Norwich bulletin., 1917-04-20
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society.

Arras-"The battle of Arras. which promises to rank in history as one cf | the pivotal clashes of the World War.
 takes its name from one of the most
 interesting of the smaller cities of raphy bulletin issued today from the Washington headquarters of the Ma iional Geographic Society. "Situas sed
 On the canalized River Scarpe. 1S7 miles north of Paris and 97 miles south of Brussels via the French Northern Railway, it is the chief town of the department of Pas-de- Calais
 and before the war was the most in portant grain market in nOrtht Tn
 to the southwest. and Calais S2 miles to the northwest. The surrounding territory. is a fertile plain, with tf.e
 Nimy ridge some six miles to rSe
 north.
 The history of Arras dates bacl,
 beyond the Christian era when it was the chief town of a Gallic tribe knowE as Atrebates. It was then known &S
 Nemetacum or Nemetocenna. but its
 present name is derived from that ot the tribe. Traces of the Roman per :od have been found here but the Vandals. who destroyed the place at the beginning of the 5th century, did their work of obliteration almost com pletely. The manufacture of woolens was introduced here at an early date, however, and the town began to thrive again. For some centuries this was ono of the centers of tapestry weaving and in England the term ''arras" was applied to all richly ag- ured Shangings.
 'Arras boasted of 0 charter as early as 11S0 and the instrument was adopt ed a model by many of the neigr- boring communes. But this document did not protect the city against the .ravages of hostile armies which swept back and forth over this fertile region hrfN eph nD occasion the citizens rose against the garrison which had been installed there by Louis XI. They succeeded in driving out the soldiers of the French king, but their victory was short-lived, for the irate monarch sent a larger army against them. ra1ed the walls, slew many of the inhabitants and le- ported the remainder, sending French to occupy the town whose very Eame was changed to Franchise. Louis successor. Charles VIII, restored the place to it's people and rechristened it cd into German hands by the treaty of Senlis but in 164o was restored to the French.
 During the French Revolution Ar ras suffered grievously, thanks to tho cruelty of her native son, Joseph I4ebon. who organized and directed the Reign of Terror here. Maximiiier | Robespierre and his younger brother l AuguStln were also born in this city. | It is interesting to recall in view of | his subsequent sanguinary career as | a member of the Commune and of the | Committee of Public Safety, responsi- 1 ble for converting the streets of PaEis | into rivers of blood fed by the guillo- i tine, that as a young man RobespIerre | resigned his office as criminal judge | in Arras rather than sentence a gui.ty | man to death.
 Tapestries are no longer woven in | ArT-a hut he rif a-;r oustrial community at the outbreak of | the war. it's chief articles of manufac- | ture being hosiery, iron ware. oil pro- ducts, beet sugar, and agricultural im- plements.
 Tn the Petite Place and the Grand | Place Arras boasts some curious arch itectural relics of the period of Span ish occupation in the 17th century-t houses of hewn stone whose upper | stories project beyond the founda tion | walls and are supported by pillars | which form arcades over the side walks. Beneath the streets are huge cellars or magazines which were orig ina1ly quarries. The hotel de vile is | an interesting 18th century building with belfry 245 feet high, in which l hangs great nine-ton bell called | "Joyeuse'."