At the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is counted among the prides of the people of Paris, and of the French in general, and it is the pilgrimage-place of everyone who visits the French capital. But the promoters of enterprises, eager for gain, have not looked upon it in that light; they have reckoned it rather a means of reaping abundant profit. And so they lately proposed to the French government that it sell it to them for an enormous sum, on the understanding that they would install, on its various stories, a cabaret, a dance hall, and a restaurant. On this occasion we recall that some sixty years ago certain American men of money put up a luxurious hotel near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. They then thought to hold a dance to advertise this hotel, and asked the French authorities to permit them to illuminate the Arc de Triomphe by night with brilliant lights, in return for a stated fee; but the French authorities refused the request. And we can only suppose that they will now likewise refuse the request to sell the Eiffel Tower for the setting up of a cabaret inside it!