Evening star., 1917-11-18

contained thousands of "fammes" or
pennons to flutter on the lances of
uhlans, hussars and dragons. Hobe-
reaux of the Imperial Guard fell on the
Marne in silvered helmets with gold
eagles wings. In their "cantines."
found thousands of white and black
horsetails set in brass screws, to fix
on gala casques Of uhlans and dragons.
There were '.sashes or belts of com,
mand" in cloth-of-gold and belts of red
or green Turkey leather gallooned with
silver. Kolbacks with glorious aigrettes
strewed the swamps Of st. Gond.
The most precious were the trophies
of the Grand Couronne de Nancy,
where. from a plateau. the kaiser OBJ
served the battle. while waiting to
make his triumphal entry into the city.
Growing impatient by the turn of
events, he commanded charge of his
own bodyguards to stimulate the wav-
ering troops. A third of the guard
was in gala dress for the triumph. All
white, glittering with gold and silver.
their helmets topped with flashing
wings. they dashed onward Alas.
French machine guns moved them
down. and shells of 7Ss let less than a
tithe return to the plteau. from which
the kaiser himself had fed.
To bolster up certain hasty. shallow
trenches of the Ourcq. they piled all
the regimental drums to make an OBJ
stacie. replacing sandbags. Elsewhere
whole baggage trains were left be-
sind. Cases of iron crosses and other
decorations were never opened for
never lived to receive them.
After the retreat Of the Germans
from the Ourcq and the Marne crowds
Of civilians rushed from Paris to the
battlefields and picked up incredible
riches of trophies. The war was new.
The front was not Theoretically scaled.
Thousands of citizens of nearby towns
packed wagon loads of German uni
forms. equipments, camp litter, arms,
and even munitions, abandoned In
flight. At Monthyon there is a pond
whose bottom is still full of valuable
truck-thrown into the water as they
ran. The natives have been fishing In
1t ever since.
The civilian gatherers of the Marine
were fathers. uncles. sisters and
younger brothers of heroic poilus.
They collected sacredly. amid the
tombs of dear ones in the wheat fields
These trophies shall be for our chill
dren and our children's children" they
said.
Apart from the vast Accommodations
of the French government, which will
never be alienated except to foreign
museums, the mass of these trophies
are sacredly fixed in French families
Here and there, however. In some cruel
need of ready money (this is an in.
vaded land. remember). trophies
changed hands.
Collectors rose UP. The craze is at
its height. In Paris 1t is forbidden tc
expose such relics In shop windows
poilus are excepted: BY all others the
purchasing and selling must be con-
Quoted modestly in the back shop
Good taste must not be offended. Il
have never seen a single German uni
form for sale.) On the other hand. the
poilu on leave. jangling "old iron." is
money very badly he ought to be able
to find II. And. for the rest. the
sacred 3unk-1914-1017-is all mixed
up together.
/ am Struck by the high prices. In.
quiry in various quarters discloses that
tiful relics (of 1014) had their high
prices-current from the very begin
ming. But is 1t not astonishing. today
to ind single brass buttons of the
Imperial Guard snapped up at 81
apiece. and such common objects az
the brass fuses of German II shells
going at So each. for raperweights?
gilt spread wings on polished copper
and steel. are eagerly sought at S18t
to $500. Civilians who picked them
up on the Marne were letting them &c
at these rates In 1915 to Britiah milors
Dissertations Of Won Kiuck's stan arr
10 black. white. gold and pale blue. III.
= Cross Of the GfffPon IN red yellow and