The Washington herald., 1919-04-06

subject. for they had seen war in
all Its phases.
There are sketches by Hsnsi., the
Alsaffan upon whose head the Ger
mans set a price. The authorities
did not admire his choice of subjects
! nor their execution. Afterward, how
ever. he got the croix de la Legion
d'Honneur as an interpreter. the ar
tist being much over age for the
front trench.
There is also Bernard Naudin.
who is more familiar to our young
men as the artist who did the re-
markable picture for the ambulan-
ciers diploma, representing under =
superbly artistic trophy OF flags the
comradeship of the French and
American armies of Washington and
Lafayette on one side and the
broader and II possible even closer
Friendship born Of the spontaneous
response of the American volunteers
,of 1915. all of whom with the
French poilus fought side by side
like lions or served tenderiy like
brothers. helping each other to win
their country's independence or die.
and in the doing earning imperish-
able glory.
Francisque Poulbot Is another
who made humorous sketches while
shells were exploding around him.
and Georges Scott, whose Heroic
Cook" is one of the gems of the
collection. are only among the few
that l noticed as it were on a run.
| The sketches are on sale for the
benefit of those artist-soldiers who
executed them. Sergeant Robert Lor-
tao. the Chasseur Alpin, who has them
In charge, also has contributed to the
] exhibition. and every afternoon he
makes little portrait sketches Of those
| who wish to carry away with them a
more personal souvenir of the occasion
which marks the end of the war and
| the year 1919.
The exhibition Is not a salon" as
NJ. Lortac modestly remarks. But 1t
is splendid display Of the artists
manly courage, who under circum-
| stances of horror and threatening
death could coolly exercise their talent
in order to provide bread for their
women and children at home, whom
they probably might not live to see
once more! Viewed in this light these
sketches are a vindication of the
| artist, who, loving the works of peace,
car rise to the sublime height of man.
try's call with as much pride in his
courage as his plain brother, the now
immortal poilu.
The fact this country Is deprived
of much Information that transpires
over there" now that the armies are
at rest and the world battles are being
fought ''in camera" one has to get the
foreign papers-although these COM
plain that we are favored with Official
news great gods and little fishes) in
order to obtain some true light on the
feelings OF those who are playing the
part of audience in the drama that is
being enacted in the council chamber
The point of view one gets at times
Is upsetting to ones ideas derived
from published inspired accounts. and
as such they are OF interest as afford
ing a glimpse of what is said behind
the scenes set for the far-away pub
lie; at any rate, II shows a lack OF
unanimity as to the part which the
representative of the United States is
playing and as to the soundness of his
lpolicies as they appear to the common
sense Of certain Frenchmen. to whom
no less popular a paper than the FL
garo opens its columns.
| Monsieur Grosclaude, in a serio-
comic article in that paper written
on the eve of the arrival of Presi-
dent Wilson in France, said:
President Wilson is coming to
Europe. He is on his way. His
coming is announced in the same
tone as of yore we said, He will
descend on earth" That is because
we have become accustomed to see
ing him appear on clouds from the
heights of which he speaks to hu-
manity and that makes certain of
us dizzy-those who do not readily
rise.
One must admit, however. that IL
Wilson's word crowns the heights.
his activity is of the earth and
stands by 1t closely. His thought is
formed above the skies as slow
nebula and detaches itself reluc-
family; but suddenly one sees ii con-
densing and dropping to the human
level at the precise point where ac-
ttion Is required. Finally. that
dreaded meteor spreads over the
ground in incontestable benefits
On the day after the reelection