Arizona republican., 1919-01-12

The following interesting letter has been received by J. H. Lane, 6 West Adams street, from his son, Harry E. Lane:
 Paris, France, Dec. 15, 1918. Dear Folks:
 Feeling sure you will be interested in knowing just how the visit Of the president appeared to me will try and give you a complete description as saw it.
 We were not given a holiday, as We all had reason to expect, but the French were, and such a holiday as it was for them. The people started to gather along the line of march in great numbers as early as o'clock in the morning, and 1 had difficulty in get ting to the office at 9 on the Metro (subWay) because of them. Some 1j or 20 minutes before the president was due 1 climbed upon the roof of our office building Gin company with many other officers and mem, and while this would not have been my place by choice, 1 doubt if I could have secured much better vantage point to see the reception as a whole.
 As practically all buildings in Paris are of uniform height, I could look over the entire city, or rather upon the roofs of the entire city, and they appeared as q vast sea of rolling roofs, each with it's little cluster of chim- neys, a sea unbroken except for the slim spires of church here and there and a massive monument or two. The hills surrounding the city were easily seen as, wonder of wonders, this was q clear day, and they appeared green and pretty in the sunlight, for the weather has been so mild that the grass is still green.
 Directly in front is the Arche de TriOmphe, a picture of which l sent you some time ago, surrounded by a very wide circular street and from which extends the wide Champs Elysee for a mile to the Place de Con- corde. Beyond the Arche, and seem ing to rear itself to the very clouds is the EiffeI Tower, whose mammoth flag is just a thousand feet above the Seine.
 Below is the crowd-a typical Frencr crowd of these days-nine- tenths o1 them in black, but all as cheerful anC gay and restless as so many schoo children. They are packed in a soliC mass on both sides of the street around the Arche over the sidewalks and ad | jacent parlIways to the very edge ot the curb. but there they are held by l a fringe of French cavalrymer 1 (mounted) in a side by side formation | easily discernable in their sky-blut i uniforms and each with a small pen 1 nant at the apex of his lance helC i rigidly and upright. This same forma ] tion continues down Champs Elysee tC 1 the Place de Ia COncOrde, but wha | there 1 cannot say, for it is impossibl, | to see from here. 1 have no doubt tha. i the same rule exists there, for there l is never enough room here for a larg' crowd. and it is rare that such ; crowd as this is seen even in Paris | The only break in the above formation so far as 1 can see, occurs opposite thi! headquarters building. There al 1 American military band and a smal 1 detachment of "doughboys' are drawI
 up side by side in perfect alignmen l and, secretly with me, I am very prouC ! that that band and that detachmen 1 contains exclusively boys from thu
 west. many of them from our own stat' and not a few from Phoenix.
 As to color, there is plenty. Al i buildings around the Arche are pro i fusely decorated with flags-th
 French and Old Glory predominatint
 almost to the exclusion of others AnC
 everyone in the mass exhibits either
 small flag or a bit of ribbon. Then
 too. vendors of gaily colored balloon i for the children and flags and ribbon
 on large boards are liberaily sprinkle
 throughout.
 There is no noise other than tha ceaseless one peculiar to such a mas
 except the steady hum of two gian
 bombing planes sailing slowly over
 head, with once in while a fast scout
 ing machine or two skimming acros
 the sky: until without warning
 cannon shot is heard, signaling tn
 arrival of the presidential train in tn
 station. Though it would hardly hay
 seemed possible. the excitement an
 noise and hubbub of the crowd in
 creases tenfold and henceforth is neve
 quiet until long after the president an
 his party have passed. Canon are fire
 intermittently then throughout tn
 whole review.
 All at once We heard a great nois
 and confidently expected the party { come into view. but all that cam around the corner into the circle of tn Arche was the most scared dog I hay ever seen. He was a large moner,
 racing down the center between, th
 two solid masses of people. AS
 passed everyone would give d yell ( , two to help him on his way, and
 was told afterward by fellow nea the Concorde. Q mile away, that |
 raced past him the same way. loo1in Nairly from cid fn ha ot ff an opening. It was sure amusing. Soon the cheering for the real thin
 was heard, and an automobile with tn indispensable secret service men cam into view followed by either Frenc police or soldiers Gt's hard to tell thel aparD oa bicycles, some 90 of then and they in turn were followed by platoon of these famous Parisia mounted Gendarn1cs with their highl polished helmets with the long horse hair tails and with their very Ion sabres; then came a carriage occupie by the two presidents, ours and Poir caire, then a carriage with Mrs. WiIso and Miss Wilson and someone els and then several carriages occupied | the famous French generals and ol better known ones-Pershing and Il rest. That was all, but such cheerin and waving of handkerchiefs and flas and ribbons you never heard or saw. doubt if this reception was ever e1 ceeded on a similar occasion. for Il French really think more of AmeriC than of any other country. I know | a hundred and one little things tn; are continually happening and by tall ing with them.
 One thing think I forgot that to II was very impressive. When the pres dent passed our boys they gave him wonderfully executed salute The fir