Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-11
rp1RTrr, ,ATIoNs OF "A SCOTCH LASS
AT FRENCH CAPITAL IN WAR TIMI
Troubles Which Mademoiselle la Journalistic Must
Undergo in Obtaining "Permls de Sejour" and
"sauf- Conduit" From Commissaire of Police
By ELLEN ADA1R
stan Correspondent Evening Ledger

PARIS, Aug. 1.
r1,un changes which the war has made
in every grade Of French society ana
In every branch Of work are incalcu'apie'
travelling In any part Of France par
,icuIarIv in the north, is a very difieult
matter and one must be prepared 10.
all sorts of queer and not always pleasant
experienoes II necessary, one must SUD
mit 10 being searched, and the getting OF
safe conducts" is far from simple
Wberever YOU go, you must carry WIN
Won n passport, bearing your photobIapI,
| ond vour family history and duly Vlseu
1 aud indorsed by various otnclhls Vu
! must also have letters and creue1tla's
! ready. and "Permis de Seloult slsueu
| bv the commissalre dc police and indorseu
| h,, tho prefecture de police" a 'saul
! conduit" or safe conduct must then be
! obteined and in many cases you must
| Get napers from the Minister for torelBh
| ATeirs or the Minister of War. The pro-
| cess is long and sometimes quite anus
| ing. unless one is of an impatient ulspo-
sition, when one becomes excessively an
noycd
Having selected your hotel In Paris, you
must at once fill IN registration form
for the police This must he done inn
,nediately, without moments delay ana
is forwarded direct to the head of the
police. The hotel authorities or cohcierGe
then write n line tu the Commissalte ue
police, which you must carry lhllher III
person The commssaire eyes YOU sus-
piclously, for are you not foreigner
He glances at your passport and then
hurls n perfect volley of questions IN
rapid French at your head. You ask him
to speak a little more slowly, as your
lingual abilities cannot cope with the
situation, but ne refuses to apply the
brakes There is a commissaire de police
in every district, and l have found them
much tho same.
THE NEXT STEP.
After the document is all signed up, and
you have had an exhilarating argument
on every single point thereof, you are
hidden to bear 1t hence to the prefecture
de police, some miles distant. and then
return with 1t duly indorsed to your first
friend, the commissaire.
The day is hot and you feel annoyed,
but what is the use of argument? When
you at last return, having experienced
many difficulties with the prefecture you
find the Commissaire has gone out TO
lunch and you sit in his odd little room
overlooking the court yard and wonder
how long this sort of thing is going to
continue? The room gradually fills UP
with people and becomes even hotter.
Finally, the commissaire returns and
your "perms de sejour" But
all is not yet over. You tell him that
you wish to travel to a certain town
and ask for a paper of "sauf conduit"
"why do you wish to go to this town
and what are your interests in it2" says
the commissaire in rapid French
You explain the situation and he looks |
inYNYs lf9tft F,Y,I
your passport is as a red rag to a bull! |
He eyes you gravely and then his glance |
travels to the passport in his hand. ''It |
states here that the hair is brown-and |
1 am convinced that it is chestnut" he !
says with awful solemnity, eying your
hair with grave ferocity. There is a |
dreadful pause. The onlookers hold their
breath and the commissaire leads you to
the light. Yes" say he. complacently,
',in this light it is a decided chestnut!
You have not spoken truly"
NOW FOR THE EYES!
You feel terribly guilty and murmur
something about having lived with It all
your life and always thought It brown
Now for the eyes!" he continues tri-
umphantly, II ask the opinion of the
three gentlemen on my right as to the
color 1t says in the passport gray"
We must verlfyl
"ithOhl a Sllllle ON tnelr races the men !
step forward, willing to serve their coun-
try in this matter. In turn they stare
into your eyes and each gives his opin-
Ion. a regular quarrel starts "The ewes
are blue, without a doubt" says the first.
mo, never blue! says the second. While
the third, In loud voice, declares they
are "speckled"
The commissaire holds up his hand. at
s decided he says loftily, "Madame"s
eyes are speckled!" and he writes the
word "speckled' on the safe-conduct.
But you have borne quite enoughr
They are not speckled" you saw. "I
mai permit no registration as spec-
Sled""
This is regular bomb in the assembly,
5ut you remain firm, and finally the
'ommissaire compromises by recording
hem on the conduit" as green Rrav,"
Iou feel that this is splteful but Won
efrain from comment.
He reads aloud the record of your
Ieight and asks the audience their opin-
on on the same. Madame is certainly
aller than she has stated" saws
'fenchman, who has Just entered the
DOM, let us stand back to back; I am
onVinced that she has more height than
You give the speaker a whitening lool,
vain. The commissaire considers the |
uggestion an excellent one, and YOU are
old to measure yourself beside tbis
renchman. The spectators are thor
ughly interested by now and have M !
SIMMER RRsOprs