in the wholesale house In the Sentier
district. but they are reasonable in price
and the work is exquisite. II one be or
dering a large rousseau or Iayette one
is advised 10 90 10 one OF the numerous
Ofais0ns de Blanche Department stores
carry lingerie, but garments are none too
dainty. and the sewing not guaranteed
10 hold.
Shops on the Avenue de TOpera are
first class and, considering the neighbor-
hood, not excessively dear. Some Of the
best tailoring establishments for women
are here When King Edward WAS in
Paris some years ago. taking a drive
, with President Loubet through the bril-
, liantly Illuminated streets, the President
OF the republic pointed 10 the mass OF
fireYOrked signs on both sides and said
/ 10 hts royal guest This is Rue de Ia
, Pax. better known as the American
, street"
This handsome street is surely the most
expensive in the world. The jeweIry. mil
linery, d-essmaking, fur and leather shops
are superb. but customers pay three
prices for everything-one for reasonable
gain. another for the name OF the street.
and another for the liberty OF buying In
the shop Very rich American women
do not appear satisfied in any other
neiGhborhOOd. but since the taste has
been cultivated, feeding comes dear. The
simplest little frOcks IN cloth begin at
Sl2O and as for hats, O woman % mod
crate purse can only look at and admire
them. In one Of these millinery parlors
I was once shown a single camelia which
cost S.
Place Vendome. an extension Of Rue de
la Paix, Is quite as fictitious in price. 1t
is in this charmed circle where the old
hotels, which are supposed 70 entertain
only royalty. are situated. For fancy ar
ticles, pictures, and counterfeit Jewels,
Rue de RivOH is the place. Here also
are famous old Libraries and SOCK stores
and tea rooms where you will always
find typically British subjects Not far
away IL the big department house, the
Louvre. This is a good market for ar
tifcial flowers and gloves. For silks and
dress goods, the old Bon Marche is
famed. Parisians recommend the Prin-
temps for ribbons. and the Galerie La
fayette for wells and notions.