The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1917-03-02
Composition By a
Fifth Grade Girl
A VISIT TO FRANCE
BIOGRAPHY
Nashti Rickerson Feb. l, 1917

am at the station buying my ticket
for Lyons and while waiting at
the station l will tell you some-
thing about their trains, for they
are not like ours at all. To begin
with there are first, second and
third class cars or carriages as
they are called. Each carriage is
divided into compartments, hold
ing six persons in the first class,
three on each side; in the second
class four on each side, and in the
third class FIVE on each side. There
are two small windows and a door
at the end of each compartment.
The first and second classes have
cushioned seats, the third class has
wooden seats. Partitions divide
the carriage and in the third class
carriage you can see who is in
front and in back Of you. l chose
the third class for the people were
80 friendly.
There are large vineyards, olive
groves and beautiful farms between
Bordeaux and Lyons. also saw a
great many mulberry groves near
Lyons. for that is where they raise silk
worms from which we get our silks.
My stay thera Vas very short, only a
few hours, and then we left for Paris
where we arrived about FIVE o'clock in
the evening, and drove slowly down the
beautiful avenue. 1t was a warm mid
summer evening and the people were
lunching out of doors and watching the
carriages pass.
The street in which we are driving is
the Champs Elysees. The larger av-
enues are for vehicles, the narrower
ones (Which are about as wide as our
streets) are for people walking The
Arch Of Triumph is on this street. 1t
is beautiful monument of Napoleon.
Its summit commands fine view of
Paris.
The next morning after arrived. to
get birds eye view of the city of
Paris, climbed the Eiffel tower in or
der to fix its plan in my mind. This
tower is relic of the Exposition of
1889 1t is built of iron and is 984 feet
high. Standing on its topmost plat
form we could see that Paris occupies
both banks of the river Seine. There
are two islands in the river, tn Cite and
st. Louis On the Cite is the thedral
of Noite Dame which was established
in 1853. On the right bank is the Place
de la Bastille, where once stood the
castle prison. A splendid column bear
the Genius of Liberty now marks the
spot. From the Eiffel tower we drove
to the Luxenbough palace erected 1915.
1920. Although the French structures
are impressive and the gardens beauti
full it does not compare with the italian
palace. In the new building connect &c
with the palace the works OF living
artists are exhibited. Ten years after
the death of a great master his work:
are usually transferred to the gallery
of Louvre.
Every evening after dinner we take {
ride on double decked omnibus taking
a new route each time. From our lofty
perch we see a great deal of the life o.
the common people, for the weather i.
SO warm they almost live out of doors
One morning at five o'clock l walked
to the Halles Centrales, the market il
the heart of Paris There are ovel
&c, 900, 900 pounds of meat alone brough
to this market every year. AS walk
ed back from the market crossed the
river Seine and visited the Norte Dame
Cathedral which is the center of the
catholic faith of Paris. 1t is large ant
beautiful and old. The twin towers O.
equal height rise two hundred eighty
five feet in the air. They, with The
dome of the Hotel des Invalides, are
the landmarks of Paris.
There are three sets of boulevards
making three circles through the city.
The streets are perfectly clean. At ar
early hour in the morning they are
watered and at seven they appear as il
they had been swept by the old woman
whose srecial charge was to sweep the
cobwebs from the face of the moon.
Everyone seems happy here; every
face has smile Here is little
"gamin" AS he is called, who is about
eight years old and wears ragged clothes
He knows no more where his breakfas
is coming from than a sparrow, yet his
heart is dancing with joy and he is quite
content with box or barrel, or even
the ground for bed and q crust of
bread to eat. Sometimes he will 20