4
which is a part of the Palais de Justice. Is a
•mall but beautiful piece of Gothic, architecture.
It was finished In 1248, It had. as some other
things had. a narrow and lucky escape from
the Commune in 1871. It is open every day
except Mondays and holidays, from It till 4
o'clock. The rest of th<' building Is also open
to the public, and so are the many courts which
Jt contains, except when a celebrated ease
draws too great a crowd. The French adminis
tration of justice has gained world wide Inter
est of late, and the place when- such wonderful
results are obtained gains attractiveness from
that fact
The li gislative branch of the Government may
be no less attractive than the judicial. The
Chamlire dcs Deputes is just across the Seine
from the Place de la Concorde, whereof more
hereafter, and the Place de la Concorde is Just
down the Kue Royale from the Mad. Line. The
Chambre dcs Deputes was formerly the Palais
Bourbon, its building having been begun in \Tl'l
by the Dowager Duchess of Bourbon. Since
then many, many millions of francs have been
Bpent on it, and i! has been the property of the
nation for more than a hundred years. The
building is op. n to the public when th. 1 Chamber
of Deputies is not sitting, and when it is only
the assembly hall is open, and that only by
ticket, which must be obtained from a member
of the Chamber or from the Secretaire de la
Questure.
You can call at the Hotel de Villc. if you like.
kt the same time that you go to Notre Dame It
Is on the right bank of the Seine, and Notre
Dame is just across from it, on the island. It is
a handsome building and it has seen a good deal
bf history, which is too long to recount here.
But it may be mentioned that it was entirely
destroyed by the Commune In IST 1 (a date which
has been mentioned before in this article), and
that the present building was erected in the
temblance of the old one. You can walk through
the building and see the courts at any time, and
you can get a real view of the interior by
tickets, to be had at the secretary's office be
tween 2 and 3 p. ra.
How can you be advised about the galleries of
Paris? You must decide for yourself. You do
not want to go to Paris and come back and say
that you have not seen the Liouvre; yet, unless
you have an abundance of time, you cannot set-
It In a way that will make it worth your while to
say co. To walk once around every room, with
out stopping for anything and keeping up a
pretty good pace, would take you four or five
hours. Then how are you going to Bee anything
If you are in Paris for only a short time and
y«a want to devote the most of th;it to the Ex
position? And yet to be in Paris and not to see
certain things that are in the Louvre is a crime —
nothing less. This Is ii'»t a catalogue, but can
you afford to miss the Venus de Milo when you
are within a dozen miles of it. or Titian's "En
tombment of Christ " or Murillo's "Immaculate
Conception" or the wonderful Egyptological col
lection? See what you can of the Louvre and
to not try to see too much of it, but some of it
you must see.
The tfusee de Luxembourg contains a collec-
Son of works of living or recent artists. It is
open on Sundays from in to 4 o'clock and on
other days, except Mondays and holidays, from
9to r>. The Palais dv Luxembourg, near by, was
built in 1020 for Man- de Medicis, and has
Buffered about the usual amount of history fora
Parisia: 1 palace. It Is now the place of assembly
of the Si tiate. Visitors are admitted to the Sen
ate chamber, when the Senate is sitting, by
tickets issued l>y Senators or by the Secretaire
de la Quest ure. When the Senate is not in ses
sion certain farts of th<> building are show:,
from !• a. m. ii!l dark, except on Sundays.
The Ecole dcs Beaux-Arts is conveniently
vltuate.i close to the Seine, opposite the Louvre.
Jt is o;en on Sundays from !"_' to 4 o'clock, and
jn other days, except holidays, from I<> to 4
o'clock. The Conservatoire dcs Arts et Metiers
Is a hug" place, containing a large and interest
ing Industrial collection. It is open from I<> to
4 o'clock on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and
holidays.
PLACES OF AMUSEMENT.
