New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-14
EAGERNESS so ACUTE
IT DULLS THE SENSES
Finest Qualities of the French
People Awakened by Crisis
Their Colntry Faces.
By Z. II. BEAyIAN.
rspocia. Correspondent OK The New YORK
Tribune and London STANDARD

We know that pages OF history are
/ being rapidly engraved IN steel, writ
ten in blood. Illuminated in the margin
/ with glory, on background OF hero
ism and suffering not more tnan a
4 few score miles away. Yet, II is al
most as if we we're on the other side OF
the world
The shrieking camelots gallop
through the streets waving their news
! sheets. but il is almost always the news
Of twenty-four hours ago. Communlques
are given out at 1880 in the morning,
at $3.50 in the afternoon, at 1880 at
/ night; but each long day gives US little
more than the morning papers tell OF
events Of yesterday.
The iron hand Of the censor rednces
/ the press to a monotonous repetition
of the same formula. Only headlines
give scope for originality.
No Local News.
Local news there is none. There Is
nothing doing in Paris but the steady
preparation for meeting contingencies
by organizing ambulances and relief
for the poor. Apart from the scanty
war news all that the newspapers can
/ find to fill their columns are extracts
from leading articles and reprints OF
/ the rules and regulations posted on
I every street corner.
The state of siege with the enemy
, still outside the borders is detestaoly
wearying and irksome.
Women are punching tickets az the
Metro" stations and controlling tram
way passengers.
Shopkeepers who are left sit at their
doors surrounded by their families,
and you can walk a couple OF miles
without meeting a policeman. -,
Paris is in a dream, sometimes hlled
/ with bright visions Of a recovered Al
sace-L Lorraine. of splendid victories, oil
a coming period of enduring peace.
/ One Of the most serious and com
| forting features of the crisis through
which France is passing is the sudden
disappearance of the most violent ana
bitter personal and party feelings, and
the reforming influence Of patriotism
upon character. NJ. Gustave Herye, IN
/ ola Guerre Sociale," writes that scores
Of bad characters turned out of the
ermy and other employment Tor GRIM
/ inal offences throng his Offices en-
treating him to have them sent to the
| front to wipe off the stain on their
lives by sacrificing them
Best in Paris Speaks.
The effect of reading such stories
| stimulates every man, and all OF the
/ finest pens in Paris daily produce STIR
ring short articles that are read out
| 10 groups in streets while scarcely an
Count de Nun, Alfred Capus, Robert
/ de Flers, Gabriel Hanotaux and many
others. not the least of whom are
! Georges Clemenceau and Stephen Pi-
chon. in the newspapers they edit, pub
| lish daily columns Of splendid prose-
often more like lyric poetry.
The psychological feature which
marks the crisis is the sudden revul-
/ sion of the most carelessly immoral
/ portion of the population toward the
| rites Of religion. Thousands of lrregu-
| lar unions have been legalized. No man
| leaving behind the woman and children
/ who have been sharing his life has
willingly left them without names
/ whereof they may one day be proud.
IL is a well known fact that in mo-
ments of mortal danger the mind or
the most reckless turns toward the
beyond. The priests, who too often
have been Knocked and hooted, are now
/ besieged for consolation. One or THESE
ministers relates that ever since the
mobilization he has been receiving
naive requests for absolutlon.
Parisians Fervent.
monsieur lie Cure, you must help me
, through the responses. | hardly know
my 'Credo,' and have quite forgotten
nv 'Confiteor,' but that does not mat
ter. does il? Now that ! have to 90,
what want is to leave clearly"
In restaurant full of reckless
young artists reservist was taking
| leave of a comrade going to one of the
most dangerous points, everybody
cheering him up and wishing him a
safe return, when he broke out: bah!
/ partook of communion this morning
and don't care q rap what happens TO
me nowl" And instead of the ribald
laughter such a speech probably would
have provoked a month ago, only a
murmur of approval was heard.
War maps have at last come out IN
thousands, rivalling special editions OF
newspapers in the energy wherewith
they are cried in the streets. Such
shops as are able also display little
articles useful in a campaign. A we'll
! known super-elegant fashion and
/ luxury store in the Boulevard de la
Madeleine is almost entirely devoted
TO Red Cross costumes Of most CO
quettish design, elaborate field medi-
cine chests, dressing bags and the like
filling five or six large windows.
fBy Cable 20 The Tribune.
Paris, Aug. 13.-French sweethearts,
wives, mothers and sisters are under
-. Il 0f
not knowing where soldier lovers, hus-
bands, sons and brothers have gone.
The French censorship is remarkably
efficient and complete IL is the one
astonishing feature OF the situation.
No one outside those in supreme COM
mand knows the destination of any
particular regiment; no one knows even
which army corps is in Belgium, and
officers and men are prevented from
communicating with relatives When a
soldier leaves home he disappears COM
pletely. IL may be weeks before his
family gets tidings of him.
This terrible strain on the whole
civilian population is borne with a
quiet heroism which is quite as won
derful as that displayed by the French
troops.
Even the names Of the generals COM
handing the different corps are being
withheld, because the Germans,
through their marvellous system Of
espionage. are intimately acquainted
with the kind of strategy tactics each
French commander has practised in
manpuvres.
Cotton Futures Bill In.
Washington, Aug. 13.-The Senate
to-day agreed 70 the conference re-