Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-09-25
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAcEl

glory, lives hysterically-no night. no
Sunday. no God; she is virtually with
out ''id''. Her people. once Catho-
hes, are now positively without a re-
ligion. In the recent fight with the
Roman church, while victors, and ex-
communicated, the nation seems to be
worse off, owning no church utilization.
Sunday is a day known among few.
What is true of Paris applies in lesser
degree to the smaller cities and country.
You see no children on the streets and
in the country. Race suicide is observed
more scrupulously than was ever any
church association. The rulers see this,
and are offering pensions to mothers,
legitimate or otherwise. The popula-
ton of France is rapidly decreasing,
and but for the influx of foreigners
Paris could not be kept up.
To write up" Paris would mean too
much for American nostrils, as will
readily be inferred, and no American
newspaper could publish it. There is a
high and virtuous class in the city and
country, but they are practically in
retirement; the visitor finds the worst,
and, fortunately, it is on the surface.
Deep down there is leaven that may
yet save the nation. Lax in morals
since the time of the Crusaders. the
French have become looser with each
century, and in the past one this has
been greatly accelerated by the for
eigner. Today France might be saved
but for that foreign element which comes
here to ''see the sights and the
mercenary spirit of the native caters to
the foreigners taste and ducats. Thous-
ands who walk rigidly upright in their
distant homes drift here to ''let loose"
for season. They may, or may not,
go away unscorched, but they have left
their impress. Others come in their
places, and so the 'ball goes merrily
on" Paris knows no night the year
around. The rounds of gayety begin in
some quarters at sunset and in others
at midnight, one and two o'clock, a. m.
The city is full of Harry Thaws and
Evelyn Nesbits, and as soon as the
theaters close, Maxim's, The Dead Rat
and other gilded dens are alive with
fiuttering, importunate butterflies and
brainless snobs. A raft of American
College boys will take possession of
one of these places after the theatre,
and the proprietor will be several thous-
and dollars the richer next day. No
where but Paris have we seen licentious
living carried on openly or to any extent.
A man may not shed blood here but he
can brazenly defy moral laws, propriety's
dress, and the police are his friends.
sometimes conductors. Paris is gay
indeed, and most brilliant and dazzling
FREELY. with the song of the subtlest
siren. Nowhere will anything be found
so beautiful, so bewitching and enticing
Even her streets seem to lure one to
stay, while her climate is neither cold
nor hot-always agreeable. We can
now readily understand why Americans
of means take up their abode in Paris.
And yet it is not a costly city: the
honest purchaser can buy many of his
was here cheaper than anywhere in
Europe, while good lodgings may be had
from fifty cents up, and good meals
made upon as little as fifteen or twenty
five cents. But the "high-fyer" gets
his leg pulled, robbed without con-
science-and so will anyone else that is
not on the qui vive. To travel the road
Of Harry Thaw for any length of time
will call for thousands, for the brilliant
satellites around such a soft one are
veritable human leeches; but the alb
stemious sight-seer and traveler-for-
travelling 's-sake can get on here cheaper
than anywhere except Holland and
Italy, and see more in a short space of
time.
1t would be doing Paris an injustice
to slight her artistic propensities. Every
thing here is beautiful and stylish in the
extreme. We see now why the world
takes its fashions from the seat of the
Louis. Pen cannot describe the taste
of this people. No woman, even of the
poor and lowly, but looks as though
she were moulded into her garments.
A French girl can take a forty-cent bolt
of cotton and fold it upon her to look
stylish. 1t is simply marvellous, and
the wonder of the thousands of tourists
that hit this town for the first time.
Why it should be, we do not know. but
you will not find coarse feature, un-
gainiy walk. or robe without style, in a
day and nights cruise of the French
capital. Their compilations are simply
perfect and their manner enchanting.
How far sincerity extends we did not
investigate.
Most OF our time was taken up in
visiting the many places of interest.
The Louvre and palace of the Tuileeries
are most striking. An idea of their
magnitude may be CLEANED by stating
that around the hollow square Tor
oblong) is massive building. all con-
nected. embellished in architecture and
having portals of the days of Frances
glory; it would cover, in one of our
cities. about eight blocks long by three
wide. Once the palace of kings and
emperors, and also military barracks,
prison and beheading court, part of
it now is turned into museum and the
other into Offices for the civil gov
eminent. The contents of the museum
nearly equal those of the British Mu-
scum, and in many rare cases excel.