ich I passed, each one of which left a particular impression
on my mind, and, although they are similar in most respects, each of
them has its peculiarities, especially with regard to the character,
temperament and customs of the people. I cannot refrain from describing
a few of them. Washington did not seem to be itself when I passed
through it, a cloud of sadness and mourning brooding over it on account
of the critical condition of the president. Boston is prim and stiff,
and seems like a place of learning. New York is a turmoil of pleasure
and business. "Hurry up" seems to be written in every face; "tumble
harum-scarum in the ever-changing panorama of the world!" Liverpool is a
good deal like New York, but on a smaller scale. London is the stiff
colossus of Europe. Amsterdam and Rotterdam bear the stamp of thrift,
cleanliness, earnestness, and comfort. Antwerp and Brussels that of
joyous abandonment. Paris includes everything which is worth seeing in
the others, and shows everything in gayer colors and to greater
perfection.

I remained only four days in the city on the Seine, and the impressions
of such a short stay are naturally fleeting and probably even
unreliable. Paris has its imposing monuments from the days of Louis XIV.
and the two Napoleons, which glorify the exploits of war; it has its
beautiful churches, palaces and museums like other great cities; but in
my eyes the greatness of Paris is to be found in her boulevards and
public promenades. I also made a visit to Versailles, the wonderful city
of palaces, and spent a day among the great monuments of grandeur and
royalty, misery and tyranny. As works of art they are grand and
beautiful, but their historical significance produce varied feelings.
In the French capital everything seemed to indicate comfort and
satisfaction. The workman of Paris is a gentleman in the best sense of
the word. He feels free, independent, and proud in the consciousness
that he is a part of the state. Soldiers were no longer to be seen in
the city; they being garrisoned at Versailles and other neighboring
cities; still there has never before been such a feeling of profound
peace and security in France. Liberty is a great educator. The style,
name, and other indications of the empire are passing away, and the
republic has put its stamp on Paris. The commune is no longer feared,
for the state is no longer an enemy of the people, but a protector of
its rights and liberty. Fortunate Pa