South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-04-14
BY MILAN ALIEN WHITE.

New York.D-Of course IL will be
tho peace Of Paris-the peace that
passeth understan, ne. For no one
understands Paris. Paris is not a
mere city. London is a city. a place
thav has found a soul finally after
many centuries. New York is a
city. a place that is hnding its soul;
Berlin must seem like a place Of
lost souls. and Rome the haunt Of
departed souls. But Paris. this
Paris. mad. wise. innocent. wicked
Joyous. tragic old. old. old, and ever
young. who can understand Paris
Yet here the peace is making; here
the mystery Of Paris. the vague
elusive quality that has made Paris
che mistress OF so many hearts
here something OF Paris viii get in
20 the Peace. For no city in the
world is so insistent as Paris in col
Oring whatever may touch IT, So
i'm these days while the peace is in
the making it may be well 10 con-
slider Paris from many angles.
Now take the matter OF hats; say
Paris hats The windows are filed
these days with the new Easter
styles And so one knows that Paris
still mOurns. For the hats still are
sOmbre; at least the hats in the win
dows are plain, unflowered, still Grab
and gray often one sees dark blue.
sober green's and browns. But sill
yer grays are about the gayest pre-
dominant colors that bedeck the
show windows OF the boulevdrds.
But back Of the windows-on the
quiet. bOOtlegging as one might say
in a dry tOwn-there may one find
color; splashes Of color, great
swoOping red plumes and green, and
daring things in purple and blue.
And sometimes at a private dinner
these bold cOlored flashes flare out.
But never at the opera. never on
the bOulevards. One hears that aft
err easter, they will appear, that
Paris viii bury her dead then and
be gay. But all the long winter of
the armistice Paris has been gray
and quiet. The spirit that made the
hats Of the boulevards has colored
the life OF the town.
Taboo on Public Dancing.
Public dancing has been taboo;
the Americans have danced at the
Aviation club all winter, and little
dances have been concealed Ia GER
tain French homes: but dancing in
general has been considered bad
form. So also the lights in the cafes
have not been bright; for one thing
coal has been scarce and the streets
Of D.rie borro haav oICov,,,r II ,,-F.,
ter. Everything closed UP at eight
and by nine or ten a Pompelian still
ness reigned. At eleven the show
crowds hurried home through the
gloom; all cafes were closed: no
food or drink was sold home was
the only place open Paris isn't
much for the lid: IL covers very lit
tie, but there Is this about the Pari-
sian lid. IT never leaks. And curl
Ously no one CANDLES. The Partisan
papers have nothing 10 say about
the lid; the restricted sale 10 hard
liquors except during meal hours
provokes no clamor, as il would in
America.
And in Germany. when the Am
during the war, France raised her
war costs largely by borrowing mon
ey. England raised skip per cent
of her war costs by direct taxation
America also raised large per
centage of her war costs by direct
taxation. Everywhere in the Allied
world war profits were taxed; in
comes assessed, inheritances clipped
and wealth cut down 10 pay for the
everywhere except in France
France borrowed n the hope that
Germany would pay-a hope which
is rapidly vanishing
SO France Is borrowing money to
meet the interest on her war loans
and the great hotels and restaur-
ants are filled with liberal spenders
the boulevard shops show gorgeous
things at fabulous prices. and prices
rise and rise and rise. and France is
gay. Perhaps II is not Eayety that
makes France seem 80 lively. There
are serious Frenchmen who think ii
IS lshoCk-national war-nerves
You viii hear IL said that France i.
Jazed. that she cannot realize IN,
truth, that she cannot act beCaus,
her viii is paralyzed by the sorrow
through which she has come Thi.
probably is true. But her allies ar,
impatient with her. one hears az
apocryphal story floating about towr
that during the first week Of Lloyd
Georges March visit 20 England. h'
denounced NJ klotz. the French
Minister OF Finance. most vici1usly
md that the English prime minister
called short ugly names 20 the mar
who had allowed France 10 so OF
piung up q great debt with her in
comes and iuheritances and wa
profits untaNed. and the story say
shat n Clemenceau. sat by an,
heard this denunciation OF his owl
minister OF finance without protest
ing And stul NJ. kIctz did not re
sign Nothing OF this appeared il
the Paris papers. Indeed the Frencl
press has not warned t1e people O
the chasm ~ bankruptcy towar,
which they are drifting. for tn
French press is subsidized by tn
government. just as painting an,
music and the other arts are subsid
ICED And ~ Is no business OF a sub
Sidized press GO speak when the gov
eminent desires silence