OUR PARIS LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2420, 14 January 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

OUR PARIS LETTER.

[FKOM Ol'K OWN COUKKSrONDEN'T.I

Paris, November 2 Will the Parliamentary committee of Inquiry into "Wilsonism," have the courage, to probe tho matter to the bottom, unearth other sinners whose names are freely men tinned, and lay before the nation, a full statement of the immoral account ? Galien says, yes : Hippocrates nods,jno. At first M. Grevy resolved to resign ; 011 the counsel of friends, he changed his mind, and will await results. This attitude will'defeat the calculations of the intriguers, who counted upon running the president into private life. Two currents divide the Republicans, one inclines to white-washing, the other to a vigorous application of the scalpel. The Monarchists grin at the/happy family, will leave them stewing in their gravy as long as possible, and then vote for the wing that will cause most perplexity to the Republic, and most unpalatable moralizing at tho expense of its administrators. Everything is fair in war.

Respecting the position of M. Grevy's son-in-law, public opinion remains unchanged, that is, very hostile : contrary tn its general character, it admits no extenuating circumstances ; he is considered, since his marriage, to be wanting in that tact and common prudence, which his exceptionally delicate situation demanded. New charges, whether true or false, spring up liko Cadmus'teeth, and tho old ones receive a retouching to deepen their tint. A shrewd observer can note, that while much sympathy is being extended to M. Grevy, that sympathy is becoming more measured in its character; hints aie muttered that he should not have remained in blissful . ignorance of tho Elysee palace being converted into a cabinet d'affaires pending six yoars, and that during all that period, aided by the inuendoos and

direct attacks of the Press, he did not bring his son-in-law to book. The succession to the presidentship is at present freely discussed. The contingency sooner or later would have to be met, and why not now? Messrs Jules Ferry and de Freycinet, are still the favourites ; the former has the advantage, despite his Tonkin antecedents, and the belief that he is Bismarck's candidate. De Freycinet is a less party, and a more all-round, man; hut, judgiug from his clastic opinions, irresolution and hesitancy, ho would likely, if chosen president, evolnte into quite a new character. M. Floquet is rapidly receiving supporters ; lie possesses none of the draw-backs of the other Richmonds, and is extremely popular and full of admirable tact. His wife is the grand niece of Goethe, and would slnne better at the White House than her aunt—Madame Jules Ferry. The rumours seetn to have died out respecting the demolition of the Rouvier Cabinet. It has done nothing objectionable ; it seems to bo inclined to deal seriously with the confused state of tho finalizes, to diminish taxation, and to live in peace at homo and abroad. It desires to take reforms in hand, only lot them be of the class which tho country demands, and that a, Parliamentary majority will support. It is not becausu a reform is a trueism, or mathematically correct, that it is to be sprung on Parliament; but is it ripe? does the country expect it? in a word, does it como within tho sphere of practical politics? If not leave it to.bestill threshed and winnowed in the press, on tho platform, in the taproom, or in the pulpit, at Young Men's Christian and Old Men's Debating Societies. It is forgctfuluess of this simple business fact which has kept Clemenceau and his party out in the cold. They demand many practical and some untimely reforms, and place the latter in the first line, llien lake up a non-possumus attitude worthy of a Pope. Clemenceau has at last perceived the errors of his way, and tho change of tactics will profoundly modify the conditions of the political struggle. Italy does cause much anxiety since she has joined the tri-partite alliance. Signer Crispi, no matter how he may re-profess a heart-love for France, cannot get over the fact that he has celeb rated a mariago de raison with Germany for mutual interests. These interests do not tend to make franco great, glorious and free. The prevailing opinion here is that Germany uses Italy to keep Franco in check, in case the Pomeranians are attacked by lius.-ia. No one believes the nurt-ery tale, that for such services Italy will not be recompensed; perhaps not at the material expense of France, but by the ousting of the Turks from Europe, and paying them tho same merciful attention in Tripolitania and Egypt. It is now currently re-asserted that, if Russia invests in war, Germany would tempt France to remain a looker-on, by holding out compensation for her in Syria. The belief is general that it is Turkey will pay for the coming redistribution of European territory, plus tho acquisition of the Teutonic provinces of West Russia by Germany. When the disguised muleteers put Sancho Panza in a counterpane, and shook him up, then catching him when lie came down, it was not a pleasant kind of ballooning. No harm was intended, but boys will be boys. Just now a kind of thin indignation is abroad, touching blanket-tossing of conscripts, when they first enter the ranks. The troopers at Valenciennes initiated a very " fat boy " to the mysteries of the rug —perhaps to reduce him to riding weight. The conscript, unfortunately, after being shot up, came down with such force of gravitation that he passed through the blanket, and the earth rising, as physicists say, to meet him, he hurt his hips. The sergeant, who looked on with his blind eye, and laughed to see the spoit, has been confined to his room for sixty days—double ilio dose of staying at homo inflicted on IJoulanger, for saying in his haste, like King David, that all men are —what you know— for not preventing the tossing. One moralist hints that soon tho French army will become, so demoralised as to need the ISnglish remedy—the cat. He forgets the erapaiul honor employed to keep braves in Algeria and Tonkin in the way they should go, and that Totquemada could not surpass as an agent for timing obstinate people into tho paths of truth. In all educational establishments incoming boarders are subjected to the democraticising influences of horsn-play, or what the French call Brimades. It isless trying than the red-poker ordeal of free masonry initiation. At tho recent session of the Polytechnic .School, 150 new alumni wcro suddenly baptized in full uniform, with a, fire hose ; only one young man weak in tho knees, suffered from the shivers. For homo sick youths, snobs, and mashers, nothing is better for cxtcrpating the old Adam out of tlieni, than a few scientifically administered kicks, with a facer or two, to develop a3 fire-works, what tho French call, the 30,000 candlcs in tho eyes. Perhaps it is due to tho fact, that so few persons now go to the theatre, which explains, why so many theatrical subjects are being discussed iu society and the press. Mas a spectator the right to hiss, when purchasing his right to a seat? If a spectator lias taken a resolution to hiss or condemn, and so disturb his neighbours, why that is a M niplo inn tter for "the chucker out," to decide. The Academy of Sciences, has just been occupied with the question of hissing in tho theatre, in the form of blowing from the pipe of a key. It .appears the Romans hid that manner of expressing their dissatisfaction. It could Hot have originated with the Chinese, as the celestials only applaud during a representation, and remain silent, when dissatisfied. They are thus more polite than Westerns, who howl as well as applaud, ill flock.';: there is some invisible, magnetic fluid current, or ethereal link, which unites the spectators to simultaneously express their joy, or their displeasure. A philosopher could not remain silent once die electricity has burst: he will either howl with tho wolves or anathematize them. But something he mu-t do ; if the excited crowd has neither cooked potatoes nor baked apples, rotten eggs nor dead eats, it will likely fall back on key tubes. These became instruments of siagc torture in France in the seventeenth century, when houses had no porters, and every citizen was forced to bring the key of his house or room with him, and once in his pocket it was the handiest of instruments for a frindour. Under the Second Empire, when tho Due do Grammont was the self-clccted Cato foe Paris, he and his jeuncsse dore electors went to the play provided with silver whistles in their vest pockets. When Laharpe's tragedy (Warwick) was whistled down, lie lamented the injustice a few days later in a cafe. A walking slick pedlar entered and debited his " Warwick canes " Ah," said Laharpe, "there is proof that someone honours me." He called tho pedlar, and inquired why the cane was so named. "Because, Monsieur, when you press this spring, it whistles much stronger than blowing m a key-tube." On one occasion when Marie Antoinette was singing in her role in private theatricals at the Trianon she sang false. A shrill whistle was heard ; and a cold shudder came over tho courtiers, the delinquent was her husband, Louis XVI., who was concealed in the recess of his box. Paris was next to within a hair breadth of having a second Pianzini affair. A bargirl belonging to one of the music halls was returning home at midnight: she was accompanied by a " casua 1 masher," that "ha partly knew. On entering her home ho asked her for money. She had none, but she was covered with jewellery, and real as a snltarias, or a shent per shent lender's wife ; he attempted to kill tho girl, but she managed to get out one scream of "Murder!" There was silence. A few minutes later the hall door quietly opened ; a man stealthily came out, and fell into the arms of four policemen. All tho jewellery was found upon him. The girl still lives. An engineer has just been hoist with his own petard ; a recidivist, fully supplied with a bag of his peculiar tools, succeeded in forcing the metal shutter of the window of a grocer's shop; he then worked his body more than half through, when the shutterr fell, and caught him ns in a snaptrap. A scavenger observing the agitating body, rang up a neighbouring doctor, aided by two policemen. The bird was extricated and conveyed to another cago. At Mortain a singular inanticide has been committed. After dinner si mother