In th( .nning. of course, ;he most natural
Jssoun >• in any city Is the theatre, and Paris
has much to offer In that way. Some of the
theatres are usually closed In the summer, but
this year they will probably all I"- open, In ex
pectation ■•<" crowd-: cons 'quent upon the Ex
position. The attempt to draw extr;. throngs of
peop!-- to the theatre In a city wh< re there is
a world's fair is always made, and almost al
ways fails. But if fey, people ?ro to the theatre
ft Is the more comfortable for those who <!■> go.
Paris theatres .ip not at best so comfortable as
New-York thi atrea The seating arrangements
vary .somewhat at different houses, but ordi
narily the best seats are the fauteuils d'orches
tre, and after those the fauteuiia de balcon or
NEWYORK TRIBUNE DJiUBTBATED SUPPLEMENT
the seats In boxes, which are Fold singly. At
many of the theatres women are not admitted
to the orchestra. The cheaper places are
scarcely to bo recommended to strangers who
are i trifle particular about their asSOt iat-s.
The prices vary from 18 francs at some of the
houses and 10 francs at others to 2 francs.
If seats are bought in advance a small extra
charge is made. If they are not bought in ad
vance no numbered checks are given, and the
buyer merely has the privilege of admission to
whatever part of the houso he pays for, where
the usher is supposed to show him the best seat
remaining. If he suspects, however, that he Is
not getting the best seat remaining, he has the
THE EIFFEL TOWER AND EXPOSITION' BUILDINGS, SEEN' FROM THE TROCADERO.
right to see the plan of the house and to choose
his seat from those not already engaged.
The prices are higher at the Opera (also called
the Academy of Music), ranging from 17 francs
to 2 francs. The opera nights are Monday,
Wednesday and Friday. Persons who are ac
customed to opera in New-York are not likely to
be overwhelmed by the performances In Paris.
They are generally inferior to those at the
Metropolitan, and often, especially in the sum
mer, they are of a quality which the managers
her" would never dare to offer to their sub
scribers. The stage settings and the ballet are
notable, however. And so is the house. It would
be <|Hirf> worth while to go to the opera in Paris.
even if there were no performance at all, to see
the opera house. In respect to the ground which
it covers it is the largest theatre in the world,
tUt it is by no means so as to its seating capacity,
it seats 2,1 Jit! persons. There are several >pera
houses in Europe which s»>-tt more, and there
are several theatres, besides th^ Metropolitan
opera House, in Xew-York. which seat more.
But the Paris opera boose is a veritable palace
■md none of the ethers compare with it in ti:i>
respect. It is a grand work of art, and it is full
of lesser works of art. The f, y. r and the grand
staircase are the chief architectural features.
The Theatre Francais was burned a few weeks
:i{;o. >>ut it Is hoped thai it will be rebuilt and
read} to open on July 14. Bastile Day. In the
mean time the performances of the Comedie
Francalse at" ?,'iv.n at the- Theatre de I'Odeon.
For the benefit of any who suffer from a confu
sion of terms, it may be remarked that, alth ugh
the two names are frequently used indiscrim
ii it !v :h>- Theatre Franoais is properly the
building and the Comedie Francalse is the com
pany that plays in it. It is unnecessary to fn
large on the merits of this celebrated company.
I: has be. n in existence ever sine the time of
Moliere, and its performances are in French
eyes the models of v, hat theatrical performances
should be. This company, as well as the op< ra,
receives aid from the Government.
Among the other important theatres are the
< >l ,'t a Comique, devoted for the most part to i s
cellent and substantial operas, though nur.'r
lighter than seen at the Academy of Music; the
>n, win re classical plays a,re found, even
when its own company is there; the Theatre
Sarah Bernhardt, where Rostand's "L'Aiglon" is
now running; the Gymnase, a comedy theatre;
Hit; Varietes and the Palais Royale, for farce;
the Porte St. Martin, for melodrama; the
Renaissan :e, for modem comedy, and the
Vaudeville, another comedy theatre. There are
many more, and a theatre and a play must he
chos.n by reference to the daily papers or to the
conspicuous advertisements which are posted
.\ erj * h< re.
