OUR PARIS LETTER.
[fkom our own cohkkspondknt.] Paris, December 29. Intkllkctual waste is on the increase in France. It has two prolific sources of production, the lyceums find the national school*. The output oi tho former is tho least "deplorable, us only the well-to-do classes can afford to send their children there, and the latter on arriving at adult ago, graduate in, and inundate tho learned professions or the civil service. If all fails, there is a field of politics in which to speculate, or to start a newspaper or promote a financial bubble. The second source of production is the more lamentable ; it includes the children of the 1 little shopkeeper, the lilliputian landed proprietors, and the underpaid clerk, they fitudy to become national teachers. Thin "class of article," is now a drug in tho market; tho business suffers from over production, like ordinary congested industries. Features peculiar to both sources; they display a common repulsion for a trade, where intelligence can play such an important auxiliary role, and they aim to quarter themselves on the State, All the Barnacle family belong to the budgetivorous order of beings. There are at present in France 20,000 young persons of both, sexes—of whom one-fourth are female, who have studied to be teachers or national or primary schools ; who have undergone the official examination, and hold their diploma of competency ; 7,000 of this total alone belong to Paris and its department. There are no vacancies for this plethora of useful knowledge; the prospect is equally dismal, for the holders of actual situations are v comparatively young, and despite its hard lines in the schoolmaster profession its members live as long ae grave diggers as annuitants. Into what channel turns Jbhe Gulf-stream of unemployed intellect?. Clearly into manual occupation, if it he not too late to mend, and to, limit production, by keeping ever in view an overstocked market.
One sign of peace : A reaction has set in against the school-boy soldiers. The members of the Municipal Council who organised that craze of " teaching the young idea how to shoot," feel they have made a mistake. The lads might develop into pretoriaus, not soldiers ; might become the trained instruments for a Coup d'Etat, and not innate defenders of liberty. Such would resemble the hen which hatched duck eggs. It was alleged this playing at soldiers developed not the military spirit, but the manners of the barracks—parading simply. It was instruction in gymnastics the boys required, to put up muscle ; to be able to hold a rifle, and the straighter the better. The Council rejected the demand for the appointment of a twenty-fifth commander for the school battalions, as in due time would follow demands for colonels, generals, and ultimately, perhaps, a field marshal.
Germany, and other continental nations, occupied to the eyes iu turning out new war material, should imitate France in this example of disarmament. Nay more, General Boulanger expects to reduce his supplemental or extra estimates by some millions. Man of war though he be, ho seizes every occasion to proclaim peace principles that John Bright himself might endorse. France has no intention, he iterates, to declare war against any country so long as her territory is notattacked nor her honour assailed. Every nation chants the same ditty, and yet continues not the less to arm to the teeth ; for, if attacked, they will, like other animals, be so wicked as to defend themselves —with their last man and shilling. So say all of us. There has been less Bellona trumpetblowing all round of late : performers must stop to take breath some time or other. The Petit Journal believes France to be invulnerable since she alone possesses the secret of preparing meleuite, which is 100 times stronger than gunpowder. Napoleon 111. too counted upon the Mitrailleuse. Unfortunately, any moment may produce another explosive 101 times mo're destructive than melenite. Often strategy turns out to be more omnipotent than either explosives, breach-loading artillery, or lightning repeating rifles. The Radical organs dislike war for two conclusive reasons. Were France victorious, and she must compare a present situation with present facts—she would fall under the yoke of a dictator ; if defeated, that would be this time— Finis Gallioe.
