The Twin City star., 1918-06-01

France often is referred to
in the dispatches as the "Batle of Pic
ardy," although as political subdi-
vision the province of Picardy no long
or exists. Since the division into de-
partments was made, Picardy was cut
up into the departments of the Somme,
Pas-de-C e-Calais, Aisne and Disc. In the
ancient days when it existed as one Of
the great historic provinces Of France,
and ArtOis on the north and from
Champagne on the east to the province
of Normandy and the English channel
on the west, with maritime frontier
running from the mouth Of the Aa to
the cliffs of Caux, and it included with
in it's boundaries the whole Of the basin
of the Somme river and a great part
of that of the Disc.
Under the Romans it was inhabited
by the MOrini, the Ambiani, the VerO-
mandui, the Bellovaci and the Sues
stones, whose names are still preserved
i'm the modern cities of Amiens, Ver-
mandois, Beauvais and scissors. 1t
was battle-ground in Caesars day and
the Romans built military roads
through the province and erected de-
fensive citadels along the hanks of the
SOmme.
It was in Picardy, too, that the first
nucleation Of France as nation took
place, under the Merovingian kings in
the fifth century. "The history Of an
cient France" says Michelet, "had its
sources in Picardy." Here Clovis made
his first capital at Scissors and Charlie
magne founded his at Noyon. Famous
battles were fought within it's borders
long before the first Prussian set foot
upon its soil. Crecy, where Edward
the Black Prince won his spurs, and
Agincourt where Henry v Of England,
with his bowmen, wrought such havoc
with the French army-the bowmen
whose spirits were said to have rem
dered miraculous assistance to the al
lies at the Battle Of the Marne.
Land of Beautiful Landscapes.
A land of beautiful landscapes is the
land of Picardy-or was before the de-
wasting Hun plowed up its fair fields,
tore up its roads and laid low its for
ests and it's famous avenues Of aspens
and poplars-as picturesque Picardy"
it was known to poets and artists and
writer's and travellers. David Murray.
the famous Scottish landscape painter,
gave its pastoral beauties to the world
q, ,Ip,oct <hroo ccora CF bic 90 pyo COG
Many Of Corot's finest landscapes are
laid in the valley of the Disc or Somme.
Ruskin and Robert Louis Stevenson
have glorified it in art and literature.
But today it is scene Of ruin, ravage
and desolation. Many of it's age-Old
towns have been made level with the
plain, some of its historic cathedrals
and chateaux are heaps Of ruins and
great craters Of shell holes mark the
face of the land. AS Lord Byron said
of Greece, "'Tis Picardy, but living
Picardy no more"
And now again the guns of the Huns
have been laundering in the heart of
and at the gates Of its ancient
capital, Amiens,. the beautiful, the
"Venice of Picardy," home Of rare art
treasures and city Of the cathedral
which has been named by the Picards
themselves the cathedral Of the Beau
tiful God" and by art lovers the "Par-
thenon Of Gothic architecture.
The cathedral of Amiens is one Of
the largest churches in the world, be-
ing surpassed in the magnitude Of it's
only by st. Peters at
Rome, st. Sophia's at Constantinople
and the cathedral Of Cologne. Into its
sculptured stones and statues have
been wrought by It's builders almost a
complete biblical history, both of the
Old and New Testaments. Ruskin calls
the cathedral "the Bible Of Amiens,"
and in his lecture under that title he
has given an Interpretation Of its thou
sands of sculptured figures and Of its
'sermops in stones.'
Tt, cathedral was built chiefly be-