New-York tribune., 1917-07-29
Thames Peaceful and Beautiful,
But Changed by 3 Years Of War
Khaki and Blue Uniforms Dot the Quiet Stream and NEAR
Each Is a Girl Currents of Men Flow Toward
and From the Battlehelds
By ARTHUR S. DRAPER


London, July 2s.-As the Thames
wesves its way 1t is seventy short miles
from Oxford to Windsor, or three days
easy padding in a light Canadian
canoe, now no longer stranger in this
river of punts, skiffs and shells.
Having registered at an Oxford hotel
and visited the police station to have
our identity books stamped, we wan
dered about the college town past Bal
liol, Jesus, the oxford Union, Brase-
nose, New, Queens and Magdalen, the
Bodleian Library and the cathedral.
Everything seemed silent and deserted.
Just inside the entrance of Balliol my
eye was attracted by a long list OF
names headed "Roll Of Honour" IL
knew them ALL" said the courteous old
porter.
From out the street came the ryth-
mic beat of many feet, and around the
corner swung a company Of khakl-clad
fellows upon whose arms appeared the
words Royal Flying Corps" They
whistled as they marched into the great
dining hall of one of the colleges. As
they seated themselves at the long
table the cathedral chimes rang out as
they have done at this hour every even
ing for generations and generations.
Oxford Has Changed
The morning sun Frightened old
covered oxford, which is not the
oxford of three years ago and never
will be again. Down at Folly Bridge,
below which are moored the college
barges, the canoe was awaiting US.
MY college eight started from here"
said the American Rhodes scholar, as
he pointed to- the Wadham barge, the
last in the long line, "but did you
ever see such a forlorn looking lot of
old boathouses? Seems like four cen
turies instead of four years since l
stroked our crew in my last humping
race"
The war found Oxford ready; she
has given freely and suffered heavily
The stream was strong and we were
soon passing the boathouse of the Ok
ford University Boat Club and the sum-
mer home of II. H. Asquith, late of Bal
liol, and later Prime Minister of Eng
land. Both appeared deserted.
Under the Abingdon Bridge, built
few years before Columbus started
westward, we stopped for luncheon.
Our hostess apologized for the size Of
the bill and the shortage of bread, eX-
l., ~ &c hfrrb
But the cold mutton, lettuce and cress
salad and the cheddar cheese and half
of bitter" would have been cheap at
any price after the morning on the
river.
Soldiers and Sweethearts
paddle your own canoe" cheerily
cried young lady of auburn hair, who
pulled with vigorous stroke skitf IN
which the helmsman was a sun-browned
chap, wearing a dark blue Ill fitting
suit, red necktie and khaki cap.
All though the afternoon we passed
boats containing fellows wearing SIM
liar uniforms. Sometimes there were
two of them and two girls in the same
skff, or the same punt, and again there
would be one blue uniform and one
girl. But always there was a young
fellow and young girl. 1t was the
same the second day and the third.
In Blighty there is no lack OF girls.
Along about tea time we ran into
Day's Lock. The keeper collected the
fee and inquired whether we wanted
box of strawberries fresh picked from
his garden. We did. They were nice
big, pinkish-white berries, requiring no
sugar. For sixpence we got them and
a story of two years in part OF FIan-
ders, where the only boating is done IN
pontoons.
But a few minutes .ater we were
twisting and turning up a narrow
branch of the Thames 10 the little alb
bey church of SIS. Peter and Paul, in
Dorchester. It's famous Jesse window
made one think Of the Cathedral of
Rheims. but By contrast only, for the
Dorchester church is tucked away in
village of old coaching inns and
thatched roof houses, and the Boche
artillery hasn't the range Of the
steeple.
We had made twenty-eight miles
when we arrived at Goring, with the
high Streatley Hills on the other side
of the river. There we stayed for the
night in an inn one side of which faced
the Thames and the other on Icknield
Way. fine example of the old Roman
handiwork. The thick curtains at the
windows of our room shut in the rays
of light from our two candles, but did
not shut out the pleasant song of the
Thames as it splashed over the weir
Just below. The boatman asked for an
extra sixpence in the morning because
of the "high cost Of everything"
Il was a sunny Sabbath. The shy
,,,o.Lar mud hon and her chicks spIat-