tool: her two children, aired three ami four, out for a walk, as she observed to her husband. She went to a well, and taking off some of her clothing wrapped "P ""e child and then the other, so that they might not be hurt, and pitched them into the well. After some minutes,' according to the post mortem examination, when she thought they were dead, she plunged in herself. Knacker's yard sausages are quite a delicacy at Lilie. There, is a citizen in that city who holds the contract, tor receiving all the impure meat from the markets, the skinned remains of horses, &C. He was to convert all the decayed stuff into animal charcoal for the sugar refiners. He. did so in part, but lie also started a sausage, factory, though a second party fed it from the condemned meats, and the output, met with an enormoiH sale, No one seemed a bit the worse from tip,' new food supply. Bobbies and boots: Tho Municipal police have now been supplied with Hessian boots like tin- irendarmes, or Pom eranian soldiers ; it is a better arrangement, than the gaiters. They have also been cfivon a spencer, in Alpaca, which is very tasteful; running across the, breast, in silver thread worked letters, is their number, that of their ward, and their division. It has been observed, that the number of arrests, since tho introduction of the now uniform has sensibly diminished. Morality and costume have always had relationship. Paris has now a strike, tho longest on record, as it has endured four months ; tho Municipal Council decreed, to call the Rue Lava], "Victor Masse," after the decea ed composer; the residents considered the change inappropriate and have put up over their doors, the writing, "This is Me Laval, no," accordingly. An unfortunate barrelorganist on Monday last ground an air from one of Masse's operas, and narrowly escaped being lynched. Tho usual poisoned maccaroni has been placed on door bills, in case he should return. Odd game bagM. Grevy, as president, has the exclusive right to the shooting of Marly forest, outside Paris, for tho use of grand-duke visitors, or ministers 7 Roebuck, 230 pheasants, 40 rabbits, and " one rat" were recently killed. The quarry was sent as presents to high functionaries, and a leading politician received the " rat."