The sun., 1919-09-21

War Time Shabbiness Disappears Before the Painter
Brush-Restaurants and Bars Catering Especially to
Our Tastes Continue to Spring Up Despite Fighters
Departure Regain Brilliancy of Old.
PANS, Sept. 2.


u nothing as compared to the
general overhauiing going on in Paris.
both literal and figurative. There is
\ law covering the cities Of France to
the effect that every house must be
repainted once in ten years. but natu-
rally during the war this law has not
been. enforced. and even Paris, the
gem city. had begun looking very
shabby. The proprietoircs. however.
in spite Of the fact OF unpaid rents. are
taking time by the forelock, and while
the summer weather holds out ana
people are away in the country, they
have fallen to with will.
You can scarcely make your way
through a street without having to
pass under a ladder or around It as
your superstitions dictate. and the
familiar war sign dbrts (bomb sheltcr)
hso been replaced by prcnneS 0drde de
Ia peinturo Qooi out for the paint).
The house painter sings as he plies
his brush, the same in France as in
every other country, and that brings
forth the observation that these seem
about the only class of worlSmen who
have not gone on a strike. Why do
painters always sing? Question for
Henri Bergson, or some other OF the
philosophers.
Ham and Eggs Still.
Incidentally, the number of little res
taurants catering specially TO Ameri
can soldiers, which sprang up during
the American occupation, go right on
increasing. The signs OF ham and eggs
and other delicacies dear to the Amer
lean heart still stand in the windows
Of these small places, and others with
their fresh coat OF paint are sprinsing
up daily. These. as well as Paris
herself. are getting ready for the
American tourists. In the meantime
they do not seem to realize that the
Americans are gone. The same may
be said of the American bars, these
latter often luxuriously appointed. If
you attempt to condone with the pro-
prietors, many of them women, they
will only smile with confidence as
they reply. "Mdis lis reUeienderont
Cbut they will come back)."
It is characteristic of the French
people that you seldom know of their
intimate tragedies until they have
passed and rehabilitation sets in. Tlcn
you will hear about it. Not many
strangers, even among those who hav"
lived years in Paris, had any concep-
ton of the panic that ragged on the
eve of the battle of the Marine, nor
of the extent and quantity OF art OBJ
jects removed at that time, until now
these are being brought back and re-
Ilaced in their old settings.
The cathedral glass, for instance, is
now all being replaced including that
8 of Notre Dame and the famous rose
window of the Sainte-Chapelle. to say
nothing Of many others. The hne
paintings by Van Loo Of the time
Of Louis XIV. depicting the life OF st.
Anthony, six in number, are being re-
placed in the Church of Notre Dame
des VICTORIES. Church relics in general
and valuable sacred vessels and treas
ures in gold, many of them set with
precious stones, are all coming back
to their own.
Reincarnation of Museums.
AS for the museums, these had all
been divested of their treasures
Iarnavalet, Victor Hugo, Cluny, the
Luxembourg and the Louvre. Their
coming back has been the occasion for
general .lhousecleaning and re-
Arrangement 1t is an i'll wind
The tragedy of the Louvre on the eve
of the battle of the Marine is worthy
Of special mention. 1t was a real
tragedy this. Each director was re-
sponsible, and he made it his special
pride to see to it that the priceless
objects under he care were put some
where for safe keeping. One of the
directors of the Louvre was III Mt the
time and all his assistants tried to per
suade him to stay at home, but he
would not hear OF it. He insisted or
experimenting the removal of every
thing himself. He slipped on one oi
the marble flights of stairs and struck
the back of his head on one of the
steps, a blow which caused his deatf
shortly afterward.
Can any imagination picture what i
meant to remove billions of dollars
worth of art treasures-Raphaels
Rubens, Titians, Rembrandts, Murillos
Leonardos, including the notorious
Mona Lisa; Greek statuary, including
the Venus of Milo; tapestries, ancien
and historic furniture, gems an(
Jewels, &C.? The large canvases, suci
as David's Coronation of Napoleon a
Notre Dame and the twenty-one bis
Rubens depicting the life of Marie d
Medicis, had to be taken out of thci
frames and rolled up, as no train coul'
accommodate them otherwise. Th'
men all had gone TO the front.
There are two new gilt frames nov
hanging in an entrance of the Louvr'
which contain a list of the employees
killed In the war 1t is long list, an6
most Of these were, perforoe, experts
But in the exigencies Of the momen
old men and women and children ever
were pressed into service, and will
the great pile OF the Louvre Brilliant!
lighted all night they worked as the,
had never worked before.
Trains Had Precious Burdens.
Special trains under steam, waited
at the depots, and these, together witt
army trucks, finally carried thei
precious burdens out Of Paris ant
away to various parts of the south
where all was stored. The Mona Lis;
fcund a refuge in church in Tou