The music halls and concert halls of Paris are
famous, of course, and are regarded as among
the Bights of the city. The entertainments,
howeve r, do not average much better. If any,
than th t » average variety performances In the
principal American dtles. Aiuutitf Lha most
famous are the Kolies-P..-rger.-s. the An: 1 I
deurs and th" Eldorado.
There are several permanent circuses, where
the [. rf-rriiancc.s are equestrian and SjCfOSwtlC.
nnd somstimes aqttatte. The ipiestton IMM many
times DCM asked why New-York cannot sup
port or:e «. rrr,:iricnt circus, when Paris < an sup
port four or five. The answer Is easy. If N- ■
York would put up with :is poor .'l circus as
Paris will it could support two or three of them.
But New -York wants a good circus or r> 'ne, and
not even Parla could support Barnura & Bafley'i
permanently,
STREETS ANT) PIiACBS AND PAP.KS
After all m raid and done, the most wonderful
sight about Paris Is Paris It Is astonishing
how much you can sfe of any city Just by pt.-'.l!
ing about Its streets, and this is the case with
Paris In a more marked degree than with most
cities, because in the summer so much of
Paris is out of doors. One walk along the boule
vards in the evening will give you a better
knowledge of Paris than you would get by go
ing through all its buildings and galleries. In
them you would see the contents of buildings
and galleries, but in the boulevards you will see
Paris. A charming city it is, truly, and It is no
wonder that some are born to love it and others
achieve a love for it. You can go by all Paris
sitting at its little tables outside the cafes and
drinking its cool drinks, or you can sit at a
little table and drink a cool drink and let all
Paris go by you. In fact, you will, of course,
do both these things alternately. Perhaps you
can get a seat near some garden whence you
will hear a faint sound of music, much better
heard at a distance than too near. Then you
can try to forget that" you are an American
and to be for a little while just as idle and in
dolent and contemplative and contented as a
Frenchman — when be is contented. When he is
roused to a little brief, tire eating, brimstone dif
fusing, blue smoke disseminating anger, of
course you will prefer to be a simple foreigner,
an American for choice, and that is what you
will be, and it is a great comfort.
By day you will not sit in front of the cafes,
but then you will see Paris in another way, in
the parks and squares. You will see the Place
de la Concorde when you enter the Exposition
grounds by the main entrance, for it is there. it
is one of the most beautiful squares in the
world, and you can stand in it and look about
and see several of the finest buildings in Paris.
Adjoining it is the .Tardin ties Tuileries, and not
far off is th- Place YendSme. In the middle of
this is the Colonne Vendome, covered with a
spiral strip of representations in relief of scenes
in Napoleon's campaign against the Austrian*
and Russians, all made of the metal of captured
cannon. On the top is a statue of Napoleon.
The Commune, which flourished in the year
1871, in pursuance of the pleasant plan that it
had of wrecking things, pulled this column
down, but the Commune was itself pulled down
in due time and the column was set up again.
You can go to the Place de la Bastille, too, and
look upon the Colonne de Juillet. in memory of
those who fell in the revolution of July. 1830*.
You will not see the Bastile, and it Is more im
pressive by its absence than it would be by its
presence. It gains its very historic significance
from the fact that it was destroyed utterly —
wiped clean off the face of the earth.
The Jardin dcs Plantes is about a mile from
the Place de la Bastille, but across the Seine. It
includes botanical and zoological gardens and
museums of natural history, botany, mineralogy,
anatomy, etc The garden is open every day
and all day, but portions of it are to be seen only
at stated times. The menagerie is open from 11
till 5 o'clock and till G on Sundays, but the ar
rangement of hours for other parts of the collec
tion is too complicated to be fully rehearsed here,
some of the buildings and portions of the
grounds being open at one hour and acme at
another, and some on one day and some on an.'
other. It happens, however, that everything
open on Tuesday, so that is a good iay to saT
For some of the exhibitions tickets are renul.-M"
but these are not usually hard to g"t. *•
There hi another zoological garden at th*
other end of the city, in the Hois fie KouJogn.
