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4 THE PRESBYTERIA1
poor. The hearse goes in front. The minister follows
immediately behind it on foot. Following him are the
chief mourners, two abreast. After them come the
friends of the family. All these walk, no matter if the
distance is considerable. Behind the whole procession
.... 1 ' ....
r.t?cidi ciiquy carriages ior tne purpose ot bringing
the relatives home from the cemetery. How customs
differ!
I was not half so shocked in Paris as 1 thought 1
was going to be. There are some objectionable things,
too objectionable to mention here, but on the whole I
found Paris a very fascinating place. Of course if 1
1 1 -t - '
iiHu.cnosen to go oeiow the surface I could have found
a great deal of rottenness, but I could do that same
thing in any American city.
The Louvre is the most interesting thing in Paris.
It was the old royal palace. It is now half museum
and half art gallery. Some of the great paintings of
-1.1 -l' t
!yuiiu we in inc l^ouvre. i nave otten wondered
if I would know a great painting if I saw it, unless
some one had told me beforehand that it was great. 1
did. The moment I saw "The Immaculate Conception,"
by Murillo, I knew I was in the presence of a
masterpiece. Anybody would know. I went back
every day I was in Paris and looked at that picture.
You are not in Paris long until you see what a tremendous
impression Napoleon has left .upon the
French people. There are memorials of him everywhere.
The French people adore him. An incident
will illustrate their devotion to him. Napoleon's tomb
is nnp nf flip ? ?1 " T"k
? ^ i.?v uiuoi niicicsiiii^ jiiaccs in fans. Ail
Episcopal rector from New York, whom I learned to
know and like, was standing at the tomb listening to a
guide, who was a Frenchman, tell of the wonderful
deeds of Napoleon. When he was through the rector
quietly remarked: "I did not hear you say anything
about Waterloo." You would have thought that Vesuvius
had broken loose. The Frenchman came at him
in a most infuriated and threatenfng manner. The
rector, who happened to be a native of Ireland, fearing
personal violence, snatched a small British flag from
his pocket. He might as well have waved a red rag in
a mad bull's face. He saw his mistake and jerked an
nuicrican nag out ot another pocket. That was a little
better, but it was only by the intervention of a policeman
that the rector got safely out of the building and
lost himself in the crowd. This incident also shows
us the excitable temperament of the Frenchman. I
think it also shows us a little of the philosophy of
history. Nations do not love to record their own de
icais or me aeieats ot their heroes. We need not
wonder if the Egyptian monuments make no mention
of the overthrow of Pharoah and his army at the Red
Sea.
But it takes me too long to get to my real subject.
My Sabbath in Paris was a very beautiful day. It began
with a temptation even to a preacher. The magnificent
fountains at Versailles olav on tho fircf <snn
day in each month during the summer season. That is
the only time they ever play. Perhaps there are no
other fountains like them in all the world. Versailles
is only sixteen miles away. The roads are fine and the
country beautiful. Good Christian people are going,
just as good as you are, and perhaps better. You go
OF THE SOUTH. October 6, 1909.
in an automobile and will not cause anybody to work.
If you stay in Paris you will probably not be able to
find a church where you can understand the language.
Not only so, but you never expect to have the opportunity
again. Besides, you don't like to seem Squeamish
tn vnnr friot-i/lo
Well, 1 did not.go to Versailles. I weyit to the little
Scotch Presbyterian Church instead, and enjoyed the
service more than I did any other service in my whole
trip. It was restful to hear the English language
again, even with a broad Scotch accent. And then
they sang hymns that I knew. At the close of the service
they were very cordial to me. Above all there
was a good sermon and reverent prayers. The whole
service was uplifting. When I started out to locate
this little church I had no trouble, even in big French
speaking IJaris. There was a notice of it in the Saturday's
paper. When I asked the hotel porter how to
find it, he at once led me to a notice and map on a placard
on the wall. The Scotch minister had left it there.
The map showed me exactly how to get to the church
from my hotel. In other words, that little church had
done all it could to reach me and it found me. I hope
that many other English speaking people who go to
Parif. mav finrl ? ?? ,l-- c?1 '
j v..vi. noj iu me v3i:uicn cnurcn ana
may find there that perfect peace of God which passeth
all understanding.
In the afternoon I went to the French Protestant
church, but the paper was mistaken, and there was no
service, yet I was well repaid for the walk. In front
of the church is a good statue of Coligny, the leader
of the Huguenots. I lingered long in its presence,
reading its inscriptions and trying to catch something
of the spirit of those Christian martyrs, who willingly
laid down their lives for the cause of Christ. The biography
of Coligny is a verv insoirinp- nnp anH nnorVit
be read more by Christian people in America. The
French do not look upon Sunday as a holy day, but as
a holiday pure and simple. The devout Catholics attend
their churches and cathedrals. The devout Protestants
also go to their churches. But the rank and
file of the people are out for fun and a good time. The
gardens and parks are filled with.merry, good-natured
crowds. The streets are full of vehicles of all kinds.
The theaters are in full blast. Many of the smaller
shops and stores are open. The banks of the Seine
are lined with fishermen who never seem to catrh anv.
thing. The crowds are quiet and orderly, but they
are having fun.
France, so far as I could learn, has absolutely no
Sunday law, and yet she has one of the most unique
laws upon earth. You can do exactly as you please on
Sunday, but everybody who works for anybody else
must rest one whole day out of every seven. He can
take that day on Sunday if he likes, or he can take it on
a week day, but he must take it. This applies to clerks,
drivers, car conductors, hotel waiters and everybody
who works for another. Inspectors come around every
week and see it they have kept the law. I may say
that this is a comnarativelv new law Ac o ?o.iU ;
A j ?? i kU U I VOUU Ui 11
all the large stores are closing on Sunday, and the
people are coming more and more to observe the same
day, which is Sunday. So we may have good hopes
that there will be a real Sunday in France in the years
to come.