Ways of Living.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 401, 14 January 1904, Page 7

Ways of Living.

ACTUAL P A.RIS, 88, i£ yw.,*afee a struggle for life wtv * r ° m *' s aumo:cotia point of view, kJ§&, I quesdoa whether Paris caa be

beaten. One man I remember very well. He had a first-class education, and at one time in life had held a good; position. When the crisis came, and he fonnd himself workleea, and penniless, he noticed that ha had a decest frock-coat left, and he decided to live at its expense. He took a little garret near the cemetery "at Fantin, and made it a rale to find oat the name of everyone who was to. be buried that'day, Then he hunted up the story of -the. private life of > the slate lsmeate&'s career, and jcised in th<j funeral procsesaioa. After the simple working folk hud paid fa tribute at, the graveside to the merits of the dead man, he astonished .them by comiag forward wjth tears ia his eyes to say a few words. The. mcrarners, who had.'never dreamed that their poor friend had so distinguished a companion, heard with astonishment a perfect of welM;ur4ed sentences, and every sentence was duly autheaticited by imaginary facts. With open mouths they listened to tributes to his wit, his level- judgment in affairs affecting the welfare of the countrv, of his silent generosity in soorss of deserving cftags, and so on. Then the distinguished stranger wiped his eyes and turned away. The sjrhole of the followedhirav and begged him to accept their ho-

pitality at soma restaurant; for ftnjong.the wbr&ng Glasses it is atUl the bustonv | to give a dinner after the funeral He acoepted under protest, and than suggeated a decent eatiag house. After the party was broken cp, be tonoked his commission on all the money they had spent, and ha had taken cara tbatr they had ■ .spent"'.the-' moat possible. <■'■ winter/ Jtb.lapk of inflaenaa, and the, fact thathis} i bJack suit waa tumbling into ribbons, le& him up the gamer and: ask ih# police jfcof treat him as a vagabond, and send him to noma hospital. , • jO .■ ; ekietence of ihesa curious , folk leads to Paris. They try to eara enough to Uve with, but, failing, they compound the matter, and are content to get enough to pay for their food, and let Chanel and a little fine weather provide them with a fairly com-' fortable bed. In the recent winter the:, police made a. raid, and arrested some * Scores ef tramps, who had selected as | their bed the roof biE the electric light' station at the Qa*e St. Lazare. It was warm, because; the engineers '■ were working all niglt, and the fact thaithe chimneys them did not annoy them in the laaat.

There was at least a ohanoe to sleep, and there was ja st a iiitla warmth, and the' poor devils were all as happy as krka. In the summer they sleep by the thou- j sands in the parks and under tha bridges j of 'the" Seine, hide, thamsaives in ' casks, and have been frequently known:' to climb up trees , and strap their bodies to; the boughs; in. order not to: fall. ; The prac ticaf absence of anything equal .|o, the English workhouse system in 5 Earn is remarkable; and 'even if there were, I take; it that* thevbotk of the opSn-air sleepers would nof trouble much a Sout^it, v 'for it would only be ;another polica bureau.. -.,.'•-..;., ]■ '.-.:■..'-<r. ;■;.' --..'/';• ■ There is one man that makes a eubBtantial'living but of these' outcasts, and that is the itinerant^barber.' '■"'■ Although ha does not depand upon them entirely,

and relies more particularly on the ■barges ori 4 the banks vof ?thef lie secures a comfortable Htfcleijaum ia'peßoe ;*nd halfpence with Jthie weary aad/woekf lless. He is a dappar little maa generally, and he tells his possible customers what they want with the firmness of a London Bhoebkck. JTow, no Frenchman; goes unshaven, however poor he may be, and it is only a question of slight amount of bargaining that will briag the outcast aad the basher to terns, Onoe these are settled shears and razors are brought outyand in a few, minutes the "maa goes away' looking clean aad fresh to begin His hopeless struggle. Aad yet the moat fastidious could not grumble at the cleanliness of this man; The poliea watch him with the, Bams|ciare aa*they watehfthe fashionable coiffeur in the Kae Paix," and should he omjt to wash every instrument with' the strongest after.using, he would be prosecuted forthwith. ,; Bat only a few yards from where I hare been standing and watching this openair shaving, sits another man, the representative of a great industry, and a man who would refuse to die if ha thought he would be buried in the same cemetery, as the wandering barber. '. . ~ v , i

He only associates with, the highest in the land. His|ppinion set's theife.fasiuQn, m& the fashion that he sets will be a noticeable feature in the life of Paris up Sill the racefor the Grand-Prsza; tb.e world to tho seaside and the country. He ia the dog barber. He sits quietly on the bants of the Saine, an<s receives his customers with a bow,-and offers tho seat with the politeness of a waiter. There is no doubt whatever that the dog is a remarkably beautiful one Madam a parf ailment raison. * Aad how long would she like its coat to ba cut V The poor little dog is meanwhile struggling and throwing away its claim to respectability by the laaguage it is using. Thea the clipping machine comes out, and in a few minutes the poor little dog that came down with a warm jwiater suit "oa, ; g9ea tkjraijf with a tuft at the cad pitais tail, two or three more about his body, aad looking for all the world like aperambulating chrysaathemum. Tas man is an artist ia his way,, and in big contrast to his servaat who washes the dog in the Seine, and -who regards the animal, while the trimmiagis goiag on. with the simple' idea as to whether it is goiag to take the bath calmly, or whether it is goiag to fetragfcle', '; ;«">:p-*« -