Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-20

rifices they have been forced to bear
through the inevitable collapse of the
time honored fetish OF the old diplo-
macy and the balance Of power.
The common folk do not know that
ii was the balance of power that
bred the conditions under which they
suffered so terribly But they do
know that the president has promised
them something to prevent recur-
renee of those awful experiences.
But Paris has its bright side these
times There is the rain for. instance
II rains all the time with cheerful per-
siStency; now n drenchmg downpour
that soaks the raincoats of the
doughboys. who supply quite two
thirds of the soldiers seen on the bout
levards, ana now a clinging drizzle
that covers the sidewalks with Il
greasy mud of highly adhesive quail
lty. A leading French publicist wrote
in the Matin the other day, pla!ntively
appealing to the authorities to restore
Paris to what she was when the most
attractive of all the continental CAPT
tails in all the amenities Of life She is
endless array of notabilities from all
quarters. she should he suitably
swept and garnshcd for their recep-
ton.
Inc sidewalks have fallen into
grievous disrepair during the war
Asphalt is missing in large patches,
bearing a substratum Of clayey rubble.
These patches become miniature
lakes through which You wade in the
evening. Then the wood paved road
ways consist almost entirely of holes
along whose uneven surface the
taxis bump increasingly their rickety
bodies and still survive. Naturally
enough Paris had no time or labor
for laying new roads during the war,
but the publicist who was trying to
stir up the authorities on this matter
now is a giver Of Wise counsel, Then
there is the mia excitement to be
gained by standing On the quays to
see the Seine steadily ana ominously
rising the muddy flood racing under
the bridges whose arches it swept
away in January, 1910.
This is spectacle that evokes
highly agreeable "reminiscences for
those who saw Paris at that period
with the burst sewers, the inundated
subway system and the wreckage of
waters had subsidized Since then the
embankments Of the Seine have been
raised and this year the river must
overtop all records TO repeat its per-
Torrance of 1910.
The Palais D'Orsay where the
peace conference is to hold its sittings
when it finally comes into being, is
Just on the river bank, which was
NJ
hardly need cold douche of this
description to reduce its temperature
to normal.
1ark of Ordinary Commodities.
While the Paris restaurants have
recently had lots Of food of every
Kind except butter and sugar, there
commodities in the shops. Many Of
them only offer a Barmecide feast.
There are fascinating patisseries
without any cakes, seductive creamer-
les without any cream, Inviting tobac-
co shops without any tobacco and pa
latial chocolate shops without any
chocolate. when any of these arti-
cles is. available your have ocular dem
onstrations of,-thc fact in lengthy
checks at their doors
But there is at least one feature
of Partisan life that provides unfail-
ing joy--the invisible gayety of the
people at all times and under all
circumstances. Now that peace has
come, whether to stay or not Is an
ether matter nothing can damp their
ebullent high spirits. Their capacity
for enjoyment, whether at the table
or at play or in the streets, is a
heaven-sent gift. Resardless of the
worst the rain can do they throng
into boulevards crowd the cafes, cram
the theaters and all the time they
seem to be the happiest. lightest-
hearted best humored crowd it is
possible to imagine.