Evening star., 1921-03-20


An/ Louisa Alcott's Little
v Women" and. therein. how
Amy and Lawrence, when
they went to Europe. saw the carni-
val at Nice. 1t was already famous
but
Nice. in those days. was the sweet
sunny climate and unaffected sunny
good nature of the south of France
Unaffected good nature Of the Nice
population was an article of Ameri
can belief. and when the carnival sea
son put gayety on tap-for any tired
tourist. without an efort-it was an
old world ideal to fulfili, romantic
inexpensive.
The fowery town still lies. white
and yellow. amid greenery, hea;d" The
indigo blue Mediterranean. beneath an
indigo blue sky. protected by screen
OF mountains from all cold winds
mild. sweet. balmy. perfumed. But
not ineXpensiTe'
And the carnival is grandiose. mag
nificrnt. but not unaffectedly good ma
tured
Nice today. is the first pleasure city
of Europe. /; is climate. beauty and
gaye,y organized with capital and
y
the sights Of the world.
:: :: ;: Z.
gives Nice free
~ classical concerts in Il great thea
ter tmornings. eighty pieces). popu-
lar music in the parks. Italian opera
and Paris comedy, gaming tables that
rival Monte Carlo. lovely gardens and
90. in, St n
cry that are dream.
Organization calls out the yacht
club. provides air trips to rid" and
stunts 20 sec and crazy motor boat
races. hvdroavion splash trips. and
Lieut.. Ors falling tsafeiy) 1900 feet
into the sea.
Organization gives Nice fireworks
like no other city. cosmopolitan
promenade that beats the Par:: boule-
ward and carnival that is like the
miracle of loaves and fishes: instead
OF two great days, as in old time. it
starts in January and lasts through
March. with repeated professions. bat
ties of flowers. merry wars of flour
bombs and colored confetti. blue nd
amber redoutes and the speciality OF
ves@ione--watch nights or. exact
translation. the same word as the
good old Irish wakes"
The hotels are organized in hier-
arches. In place of the calm. stiff
old ia shoned houses which catered to
there are palaces with private suites
for millionaires and beautiful wome n
and where. il one case. n pleasure
loving San Francisco aunt. after three
days was frightened to bring her
eighteen -year-old niece, so broke n
promise and left her with her parents
in Paris. But the aunt stayed.
They bring their own cars. private
chauffeurs Wallets. ladys maids who
inhabit regions Of the palaces more
luxurious than ''maSters" in the old
days. A dozen palaces. vast. white or
namental piles, glitter in the sun OF
the scmi-circie of the hills-what is
distance to them. with their autos.
Along the Promenade des Anglais
are three others. The inhabitants Of
single rooms in them are humble 10
the tough millionaires of the suites
but they are naughty to the denizens
Of mere hotels.
First-class hotels begin at a board
ing rate of 65 francs per day. plus
take de luxe and municipal tax to
breathe the air. They. too. nave
suites, whose inhabitants are stiff
with the plain folks of top hooi
rooms who, in turn. are mere holS
than the negligible crowd in second
GLASS hotels. who do not dress 10Y
dinner.
Yet one such big. fine boarding
house become hotel by name, begins
AT 30 francs for room and board. and
il Is packed with easy-going Ameri'
cans (the kind who will not dress
and. curious!y has no atmosphere OF
jealousy and hate.
1t is not in the movement.
jealousy and hate take up, again
where godlings of the palace suites
glare. hopelessly at the villa proprie'
tors of Cannes and Nice. Here flock
the cream of those American and
French who invite English nobility
Russian grand dukes. the King OF
Portugal and Lady Wallace tas the
papers put it). wife Of tie American
amba ssador. TO dinner. At the top
OF this Olympus lou may put Primo
ess Ghika tnce Singer of New York
and Cornuchet old manager of MIX
inns restaurant in Paris. who has
salted down l1.060. 900 from Deauville
and made Cannes successful rival OF
both Nee and Monte Carlo. Cornu-
chet. who began head waiter. is be
loved of all and socially regenerated
So the circle closes.
x X x x
As is Nice. so the carnival. The ma
4 tives claim that when King Car
nival NLIII and his fools court en-
tered his good town. the other day.
for the first time since jhe war. it
was their fortythird carnival.
This is dating from the war of 1871
and. precisely. the giant figure of his
majesty. forty feet high. rides on
4 stork from Strasboure. bringing
back in his basket the lost provinces
pretty girls in Alsace and Lorraine
costumes.