The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-15
TOpekan Writes to Topeka
Friends About Paris.
French Capital Makes a Won
derful Change ErOm 1918.
1000 TROOPS THERE A WEEK
Fifty Fifty TOwn-MOyie Titles
in Two Languages.
The Walters Talk English-All
Welcome to Soldiers.

Lieut.. Earl Wingart, formerly with
the State Journal and the Associated
Press in Topeka, known to his famil-
lars as Pink" has written a letter
about Paris, as he sees it. He writes:
"The Paris of February. 1919, was far
different from the Paris of December,
1918. 1t is more an American center
now than ever before in its history.
Yesterday I walked almost the entire
length the Grand boulevard, which
changes its name every two blocks,
and for every three Frenchmen l saw
there were two Americans. When one
realizes that there are 1000 troops in
Paris each week on leave, a great
number of officers and men on duty
with the peace commission. Americans
passing thru from one part of France
to another-for all roads still lead
thru Paris basketball teams and SOL
der theatrical troups en- tour; to say
nothing of war correspondents, maya
zine writer's, and civilian experts of all
kinds 1t is not hard to understand the
change in the city.
-Paris is a 'fifty-fifty' town. By
that mean that it is half French and
half English, for you know there are
just as many Britishers, Australians
and Canadians in Paris as Americans.
When you go into motion picture
theater. expecting to enjoy the pic
lures even if you cannot read the
titles, you are agreeably surprised
when the first title page shows both
French and English. And most of the
pictures are American made, so you
see your favorite star very often
speaking a perfectly good 'fifty-fifty'
conversation to the tunes from an ex-
ceilent French orchestra. At the thea
ters-the popular ones particularly
you are again confronted with the
same combination of French and Eng
1ish. The comedian will say some
thing in perfectly good English, and
will be answered by the chic come
dienne in her best Partisan style. Then
the pony ballet will do a few turns to
the tune of a real American jazz.
Talk in English.
''In most of the cafes you will be
greeted with Bon soir, monsieur,
what will you have?' all in the same
breath. I'll tell you these French are
smart. They know the Americans
have money and will spend it. 1t
would not be an exaggeration to say
that almost every Frenchman in Paris
carries an English-French dictionary.
In most of the shop windows you Will
see signs like this: English spoken
1t tickles the vanity of the average
American and he tumbles over him
self to buy. And even If he hasn't
this evidence of his home country he
would have a hard time passing the
alluring Paris shops. They have an
unbelievable drawing power, even for
the doughboy. who only has few
francs left in his o. DIS and another
day before his leave expires.
Gets Into No Trouble.
eff the people back home have any
misgivings about what the soldier does
when in the worlds greatest city, they
can rest assured that he does not, get
into trouble. The average private
hasn't much money to spend in the
first place and neither do most of the
officers. In the second place there
are Red Cross and Y. NJ. C. A. hotels
and rest rooms for him to live in, spe-
cal sightseeing tours and the like for
him to spend the time with, and beau
coup military policemen to steer him
away from snar6s
"Official Paris is up to it's neck in
work connected with the peace con-
ference, which is made additionally
hurdensome by the wild rumors of one
kind and another that fly about
Newspaper men there told me that
they spent half of their time running
down tips that proved to be of no
foundation. Then in addition to all
this there is always some prince
count or something, making an Off
cial visit. President Wilson attending
the opera. or Lloyd George leaving for
England.
''All of this makes Paris one seeth-
ing mass of humanity which lodges
with utmost skill to keep from being
run down by those famous. flighty
funny taXicabs, which rattle. wheeze
thump and bump along in a most dis
orderly manner"