Show red tape carried to extremes in europe the palace of justice in parts paris a portion of which will be set aside shortly as a museum of relles relics from the revolution has a curious old custom every night one of the main doors Is left ajar in obedience to an order of march 1618 when louis XIII provided that it should remain open perpetually petua lly so that rny my subjects may be able to lo seek justice at all hours of the day and night through revolution empire kingdom and two republics this order has been scrupulously carried ried out but the meaning of the custom seems almost forgotten the man with the iron music mask the peu pen name of a reporter of a parisian dally presented himself at the door in the small hours of the night for or admittance he was promptly thrown out by the watchman and told to clear off it if he be did not dot want to enter by the prisoners gate in the morning in petrograd Petro grad they had a similar incident in czarist days the r empress empress elizabeth once saw a fine lower flower in her garden As she was on the way to a court function she had bad no time to pick it but ordered a soldier to stand guard over it tile the empress forgot about the flower but three centuries lot later C r th there ere was still a sentinel placed regularly each hour of tile the night and day at the spot where the hower flo had been pierre van Pu assen in the adlanta constitution |