Evening journal., 1918-02-26
BY LILLIAN CHESTER.
Copyright, 1918, by the Newspaper En-
terpriSe Association

terprise ASsOciatiOn).
PARIS, Feb. 26.-One can never ouite
decide whether these smart little suap.
py children OF France have been copieo
from the fashion magazines, or wheth.
er the fashion magazines have copied
from the children
To begin with as soon as fhev're
able TO walk, they know how 10 wear
their clothes.
The Frenchwoman's inbOrn knack of
putting on a bonnet jauntlly is in fhe
iiniest girl toddler; the boy has the
same jauntiness. and If he is the proud
possessOr Of military cape. be sure
that one corner Of it flaunts dashingly
over his small shoulder, to reveal the
gay lining
On day when there is a lifting of
'he mlsts which envelop Paris in the
winter, and the sun comes out. and fhe
very air glows as il 10 were fun of fine
spun gold, 1t is a JOY 10 walk on the
Champs-Elysees, for the children are
laughing there
That walk Is like turning over the
pages Of a brightly colored picture
book.
The luminous lacework Of the trees.
quantity mingled traflc, the throngs OF
queerly assorted people on bench and
pave, the vendors, the park swings and
merry y-go-rounds, form the border em-
bellishments; but the pictures, those
bright splashes Of vivid color here and
there and everywhere, are the children
There's wee girl In a yellow coat
a tawny yellow, but as warm as the
sun itself just before It turns crimson
In the western sky.
Absurdly short is that coat, and the
skirts beneath it. ending we'll above the
knees, and revealing two long. lean
little legs in smart white leggings
On the top Of her heSi, right In the
midst Of her glossy black curls, a round
patch Of a skull cap. with O saucy
iassle bObbing about one ear.
Prim and sedate, she stands on a big
SNOWFALL, and forms about all the tab
leau which could be put in so small
space.
Only an instant Of that wonderful
pose, then there's a flash OF yellow
throush the air. and she's racing up
The avenue after a diminutive boy in
red rlilitary pants. his toy gun in one
hand and her doll in the other
There are tiny blobs-of darting color
in all the shades Of pink and blue /:
there are violets and grays and glori-
GUS greens.
And there's a little girl in scarletl
There's another onel No. there arc
three Of them. all exactly the same
lie, all dressed exactly alike. all with
absurdly long lean legs stretching far
down from absurdly short skirts. all
pink-cheeked. red-lipped, sparkling
eyed, and each with a small dog led by
a scarlet strap.
Deep in the delights Of Follow my
leader" are these three; but it's a slow
game, because each of the dogs, in his
turn. must get up on the bench and
circle twice and get down again. with
out exactly understanding why. Some
times dogs are more or less dumb.
There's another youngster with
wooden gun. Oh yes, rather q cheap
wooden gun, for even the kiddies are
doing without things on behalf OF The
big war; but they're not being de-
prived: they're making sacrifices. and
know that they're doing IT, and are
proud Of itl
Guns are especially popular these
past few years with small boys. This
one has on the velvet "tam" Of a poilu
and he walks with quite an air Of re-
sponsibility for a person who Is only
i've. He's one OF the future men OF
France. and seems TO know IT, some
how or other.
10 gives rise TO rather sober rehec-
tion TO note that his mother Is In deep
mourning One might think that the
cause OF that mourning would make
her object 10 a gun as q toy for her
baby and that there might be pain
90 her in the martial stride with which
ne carries it. but nothing Of the sort
Is apparent, for as he says something
10 her he looks up with a laugh, and
she answers with a smile.
Skating in the Bois dc BOulogne
There. with gay knitted caps and warm
mittens and skates over their shoulders
marches a group Of kiddes. the biggest
ones In the lead and the littlcst ones
stretching their legs almost straight
out 90 keep up with the procession.
Strange, there are no sleds. It scarcely
SHOWS often enOugh for that. however.
Here are a couple OF gaminsl 40
change in them anywhere in the
world. Battered shoes, and taitered
knitted caps like Ounce caps iammei
down over their ears. the tassie half
of Of one cap and entirely OF tli5
other, and the invariable knitted muf-
Ter wrapped around the neck. and
streaming over a shoulder or beneath
an arm -or somewhere, but Haunting
with French jauntiness wherever the
ends may be.
Fire-red cheeks. they have. and wide
grins, and a dancing devil in each eye
and they are indulging in the perhaps
unreflned but universally known Joy
of humping each other OF the side
walk
The poor as well as the rich-haVe
right to the Champs -Elysees. AMI
while there may be a difference in the
quality Of their clothes and a differ
ence in the making. there is small dif-
ference in the way they wear them
Small difference. too, in the happiness
Of their faces for the parents Of France
are doing this wonderful thing for their
children. rich and poor and middle
class alike; THEY ARE KEEPING
FROM THEM AS MUCH A. POSSIBLE
THE CHASTITY HORROR OF THIS
WAR.
There are those who have no par
ents The orphans Of France form
great and a constantly growing prob
lem Much has been 00ne toward saw
ing these future generations which
must replenish France; much more
must be done. Those who have given. /
must give, and give. and give again |
for these coming citizens need more
than food and shelter: II they are 10