The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-18

| After the usual Led tape had been conf
| piled with, the French gave permission
to pass the boy out. Mr.. Washburn then
argued that ii one American be accorded
the privilege, others should have the
| same. Thus it will be seen the widowed
mouher's letter regarding her son was
the key that unlocked the gates of Paris,
| allowing those Americans who wished
| SO to do, to depart, while the counter
sign, "A mothers love" opened the ranks
OF the mightiest army of the earth.
| Upon presenting my letter at Bis
marck's headquarters, was pleasantly
received by his private secretary, who
remarked, AS your mother is in much
anxiety regarding you, you had better
! write few lines to inform her of your
| safe arrival while | take your letter to
His Excellency." In few moments the
writer was ushered into the presence of
one of the greatest, il not the greatest,
living statesman. AS entered the
room man of huge frame standing in
front of the fireplace and dressed in the
uniform of Colonel of Cuirassiers,
greeted me with the words "Ah! SO you
are the young American" And
THIS WAS BISMARCK.
After exchanging few words with
the writer to the effect that the mother
| will be very glad to see you, and that
| his secretary would attend to seeing that
/ was forwarded to Berlin by private
| post" l was dismissed Thus we see
| that the "man of iron" in the midst OF
the most exacting and exciting times
| could take some moments OUT OF his
| life to speak few words to a young boy
| in whom personally he could have no IN
/ terest, beyond the fact that the above
described circumstances had brought him
| to his notice.
Versailles under the Germans was to
| those who had the good fortune to see
it. a sight never to be forgotten. The
! buildings, streets and gardens of one
/ nation differ in ways almost indescri ba-
| BILE from those of another, and yet, they
| all in some manner reflect the character
| istics of tie people to whom they rightly
belong. That the German was out of
| place even the most Indifferent of OBJ
servers could not fail to notice. Go in
whatever direction you would, the Prus-
sian sentry marching up and down be-
fore some building over which he was
mounting guard, was to be seen. The
| incongruity of the soldier and the build
| ing was unmistakable. The hotels at
all hours were full of German soldiers,
| the civilian, as is usual on sucn occas-
| ions, being noticeable by his absence.
| The clank-clank of the scabbard which
| the German officer allows to drag along
| the ground seemed to say as strongly as
| its owners looks and walk betokened,
sWe are the victors.n
| While at dinner the first night of our
| arrival, the tables being all occupied, ex-
cept the one our little party was at, by
| officers in uniform (for your German
| off Ger does his eating as well as fighting
| in full uniform, and while the air was
| filled with the blinking of glasses, the
rattle of knives, forks and plates, and
nv nj, ,,ti h ms A chcUo md V0Lr
Krieg," our attention was suddenly at
| tracted by every officer rising to his feet
| and facing toward group of officers en-
| tering the room; at whose head walked
a slight, clean shaved, erect old man
who, as he passed on to his seat inclined
| his body with slight bow in response
| to the salute with which he was greeted.
IT WAS Won MOLTKE.
| The contrast between the German and
French soldier, was, in spite of the
writer's sympathy with the latter, de-
cidedly in favor of the German. One
| could but admire those straight backed.
clean-cut men, whom bearded like
pards," we met on all sides.
| The very perfection of movement with
which the German army is handled
| seems to convey itself to the indiyi dual
man. To lovers of peace and haters of
| war and all It's horrors, the mere fact
| that man can be made to become Va
| bolt, cog or wheel, as it were, of a ma
chine devised for destruction is painful,
| but feeling of the deepest admiration
must be raised for the mind capable of
| modelling and running almost without
| jar, this huge instrument of warfare.
Here on all sides was to be seen the
| "pomp and grandeur of war;
| IL I, T., 10 I,
| feeling of hate which the residents of
Versailles had for their conquerors. One
day while wandering through the CALLER
| les OF c he palace, my attention was drawn
| to two groups, first a small party of Ger
man sold iers, who while standing in
front of the picture of some hero of
| France were indulging in jokes among
themselves about it while back of them
| short distance stood two Frenchmen
who with clenched fists and lowering
| brOws were regarding the intruders of
La Belle France with looks of anything
/ but love- | could almost fancy how they
lopged to inform the soldiers that these
are the pictures of the men who hum
bled your sires to the very dust" To the
| honor and credit OF the invading army,
it must be said that very little, if any,
really unnecessary destruction of prop
erty, public or private, took place.
While waiting further word regarding
my departure one DAY met some Amerl-
cans who like myself had come out OF
Paris. It seemed they had decided to
drive to Brussels, Belgium, and having a
vacant seat were DESTROYS that I should
go in with them, since as I spoke Ger
man might be of assistance to the H.
We were also to be joined by an English
| gentleman, member of the society of
the Geneva Cross, and SO should have
the advantage of travelling under the
DrOtECt one of the
/ WHITE FLAG WITH THE RED
CROSS
Thinking the journey would be one
| long to be remem bered, I made up my
mind to accept, could l obtain per-
mission at headquarters SO to do. Max
ing known the desired change in the pro-
gramme, consent was at once given.
After having our passports stamped and
countersigned, SO as to guard against
any possible delay in the future, we
proceeded to lay in provisions, cold meats,
chicken, and large NUM- Der of caned
| goods, together with sundry black look