The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-02-07
PARIS AS SEEN
BY WAR VISITOR
STRESS OF CONFLICT so NEAR
YET NOT APPARENT
CITY IS GAY BUT WATCHFUL
Food Plentiful and Luxuries Abound.
Stream of Foreign Money Flows
FreeIy-Town Is Lively But
Black Abounds Everywhere
(By X. WALTER)

(By X. WALTER)
Paris, via. London, Feb. 4--Paris is
20 miles from the German lines; Lon,
don is $50, and 20 miles of that pro,
teeted waters. Keep the map in mind
and you will see some of that wonder.
ment which visitor constantly feels
in Paris today. German armies are
massed in full force only 20 miles
away! 1t is almost increditible!
In every haunt where strangers go
and money flows freely there is no
sign of that restraint or anxiety which
you might expect in the nearest of
all of the capitals to the fighting line.
/ am told, but | have failed to find
any direct evidence, that the people
of Paris, People with a capital. were
feeling conditions very bodily, that
even tobacco was getting scarce and
that there might be trouble if the
populace had to go to the government
in the old Parisain way-and with
empty pipes. But not one represent
alive of the workers of Paris with
whom have talked will admit that
there is anything wrong except the
bread,-it is hard to have to eat such
unpleasant bread.
Money Is Plentiful
One would have to go out of reach
of the stream of foreign coin that is
pouring into Paris in these days in
order to get quite uninfluenced view
of things, and the: stream is so broad
and strong that doubt whether this
could be possible in swim of a few
short days. After London everything
seems to be bathed in luxury; there
is literally yards of bread in profusion
on. oil the public Dining tables-not
the wonderful flakey bread of peace,
it is true-and great cubes of sugar
in open bowls, and butter curled into
rosebuds just as it used to be, and
beefstcaks, and oysters, and all the
Injuries of the season.
There are more external signs of
sacrifice in the streets than in London.
London is not in mourning, yet never
forgets; Paris wears her mourning,
and that is. enough,-one can be
charming and quite Parisienne in
block. At one of those many theaters
where strangers need no introduction,
l had some conversation with my
neighbor, a Parisenne most tastefully
dressed in deepest black-a halo of it
on her head from which hung down
a widows veil with a narrow border
of white. l mentioned the new fash
ion of the boulevards. "Je suis en-
douil pour mon amant," she said. In
London they mourn husbands, sons
and brothers without show of grief;
Paris is mourning for her lovers, so
Paris wears black and her lovers find
it charming. Mon amant est mort;
vive mon amat."
Black Suits Paris
And black does suit Paris. There
was always in peace times. | used to
find, something garnish about Paris;
she affected the colors of the South
without being southern enough to
wear them naturally. Paris fashions
always seemed a little to fashionable;
there was always little bit of extra
color in the wrong place and little
bit of extra color on cheeks and lips
to match it. And it was always put
on, the clothes and the paint, with
such obvious intention of catching the
eye Of forcing you to look twice to
see if there was truly anything charm
ing behind it all. Paris, in sum, was
STACEY
The crude colors have gone today
and with them the cruder paint. For
the first time one can see how good
looking Paris it--all Paris-for the
Parisienne is always symbolical of her
City. Paris, like London in it's way
has gone back to the days when ell
ectrical street signs were as rare as
painted faces. Even the taXicabs look
as if they belonged to a period before
such things were known. AS for the
taxi-divers, and everyone else in
similar stations of life, they seem to
have forgotten one of two things
either that there is war on or that
there was ever peace. London does
not forget
Cities Compared
Difference in temperament is the
common explanation, but the funda
mental cause of the difference be
tween London and Paris is historical
Indifference of experience. Londor
has never had war brought home tt
1t since the Dutch sailed up the
Thames, never indeed so Thoroughly
home to it since Ethelred's galley'
ties themselves to the trestles. of Lon
don Bridge and pulled it down in ordel
to recaptpre the city from the Danes
But Paris has lived through many
wars and the siege of Paris is still
recalled by many living. My taxi
drivers, porters, shopkeepers ant
others to whom / talked, shrugged
thrugged their shoulders and reall.
had nothing to say about the war, an'
smiled increduloisly IL YOU asked q