The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-10-19
Country Thrills with Hope for
Huge Cossacks.
SHRINE OF NAPOLEON THERE
How Does He Rest With Ger
man Guns at Paris Gates?
Sidelights ON War by William
G. Shepherd.
(By william G. shepherd.)

Paris. Sept. 49, (By mail to New
York).-A little man all bunoled up IN
coats drove up this very street one De-
cember day a century, ago anu Iusnlnt
into a building in this very park. tore
through the halls. dashed into GER
tain room and there threw his arms
around the Empress OF France. He was
Napoleon, back from MOSCOW, where
the Russians had all but shattered him.
Two days later he told France the
story and France shuddered at the
name Of Russia.
But today when I saw this street,
France was thrilling with hope ut the
thought that somewhere, In the fog
of war, huge Cossacks from MOSCOW
itself, perhaps. we're coming, by lano
or by sea, with their wild horses, to
save this street and palace and the
great art galleries and Paris anu
France itself from the Germans,
The street was almost deserted. me
great Tuilleries gardens lay in the
golden autumn sunshine as empty ana
silent as if they had been farms IN
Iowa. after crop time, instead Oh Tie
most famous park in the worio.
The Louvre art gallery was locked
I don't know whether its art treasures
remain there or not. A soldier at one
door told me he didn't know e1tnel;
The wonderful pieces Of marble ana
painting which Napoleon himself wnen
Master of Europe seized as ne PLEASED
and took OH as war OOOty " HAS q ca
and powerful Paris, have been hidden
away perhaps are now or Will be Wnen
the sound Of German guns which l
heard booming to the northwest this
afternoon grows louder.
Louvre Mid CannOns' Roar.
Here's the great building right here;
the great Louvre gallery. Stand and
look at it this September afternoon and
then listen to the cannon, not many
miles away, and you'll have thrill
you'll never forget. We cross the river.
/ want to see Napoleon's tomb. We
pass great railroad stations that are
closed; somewhere the steel lines that
run out from them have been cut by
the Germans and the trains are not
running. Here we are at the 1nvahoes,
the old soldiers home. I can't go In. 1
can't even go near the old cannons,
trophies which Napoleon brought from
the ends of Europe. I wonder II all
the tattered flags seized in other days
from other armies by armies OF France
are still in their glass cases in the
ANONYMOUSLY also with the trophies OF
art?
Come around behind this old Inva-
1ides- building topped by a dome. Sol
diers stop you. Under that dome rests
a great stone sarcophagus. 1 know 1t
we'll because I have spent hours like
every other tourist gazing at 1t. know
it stands there under the dome in the
center Of that stone circle with magic
names of "Austerlitz'' and Sedan"
worked in marble below it.
Shrine of Napoleon.
Napoleon lies here. / remember the
shrine with the marble Christ watching
over. the dead emperor's grave and l
remember in all this great building that
the word Napoleon is chiseled only
once and that In small letters under the
sentence: II desire to rest on the banks
of the Seine, amid the French people
whom l loved SO WELL" How well are
you resting this Indian summer after
noon, Napoleon, with those German
cannon sounding at the gates of Paris
You may talk to tombs all you please
do with the past. anyhow. and the can
non and a German aeroplane flying
overhead reminded me of the present.
Where are the French airmen?'
asked an officer of the guard.
Everybody believes they're all dead"
he said. THE Times said the other day
that when the world knows, at the
proper time. the story of our airmen.
1t will thrill and weep" AS 1 said
goodby to the officer he turned away to
continue his job of guarding the tomb
of Napoleon.
The Eiffel tower 1000 feet high, loom
ed before us in the evening dusk. THE
Germans will cut that in two with their
Shells said the cab driver. That's
the wireless station. What a fall 1t will
be?'
For the past few nights the armies of
Europe have been sleeping and march
ing and killing under a full autumn
moon. There has been surprisingly
little rain in Europe and even London