Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-02

a sober assembiage Of folk seeking to
get away from themselves for fe"
hours.
These gloomy theater-soers havs
lives for so many months that now 70
sheer self-defense they fare forth de-
liberately in search OF an emotional
reaction. Parision homes at ono time
were stripped OF music. It was con-
sidered unseemly to play the piano OF
violin in the dark days singing was
scarcely better tolerated. Hundreds
Of foreigners who were in Paris when
war broke out. studying with this Oh
that master of music. met with such
storm of protest from their neighbors
when they presumed to undertake their
daily practice that they were driven
elsewhere to continue their studies.
But the Partisan is too light-hearted
by nature to step aside for many
moons from the path of pleasure. He
inoped in glu,n silence as long as his
spirit would allow. and then he sought
first, the boulevard and afterward thu
the theater. A defeat At the hands OF
the Germans would set him back six
months at this tuncture. but. II all goes
well with the troops in the north. Paris
will work steadily upward from tho
depths OF despair to an approximation
of its former gayety once more The
return to the boulevards was the hrst
stop. The opening Of the theaters ~
the second.
Where war Is most apparent through
Its effect on the external life of Paris
Is in the student district of the citSt
the famous Latin quarter: on TIA
heights of Montmartre. where ths
nightly orgies at the Moulin Rours
were wont to hold forth. and at nigfr
up and down the Seine and the won
derful Avenue des Champs Eiysess. IN
these districts war has indeed brought
devastation" Tho students have cora
from the Latin quarter. They were the
first to be called to the French t-i-
color. All that remains of the trad
tional life of the quarter has beet
left in the hands OF foreigners.
A scattering OF Americans, a handfut
Of English. a considerable number ..
Spanfards lend a hectic air OF jollit:
to the interior of the Cafe de la Rc-
tondo. the capitol of the Latin quar-
ter" between the hours of and in
the evening. Then silence reigns along
gorgeous carnivals in the great dance
pavilion OF the BAL Butler" No mora
procession Of students from the Sor-
bonnie. cutting capers up and down the
one-time wicked "Bour Niche" Nine
o'clock at night in the quarter" OF
today is more solemn that half-past )
Of peace time morning used to be.
In Montmartre, show place Of Paris.
nocent foreigners and teach them what
real metropolitan naughtiness was
like. only closed cafe fronts and
handful of war-strfcken moving pic
quarter existed for the sake of the
student and the artist only. SO Mont
martre lived for the pleasure-seeking
foreigner. Nowadays foreigners in
search Of pleasure fee Paris as they
terminated will they return. and not
till they return will the heights OF
Montmartre blaze with light again:
AS for the Avenue des Champs Ely
sons. Likewise the Seine. Either II
brilliantly lighted would give to a hos
tile aviator the key to the map of
Paris. So they are kept in darkness.
In sns hsrs "
its surface danced with a thousand
flashing lights. and in darkness the
magnificent Champs Elysees stretches
from the Louvre clear across the city
to the towering Arc de Triomphe. whils
the sputtering taxicabs scuttle through
its shadows like frightened mice. Hers
the war has really set its seal and. al
though conscious of its presence. fox
keep away.
But in the life OF great city such as
Paris it is the life of the people ct
that city. not of the. temporary sojourn-
ers within its walls, that counts. And
despite the gloom that hovers over tho
haunts of studentdom and tho silence
in the halls of mirth ON the top OF
Montmarte, the solid life Of the solid
Partisan displays only a change in
spirit when viewed from the boule-
wards There he sits At the cafe, and
at his side sits his wife or HIS daugil.
ter.
II their faces lack something Of
spring gladness and their costumes are
devoid of bright color. that indicates
only a passing state Of mind. The cur
rent of their lives has not been forced
from its course. When they are pre-
pared to leave their empty glasses
there will be money to pay the opulent
waiter who comes to collect for the
wine: a taxi, a horse cab, a tram car
or an underground train will be at
their service to take them to their
home.
When they reach their apartment
they will find the elevator still run
waiting the mere turn of a wrist to
cook their meals and light their rooms.
After dinner. though they may MT
visit a cabaret. they can spend the
evening at theater. In short. the.
do not lack any OF the necessities OF
living: they still command most of the
comforts. and they have even a goodly
number Of the Injuries of which they
are free to avail themselves.
What war has really been accom-
plishing in Paris is the curbing and
curtailing of the intellectual. artistic
and emotional life Of the city. But,
now that the flrst shock of the national
catastrophe has passed. the two and a
half million Parisians huddled along
the banks OF the Seine are finding that
economically they lead very satisfsc-
tory lives under conditions much the
same as those which obtained when
no thought Of war was in their minds.
KENNETH P. LITTAUER.
RING PAINTINGS