Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-27
WILL SON SEES SPOTS
Continued from page !


Mr. Wilson, who responded quite IN
formally. He then drove on towards
Rheims. passing along the old battle line
between long lanes Of barbed wire entangie~
nents now rusting away m the first winter
of reace: between long muddy trenches
reaching over the hills and down into
holows as far as the eye could see, ana
mast the wrecks of dugouts, ammunition.
dumps. aviation sheds, hospitals, barracks
and all the other litter left by tho de-
feated enemy IN bis flight.
prsoi.Afton on EVERY HAND.
American, ~ well ~ French, graves lay
along the roadside. There we're German
graves too. Desecratcd cemeteries were
found in many cases There was a constant
panorama of destroyed or charred vine
yards, gardens and homes.
The President was welcomed at Rheims
by the n ayor and q committee ~ whom
Mr.. Wilson explained that he bad not come
to the devastated regions sooner because
ne had been wholly engaged at Paris with
the business Of making peace.
5000 or $50 900 PEOPLE LEFr.
Before going 10 the cathedral, he passed
through the streets of deserted city which
was once the home Of 1900 people, but
where less than 1000 now are seeking out
an existence among the runs lie visited
Red Cross canteens where hundreds of
/ destitute persons are fed night and day,
and the hospital where the SICK and IN
Jured are cared for
/ a light blanket Of snow covered the
/ ground as the President drove up TO the
| cathedral and Rheims, ravished and
naked m all It's misery and desolation,
+ looked ike q graveyard in the moonlight.
/ There were more crows IN the air, circling
+ over the ruined town, than there we're
/ human beings below the Uttered IN streets
nRtYr CARDINAL GREETED PRESIDENT.
| Cardinal Lucon. Archbishop If Rheims,
/ who stood sfeadfasfly by his charge for
/ four Years during which firne scarcely
a day passed without a German shell
/ hurting death into The cify, met The Presi-
dent ~ the fence of rough boards which
now excludes curiosity seeEeFs and en-
closes the rubbish into which this most
historic edlfce has been reduced The
Cardinal conducted Mr. Wilson n the
nave Of the cathedral, where in 1914 the
Germans during their short occupation Of
the city placed their wounded and then
being forced to ovacute. burned their men
to death by incendlary shells that fred the
roof, but did not damage the vault.
NOBLE AIT woRKs ALL CONE
AT over the tagging, worn smooth
through the years BY millions Of feet bring
ing Frenchmen - an hours devotion, were
piled heaps of rubbish, remnants q
| st9tuary and frescoes and fragments u
columns and sculptures which were ac-
counted the most perfect and complete
examples Of Gothic art As the President
and the Cardinal stood together looking
inward while the Prelate briefly re-
fAt- So ss,Ff az ant
destruction they looked straight through
Ia the clonded sky The snow furry that
was covering the barc runs Of the city
outside vas also laying o blanket inside
the cathedral.
sEEs RUINS THROUGH VEIL oF snow
The chalky stone of Champagne. of
which the cathedral was built, y sealing
of from the effects Of German fire and
the falling snow fakes were mixed with an
almost constant dropping of fragments.
Pausing a moment before the scene Of the
cr7lcifixion above the north door, and
before the painting Of the coronation Of
the virgin. over The central door. Mr..
Wilson silently viewe6 the destruction
wrought un0n Hose masterpieces ~ the
burning II The scaffoldinG when the Ger
mans set FIRE 10 he roof ri the edifice.
The President followed the Cardinal 70
the ruins of the chapel where 0ld-tlme
kings watched through the night at the
tine Of their amounting and 10 the runs
OF the museum where priceless Flemish
tapestries were ruined. He was shown
where thousands of shells thrown from
German batteries on two sides burst
among the buttresses which support tht
main structure and where forests o
J sculptures which ornament the structure
have been SCARED, niGked and torn by
fragments from the big shells.
VIEWS sHELL-RIDDLED Last JUDGMENT.
} Then the cardinal took him outside
and they picked their way through run
, bish heaps TO q point from which the,
could view the sheli-rlddled painting o
, the Last Judgment above the south door
J the symbols from Moan ark about IN
) great shattered rose window, the Statu
OF st Anne and dozens of other works 0
art OF which virtually none escaped.
As they left the cathedral, the cariLna
gave the President q stained glass pane
\ from one oi the windows taken down L
time to save it. The panel is unscarred
1t IS circular and about three feet Il
5 diameter. 1t shows a figure OF the Saylo
e done in many colored glass Of the earl.
; centuries.
{ From the cathedral the President drov
. to view the runs Of the town hall,
e spacious specimen of the Rendissanc
/ stvle Of architecture, and the PalaI
I Royale, an eighteenth century edIhce
{ These TWO, with the cathedral, comprise
/ the most celebrated historical memorial
$ Of Rheims, and NOT one has escaped.