Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-22
PARIS is QUITE
ITS NORMAL SELF
No Healthier Place in Whole
World Than French
Capital.
SICKNESS ALMOST unknown
Well That 1t Is So, for There
Is Famine in Many Kinds
of Drugs.
SICKNESS ALMOST unknown
BY GEORGE DUrREsNE.


been in better health nor. in better
spirits than to-day.
During the first weeks OF the war
when the city was threatened with n
German invasion and when long
e.ege appeared inevitable. all the
patients suffering from chronic diseases
wero sent away ana the hospitals were
cleared.
The Parisians who remained we're
naturally a little nervous, and cases
OF insomnia became very frequent with
the result that the sale OF drugs like
veronal. nntipyrlnc and bromidcs in
creaaed enormously. After the victory
OF the Marine. however. we became
cutie our normal selves again. and dur
Ing the winter we suffered from moth
ing more serious than colds and rheu-
natism and the drug stores were be-
>siesed by people asking for aspirin.
with the advent OF summer these
maiadieH in their turn disappeared. and
to-day | am sure there la no healthier
community In all the world than Paris
Contagious diseases and epidemics are
unknown. and our few remaining doc
tors whom old age has kept from join
ing the army. have no patients TO at
tend, except an occasional stomachache
caused by overindulgence in fruit
1t Is rather fortunate that 1t should
the SO. for the doctors cannot prescribe
any drugs Ru, bicarbonate Of soda.
'naEnesia and various charcoal tablets.
Thehc are the only drugs left in the
drug stores.
haE lad
practically all our drugs came from
Germany or from branches OF German
firms established here TO avoid the
customs duties. all OF which have now
been closed. Aspirin. which before the
war cost six francs kilo. is now
worth nearly 100 francs. Salicylates
cost thfrty-six francs. benxo- naphtol
cannot be had for love or money. and
We are forced to import large guam
e.tltlsssss OF bromide Of potassium, from
America. 1t Is rather Illuminating TO
think that all these drugs Of which we
have now run short are derived from
coal tar and were first made useful
by Lyons chemist thirty-fvc years
ago
GAiETl' HAS DEPARTED
FROM FRENCH CAPITAL
0ayety has departed from Paris since
the war broke out. but never has such
beautiful music been heard in our
streets as at present. Members Of all
our most famous orchestras have
banded together. and arc to he hoard
everywhere, and concerts that would
delight the ear of the most fastidious
lover OF music may be heard in Paris
courtyards any day between IL and ?,
when these artists are playing 10 our
little midinettes
Perhaps the most beautiful music
may be heard in Rue Richelieu. where
certain courtyard surrounded by
orcades of Ooric columns is always
hlled BY a music-ioving crowd listening
to famous band OF instrumentalists
and several well-known singers from
the two great opera houses
The large amount Of gold which pa
triotic French citizens poured into the
French treasury as soon as it became
known that II was needed by the gov
ernment surprised the whole world but
the surprise would have been greater
still had II heen known what you had
to go through In order to be allowed to
get rid OF your gold.
French government officials are Justly
Known as the worst bureaucracy in the
world, and they have evidently learned
nothing and forgotten nothing through
the war. At first there were in all
Paris only two places where you might
get rid Of your precious metal. the
Bank of France and it's branch Office
In Place Ventadour. Patriotic citizens
were obliged TO form lines more than a
kiiometer long and waste half day
TO be allowed to get rid of their gold
Rut bad As il was. it was not ALL for
in some cases the gold was not even
accepted. one man, an American by
the way, tells me that he brought is, 600
francs in French and English gold TO
the Office of the Bank of France in
Place Ventadour and after waiting
patiently for nearly three hours he had
TO carry 1t all away again after an
employee told him he was not au
thorized to receive such a large amount
from one individual!
CHILDREN REJOICE
THAT THEY ARE FRENCH
NJ. Adrien Mithonard, president of the
Paris municipal council. has inst re-
ceived the following letter signed by
all the pupils of the public school in
Seppois-le-B Bias. village in German Al.
SAGE. captured by the French.
Aiessisurs.-"We wish 10 write you
to express our joy at having become
French AS were our ancestors. and We
are going to devote our entire energy
to learning the beautiful French Lam
guage. We arc especially happy be-
cause our parents had taught us enough
= French beforehand to enable us to an
swer correctly all the. questions asked
by our new French teacher. who told
VIZ that we spoke almost without any.
foreign accent.
1--WE wish to thank the beautiful and
generous city Of Paris for tho beautiful
book sent us. and which we shall keep
forever in sacred memory OF the frat
distrihntion of prizes In Alaace