Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-12

! lnrOuEh the good offices OF the Bureau
de la Presse du Ministere des Affaires
Etrangeres and the kindness OF the
French Minister of War, have obtained
permission, safe conducts and passports
to tour through the devastated towns
and villages of Northern France and the
front.
Arrived at the Care du Nord, in Paris
this morning the great railroad terminus
| was in a state of huge excitement.
Crowds of women surged at the entrance,
and old men. their hands trembling with
eagerness, We'd with one another In
| pressing close to the wooden barricades.
For after a whole year of fighting. the
order has been decreed that the French
soldiers are to be permitted to return in
patches from the front for five days
| leave
Mon Dieu, but 1t is wonderful that in
two minutes l shall see my SOM! cried
one old man. land from him hear the
tales of those so terrible trenches!'
Before the words were out of his mouth
he was seized in the arms OF great
Zouave and kissed repeatedly on both
| wthered cheeks, while both tather anu
son wept unrestrainedly. The frehch
| are nothing If not emotional
"Ah, my little one, my treasure, my
/
haired father, embrace once again tiny
father who adores thee!"
LITTLE CABBAGE" BIG
The little cabbage" responded with
alacrity-he was well over six feet and a
regular Hercules for strength On all
| sides were scenes of this sort-fathers
weeping on the necks of their soldier
sons. wives embracing their long-lost
husbands, children shrieking with delight
at 'papa's' return-and kissing going on
| everywhere 1t is curious thing to note
how the Frenchmen will kiss each other
| first on one cheek, then on the other
| They love public exhibitions of this sort,
| and CLASH each other to their hearts with
| great dramatic verYe.
Some of the sights were quite heart
| rending, for there were many, many peo-
| pie in that welcoming crowd who waited
the return of their loved ones--in vain!
| Lots of the women informed me they mad
| not had a line from their husbands tor
weeks and weeks, but they trusted In
"le bon Dieu'' that their men would be
| among that crowd.
"Surely, surely my Gaspard will be
| herev" one poor woman kept murmuring
at is four months since l have heard
| from him, but Gaspard loves not to use
his pen! He is 'mauPais sujet et-thus 10
cause me alarm-and l shall tell him
so!'
But the poor young wife never had the
opportunity to upbraid her Gaspard. For
as l stood beside her soldier dtsentan-
gled himself from the embraces OF MS
family and came toward her. HIS race
was solemn and one could see that ne was
the bearer of bad news. Madame" said
he, II am desolated to find words to tell
you the news-your Gaspard Is buried In
a quiet field at Soissons!
| The little wife stood as one stunned. 1t
is not true!' she muttered. Il shall wait
here till my Gaspard comes to mel
The last l saw of her she was sun
standing at the barrlcade, pathetic lit
tie fgure among crowd of anxious
women. Her face was drawn and white,
and her great dark eyes were staring
into space.
Another woman informed me that she
had not had word from her husband
since the outbreak of war a year ago
she was in a state of the highest nervous
tension, and as each stalwart soldier
tripped down the passage between the
| barrIcades and out to the waiting crowd,
she grew paler and paler. HE Is not
there, my husband! Think you tnat ne
will come. madame? she kept saying
with a desperate hope
1t is terrible to have to answer ques-
tions such as these.
JOY AND SORROW.
out In the street the noise was dear
| ening. Shouts of joy mingled win sounos
Of Ieeping The taxi drivers were doing
a brisk trade, for on this day OF days
the soldiers spent their money Ireeiy.
rhsir nav Is but one cent day-but
these cents have been aecumulating for
year! The sum total Is trifing but the
| hoIidav spirit Is strong-hence the taNis
Alter much exhibiting of passports
safe-eonducts and various documents we
hoarded the train for the frst part OF
our Journey The country OUTSIDE
h very beautiful. with lovely little red
rooted houses nesting amidst green
| orchards and waving cornnelds. we
,,Iided through exquisite woods with Won
derful vistas of stream and FERN. ana on
tbroueh ouiet villages, where the blue
bIoused workmen (all old men, OF course
were sitting IN the sunshine QUAINT oIu
carts were meandering down the Hlossy
lanes. and not a single youhs AiaH
be seen anywhere!
one beautiful old mansion bore the IN,
acrintion above its moss-grown Intel
| ..Institution de Jeunes Files Inc
..Ieunes Files" had apparently departed
For safer quarters. for not a human De-
| ing vas TO be seen In It's vicinity,
our train was filled with soialeIs' an
returning 10 their various homes IN the
.,,',,tr,, foe ave days leave. and all In
ereat good humor The little overhead
| carriages were crowded with them' ana
tbev swarmed In the corridors
After 4 couple Of hours or more we ar
rived az the town OF Meau1' Whefe q
..,ator awaited US 10 conduct us 20 the
eamous battlefield. The Germans ga no. n9t
aatnany reach Meaux ITSELF aithoush
s,-ssa sballsd is outskirts. but close 70
w. s9esuF is part Of the great battlefield OF
~ Narne. Through the promptitude o.
ths engineers the bridges at MeauS we're
an destroyed ana the German ADVANCE
checked.
CHURCH ROOF GONE
We motored through the ylAsss o.
-, picturesque little place On :
osf ast plain where the Germans haa
ssassd much devastation Z We lassl shsls
sstlng u enter he saaA - 80
49, 49, asa 4hleh had been eaaly
sfs5 re eleak Vas flaaAsa 80
s.l sna most ol tbs 1901 gene. W