The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-11
JEW YORK HOUSEWIVES BUYING FOOD AT SIEGE PRICES
How French Authorizes
Regulated and En-
forced Sale of Food
stuffs During Months
of observation-disclosures
of Menus

established on the Place de rHotel de
Vile under the very nose Of the Gov
eminent. was plentifully provided with
the raw material by number Of rat
catchers who obtained admission into
the sewers and baited their traps with
glucose, to which the rats, which live in
thousands in the Paris drains, proved
particularly partial.
Monkey, grlled or stewed, mado
another succuient dish. but one beyond
the reach Of the pocket Of the middle
class. II was the "Beseged Resident
Henry Labouchere, who shared tho
pangs OF hunger, fed with elephant,
cold donkey, cats, dogs and rats" about
which his biographer says he was sur
prised there is not a society for tho
promotion of eating rats
The Parisians were also constrained
to .devour mans best friend, his dog, as
well as his favorite feline pet, the cat.
The last named at least was no new
addition to the Partisan cuisine for even
In the palmiest days poor pussy served
as substitute for jagged hare.
4 poor woman was detected stealin,,
cut OF house with a fine cat hidden
under her shawl.
"Oh, pray, do not expose me- she
cried I'm a plaintive voice: "it is for a
pun SNh llitIh' anu lIluttu people III
i'll health might partake of far less
tender and succulent meats.
a husband and wife of the bourgeois
, class had a little dog of which they
were very fond. But the day came
when there was nothing to eat in the
house and poor BitJu had to be killed
and cooked His master and mistress
sat down to dinner with tears in their
eyes and during the meal the latter
mechanically placed the tiny rib bones
on the side of her plate.
Poor Bijou." she said with sign,
what treat he would have had"
Less melancholy IL the story told If
the English journalist who went with
a friend t. breakfast at Brebant's. The
bill Of fare included sucking pig" for
which he had always had an especial
weakness. lie gave his order with mis-
| gvings as to the genuine character Of
this particular sucking pig, so he called
| back the waiter and asked him il 1t
was a real Juckng pig.
Certainly" replied the waiter.
"A little pig?" inquired the English
man.
Surely" quoth the garcon.
"A young pig?" persisted the cus-
toner.
This was too much for the waiter.
guineapig. st, wed guineapig proved
| to be really delicious.
Toward the close OF November such
salt provisions as the Government had
In stock made their appearance-their
distribution alternating with that OF the
| rations OF fresh meat 1t was believed
at the time that vast quantities of sailed
provisions were in the hands OF the
authorities. but in reality there was not
suftcient to have fed the entire popula-
| ton for ten successive days. BY the end
| or November at Nefour's restaurant in
the Palais Royal a slice Of game pie
tnature OF game not specified but easily
imagined) cost 10 cents and truffied
sausages IS cents each.
BY this time the sufferings of the be-
sieged had become so intense that the
force OF hope and patience could no
further go. People had now TO form
queues and wait during long hours. at
| times in muddy snow or under a shower
| or heavy rain, for meat bread, wood,
| chocolate-indeed for well nigh every
necessity of life. Nearly ones whole day
and ones whole str, Myth We're exhausted
by all this tedious waiting, which be,
sides killing numerous inhabitants
,some few suddenly dropping down and
dying on the spoD had sown the seeds
OF disease In many thousands more
The constant Increase in the death
rate was indeed appalling. During the
week ending January $3.50 people died
from disease; during the following week
3,9S2 deaths were registered; while
] from January II to January 20 the
mortality from natural causes was no
less than IiG5. The privations of the
hour were of course especially trying to
the very young, TO the aged to mothers
nursing, to the sick and the wounded;
and among these categorles the mortal
lily was particularly great.
| The FOOD question was indeed all par
amount bread constituted in this in
stance the true sinews of war There
were frequent disturbances outside the
bakers shops, for, despite the scanty al
lowance of 800 grammes per head per
diem, 1t continually happened that the
bakers could not supply even this b g.
garry pittance TO their customers. To
compensate in measure for the limi-
tation of the bread allowance II was
determined that one-ffth of a liter OF
wine should be distributed gratuitously
at each bakers shop to every needy
person presenting an order for bread.
AT the Government Council held on
ths I'D OF January the food committee
announced that there were only 20 900
horses left, while NJ Magnin had I'm
stock only 10000 metric quintals of
wheat 5000 quintals of rice, $4,000 OF
oats and $4,000 of various other grains.
The oats, although in considerable
quantities, could only be partially uti-
lied, for they required to be, mixed
with wheaton -four, and of this there
was merely sufficient for Ave days re-
quirements. But rumors of surrender
W, re already in the air.
10y March the first the end had come,
so long as l have a barrel OF gun
powder and loaf of bread | will not
surrender! once cried the comma nder
OF beleaguered citadel. Paris had
powder left, but she had no more bread.
The Queen Of Cities bowed her head in
presence of victorious foe.
The whole world had followed with
respectful wonder the progress Of the
siege and now that the fall approached
the general interest and attention in
creased, II was such a fall, There
was nothing like it in the history of