Evening star., 1922-09-17

WHICH SHOULD NOT BE INFLICTED
Why not show. them the real cata-
combs?"
So. the controversy started, and has
grown. ,
WHY should the catacombs of Rome
w be a first-class tourist attrac-
ton, and the catacombs of Paris re-
main unknown, except for short,
gruesome section full of human bones
from ancient Paris cemeteries? The
true. clean, virgin catacombs Of Paris
are greater in extent than those of
Rome, more grandiose in execution,
Of more varied romance!
Beaux arts, municipality and pre-
lecture of the Seine are getting to-
gether to open them up, and find
goodness knows what they will not
ind, down there. 1t is = world!
The catacombs are the antique quar-
-ries from which old Paris was built.
They were there from the beginning,
when Gallo-Roman legates and pre-
fects built their forums, palaces and
the first walls of the city. This is no
exaggeration. Vast subterranean
streets still exist, totaling 200 acres.
between the observatory and the Jar
din des Plantes, from which were
taken stones that entered into the
earliest temples, palaces and public
and private buildings!
The Paris of before Charlemagne-
towers, more walls, fortifications-
was quarried underground to build
high into the air. In the days of
Joan of Arc. there was already a sub
terranean labyrinth under half Of
then Paris-extending into suburbs
which are now Paris-whieh were al
ready a forgotten mystery!
They sought the soft cream stone
where it ran. Fantastic streets. their
smooth stone ceilings eighty feet be-
low the surface, emptied into vast
cool ':rotundas," turned, crossed. in
tersected, without plan. according to
tho quality Of the stone. Gallo
Roman galleries were forgotten in
Gothic times. In the Renaissance they
had forgotten the Gothic galleries!
The known extent of this under
ground world is astonishing. Up to
the twelfth century the palaces,
churches. houses. walls. etc. were
built from quarries under 1900 acres
of the present surface, in three
vaguely known groups! ~ Under
the Gobelins quarter, (2) under the
Latin quarter, and (3) under the north
side Of the river, the whole Trocadero
quarter Also. another thing is GER
tain: The Chaillot catacombs, ex-
tending directly beneath our Ameri-
can embassy 'chancellery. ran at one
time into the Faubourg st. Honore.
In them. the Casbonari. to which
Napoleon III had belonged in his ad-
venturous youth. had their secret
lodge rooms of Paris when he became
emperor. and through these cata-
combs, it has always been said, they
found their way to the vaults Of the
Elysee, and actually visited the en-
peror at night, to impose their will
upon him!
That was why Napoleon III quit the
Elysee.
President Millerand today could
make a similar visit to Ambassador
Herrick!
CKIP across Paris The walls OF
y Louis XIV and much Of the old
boulevard quarter were built from
stone of the Montmartre catacombs-
about which they are talking In con-
nection with the black hands at this
moment.
Here, for the first time. the, sub
way goes under certain of the cata-
combs. And all the Paris tenderloin
is built above them! Montmartre is
a hill, syou see, and galleries run
ming into it and through 1t, for near
" three miles, they say, in one case,
are being utilised by a business or
ganization handling merchandise OBJ
tanned on fraudulent credit. Dray
loads Of boxed goods enter certain
courtyards in plain daylight. And
disappear! No search can md them.
They have gone down concealed lifts
to a little railroad track that runs
through one of these catacombs, five
blocks, ten, blocks-away below the
deepest cel3afs--to another ward d.
vision. Some honest &C .nmtssion
merchant hoists them up and mingies
them with other invoiced goods. all
ready for shipment!