Germany having made up her lover's quarrel with Russia will help to steady the peace movement. Russia, in her flirtations with France, has shown she was not off with the old love before being on with the new. Bismarck, behind the scenes folks, and even the Muscovites themselves know the Czar would go under in a European conflagration. Bulgaria will soon cease to be & point noir, so excellently is she defending her liberty and independence by playing the waiting game, leaving to Russia to invade Bulgaria—that she will never do, or weave conspiracies—which refall and reflect on herself. The play of Turkey is keenly watched : her diplomacy is of the between the hammer and the anvil kind. The more she drops into the Russian trap, the more resolved will become England to remain as permanent in Egypt as the pyramids. The Frenchmen know in their hearts, will never entrust the key of the canal or the overland route to her Eastern and Oceanian Empires to any person but herself. She has attached it to the big bunch which hangs from her girdle. France has no case to go before any international jury, and to drive the English out of the Nile Valley has not yet risen to the level of a daydream. Christmas proved an agreeable break in the torrential rains and West Indian etormu, with which we have been eo long nfflinted. St. Nicholas took advantage of the lift in the weather to be omnipresent and oranigeneous in hisdown-the-chimney gifts to the little people and they were the incarnation of happiness in the morning. Bigger people were not so fortunate. The eve supper parties did their work by producing indigestions, which in turn necessitated oysters and onion soup that, like a brandy-split, is ranked as infallible against headache. The clergy must have been delighted at the crowds which attended the celebration of the midnight masses. The next day the services were also crowded. Among the foreign 'places of worship, the new American Church — little cathedral would be the more appropriate description—attracted the largest congregation. Its choral service is next to perfect. But then the church is richly endowed : it expends some 5000 dollars on the choir alone, and has engaged the services of twelve boys from London to sing therein, giving them a complete musical education into the bargain.
There has grown up within the last few years the commendable fashion of employers giving a Christmas-tree Fe"te to the children of their employe's. It is now extended by masters, etc., doing the same towards the children of their servants. M. Floquet has inaugurated this happy family re-union in the official world, as President of the Chamber of Deputies. Perhaps the greatest boon couferred on the child world is the opening of the new wards in the Infant's Hospital. Up to the present there was no separation of the diseased little patients: measles, scarlatina, croup, whooping cough, &c, were treated in common. When a mother's darling turned out to be in a dangerous condition on being visited—and the visits could be made daily—nothing could make many mothers retire. At present the visits are curtailed, but parents can come as often as desired to inquire; the telephone from the -waiting-room communicates with the ward, and the nurse replies as to the state of the patient. If the latter be in a critical state the mother &c. will be admitted to the bed fide. It is both painful and amusing to listen to the messages phoned ; the nurse is even implored to embrace the child on behalf of the mother te assure it, its doll is quite well, has got a new dress, and hopes its owner will soon return, &c. One father repeated quite an inventory of toys ho
had laid in for his boy—so to make haste and to get well, but above ail, not to fret. Every message ends with tho counsel, to be sure and do, and above all "take," what the good nou-nous desire or give.
The Loy Fair, which extends along all the Boulevards, is pronounced by the children world, to surpass the marvels of the Arabian There has been au addition this year to Ktooks ; of flowers, natural as well as artificial, tho latter apparently made up in every material trido the two Americas, of F.tnama, in workman costume, Failing through the Isthmus, as vigorously as the clock movement allows, is very humourous. Another novelty is tho "eouseiipt" by turning down four ends of the cardboard, the conscript becomes by turn, a sergeant, a captain and a general. "The last sight of my mother-in-laW," in a vixenous looking dame ; by scratching the boird underneath, a farewell cry is heard, and the old lady falls like Lucifer, till set on her feet again. Costly toys are only disposed of during the year those of the ordinary type, made to be smashed, and so the more pleasing for children go off like hot cakes. The rabbit beating a drum with its paws, sells by half-millions during the season ; the wholesale price is, 4fr. the dozen ; the squeaking sheep, dog-, cat &c, have and belonging to more unknown than known genera. Living birds with gaudy plumage, and of such torn tit proportions as to suggest having been bred in Queen Mab's aviary, are numerous. Many booths have a notice displayed that their wares are of French manufacture ; this is correct, as by putting their own shoulder to the wheel Parisians have been able to manufacture cheaper and nicer toys than Germany. The moral of this result might be applied to higher industries. Among new toys is " topsawyer de Lesseps," the popular and grand francais, is represented asequally a tremendous out put. The "jumping frog" is imported from the Tyrol, the paper hor«e is made from refuse paper, made iuto a paste, then cast in moieties in a mould, taken out glued together like the Baron Munchausen's steed, varnish, tatooed and saddled, price per dozen eight sous. Every baby-boy should have a stable full of them. Eleven workshops in Paris are occupied in the production of watches and chains at one sous each, the wholesale price being one farthing : it requires twenty persons to make one, and thirty-two, in the of those watches whose hands move. Tin toys are prepared from old sardine boxes and the discarded preserve cans, the raw material is furnished by the rag pickers, and artizane do the rest, on their own account, no capital being required only the fingers of the whole family. It is the refuse of factories which constitutes the building material of toys. Nothing i« lost in art.