It is called the Jardin d'Acrliir.atation. and ,' "
original purpose was to introduce into Franc*
foreign animals and plant which .• wj^
thought might be useful in some way. The Bcj.
de Boulogne itsolf has not hitherto b> -en mo
tioned, but it was not from any lack of i-pprel
ciation of Its beauties. It is jv.si outside the
fortifications, on the west If you want to tai a
a stroll there you car. go in a cab and dtsrnoa It
jusi inside th*? fortiScatlCßS. so as to avoid tfc*
extra fe«» for takir.g it outside. TV- fashiorable
hours are from 2to f> o'clock. Another £c«
park, though less popular, is the B<.is de Vial
cennes, back again at the extreme f-.ist of tfcs
city, and also outside the fortifications.
As was said at the b«-cir.nirig. this is cot &
full guide to Paris. That you can get and that
you should have, if you are to stay long, bet
these suggestions may be of som» help in choosl
ing what to see, if you are forced to make the
best use of a little tirru % . Of cnurs™, almost
everything that has been mentioned here coa!<i
be s^er: to better advantage in a summer whea
there was no exposition, but if yr.u are in Paris
to see th« Exposition your timo bfrorr.ea »n
the more rigidly limited, and a few hints as to
what is best worth seeing are all the more to
he desired.
PA RISIA S PITFALLS.
WOES THE VISITOR SHOULD BE ON HIS OL*AR3
AG ■ :•
Paris crr> Bpoi of The London Mail.
Paris daring the Exposition Is the happy hunt.
Ing ground of the most renowned loess. th«
century has produced. The expert pickpocket.
the confidence trick prui titicn- r ami tin t male
factors have Etu.th-rt.--l kCTC In sear h ot "I I •
and there is little doubt that they - ~;i; a
fair harvest.
These gentlemen, however, are to be awl la
every country. and the ordinary foreigner who -»
endowed with some common sense must rather
be on his guard against practices and practit:on
en that are essentially Parisian in their char
acter.
Arriving ar the station, the . . fcl well
to look out for the hocus port) r. wh. » I
to vanish into the twilight with the
trust t-d to his •
He should also avoid the casual "interpreter,"
who will stop him on the boulevards and offer ta
show him the sights of Paris.
The street merchant is another gentleman
whose writes may lead to grieYoaa disappoint
ment. Members of the fraternity are prepared
to sell property of every description, from Orien
tal birds to theatre passes. They will ask the
unwary foreign* 1" francs fora member of the
feathered tribe worth sixpence, and unblushingly
demand and accept five francs for a. ticket ad
mitting the bearer to the worst seats in the
house.
Only a day or two ago a raw provincial pre
sented himself at the Chat Theatre with a
tramway ticket bearing on its face the legend
"Chatelet." On being refused admission the un
fortunate man explained that he had purchased
it outside for two francs from an affable per
son, who had ■■:.:'..!•■• '... ■ explained to him It
was worth double the money.
Th- trap the visitor is most likely to fall into,
however. Is that set for him by the garc/ma da
cafe.
In receiving change !t is of the utmost im
portance to watch that the waiter d«ts not pass
oft for five-franc pieces Mexican, Chilian, Pe
ruvian or Bolivian dollars that are worth less
than half that sum. Two-franc, one-franc; and
T>O-centime pieces bearing the effigy of Louis
Philippe. Spanish silver and Papal or Italian
coins of less than five franca sh'uid also be
refused.
Paris waiters are in the habit of forming a
syndicate to buy up from mom changers 500
or OX) francs* worth of cheap silver coins that
can he passed off on the unwary- This form ct
robbery is. in.!. < d, a recognized industry.
As for the regular Parisian rogue, his enter
prise and lrr.pii I nee are incredible. Within the
last few days two three card trick men were
surrounded by a somewhat irate crowd which
they had plundered to a substantial extent
Just as the sharpers were showing evident
signs of anxiety to decamp, two well dressed
men appeared, announced that they were de
tectives, thrust the offenders Into a cab. and
drove off, amid the applause of the pigeons.
A few streets away the four confederates
alighted, and proceeded hilariously to ahare tt»
plunder.