New Britain herald., 1914-08-25

body was in d hurry, all eagerly de- vouring their page of news. The first forced economy of war was already apparent, the newspapers consisted of only one page printed on both sides with no advertisements.
 Subdued Grief of French.
 After dinner the avenues. were again thronged with people. In the street was the same hurrying stream of taxis filled with refugees; on the sidewalks was slow sad procession of the Parisians Arm in arm, hand in hand, arms around each other. were couples of all ages from seven- teen to fifty, and all equally sad. Girls were weeping, women were sobbing. while the men tried to keep back the tears as they kept up little conver- sation. Not a smile was visible on any face. On the other hand, how ever, there were no violent outbursts of grief; the very atmosphere was charged with subdued and depress- ing sadness. Many of the men were to depart the next tmorning-for many it was the parting walk. Fathers ten- derly carried a young baby or led a child by the hand, while the mothers chung to their arms. All the evening the subway was crowded with these silent couples. At one station was wedding party, the bride in tears, the husband sitting silently at her side, with the rest of the party divided up into small. silent groups. Not far off was a crowd of young people with a sobbing girl trying to decide which of two fellows she would make happy and which miserable before their de- parture for the frontier the following morning. It meant a great deal to those two fellows, who would soon be undergoing the hardships of a sol- dier's life with or without the thoughts of a sweetheart at home to cheer them up. Nearby was boy soldier of about twenty-two bidding goodbye to his fond mother and sister and further on two soldiers in uniform giving their sweethearts a farewell kiss. In the crowd which piled into the car at one of the exchange sta carrying her eleven days old baby in her arms. The father had just left and she was all alone with her child.
 The awful side of this sad parting was the terrible uncertainty which had been marrying the people for week. Would Italy help her allies, as she was apparently bound to do by treaty? Would England help France and Russia or remain neural? How much had Germany already mobilized her troops secretly on the French frontier? These were vital questions.
 soldiers Began to Leave. N
 Sunday was a long day for every body The morning papers announced Germany's declaration of war against Russia. The masses at the churches were unusually solemn and sad for the crowded audiences. Tn the after noon the streets were crowded with silent couples and sad family groups All day long trains of soldiers left the station with sobbing relatives and friends standing on the platforms. What few regular trains were run were filled with refugees thankful to get away with only small package for luggage, twenty squeezed into each compartment ordinarily meant for eight. For the Americans stranded in Paris with little possibility of get ting home or even of getting money, 1t was a long blue day. but for the French it was sad day never to be forgotten.
 Monday morning Paris seemed to wake from it's stupor. Business was at a standstill, but many employers promised their employees certain fraction of their wages during the war. The banks, naturally. were be- sieged. Gold was withdrawn entire ly; silver, partly, from circulation, a nd with nothinc hot ell q, franc piece and 8 paper fifty franc note, a stringency immediately en- sued. Banks refused to change the notes, refused to pay out more than fifty or perhaps 25O francs to each de- positor. Some closed entirely. The money mania spread rapidly. The stores refused to change any bank notes, the restaurants put up signs that cash must be paid by customers. and by noon 8 man with a supply of fifty, one hundred, or one thousand franc notes found himself in the awk- ward position of being unable to buy a meal or even a glass of beer
 Americans Short on Cash.
 All that morning the Americans with pent-up anxiety on the possibil- ity of an indefinite stay in Paris were much in evidence. The cable offices were crowded in spite of the fact that the government was holding up all messages. The American consulate and embassy were besieged by hum dreds of anxious men and women. The banks had refused to cash letters of credit, the teamship companies re- fused to cash their own checks, Cooks was giving only seventy-five per cent value on its checks and refusing let ters of credit, and not even American Bankers association checks could be cashed. The American Express com pany, alone, was cashing its checks and giving out money on letters of credit but there was a line half a block long leading to the door. How lnner unIld if stand this constant drai,