Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-16

when the cavalry passed led the song OF
The Long. Long Trail"
There were lancers In the first escort
squadron, and the officers rode with
drawn swords. and as they came near TO
the saluting base turned in their saddles
and shouted In the high, long-drawn
voice Of the cavalry command: Carry
swords % and then to the escort squad
ron. eyes right - and every trooper
turned his head sideways, SO that there
was a gleam OF steel helmets down the
lines with that fine, stern look Of men
which gives a thrill TO ones spine.
Iancers and Dragon guards and Hus-
sara with their horse artillery. in which
each gun was polished as pretty toy
for pageantry, and not for death, they
no.sed In a steady stream which took
two hours TO row across thet oridse.
Dovn below the quay side was an
o,hsr procession which I happened 10
s.s when I looked over the bridge. II
nc, headed by two German officers in
s,,u uniform. with white flag on the
tror. of their motorcar, and behind
,hsn, came long line of other cars
with the German eagle painted on the
naneIs They had come into Cologne
under a flag of truce to deliver up the
cars. according 20 che terms Of the
armistice,
Cologne Is Orderly
Cologne Is orderly and submissive to
,,s regulations under British authority,
,T%s neople go about their way with as
ii,,Ie notice as possible of the foreign
,roons in their midst, though in the
cafes and restaurants one sees them
stealing plances at the British officers
and men who come in to listen to tho
music of the orchestras, which play on
gayly. as though no tragic thing mad
come to Germany.
The kilt of the Scottish officer breaks
down their mask OF indifference. and
they cannot hide their smiles at its
strangeness to them and now and again
the breezy way OF the young Tommles
or Jocks and their good-natured humor
softens the looks of people who naturally
are not inclined to beam al the British.
Here and there English-speaking Ger
mans who were soldiers until a week or
so ago acted as guides to the British
who lost their way In the maze of streets.
and | have heard them exchanging
"reminiscences of battles in which they
fought against each other. But there
is no determination. There are the COM
mander-in-chief's orders against II.
The British soldier has not established
lingua franca such as he used In
France. The German language beats
him altogether. and he finds only one
blessed word in II which helps him at
all II Is the word bier. But the shops
speak to him through their lighted win
doWs, and he stares into them like
child outside a toy shop, wondering at
the richness of them.
The German shops are displaying ther
Christmas goods ana the war has made
no outward difference to the spirit of
that day, soon coming. which is kept in
Germany as a feast OF home life, with
as much sentiment, or more, as in Eng
land
There are thousands Of Christmas
trees in the shops, lighted when dark
ness falls with little bulbs and all
sparkling with colored bulbs and cotton
wool snow Girls with their hair in
pigtails and small boys in soldier caps
stand with their noses glued to the win
dow panes staring at the blue-eyed
dolls and gnomes and hobgoblins and
mechanical toys. They are the children
I met in the Rheingasse and market and
narrow alleys with not too much to eat
and the wolf at the door.
The great shop OF Tietz the biggest
store in Cologne, there Is floor upon
floor richly laden with the accessories
and adornments of German home life,
fine porcelain ware, beautiful glass, EN-
broideries and things that women love
in their drawing rooms, and Christmas
trees, greener than those that grow In
the forest Of Euphen, taper Nigh above
the counters with Santa Claus as their
guardian angel.
The German Christmas is coming and
the German people are preparing to cele-
brate for their children's sake In the
old spirit of their national traditions,
but 1t will be a tragic Christmas FOR
Germany. and there will be more tears
than laughter round the green trees
with their colored lights.