Tonkin is progressing. If there be only a nominal importation of merchandise, there is a boundless supply of French eatables and drinkables. The native pigs suggest a living bladder of lard, waddling on four pegs. When killed, the animal is suspended back downwards, and feet tied to a bamboo pole. It is lackered like a tea-tray or mahogany to keep the flesh sweet; game and poultry are similarly treated. Flowers, and these are prolific round Hanoi, last only 24 hours; the steme are stuck into balls of olay. For two sous a room can be decorated with flowers. Potatoes thrive well, but other vegetables are hard and fibrous. The Chinese shopkeepers are thirty per cent, more honest than French dealers; still patriotism prefers to be "done" by a fellow countryman. Condensed milk is the salvation of the colony. The French are ready to contribute to setting up a statue to the discoverer of that food supply ; it is the best preservative against dysentery. Sancho Panza invoked blessings on the man who invented sleep. The Tonkinese appear to be indifferent to death. At a recent execution close to Hanoi, the guillotine fell three times before it did its duty. The culprit marched to the scaffold, as if taking an ordinary promenade, and laid his head under the knife as if not to disoblige the executioner. His mother was accommodated with a front seat among the spectators, and when her son's head fell, she coolly took it between her bands for examination. Pork and the fine arts are strange bed fellows, but the relationship is due to France excluding the products of Chicago and Cincinnati since ISSI to please the protectionists, and not to guard against disease; while Uncle Sam retaliates by fixing a 30 per cent, duty on French pictures. This is not considered nice, after presenting the statue of Liberty. Business first, and mutual admiration afterwards. Minister Lockroy has presided at a meeting of the united masters and workmen of the building trade ; he bestowed the new labour decoration on several men who were between 20 and 46 year<t, employed at the same establishment. The first step in practical socialism, said the Minister was the union between masters and men, iu the evening the latter all diued together. There are several women now lying under senteuce of death ; will they be exeenfced—that depends on M. Gre'vy. Since 1846 to 188G, there were in France 160 women condemned to be executed, and of whom 48 were guillotined ; thus precedent's are not wanting. The women were all married, and adultery invariably preceded the crime of. murder. Some journals maintain that the murderer of the Prefect Barcme some time ago, assassinated in a fir*t-class carriage going to Harve—is an ex-sub-prefect, and not unknown to (ho authorities. It is difficult to believft such a criminal, however high his social position could be screened. There is a fair demand fur autographs in Paris, and this is tho time for needing collections of curio*. T'.ie signature of Louise Michel recently fetched 3fr, at the auction hall, while Castolars only brought 2fr. No wonder the ex-president of the Spanish republic precipitately left Paris. A gentleman at Marseilles had for buttons a Chinese boy, always in his native costume ; havinar once brought him to church, he asked his opinion about the service. " The French did not look at Buddha, but all the time looked at me."
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Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2280, 19 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)
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2,379OUR PARIS LETTER. Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2280, 19 February 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)
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