Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-30

ports give an account of how. when the
last company of Alsatians left for the
front, they saluted az they passed the
beloved statues of Joan of Arc, and that
the tops of their voices amid smouts of
''Vive la France" and cries of "A
Strassburg!''
To understand something of the in
tense feeling experienced by the entire
French nation for the lost province of
Alsace-Lorraine and the city of Strass-
burg, now the capital OF the imperial ter
ritory of the German empire. it is only
necessary to follow briefly their. checker
ed history or to have seen the strongly
fortified old city upon the river Ill. The
subjugated Alsatians are still French to
their hearts core. and utterly unmallea-
BILE in spite of all the German kaiser's
efforts, first to appease and then to sub
due them.
strassburg was originally founded by
the Romans. and even as far back as
the middle ages had already become one
of the most powerful and prosperous Of
the free cities of the German empire
For, strange as it may seem, Strass-
burg is primarily German city, and for
centuries has been noted for its spirit
of independence and its skill in all the
arts Of war, which enabled it to resist
for many years the frequent attacks OF
the warning bishops and mobiles, and In
the fifteenth century even the great army
under the Dauphin of France. who then
invaded 1t. =,
Although the French had conquered all
the rest of Alsace during the thirty
years war, it remained for King LOUIS
self master of Strassburg. Might was
then. indeed, the only right, and later,
nv the peace of Ryswyck. his possession
of the city was duly ratified, and 1t soon
became the third great French arsenal.
= r-
After a foreign domination for almost
two centuries Strassburg still shows
plainly its German origin in many re-
spects, although there is charming old
quarter in the city SO very French that
it is actually known as "Glein Frank
REICH" or Little France" The. greater
part of the Strassburg of today is I'M
doubtedly Teutonic, with many modern
squares fine public buildings and a
multitude of typical German beer halls
and restaurants bearing unpronounceabie
German names.
There are still to be found in Strass-
burg a labyrinth of narrow and crooked
little streets in the older part OF the
city in which are medieval looking struc-
lures and tall houses boasting quaint
frescoes or carved facades, and having
queer Gothic gables and odd steep roofs
with three and four rows OF uny little
QOrmef WiuQOWSs
Best of all these great slanting roofs
are topped by most marvellous aggre-
cation Of chimney pots of all shapes and
size. upon which any one can distinguish
from the street below the famous stork, $
nests.
IN one of the quaint streets to watch
the antics of some mother stork teach
ing her long-legged notwithstanding pro-
renv TO fiy, the faces of the crowds are
set and stern, and while with eager
ewes they may still loog upward. their
ANXIOUS gaze is no longer fixed upon the
stork nests, but upon the dark spot far
above the house tops--the tiny spot in
the smiling blue sky which may be an
aeropiane that modern machine or
death and destruction.
While Strassburg Is generally speaking.
a German city to both eye and ear, under
the surface it has been distinctly French
ever since the French revolution. at
which time it first began to share in the
glory of La Patrie." Alsace has fur
nished many heroes TO France, among
whom were Gems. Ney. Kleber and Lefe-
bre The famous Maid of Orleans also
was a native of Lorraine. being born in
Domremny little village in the Vos-
ges mountains, the daughter of a hum
BILE Lorraine peasant
Who can say what part an ancient
Occur, on Montmartre in Paris? 1t is
che wonderful life of the celebrated
amazon who has recently been beati-