The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-09-24


z berlin college, recounted to us tn,
J alient points of the conflict of 1915
IT seemed rather a strange coinci
dence that here at Brussels on tn,
evening of July 80, Immediately afte.
our return from Waterloo, we Learned
that the Powers were again likely I,
become involved in war as a result o
Austria's action against Servia. and
as subsequent events have proved, OIL
practically the same soil as that Of on,
hundred years ago.
Here we began to have our first fear
for the safe continuance of our jour
ney, for we heard that in Paris, oul
next stop, where we were expecting t
sojourn for nearly a week, it would be
impossible to cash cheques. The rail
roads, we were told, were also likely
to be tied up due to the governments
control. And our fears were moi
~groundless.
We arrived in Paris the evening oil
July 81. That night the leader Of the
Socialists who were at first opposed tc
war, "a assinated. The next morn
ing crowds of people lined up here and
there on the streets gave evidence OF
bank runs. We could get no cheques
cashed. This was the last day that a
guarantee of communication with the
outside world was assured. Steamship
sailings were being cancelled right
and left. 1t was reported that the last
train for the English channel would
leave that night. 1t was up to us to
go while the going was good.
1t was therefore also up to us to do
Paris in a day. The site Of the old
Bastile, the Hotel de Vile, the Gobe-
lin Tapestries, drives on the Champ
Elysees to the great Napoleon's Arch
of Triumph, Napoleon's Tomb, the
Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral
these were some of the sights Of Paris
that we viewed in that time. We were
able to pay a very brief visit to the
Louvre, where one could spend days
with profit and pleasure and where
we ia among other fine things the
famous Mona Lisa picture, now re-
stored to its former position. We felt
by evening as if we had "hit the high
places" with a vengeance. but were
glad when we heard the tales of woe
of other stranded Americans that we
had had even that brief taste of the
gay capital Of France.
And it was, perhaps, as well that
we were leaving. The manager OF
our hotel informed us that we were
welcome to remain there as dodgers,
but that he could feed us no longer.
The government was controlling the
provision market and all but three Of
his cooks had left. AS a result our
last dinner there was rather brief.
On our arrival at the Care du Nord
station we found literally thousands
seemingly of all nationalities, trying
as we were to get the last train out of
Paris before the government assumed
control of the railroads for the trans
portation of troops. In anticipation
of this W lad arrived more than two
hours before the train was due. After
accomplishing the almost impossible
task of registering our heavy baggage,
which we expected never to see again,
we began a worse struggle, trying to
reach the platform from which our
train was to leave. Twice, to my con-
s~ternation, l realized I was being torn
fortunately not much space is neces-
sary for me, and managed somehow,
to get back to them. My glasses were
broken in the struggle, but that was a
small matter.
At last in spite of the crowd and
the sitting heat we succeeded in
reaching our platform, fortunately
early enough to get a place in the
front, next to the track. Some of the
party were fearful lest the crowd from
the rear would push us forward onto
the track, but I was willing to risk it.
After a wait of about an hour and a
half our train came. Our leader, with
the help of a burly Englishman into
whose company he had fallen, made a
dash for a compartment door and fairly
showed us in. Third class, any class
was good enough for us then. Eighteen
human beings, mostly Americans and
English, occupied the space ordinarily
filled by nine, but what did we care?
were on and we didn't intend to
get put off until we got to Calais. No
tickets were collected. / don't think
the conductor could get through the
Neither was there any sleep
at least for me. Those who were try
ing to catch about forty winks pre-
scented an extremely amusing appear