Imperial Valley press., 1918-03-09
FRENCH CITY IS
AMERICANIZEO
'asc of the American Troops Is
Transformed Erom a French VIII
large Into Modern American
l.v, So Far as Possible-Store-
keepers Learning English.
(By Associated Press)

4 Port in France. March 9.-As faf
j, is possible To Americanize any
iench city. this base of the AH2er-
IN armies has undergone the pro
.s~ since the first roops arrived last
une. Collectively, it talks English
lite fluently-muyh more 50 than
ne visitors speak French At any rate
and its shops have taken Oh an
american air.
Likewise the months have luietec
ne eXuberauce th~t expressed i.Seli
"A iammcd and crowded streets and
.afes, noise and ezhiHtation at the
me Of the arrival Of the first Amer
AN troops. This in part ean be laid
the fact that about nine ,tenths of
he city has been placed out Of
ounds" for all not equipped with spe-
lial passes; so that the olives" and
5ther undesirable establishments that
t one time threatened to spring up
ave died of inanition.
Scarcely a store now but flaunts its
wares with tags and comments in
english, and the storekeepers have
Jrofltcd by the constant succession
IF American customers to learn 4 far
brand of English. Nine out of ten OF
hem at least are able to conduct
'ale in English, while not one OF ten
/ the customers could get what h
anted il he had to rely OIL French
Some Of the English, OF course, is
jagged, and a compendium of the
slgns displayed in the main street
nops would furnish an excellent "a
IS for a treatise on 'Enn'nsh a. she
writtaa.' There IS, for example,
he "House Taking Charga OF Par
els: Eve. yone get a receiyed,' which
les adjacent to the store featuring 4
model warmly clad in what the pro-
prietor fondly believes is ''Tranchs
Coat Thus large notion and curjo
tore, situated on a corner, has paint
ed both facades to represent double
American fiag,With a single center.
aieJe containing the stars OveY the
door at the corner. The topmost stripe
IN hoto sides bears the inscription
Souvenirs, Don't Forget Her" Occa-
s.5naHy the advertisements don't
say quite what was intended, evcr
though they tell the truth, as, fer in
lance, the sign over store which
reads Money Taken Here"
Such announcements as "American
Breakfasts, I to 9 a. M and "Ice
Cream" appeal,
The naval element is perhaps most
conspicuous by It's absence. In June
and July the streets swarmed with
naval officers and sailors frcm the
hattleships and cruisers thac formed
,art Of each convoy.
More and more the city has come
undor the vise-like control Of the
American authorities No resident
even may send a telegram to any
point in France without submitting it
to a local censorship that has been
created at the suggestion Of the
Americans. The censor IS the local
police commissioner and he passes on
all French messages that are not
Likewise his stamr is oD-
ligatory for kilograms IN English,
but he will not WELD the stamp un-
til the American authorities have
passed upon the matter.
No single Individual leaves the city
by train without submitting to an eX-
animation. Papers of Identification,
n many cases written official per-
mission to leave, are necessary. The
civilian falls inevitably into tie hands
Of the Jealous French who are CO.
with the Americans, while
The man in uniform, especially the
American Khaki wearers, are handled
by our military police.
Early last July the French, at the
suggestion Of the Americans, laid
down exceptionally severe rules for
the cafes, limiting to the lowest con
ceivable point-for France-the hours
during which men in uniform might
be allowed in all public houses.
Later in the summer the Frencl
government issued rules governing
the sale Of spirituous liquors for al
France. The two combine by chance
in such a way that drinking for the
soldiers is virtually out Of the ques,
tion at any hour, even for those lin
tied few who are able to obtain passe
to come into the "out Of bounds" por
tion Of the city that comprises all o
the cafes.
The soldiers are, on the whole, ir
tensely popular with the inhabitants