South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-02-16

American cities stretching block block in towering
colossal ugness. a station adequate needs
of city OF half million inhabitants bestowed upon
Of little than $4,000.
And mile mile, in all directions behind the facade
structure the familiar armory architecture
the latter period of Cleveland earlier period
of William Mckinley stretch endless tracks and srrc
lures. colossal creation surmounted by
statue of Roland, bearing the personal features Of
German governor.
From the station comes into broad avenue
leading in all directions. thanked by still
other colossal buildings hotels. post office banks
the heavy npressively ugly style
We know as modern German But each building, each
broad avenue, hideous in itself, unmistakable
monument German efficiency. the totally Of
effect is unacceptable 1t is as II the German had
solved that the of buildings should a chorus
excaim TO the visitor, Damn stop! You must
that Metz is German, that Germany is greater than
everything else"
METZ MOST
DE,FTANTIY GERMAN
do not know any words that can use TO give the
effect startling almost terrifying completeness Of
this first effect Neither Hamburg nor Berlin nor
Munich would half dehantly Metz
seemed the railroad quarters, seemed from the
region the town. where the German had thrown
the walls of Vaubon levelled bridges off
all familiar landmarks and erected monument after
monument to the great German god Of efficiency.
be the Frenchman has come back in
these regions. n a dreadfully impressive
with of housekeeping German mansions.
I'll recently the home of German generals and colonies
the retired list who Metz old amidst
proud reminders Of conquest by sword and by stone,
which yesterday the of Kaiser
Wilhelm II, derived from statue now disappeared
the French hung a sign Avenue Marshal Foch.'
irony slight One feels rather
the marshal in such strange street
But the square France begins again. One
punges into familiar, winding streets, SET
around architecture Verdun Toul, sights
and even smells France. / know of sudden
shock-for a mile from the station the monument
Germany, nothing but Germany-then OF a sudden one
frontier impressive the between
Mentone and Italy. Following these narrow, winding
streets arrives In the main place and
all its delicate and graceful rises
the Metz cathedral beautiful in little any
cathedral in all France, and French Rheims
Aruens remains, and there in instant is the
trastLthe railroad station with its towering and
Haunting ugliness the German quarters with their
hdeousness and at the other end of Metz cthe
dra in its typcally French with all the charm
simplicity, the inconsequence, the appeal to the
senses which reached by the beautiful contrast
mating past Of the German world behind. / wish 1
could make clear how much of all the story Of the
idea the German purpose, is revealed, forced
upon by a simple promenade from the Metz depot
to the cathedral. The story of the German
quest OF Lorraine IS all written there. You
feel hear; when the German he said, II will take
wretched little provincial French town, and will
make a world city. will give it avenues and parks
and public buildings. will bring it material pros
perity miserable inhabitants; these inferior and