Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-05-15
SDoliation of Two Provinces by
Beast of BerIin's Barbarlans
Continues.
ATT TREASURES TAKEN AWAY
Objects of Priceless Historic and Ar
tistic Worth Carried Off to Supply
the Demand OF the New
Rich

With the French Armies.-Ger-
many'S latest spoliation e. Alsace-Lor-
raine consists of the carrying away
from the latter of all the old antiqui-
ties and objects Of art in which the
two provinces for centuries have been
unusually rich.
The exodus of all these objects
many of priceless historic and artistic
worth. across the borders Of the two
provinces and over into the big Ger
man cities would appear to cOnstl-
tute Germans final effort to squeeze
out of Alsace and Lorraine the last
thing of value while she still has it
within her power to do so.
During the seventeenth century Al
SAGE and Lorraine became very much
center for various lines of art and
especially for the making of the varl-
Gus styles Of furniture which have
since won for themselves fixed places
in the history and development Of
artistic furnishings. Because Alsace
and Lorraine were the eenters of the
various trades. art crafts and manu-
factarers that were employed i'm the
production of these historic styles Of
furniture, thousands OF the best
pieces remained in the two provinces
whore they became heirlooms in the
native families
Treasures Forced on Market
Il is largely this class of art OBJ
jects that the Germans are now
searching out and carrying or to Der.
lin, Munich and other German cen
terS. Owing to the fact that the Ger
mau authorities are now forcing the
liquidation and sale of all homes and
other properties owned by French
citizens and often Of AISatians guilty
only of French sympathies, thousands
of these old pieces Of furniture are
being thrown onto the market in a
manner that enables the German anti
quarianS % buy them Mt nominal fig
ures. In other instances. the anti
quarians search out families that have
been impoverished by the war and
force them to part for a little ready
money with objects Of the greatest
artistic value
This exploitation Of the two prov
inces by German antiquity dealers APP
pears to have reached such a proper
tlon that even the German press.
notably the Eleine Press of Frankfort
have printed articles pointing out the
ubiquitous practice. The Hagpnauer
Zeltuug also details the scandal in the
following manner:
The lovers Of the art objects and
antiquities Of Alsace are becoming
alarmed over the fate Of all the beau
tifui and precious art treasures that
are now actually leaving the country.
From all parts o, the German empire
antiquarians arr now arriving and
gaining possession vt hidden treas
urcs from the very bottom of the two
frontier provinces for the purpose Of
reselling them "a, fabulous prices to
their clients at Berlin. Munich and
elsewhere.
The hour IS propitlous for such
purchases. Numerous auction sales
and foreclosures offer favorable occa-
sions for the acquisition Of objects Of
real style. Many small mlddie-class
families Of the villages have need Of
money. and without too much insist
ence will give up a bureau OF the
Louis XVI style which has come down
10 them from grandmother and
with what they receive they can pro-
cure other articles more lndispens-
able.
"In the seventeenth century the art
crafts We're very hourishing in Al
saCe. The house furnishing which one
encountered even in the smallest,
most faraw0y villages were elegant