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Show i mmiriiiiii'inM'iw-jiiiMiM iiiiii i n i . , 'I " ifimgina i "gJ ON THE RIVIERA. Democracy of Distinguished People as II Appears to a Plain American. Ballai-d Smith writes to the Nov York World from Beaulieu: This narrow nar-row little strip of France 40 milea or so from Cannes to Mentone and not above four or five miles wide anywhere between the bluesea and the practically impassable mountain ohain beyond might bo called during any winter season sea-son the Republic of the CJreat From All Lands. The democratic fashion of it is a lifc-tlo lifc-tlo startling to the newcomer. Yon may sit at tho next table in a restaurant tr, an ex-president of the republic. Yon may come suddenly in a public pathway upon an emperor and empress walking arm in arm together; you sit in the next chair in a hotel meeting room to the great ex-premier of England Politicians from all countries, serene highnesses from every monarchy in thj world, great artists their faces become as familiar fa-miliar to you asthoso of the conventional convention-al people whom most of us have tho for- uno only to bo brought in daily contact with. It has happened to me, a very plain American citizen, to have had tho three experiences mentioned above within the space of 24 hours, together with some others as interesting, and the fortune of it all, the reader being the judge of what snoasure of fortune it is, may come to any other plain oitizon of any land who forms a part of this little republic within with-in a republic. In a former letter I described lww ab solutely democratic is tho daily wa.k hero of Casiniir-Perier, until only tha other day president of Franco. In the rotunda of the Hotel Cape Martin Mar-tin we are to see a groater man than any hereditary king or emperor or potentate po-tentate of today, of yesterday, of the century. Luncheon is just over when Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone come down from their rooms and tako seats among the other guests beforo the fire, awaiting await-ing their carnage. The venerable statesman states-man looks much older and mo worn than when I saw him in London as he started for tho Riviera. The arduous journey in tho bitter cold weather which met him in Franco and its extraordinary continuance here in the Riviera have evidently been most prejudicial to him. He walkod very feebly to hia carriage, escorted on the one side by his faithful wife and on the other by tho hardly less faithful Mr. George Armistead many times mil lionaire, who seems to have no objeo in lif o beyond this friendship and almost constant attendance and now for tho first time in his adnlt life looks all his age. I had como to the hotel hoping that Mr. Gladstone might wish to say something some-thing more to the American publio on the prospects of homo rule in Ireland, bnt Mr. Armistead pleads that the statesman is in too feeble condition to talk upon politics, and that his restoration restora-tion to health demands absolute rest from all political concerns for tho present. pres-ent. The ex-Empress Eugenie is another guest at the hotel, except that she occupies oc-cupies a cottage in the grounds, and she, too, takes her daily walk abroad with a single attendant, or more often alona She also seems very feeble and looks very old, supporting herself with a strong crntoh -tick. Sbo has lost every trace of her ferae'- beauty and graceful wjrriage. |