Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-04-14
ISLANDER ATTENDS OPERA AND SEES
QUEEN OF ROUMANTA AND DAUGHTER
WHO ARE PRESENT IN NEARBY BOX

Fourth street, writes of a trip Il
Paris, to his parents as follows:
"Lintgen, March 21.-The third o
March Rudolph Johnson and wen
to Paris on a three-day leave, tina
is, three days in Paris, and not IN
Guiding the days it took us to e
and come. We were gone eight days
in all. Paris is certainly in class
by itself 1t is a very interesting
place to wisit- would like to spend
a year there if only had the time
and francs. 1t is worth all we spent
there. We could have gone any
where in the allied countries, but
we chose Paris, because when you
| have seen it you might say you have
seen all Europe at once.
ION our way going to Paris we
| stopped off at Luxembourg and for q
few hours looked at the beautiful
scenery around the city. That was
some of the scenery we have seen
since we have been across. We
! caught a train for Metz and spent
about four hours and a half OF
sightseeing; that is another fine
place. In the evening we took a
train for Nancy and stayed there
overnight in hotel. We could have
spent a couple of days there, but
! wanted to save as much time and
money as we could for Paris.
AT SIS of the fourth we took the
rapid express to Paris, going by
way of TouI, Barbecue, Commercy,
| Epernay (where champaign is
made) and Chateau Thierry. where
our marines and Thirty-third
doughboys won their fame Chau-
teau Thierry is pretty well shot up,
as are all the rest of the towns
around that vicinity, but not as bad
as were Very, Avecourt and other
places in the Argonne.
I'VE arrived in Paris at Sis that
evening and we registered in at the
depot and were told to report at a
place not far distant where we were
to receive further orders. We left
the depot and had not walked a
block until we were all turned
around. Well, we kept inquiring of
different ones until about dusk we
found the place we were looking
for, got our orders and were told
where we could get something to
eat and a room. We got a meal at
the Red Cross and looked high and
low for a room, even taking the
metro out to the edge of town, but
couldn't find a place to sleep, so
finally gave it up as a bad job.
I'VE got the metro back to the st.
Dennis station on the Rue Italienne
and promenaded along that famous
boulevard. That night happened to
be Mardi Gras and they certainly
carried on some When we got tired
of walking we would sit down on a
bench and watch the people. 1t GER
tainly was night of merry-mak-
ing. We finally went down to the
ST. NaZaire depot and laid down on
a bench in the Red Cross canteen
and spent the night there. AT z
we were on our way up to the Y to
making the morning sightseeing
trip. From Sis until II we visited
what they call the Latin district.
That included the Metropolitan
cathedral, the Luxembourg art insti-
tute, Luxembourg university and pal
ace and the beautiful sunken garden
and grounds that surround them.
ALSO saw what is left of the old
Roman emperor's baths. They are
stone buildings and are moss COW
cred and decayed from the weather
and long years of standing. In the
cathedral is a small opening in the
wall and on the floor in certain
place is a brass rod inlaid and at
a certain hour the sun shines
through the opening and strikes
this brass rod. They say that is
how the people of years long past
knew the time of day. The tapestry
and paintings in the Luxembourg art
academy were great, also the
sculptoring was very realistic. Some
of the work was finished up to such
a fine degree that you could see the
color in the fnger-nails and toe
nails and also in the eyes and faces
of the figures. These pieces of work
rest here for four years and then
the best ones are chosen for the
Louvre institute and the rest sold.
That afternoon we went out to
Versailles, where the palaces of
Louis XIV and Napoleon are locat-
ed. We spent the afternoon going
through the many different rooms,
which were very fine, every room
having beautiful paintings and de-
signs on the ceiling and walls. Some
of the rooms also have fine tapes
tries in them and in others were
the beds and other furniture used
by the kings and queens. Saw the
hall of peace, which is about 500
yards long by hundred wide, in
which the peace treaty will be sign
ed / saw and touched the table on
which it will be signed. Right next
to this monstrous hall is one about
a third as big, which is the hall of
war. Both these rooms are magn1f1- |
Gently decorated with gold molding, |
and paintings. In the hall |
of peace on the inner walls just op- |
posite the huge windows are large |
mirrors which reflect the light, |
the room lighter.
Then from the ceiling hang large !
chandeliers with different shaped |
pieces of glass hanging down, which |
also throw the light The ceilings |
are very high. In another room !
about as large as the peace hall are
paintings of battle scenes since the |
year 700 and up to 1900 and after.
The paintings are on the walls and |
the figures in them look just like |
real people We visited the gardens |
and woods that surround this. They |
we're so beautiful a person would !
have to write a book to describe |
i II 4