Evening journal., 1914-10-22

IA the women and old
folks left behind
a. A in the towns along
a. a the 2OO-mile bat
~ ~ W tie line? What is
sA>o - their daily life?
Phil Sim ths How do they pass
the time? What do
they eat? How do they sleep? And
what is their state OF mind?
BY an official huke I found myself,
not at the front, but beyond the 'front.'
halfway between the contending
armies of England and France on the
one side and the Germans and Aus
TRANS on the other. in the town OF
scissors, northeast Of Paris.
One whole day | mingled with the
people in the streets of this town;
| talked to citizens who we're seeking /
safety in cellars from howitzefs'
shrapnel and bombs; visited a crowd /
/ ed hospital where French and Prus- /
slams. English and Austrians, Sene-
galese, Hindoos and Arabs lay !
suffering but accomplishing mix
ture; heard the sobs of the sexton I
whose cathedral was still standing |
| though badly holed, its rich windows /
/ in splnters and powder on the moor /
of the holy house; gave pennies to
| little children, who could not spend |
them because there were no goodies |
! left in the place; ate in house !
half of which had been demolished by
shell: walked the glass and stone
and plaster and brick strewn side
walks and listened to the plants OF
the people.
In fact, for a day I lived the life
of a citizen of this bombarded town.
SCISSORS is situated in a beautiful
valley on the River Aisne As ] APP
preached the city from the south,
mounting the last gentle rise OF the
hill, | could clearly distinguish the
famous French artillery glittering IN
4 the sunlight, concealed from the
4 enemy by the crest of the knoll, re-
i plying to the German artillery on
4 the other side of the town. Here !
/ was stopped by a sentry. He closely
u scrutinized my safe-conduct pass,
saluted and told me to pass on.
4 Can / get into Soissons?' | asked.
Some Of the approaches are block
, ed by debris" he said, but you may
be able to get through But look out
for the shells"
4 A short distance farther on I stood
= overlooking the city. To the right the
e beautiful towers of Saint-Jean- Des-
Vipnes were silhouetted against the sky,
{ their beautiful lacy spires nicked by
I shells. their exquisite Gothic sides holed
= rather badly. Deep in the valley was
e the city proper, the cathedral dominat-
IS ing the other buildings. About me on
i the hill the trees were nearly all prone
l. on the ground, cut OH by the artillery;
r the road was carpeted thickly with
9 broken branches.
Il For eight days one Of the worlds
Y greatest artillery duels had been going
o on here, and it was not yet finished.
I found scissors looking like a de-
serted city. Hardly anyone was in the
streets. Shutters we're drawn over shop
and residence windows alike. hun
gry-looking dog lay shivering in a
doorway. Twenty feet beyond were two
PROSTATE horses, one dead. the other
diving. victims of shell which had just
torn the side out of a stone house and
thrown the granite blocks across the
narrow street, blocking it.
The horse which still lived was a
beautiful gray, evidently Of Percheron
blood. and held up its head proudly as
if defying death. IL was lying on its
stomach, which had been opened by a
fragment of shell; its pack was broken,
its hind legs spread out in opposite di-
rections. / borrowed a rifle from sd-
der and put the beast out o. its mis-
cry.
An hours stroll about the city over
II sc NIL
inc which time / saw but few people
who eyed me narrowly-left the I'M
preston that the place was badly hit
One entire section--that on the east
side of the river-was wiped out. Part
had been shelled to fragments. thu
other burned by exploding shells Ol
the west side of the river and the mail
side of the town one entire street wa
mass of smashed building roofs shat
tered windows, split window shutters
perforated steel ones, torn up pave
ments and one other evidences of shel
fire. | walked around the cathedral
1t was nicl,ed and holed in many places
The windows We're gone, leaving tn
charming house of tod wearing the eN
pression of a beautiful woman who's
owes had been gouged out. Inside
found the sexton kneclng alone unde
the great nave, about him, an inc
thick on the floor the broken bits q
class which had been the stained win
dows On the chairs, in the pews, o
the altar, covering the sacrament ser
vice the embroidered silk cloth, wit
its symbols representing the Last SUP
per. were glass splinters and dust iror
pulverized stone and mortar; seen
Of utter desolaton.
Hearing me tiptoe through the dc
bris covering the floor of the cathedra
the old sexton started up. He locke
al me closely, almost deiiantly, recoe
MIXING a stranger. Then taking me FL
an Englishman. and therefore frien,
he said. with a despairing gestures
Look. Just lookl"
He got no further His voice shook
He turned away and wiped his eye
with a handkerchief A moment later
with a movement of resignation no
unmiyed with an evident knowledg
of a disagreeahle duty to he performe
"a gesture he had learned from on
of the fathers-he turned his eyes up
ward toward the bright light stream
ing through the vacant wndly
frames and murmured: Father. for
give them for they know not wha
they do?"
N | stole away. leaving him still in hi
attitude of unwilling though self-im
posed forgiveness, my feet crunchiu
| A. nrolyou vlaeaq the g0und arhnfn