The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-23

At 98c-White Saline Skirts.
At 98c-Satin and Crepe de Chi
10000 more were evacuated, leaving
1000 as the present population. The
famous hotel, Lion dor, in the square
facing the cathedral, which has kept
open throughout, was finally compel
led to close it's doors, and the car
riages which have become famous for
the pertinacity of their drivers in re-
naming to conduct sightseers
through the town were also compel
led to quit. But even during the be-
ginning Of the final heavy Smelling
they held on. When one side of the
street was getting shelled the entire
line Of vehicles took their stand on
the opposite side or a little further
along where there was comparative
safety, and often artillery officers
brought up from various points would
leave their military automobiles at
Division Headquarters, which is in
stalled in one of the famous cham
payne cellars, and calmly hire a car
rage to drive them out to the batter
les.
|. Speaking of Champagne cellars, an
officer at headquarters told me that
the inhabitants are counting on the
vintage now bottled in the city to re-
store the city after the war. He said
that there are 100000 bottles at
a present valuation of $40, 100000.
It is pressed instead of selling this la
beled by the year that for sentiment
tai reasons 1t be called "the war
brand" and that the entire output be
disposed of under such a label as the
authentic champagne of Rheims that
resisted the Germans.
Visit to the Cathedral
Our drive through the city showed
scarcely single house that has es-
capped at least partial destruction, and
whole districts wiped out entirely. The
Hotel de Vile is a complete wreck.
There is nothing standing but frag-
ments of the outer walls. This des-
truction was also part of the last
bombardment. At the end of the tour
we returned to the Place de Ia Cathe-
draIe and turned or into the tiny Rue
.du Cardinal de Lorraine, where in an
old palace adjoining the cathedral
gardens, there still lives Mgr, Lucon,
Cardinal Of Rheims. He is 30 years
of age, and, except for a trip to Rome
to attend the conclave that elected
| the present Pope, he has not passed a
day away from his beloved cathedral
since the beginning Of the war.
Although half his palace is in ruins
hit sixteen times during the last
| OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES were received with
all the etiquette that goes with visit
to a Cardinal With the few retain
| ers who remained, Cardinal Lucon In
| sists on all ceremony and the services
III .,J, lie not nj
ten he consents to receive visitors
| but he was anxious to see Whitney
| Warren to thank him and also Mrs
Warren for the large donations the,
collected in America for his fund tina
| kept alive 100000 refugees from
/ Rheims and the Champagne district
and which is distributed by all hif
/ priests not serving in the army. It Il
4 pathetic and wonderful how he In
sists on remaining always in sight O.
the church even though half the Gen
1 erals of the army have begged hin
i to go to place Of safety. He watches
that cathedral as he might watch a
the bedside of some one who Is dying
| He told us of the last bombardment
At the beginning he was walking II
the garden reading his breviary whel
a shell fell near him, and tore larg'
|
hole in the earth.
ST went to my room to pray" h
said.
ST prayed to the angels to guart
my cathedral, and to divert the shells
4 At night, when the firing had dist
down, went outside, but in the moon
! light I could see, alas! my prayer, hat
i not bene answered. do not under
stand, but suppose God in his wisdom
has some purpose in letting the church
. be destroyed"
: He then told us how he had pre-
pared a pamphlet denouncing Ger
many In the name of civilization, bu
had not yet made it public owing t
the fact that 1.-The Germans were still
SO near His old eyes flashed as NJ
! spoke of the German Cardinal OF Co
logne giving a promise to the Pope
over year ago that the church woult
not suffer further destruction. tsWha
is a German promise worth?" he ask
ed even a promise given to tn
), Pope"
At the end of our talk he. asked u
to remain to dinner. He said he woult
, consider it IAN honor" We felt ina
it was we who would be honored, tina
we were indeed honored to be able t
meet that grand old man of Rheims
He came with us out into the Rue d
Cardina1e de Lorraine and stood tner'
. in the sunshine while we photograph
ed him against the ruins Of his eathe
| dral, standing beside a lilac bush II
full bloom. He made a wonderful pic
ture with his white hair, his little ret
cap, and a scarf about the waist, smll
! ing our visit Just before leaving W.
We drove away to Eperny IN tn
) car the General of the division ma
) placed at Mr.. Warren's disposal dur
5 in govt visit. Just before leaving w
again drove in front of the cathedra
:. to the equestrian statue OF Jeann
dare. The entire square was hrtere'
: with debris from score of holes an
/, upturned blocks of stone within a .feS
feet of the statue. There IS reaAT
something uncanny about that statu
:. something prophetic-so one canno
, wonder that the people of France OF
, fer up their faith and hopes ito 1t i
prayer For after that hell Of shell
, and fire about it the statue 1tseiI ma
not yet suffered a single scratch Q
scar-New York Times.
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