Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1898 — SIGHTS OF VERSAILLES. [ARTICLE]

SIGHTS OF VERSAILLES.

The Palace and Park Visited by Thousands Annually. Out of the hundreds of thousands who Visit Paris to see the sights it is safe to say that very few omit a visit to the hamlet of Marie Antoinette, in the grounds of the Little Trianon. The great palace and park of Versailles, that cost Louis XIV. such a large sum, the galleries hung with the masterpieces of David, Gerard, Delacroix, Ary Scheffer, Vernot and Delaroche; the richly furnished Grand Trianon, built for Mme. De Maintenon, and the tasteful Petit Trianon, all fall in simple human Interest before the group of thatched huts, where King Louis protended he was a miller and Marie Antoinette churned and set her court ladies making cheese. Some have declared the place seemed ill-kept, but a careful observer will see that the walks and lawns are almost too well swept to permit the illusion that the picturesque cottages are Inhabited. The stillness is nearly oppressive, for even on the days when hundreds of visitors crowd the garden, the want of life and household noise in the little huts themselves stamps desertion upon the spot. The Temple of Love, built of w’hite marble, after the Greek style, has not suffered from the touch of time. It stands on a little Island in an artificial stream and modern lovers may pose on its steps when the rustic bridges by which it is reached are open to the public. Altogether the hamlet is charming, a most fascinating spot in -yhich to wander, and after being rushed through the Grand and Petit Trianon by the energetic guides it is a relief to find a place where one may linger indefinitely. The “chateau” of this village has been supplied with a fresh thatch and could not have looked more picturesque when it was the background for dainty ladies dancing on the green in Watteau milkmaid and shepherdess costumes.