The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1919-12-20

I" HE 6Oulevards of Paris, which
extend for length Of four kilo-
meters and half from the
Madeleine to the Bastille In q
semi-circumference, are the rendezvous
Of the world; picturesque crowd.
composed of the most heterogeneous
types Of humanity, prOmenades cease
less1y the wide sidewalks, where the
terraces of innumerabIe cafes lend an
air Of good-humOred if rather vulgar
familiarity to the whole scene.
The Paris boulevards may be said
to have originated in the deep muddy
trenches which were hastily dug
around the city in 1886, TO repulse
the much-dreaded attacks Of the Eng
fish who, having devastated Picardy,
were now threatening the capital, says
the Christian Science Monitor. The
first trees were planted in 1893, and
have been continually replaced since
then, although they have not ceased to
struggle bravely to live and thrive in
spite of the scarcity of light, air, and
sun.
Entrance to the BouIevards.
The starting point of the bouie-
wards can be located at the Bastille /;
before the eighteenth century they be-
gan at the entrance of the Rue st.
Antoine, so that the attention of the
stranger who entered Paris by the
Porte st. Antoine was at once at
tracted by the looming mass of the
state prison, and by the beautiful resi-
dence of Beaumarchais, which played
part in the Revolutionary drama.
One soon reaches the Boulevard du
Temple, today so calm, and essential
iy commercial with its numerous
baker, butcher, and grocer shops.
Once upon a time, however, and not so
very long ago, it was called 1.-THE beau
tifuI boulevard" for it was then the
favorite meeting place of courtiers
and rich bourgeois of the Tout Paris"
which even then was docile in obey
ing the dictates of fashion. Innumer-
able theaters and shows lined both
sides of the roadway, giving the bOule-
ward the appearance of d perpetual
fair in which a gay, laughing crowd
paused to listen to the songs of Collie
and Piron-sung by the lovely Fan
chon la Veiileuse-and amused itself
with the antics of Nicolet's extraor-
binary monkey.
DIoan 10 pnnrh1inV1n
has been safely crossed, one saunters
up the Boulevard ST. Martin, the road
way of which is encased between high
sidewalks reached by mounting sew
eral steps. 1t extends to the Porte
st. Martin, erected in 1914 by the
corps of Paris TO the glory
of Louis XIV. At nightfall the Boule-
ward st. Martin acquires certain ami
nation when the public presses
around the doors of the Ambigu
Comique, the Renaissance and the
Porte st. Martin theaters. The Porte
ST. Martin was buff in 90 days by Lee
moline, at the end of, the reign of
Louis XVI, TO serve as a temporary
opera house.
But the sidewalks suddenly cease
to be terraced and slope gently down
ward until they reach their normal
height, and the noisy Boulevard St.
Denis extends between the two monu-
mental gateways, the beautiful bas-
reliefs of which remind the passerby
Of the taking of Limburg and the de-
feat of the Germans, as well as of the
of the Rhine and the taking
of the provinces by Louis XIV-ex-
ploits of which the "Sun King" was
Justly proud. 1t must be remarked
that the escutcheon Of the Porte st.
Denis with its fleur-de-lys is the only
royal emblem which was respected
by the Revolution of 1913.
Landmarks Along the Way.
The Boulevard Bonnie Nouvelle has
a number of old-fashiOned
houses presenting strong contrast
10 the modern construction, which has
spoiled the charm OF the