Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-22

PARIS, June THE impression CLEANED
by the visitor in Paris today is twofold
Flrst, the Immense working capacity Of the
French as nation is remarkable. Second
| the calmness Of the French mind under
constant stress and strain is almost in
| comprehensive.
| | have been taken round a large Partisan
| depot where women by the thousand were
| engaged In making sandbags to be used
| as ramparts for the trenches Their work.
! ing place was In a huge shed, a drafty
! rather cherries place, but not a single
| complaint did one hear from any Of them
| Ihey sat on low stools, their work over
| moving on TO wooden trestles. and all
| around them the completed sacks lay in
| piles that reached almost to the high roof
| They were working so intentlv that not
| even the advent Of visitors made them
| pause, and very few even bothered TO raise
their eyes to learn who the newcomers
| might be Considering the natural curiosity
OF the Frenchwomen, this is high testimony
to their working zeal
In another big shed. a few miles from
the sandbag factory, ! saw crowds of pretty
French girls busily making goggles
These are to protect the eyes of our brave
poilus' when they meet the LIQUID flame
attacks said the woman inspector who
was escorting me round the building "The
shields have 70 be renewed so frequently
that there s always a big demand for
new ones. We turn out many millions of
H'be'.' i'A tiiS iililN' yet never can supply
enough"
MADAME DEFARGE"
1t was in n certain big she'll factory
that curious incident came to my notice
There were many women working there
but one among them had such an intent
look on her face that invountarily one
paused to watch her. She was sitting in
front Of n wide shelf on which stood half
a dozen heavy shells. and in her right
hand was a shining instrument attached
by n long tube to an electrical apparatus
in the wall. At sight of It, ones thoughts
few instinctively to mournful hours spent
In the dentists chair when the grinding
down of ones most sensitive molars meant
supremest discomfort and a variety of Icy
shivers down the spine.
The woman laid the instrument on the
shelf for moment, deftly adjusted a pair
of goggles over her eyes, touched a few
buttons and handles at both ends of the
long tube, and there was a sudden whlrrlng
In the air. A blaze of sparks flew from
the nearest she'll Her business is to
give the finishing touches to the Shells"
said the inspector She's curious woman,
Madame X. Her husband and two sons
have been killed in the war, and some
times think her brains affected"
Suddenly the whrring ceased The
woman lifted the heavy shell and placed
It in big receptacle beside her. "one,"
she said. loudly and soemnly. Then she
turned quickly 10 ner work again.
The whirring began once more. In a
few moments there was another pause
Two" said the woman, as she placed the
next completed shell in the space allotted
for It. And later Three" and -Four"
and Five" and Six Her voice had a
triumphant ring in It that somehow or
other made one feel extraordinarily
creepy" She worked with great rapdity,
and before we had left the building she
had called out Twenty"
What does she remind you Off" said
the inspector later