I wish only that I had the power to write
lines which would make the American people see the situation as it is
now--which would make them understand how infinitely worse that
situation must surely become during the next few months.
*How Paris Dropped Gayety*
*By Anne Rittenhouse.*
[From THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sept. 23, 1914.]
On Friday night the Grand Boulevards were alive with people, motors,
voitures, singing, dancing, and each cafe thronged by the gayest light
hearts in the world.
On Saturday night the boulevards were thronged with growling, ominous,
surging crowds, with faces like those of the Commune, speaking strong
words for and against war.
On Sunday night mobs tore down signs, broke windows, shouted the
"Marseillaise," wreaked their vengeance on those who belonged to a
nation that France thought had plunged their country into ghastly war.
Aliens sought shelter; hotels closed their massive doors intended for
defense. Mounted troops corralled the mobs as cowboys round up
belligerent cattle. Detached groups smashed and mishandled things that
came in the way.
Monday night a calm so intense that one felt frightened. Boulevards
deserted, cafes closed, hotels shuttered. Patrols of the Civil Garde in
massed formation.
Pages:
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403