Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-09-18
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT WAR
DESCRIBED BY AN EYE WITNESS
Professor and Mrs. Oscar BrOusse Jacobson
Saw the Transformation of France Into
an Armed Camp and the Wounded
Returning from Battle

Britain so into action at dead of
night, and yet it was difficult to be-
lieve it all to be real--that this was
actually war.
The night before war was declared
the whole city of Grenoble was
awake and on the streets, but there
was no disorder and no bombastic
gaiety, nor did we hear one unkind
word uttered against Germany.
There was a joke or two about the
kaiser's mustache and general ap-
pearance, but nothing low or mean.
In Paris there was some destruction
of German stores, | have heard, but
there was absolutely nothing like
the mobbing of foreigners, including
Americans. in Berlin.
But to come back to that memoir
able evening before the war: A few
regiments of the Alpine Chasseurs
began singing the national song, led
by young officer standing on
table in front of one of the down
town cafes, and soon the whole great
army, as well as civilians, ourselves
included, joined in. After the
national anthem came many battle
hymns and marches from the time of
the great Napoleon, and songs of the
republic, then again the Marsiellais.
A strange, intense feeling of sacri-
ficing patriotism for la patrie" was
uniting everyone into a band of COM
radeship, and people who had not
been on speaking terms for years on
account of political or other differ
ences were seen quietly discussing
the gravity of the situation. There
was the suspense of grave apprehen-
sion, but the supposed excitable
Frenchman was the calmest, the
most composed personality i'm
Imaginable.
If | should attempt to describe in
one sentence the spirit of the French
people, the army as we'll as the
women, on the eve of war | should
say 1T was a night of devotion, like
religious meeting, without a SER
mon" When the war came, every
body semed relieved-relieved that
at last the awful suspense of 40
years OF spying and cat-like watch
ing of their more powerful neighbor
was at an end. We had occasion 10
speak to many people in all walks
of life. All were of the same opin-
ion, nobody wanted war, but every
one felt relieved when it came
win or lose, let's have it over with.
and let's live in peace afterwards. If
it is the fate of our country to be
destroyed, let it be now"
The constant watching and spying
of Germany has Slapped the ife-blood
OF kind and peace-loving people.
AS far as France is concerned every
man who went to the front had a
personal Interest," personal grudge
but it was not revenge for Alsace-
Lorraine, it was because of the over
bearing, insolent and insulting atti-
tude of the Germans, at home and in
France, toward them.
Well, the war came and we were
bottled up in the army camp, but
still we couldn't realize that it was
really war. Not until the train
loads OF wounded began pouring in
did we fully become conscious of
what was happening. When we saw
the men who had left but a few
hours before, return, their uniforms
in rags and full of clotted blood and
dirt, their heads, arms, and chests
in bandages-then we were brought
face to face with the sickening real
ity of war. A returning troop train
of wounded had but one redeeming
aspect-the men who were able to
be about at all were all cheerful, al
most gay, and impatient to be in the
fire again. Many of them told of
personal experiences of the actual
fighting.
One of the wounded told the fol-
| lowing story OF the fighting north of
Paris: 1--WE had hardly extended
ourselves prone along the grass when
patches of blue and green were seen
on the sky line and soon battalions
of the enemy were made out follow
ing each other at regular intervals.
Our batteries let rip and gouged
holes through them. 'Bravo!' shout
ed my platoon commander, as he
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