El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-04-24
MENACE
ANAKEN5 PARIS
Statues and Works of Art.
Priced by the French Are
Covered With Sandbags.
By JOHN L. BALDERSTON.

Paris. France. April 24.-Paris,
eaueht by the two great Gotha raids
Of the mast two weeks and compare
lively unprepared for aerial invaders
is feverishly working to catch up 10
London in defensive measures More
guns are being prepared, captive bal
looms with steel cables strung be-
tween are sent aloft at night, and
many other measures are being taken
concerning which nothing can be
written
The contrast between the defences
Of London and Paris is striking. In
London. so fierce is the barrage an
the wav from the coast up the Va4ley
of the Thames. that out OF 20 ~ OF
40 raiders. not more than two or tAr sc
break through and drop their Domps
on the capital In Paris, on the con-
frarv. more than half of the invaders
have penetrated to the city during the
three great attacks, the flrst IN Jan
uary and the last two this month
A. a result much more material
damage has been done in Paris than
in London. Here, on the contrary the
loss OF life has not been much greater
than in the English metropolis rms
is due to the flimsy construction or
the houses in the London Suburbs
which often collapse, burying their
occupants, under the explosion l3.-s5l o H.. q
single small bomb In Paris. CITY
Of flats and apartments, the houses
even in the poorer quarters, are gen
eralIv well built and OF several
stories. The people are therefore
comparatively safe in the cellars Inls
difference in construction accounts
for the fact that, while two Gothas IN
London often kill 20 or 30 people. 70
enemy raiders over Paris have been
able to boast no bigger bag Of inno-
cent civilians
Cover statues With sand Bags.
Paris is not negIecting. during this
period of preparation for more ana
still worse raids, plans for safeguard
ing her people. but the principal eI-
fort during the past few days seems
to have been directed towards pro-
tecting the hundreds Of famous monu-
ments and buildings which cannot De
moved. IN every park and square OF
the city, workmeu are sand bagging
statues and walling up with sacks OF
earth portals Of churches containing
sculptured masterpieces Of the mid
die ages Meanwhile private house
holders. warned by the enormous
amount Of glass broken all over the
city by the recent raids and by the
great munitions explosion near St
Denis. are pasting strips Of paper over
their window panes. These strips,
long familiar sights in the much bonn
barded cities Of the north. lessen the
vibration Of the glass when explo-
sious occuR and generally prevent
breakage.
People Watch Safeguarding Work.
The frescOes Of the Little Arch OF
Triumph, in the court Of the Louvre,
are being walled up. and crowds col
TnnE- the covering of me
sculpture that has not attracted SO
much attention since Napoleon had 1t
made 20 celebrate his triumphs over
the AusrrO-Germaus in the famous
campaign Of AusteriitZ- Statues IN
the Place de Ia Concord are vanish
ing: even the column in the Place
Nendome. more than 100 feet high
made OF cannon captured by the great
emperor, is slowly losing shape under
a camouflage Of scaffolding and earth
All over Paris. in every square. the
people gather to watch in silence the
safeguarding Of some great work OF
the Renaissance Of Hudson. OF Car
peaux. or of ROdiu. the modern gem
ius who died just before 10 was nee
essary TO hide his MASTERPIECES from
aerial sacrifice.
How Parisians love their town Is
evidenced in the pilgrimages made TO
mourn over the wounds OF the city
Of light has received These are many. {
though as vet no great artistic monu-
meut has suffered severely If the
Germans think they get any moral
benefit out of those raids they should
instruct their spies TO stand in the
crowds that surround old houses
wrecked by bombs. and report the
comments that are passed
Since the raids. five or six times as
many people as usual have gone 10
the Louvre, that greatest Of the
Ir-farflTHe 70 a ~
man pile of the Madeline TO the his
-oric and crumbling churches on the l
left bank Of the Seine. just 20 look at
them. TO walk around them and TO say
" hat may be a last farewell
The Y. W. c. A. has $500 paid secre- /
-aries in this country. Europe and the I
lrient