MB
, .
'Cbe Conservative *
perhaps in no other section. The South
was formerly noted for its sturdy inde
pendence , its hostility to the whole idea
of government aid for private enter
prises , its contempt for bad money and
bad credit , and , in short , its hatred of
about everything which Bryanism stands
for ; yet see what a hold Bryauism has
today upon the democratic party of the
South.
"If it stopped even here , and the
people took pause to think , there might
bo some hope of better things ; but it is
a progressive disorder the more it is
fed , the more it demands. Take Sena
tor Morgan's case , for example. Mr.
Morgan has grown old in the service of
his party , has kept abreast of all its
many changes , and has brought very
conspicuous talents to the support of the
policies ho has advocated in the senate ;
yet , extreme as were most of his views ,
the instant he uttered a sentence which
had the old orthodox ring , up sprang a
competitor for his seat , and he is now
forced , at his advanced age , to make the
fight of his life. No matter what con
cessions a man may make to a political
constituency on which Bryanism has
once obtained a hold , there are always
demagogues ready to cross swords with
him at his first sign of halting.
"Now you see why I think that , if we
are driven to a choice between the two ,
it would bo safer to let imperialism take
its course and work out its own con
demnation , and put all our strength into
the domestic fight against Bryauism. It
is a pitiful alternative , and no one can
be more deeply sensible than I of the
wrong of taking the Philippines into our
republic ; but I honestly feel that de
moralization and ruin at home are a
little worse than empire abroad. "
Washington Post.
AMERICAN PEKVKKSION OF PAKIS.
Fiimncltil PriictlcoH Thut ArotiHo the Ani
mosity of the Latin Art Students.
With November the students come
back to Paris. The calendars toll it ;
and the Boul' Mich sacred to the
picturesque Bohemiauism which , what
ever they may say , is not yet dead , nor
dying already gives daily and nightly
proof that the calendars do not lie. And
with the return of Messieurs les Etudi-
ants there stirs again an ancient quarrel.
It is a race war , and the stars and stripes
wave over one of the high contending
powers. It is the American students
against the Latins , against all the cosmopolitan -
mopolitan youth that makes the left
bank of the Seine lively and picturesque
for nine mouths of the year.
The matter of the quarrel ? Listen.
Three of us were walking down the
Boulevard du Mont Parnasse the other
day. One was an art-student in his
second year , an imposing personage , al
velvet and curls and Vandyck beard
Another was well , an entirely unim
) ortaut individual , of whom no more
anon. The third was a "nouveau , " a
young Provencal with a strong Marseilles
) rogue that Alphonse Baudot would
lave given gold to hear. And the
youngster of the brogue was in search
of a local habitation. We had traversed
many streets round the Parnassian quar
ter the velvety , long-locked art-
student , the unimportant individual ,
and the new-comer from the Mediter
ranean and nowhere could wo find
rooms to suit the southerner. Like all
iis tribe , he found Paris gray : "Yes ,
it is lively , on voit du monde ; but how it
is cold and gray ! Ah , down there wo
see the bun ; the streets shine ; the people
are fat and jolly. " That is the song ho
had been chanting to us all the way.
And no place satisfied him. At last ,
just whore the Boulevard du Mont
Parnnsse runs into the place whera the
Bal Bullier is held , we halted opposite a
arge , cheerful , brightly decorated man
sion with a placard announcing "Apart
ments largo and small to let. " "This is
it , " says our brave Marseillais as if
there was just one place in all Paris
worthy of his presence , and he had just
found it.
We had agreed that this probably was
it , and were on the point of accosting
the concierge in his logo , when the artist
drew up suddenly. "Tiens ! This isn't
it at all ; not at all. " Why not ? What
was the matter ? He explained. Last
semester , he knew it for a fact , Ameri
cans had lived in that house. Well ,
what then ? What difference did that
make ? His contempt was amusing.
What difference ? Why every differ
ence. For his part he wasn't a million
aire who amused himself en faisant le
loheme. He was just a poor art-student
who liked to spend his spare sous for
himself and his friends , not for the
benefit of a pack of concierges and femme
de menage , and other good people , who
might be very charming in their own
way , but who did not interest him du
tout , du lout.
Little by little wo got at the facts of
the case. And this is the fact : That
the American students , who are very
numerous and whose numbers increase
every year with surprising rapidity , are
all , poor or well-to-do , far too generous
in their dealings with their concierges ,
and the scrub-women , and the whole
personnel of every place they enter. II
they go into a hotel , on their arrival they
tip lout de suite , mind you the garcon
who carries their couple of heavy trunks
up six flights of stairs. The very first
day ! And who over heard of paying
for such an obvious , elementary task as
that ? Then they have a Imbit of de
scending themselves when they want to
know if there are any letters for them
It is true there are often no bolls , but
nom de now/ what are one's lungs for
except to yell from the top to the bottom
of the house for one's mail ? And how
do you expect the garcon to do his work
ft
for the other people in the house when f
; hose sacrcs Americains insist on doing
t themselves ? Then it is a hundred to
one that the beggars at the end of the
first week , mind you find their delicate
consciences pricking them again in the
nterost of the garcon ; and it is a good
ihiug for the rest of the house if they do
not oven ask him what sum ho habitu
ally receives per week for "mounting"
; he petit dejeuner , and "doing" the
room , and cleaning the boots , and the
other little duties of his office. Of
course the thief of a garcon suggests an
exorbitant sum two francs a week ,
even as much as two francs I when
everybody knows that for a room au
vixieme no uncorrupted Pierre of them
all ever receives more than one frauc a
'
mouth. And if you speak to those
Americans about it , and point out that
; hey are ruining the hotel for all the
camaradcs , they only smile at you and
say that there is not any club in any
town in the United States where they
would get such extraordinary attention
for four times the sum they paid to
Pierre. Extraordinary attention , in
deed 1 What is the garcon for except to
wait on the locataircs ? And what does
ho want with money , anyhow ? He has
his board and lodging ; he sleeps too
well , the lazy follow , as you often find
when you are kept waiting outside the
door at two or three o'clock in the
morning , because the rascal is too com
fortable to turn over and pull the cor
don to let you in ; and he has only got
just half a day off every month to spend
his money in. Why , it is an obvious
waste to give it to him. The five francs
per month squandered that way would
give you no end of a good time at the
cafe or at the Bal Bullier.
And if they eat at a restaurant , these
same unprincipled Americans think
nothing of giving the waiter five sous.
Five sous ? They have been known to
give ten ! Why , the bonhomme at the
Elysee , Loubet himself , does not give
ten sous ! And these wretched Ameri-
cains say that if they have to give some
thing they would be ashamed to give
less than five sous. Ashamed ! As if
the waiter was not laughing in his sleeve
at their extravagance as he opens the
door to let them out. And in the
bouillons ! Everybody knows you never
give the waiter anything when you dine
a la carte at a student's bouillon or any
other bouillon * for that matter. Nobody
knows why you do not , but you do not ;
the rule is as old as old Father Adam.
But these good Americans come along
and leave their sous under their plate
and , psst , there is a bouillon spoiled ! No
self-respecting student can go there any
more. The Boulevard Mont Paruasse
and the Rue Cardinal Le Moino , both
are full of cremeries and bouillons that
the Americans have destroyed.
Just the same in the unfurnished
rooms. If the concierge brings up the
it
