The Washington herald., 1918-12-18
Wants to Get Ideas ofFight-
ing Men About Peace
Terms.
RAIN BLOCKS OUTING
Proposed Trip Of President
and Wife to Marne Bat
tleheld Postponed.

so generously smiled upon this capi-
tai ever since President Wilson's ar
rival had a sudden spell of peevish-
ness today. Mr.. and Mrs. Wilson
were just getting ready for a jour
ney TO the Marne battlefield
1t was as IL the people Of Paris. who
cannot get enough Of their beloved
guest had cOnssired with their as
tral ally. for the latter receded pet
ulantly into the background, drew
down a heavy curtain OF gray-blsck
clouds, and then. to make sure TO
assert its viii. displayed a ft OF
temper in the form of a drenching
rain sQuall.
The President. aware Of the low
ing motive behind this sinister plot
took IT good-nsturedly. The trip
was abandoned. Promptly the sky
cleared up and when. shortly sfter-
ward. the Presidential couple mo-
tored in an open car TO Versailles.
IL seemed as though the myriad
warm rays fitting and dancing all
around them were rubbing IL in
and in the thunderous unending
cheers that again greeted them all
the way there seemed TO be q note
Of special triumph-Psrls and the
sun had had their way.
In Splendid Health.
Judging from the lateness OF he
/ rising the President had the best rest
/ last night he has had since reaching
I Paris His callers were impressed with
his visible good health His eyes are
] clear and keen as steel and his step
/ is elastic and vigorous. He seems well
prepared for the tremendous tasks
awaiting him
In an informal way the President
/ already has begun to tackle these
1 tasks. He held conferences today with
] Col. House. Edwin Hurley. the Amer
/ ican shipping controller. and Count di
J CeIiere. ItAlyss ambassador 20 ths
( United States
with Mr.. Hurley. the President vs.
understood TO have discussed the
7 problem OF shipping for taking Amer
ica's fighters hack home. The present
| plan, Il is said. Is 10 complete the
. movement by Christmas, 1879.
7 This years Christmas will find
Woodrow Wilson IN the midst OF the
boys who fought and won Americs's-
and the world's-battles: the boys for
! whom. as he announced In Congress
on the eve OF his departure for Eu-
rope. he was going 10 secure the ma
terializstion Of the ideals for which
they offered life and limb.
To Eat with Them.
Mr. Wilson proposes TO minEle iui-
mately with the American fighting
men. He will eat his Christmas dinner
with them He will meet as many as
he can. officers and men-mostly men
and talk with them and listen TO what
they have TO say. The things they will
tell him. the thoughts they express. he
win take with him as an essential part
OF his mental and spiritual equipment
for the conference which is 20 make
everlasting the victory those men have
won.
To the diplomatic and journalistic
world President Wilson continues 20
be much Of an enigma Indeed, upon
his record Of the four days he has
spent in France he might so down in
history as one OF the worlds greatest
Listeners. From the moment Of hts
arrival he has listened. and he listens
still.
EXCEPT for two general proposition.
not a word Of political significance has
escaped his lips publicly. and ofhcial
Paris is still totally IN doubt as 10
the position he will take when he
draws his chair to the peace table. .
Getting French Ideas.
that whenever. in conversations OF q
political character he draws near what
may he called dangerous water, his
attitude becomes one OF sounding
rather than of asserting. He has lis
tened TO President Poincsre and TO
Premier ClemenceaU as well as 20 ex-
Premier BRAND, who represents q far
different political group, and he has
listened to many other eminent politi-
cal leaders. He has indeed been sat-
urating himself with French opinion.
He believes this to be an imperative.
an indispensable part of the great
task that brought him over here.
But what he thinks he keeps TO him
self.
Trained students who watched him
during these four historic DAYS find
little dificulty, however in divininE
one predominant thought that seem.
to move the President: the thought
that the reception accorded him here
is convincing proof France is in full
accord with him on the main pillars
OF a lasting peace.
Both Men sincere.
Those who watched the President
and Premier Clemenceau together
yesterday could not help but sharing
this thought warm cordianty and
apparent intimate mutual understand
ing marked their meeting and con-
yersation. and the sincerity OF both
men is vouched for by their respective
characters and careers. Neither VIII
son nor Clemenceau is the man 10
feign that sort of feeling IL Il isn't
in his heart
French ofTicialdom continues to
.ev'nce an ardent desire for the
President 70 visit the war ravsged
regions Of Northern France and
Belgium. The conviction seems 10
be prevalent that only after such a
, visit can Mr.. Wilson swing 20 the
French cain for German payment
, for the cost OF war TO the limit OF
: Germa1y's capacity.
, In this connection II may be said
: that the speeches OF the American
executive have definitely removed
the fear which prevailed in wide
circles that he came here as spokes-
man of a soft peace"
Nation ia Reassured-
: What he said about the necessity
: Of demonstrating for all time lhaf