The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-06
UNWORRIED
THOUGH 70 MILES
FROM THE FRONT.
From Reciprocal News Service,
13 Queen Anne's Gate, London, >.
BY X. WALTER.

BY IA. NALIEiS'
Paris via London. Jan. 20.-(By MaiD. |
Paris is 10 miles from the Ger
man lines London is 13O, and 20 miles |
Of that are protected waters. Keep the
map in mind and you will get some Of
that wonderment which u visitor con
stantly feels in Paris today German
aries are massed in full force only
seventy miles away! 1t is almost in
credible.
In every haunt where strangers go
and money flows free, there is no sign
of that restraint or anxiety which YOU
might expect in the nearest of all the
capitals to the fighting line l am told
but l have failed to find any direct
evidence that the people Of Paris, people
with a capital, We're feeling conditions
pretty badly that even tobacco was
getting scarce and that there might be
trouble if the populace had to go to the
government in the old Parisian way
and with empty pipes. But not one rep
resentative of the workers Of Paris with
whom | have talked will admit that
there is anything wrong except the
bread-it is hard to have to eat such
unpleasant bread.
One would have to get out Of reach of
the stream of foreign coin that is pour
ing into Paris in these days in order
to get a quite uninhucnced view of
things and the stream is so broad
and strong that | doubt whether this
would be possible in swim of a few
short days After London everything
seems to be bathed in luxury; there
is literally yards Of bread in profusion
on all the public dining tables-noL the
wonderful flaky bread Of peace, it is
true-and great cubes Of sugar in open
bowls, and butter curled into rosebuds
Just as It used to be, and beelsteaks'
and oysters, and all the luXuries Of the
season.
There are more external signs of sac
rihce i'm the streets than in London
London is not in mourning, yet never
forgets; Paris wears her mourning
and that is enough-one can be charm
ing and quite Parisienne in black Al
one of those many theaters Nhere slrdH
gers need no Introduction. | had some
conversation with my neighbor Parl
black-a halo of it ON her mead IRON
which hung down a widows ven WIZ
a narrow border Of white. ! mentone.
the new fashion Of the bouleVards' IT
London they mourn husbands sons ah'
brothers without show of grief; Parh
is in mourning for her lovers, SO ParE
wears black and her lovers ma /
charming.
And black does suit Paris. There wa
always in peace times, ! used TO hhu
something garish about Paris; she al
fected the colors Of the south Withou
being southern enough to wear then
naturally. Paris fashions always SCENE
a bit too fashionable; there was Away
little bit of extra color IN the Wroh
place, and a little bit of extra color o.
cheeks and lips to match II. Ana
was always put on, the clothes ana III
paint, with the obvious intention
catching the eye, Of forcing you |
look twice to see if there was trul
anything charming behind II all FarL
in sum, was STACEY.
The crude colors have gone toda!
and with them the cruder paint. Fo
the first time one can see now goo
looking Paris is, all Paris-ior the Iar
sienne is always symbolical of her cit,
Paris, like London, in Its way ma
gone back to the days when electrlc'
street signs were as rare as painte
faces Even the taXicabs look as
they belonged to period before sue
things were known. AS Tor the TAX
drivers, and everyone else in slnlls
stations Of life they seem to have 10
gotten one of two things, either th'
there is a war on or that there was eve
peace. London does not forget
Difference in temperament is the cor
mon eXplanation but the fundament
cause of the difference between LondC
and Paris is historical diiferen'
OF experience. London has never h;
war brought home to it since the DutC
sailed up the Thames, never inde,
so thoroughly home to it since Eth'
reds galleys tied themselves to u
trestles of London bridge and pull
it down in order to recapture the ci
from the Danes. But Paris has liv
through many wars and the siege
Paris is still recalled by many HVln
My taM-drlNerS, pOrIeTs' shopheePe
and others to whom l talked, shrugg
their shoulders and really had nothil
TO say about the war, and smiled
credulously if you asked about peace
But there is another side to Pa
in war time, another feature which c;
ual visitors are apt to overlook in
somewhat cynical comparison with TX
don, a side Of which one sees nothi
but which has an immense influence
tipcaf ting aOV pXDpC