The Washington herald., 1922-09-11
Touring Europe,
Day By Day
b. q. O. Mcintyre.

PARIS. Sept. lo.--A page from the
diary Of modern Samuel Pepys: Up
and brave sun shining. StroIled
about the Place vendome and by coach
along the Champs Elysees and Bois
du Boulogne and thence to Elffei
Tower and the tomb OF Napoleon
Back to my inn and with my wife to
the Cafe de la Paix for breakfast at a
sidewalk table and afterward slipped A
cordial as the manner is and amused
at a foppish fellow who wore q
bracelet to hold his kerchief.
Passing through the Rue Royale l
had the hap to be hailed by s. J.
Kaufman, the scrivener. and with him
Art Moss, editor of the Gargoyle. and
all merry We began shouting our
nirth until gendarme came and we
surrounded him and danced about, he
believing we were foxed or mad.
In the evening TO dinner in the Latin
Quarter at the Cafe de la Rotonde,
a fairish meal. and met Art Hickman.
the band man who Is playing here,
and later to the Folies Bergere to see
the most vulgar display OF flesh ever I
beheld. So home and to bed.
The national aiiment in France Is
the itching palm. The tradesmen are
out 20 trim the American tourist.
When he ,enGers a shop the prices
jump automatically. The only thing
cheap Is the rattle trap squeaking
taxis. There are no trafYic laws and
when the pedestrian is struck he Is
arrested II ne Is able to walk The
taxis tear through the streets like
fire wagons. zip around the corner
NJ a iaa ata NJ
effort Is made to regulate traffic by
the gendarmes. Most Of them are
boyish and undersized and their chief
occupation Is to stand holding to the
middle of the street or boulevard
stroking their waxed mustaches and
holding to the capes thrown across
their shoulders.
Being unable to speak French is not
a handicap. All the hotel employees
speak English and I have not visited
shop where English is not under
stood. In the cafes the walters
speak better English than New York
walters.
The taxi drivers capitalize a feigned
ignorance of English. They appear 10
understand with their "Oui. Oui." and
take you to the wrong place just to
get the extra fare. We set out for the
Cafe de la Sorbonne. In atrocious
French I gave the driver the direction
A half hour later he drew up in front
Of the Piccadilly Cafe. So we fooled
him. We got out there and lunched
Nor could I refrain from calling to
him: "Old boy. you certainly know
your Paris"
All Paris knows the two-fngered
artist of the Rue de Rivoli. He was
born with one arm and his hand has
only two fingers. His hair grows to
his shoulder. and he has a heavy
black beard. He sits at a table in
front of the shops and sketches the
passers-by and sells the original for
any sum the purchaser contributes.
Paris offers strange contrasts. In
little glove shop near my hotel we
found an old man and his wife sitting
behind the counter sound asleep. The
woman at sewing machine was also
nodding. 1t was at the busiest hour
of the day and a tray of dishes and
three bottles of wine half empty indi-
Gated that they had just lunched. A
customer who came in explained that
all three took midday nap OF fifteen
minutes.
The elevators are operated as a rule
by war cripples. II Is rare that an
able-bodied man runs the lifts. There
Is a sort OF unwritten law that these
jobs must be given to those injured
during the war. The elevators are
small and the operator opens the door
and steps out before the passenger
alights.
Charlie Chaplin, or Chariot. as he
is known here. has three thesters
named in his honor on single
block. The Parisians like the film
thrillers best and Chaplin next. The
most popular film here just now is
The Count of Monte Cristo." pro-
duced by an American.