The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-30

| lIaHNP A'rNA Nf''' 'Fl'N lEIl'H $40 't'A.
Britain. Canada and Australia All.
rights reserved for France, Belgium,
Holland, Italy, Spain, Russia and the
scandinavian countries)
The weather seemed to grow colder
with each day, a veritahie frOid de
loup tWOlf-coldl. as the French say
The corridors Of the legation resouud-
ed with the sound Of hammer and saw
as GustaNe packed up the archives,
and there were callers in such throngs
as We had not known since those Nu-
gust days OF 1914, men asking fer news.
men to bid farewell. members Of the
{. X. Il. come to have their passports
put in order. Among the callers one
morning was NJ, Louis Franck, the elo-
quent deputy and acting hurgomdstrr
of Antwerp. the leader of the Flemish
movement in Belgium, "a striking man
in appearance, Franck, with his full
reddish beard; he could he eloquent
and convincing in four languages, He
came on behalf of the provincial COM
mittee Of Antwerp to ask me to re-
main.
Your presence will he a comfort TO
the People lac generously said They
will be less hungry with you here than
with You away. In remote villages in
Flanders humble folk are PRAYING to-
uiEht that you remain
His musical voice. like some deep
toned instrument Of man melOdiOus
Strings, the rich, rolling accents in
which he spoke French, made his plea
very moving
Even If the relief work continues,
stay with us, for the moral comfort
you viii give us will be good
Count Won Moltke continued to send
me my CabIegrams, and finally the i'm
portant one arrived. the long one in
structing Inc to turn American inter-
ests over to Nillalobar. to leave Bel
E1nm nj nnRn aud IY,F..I TO fT.,Fr.
ana take up my residence near the
Belgian government, there were many
details as to closing the four C~OnsuIates
in Belgium, MIR Deiderich, the consul
general at Antwerp, Mir. Johnson, con
sui at Client, MIR. ~Ileingartner. consul
AZ ilese, were TO accompany me. Mr.
watts, consul general at Brussels, had
gone to America in January and was
already happily out of it all, Nasmith,
vice consul, was To 60 to Amsterdam.
But this dispatch. altered by another.
a correction Of the correction we had
received a few DAYS before, authorized
me to remain in Brussels.
When LanCken returned from Berlin
| went at once to see him, lie received
me cordially and. seating himself at
his Uttered desk. said that the run
ture In diplomatic relations had grcatly
surprised him and. as if he felt again
the shock Of that surprise, he sank
| t'"Nh ~ HlN tlldlI ana IlQllR un MS
hands ana exclaimed: "And great heav-
ems! Why? TO what purpose"
HIS blue eyes fixed me with their
question and he went on:
was expecting a very strong pro-
test, yes! But not this"
| thought that there were vet other
surprises In store for those minds AT
Berlin that had SO persistently misun-
derstood America and Americas char
acter, and that of her patient presi-
dent, but the time was past for any
explanation of mine to avail. What Of
the relief work? | asked.
The baron wished me to remain, and
ne said That the encouragement would
be grateful II | should remain.
But In what capacity?
On, evidently not AS minister; he
made that clear, but as, shall we say,
honorary chairman Of the C. r. 81
Ihey would consent to half a dozen
members of the commission remaining
to supervise the work, say, Gregory
and Grey and some others, pertains
ituddock and Consul-General Diederich,
Tie would feel in my presence an as-
surhnce and would personally assume
the responsibility for my treatment,
lhe freedom of the men in the C. II. b.
would meanwhile be restricted, thcy
could no longer have the use Of theiJy
motor cars. And besides, he would per
mt himself merely to mention the Fact
lnat since my nation had broken off
diplomatic relations with Germany
was guilty of "A diplomatic incorreCtion
IN Keeping my flag flying on the lega-
| suspected that in this last ohserva 70
uon he had etiquette and usage MI on
ms SIDE, but as | listened to ali the rest
| grew sick at heart, for under the
conditions he proposed we could not
WIN dignity remain, and | knew the
processes Of German thought SO well
tHdt l nhd little hope. after that, of
our reaching an agreement that would
insure me continuance OF the relief.
Inc conversation so far as many prac-
liGai ends were concerned, had been
all futile. | asked the baron TO MT his
proposal IN writing, and went away.
A. sent for Gregory and told him of
me oftlcial attitude with respect 10 tho
{. K d. and he decided to cable Hoover
at once Gray was going out to Rot
tefdam that afternoon, he could Sand
the dispatch from there. The threat
was unexpected. however little there
was in the rest to surprise us, for
Gregory had been told that the whole
Of the c, II. Il. could remain with All
their privileges u%nimpaired. and Gree'
DRY had already sent seven mon FROM
the north OF France back ia thotr
posts, "
We were very much disturbed and
and ron IL TO SSmaL we could do.
in search Of some ultimate criteri@n
took down ana dGstca an old vOlun,a'
and read the treaty between Arericn
and Prussia, with no more satisfaCl
ton, alas than that Of the
and perhaps patriotic pieasura wo
could take in the English in Which ",
was written. j was there, "Hown
beautiful ii Ia, And clear. what stvioW'
he said. ''S'e'
Yes" I replied. 'It was vr,tter nv
BENJAMIN Franklin" ~ W
But even the wisdom of Poor pioh.
ard was %unayatlinp in those 40 We, yt,
must seek some practical so1itinn ~,
a situation which even his sagacit,,
could not foresee. '"e"Oi'
Young Herter's nrohlem U.,s sNt+lea
at any rate for that evnnirr Tho Ca
mans sent him passnorts tn ,oayo vi,
Switzerland Mr. Gerard wos ieoo yinH,
Berlin that evening ana az TJorte,. na
attached to the Reriin embassy W,
must 20 with his chief ma tbn u -,
that accomnanie5 ne naserorts "Gl
Her,cr 10 % az SOON as nos.ihie n
ala nat stand ,,rnp tho nrInr @, nt
going INT was or by nm ooriv ~ ~,