The Colorado statesman., 1919-06-07

It had not been for the war, probably
never would have been given nm oppor-
tunity to visit the beautiful old man
sion on the Potomac hillside. Scores
of regiments of soldiers have been
stationed near Washington from time
to time since war broke out. They
have gone to Mount Vernon from
Camp Meade, from Camp Lee, from
Fort Myer. and from all the other
camps within days journey of the
capital city.
One of the first questions which
the young soldiers. many of them
fresh from schools of the country,
ask when they reach Washington Is
"How can we get to Mount VernonT
The old place where Washington
lived and died is closed to the public
on Sunday This has aroused criticism,
and to many people 1t seems to be
perfectly just criticism. Sunday Is
day of comparative rest in the military
camps and naturally therefore Sun
day is the day on which most of the
soldiers find 1t convenient to visit
the home and the grave of the great
George. 1t is hard to understand why
the rule of peace times has been con-
tinued in war times and visitors still
are shut out from Mount Vernon on
the Lords Day.
At Its Best In the Spring.
The pilgrimages to the Potomac
mansion still are continuing. In this
spring season Mount Vernon is at its
best. The old hedges which were
planted by the hand of George, hin-
self. still are green and flourishing,
and several great trees which as sap
llngs he planted still cast their shade
over the historic mansion.
The soldiers outnumber civilian WIS.,
itors to the place today certainly ten
to one, and it is an agreeable thing
to say that virtually every soldier of
foreign army who has been in Wash
ington with the various missions here
present has made 1t a matter of con
science, of heart, and of interest to
go to Mount Vernon as a mark of
respect to the man under whose hand
the chains of monarchy dropped from
the limbs of the American colonies.
Living in France to Be Better.
A bulletin just issued by the de-
partment of labor carries this head
line: British Housewives Want
American Conveniences."
The department of labor might have
gone farther than this, for it truth
fully could have said that the French
housewives and the Belgian house
wives want American conveniences.
The American soldiers ideas of living
conditions took hold of the men and
women of France. One thing was set
down as truth: When the villages
of France and Belgium are rebuilt.
bathtubs therein will not be Curl
osity as in former days.
The wonder is If Americans who
have not travelled abroad have an un-
derstanding of housing conditions In
France outside of the big cities, and
to d considerable extent in the big
cities themselves.
Everybody read at the beginning Of
the war how amazed the villagers
and the farming people in France
were at the determination of every
British soldier to have n bath daily II
he could get it by hook or by crook
The water-drinking habit of the Brit
ish also was hard for the French and
the Belgians to understand.
Getting Drink in Brest.
One can speak from personal ex-
perience of certain things which hap
pened after the American army got in
to French territory. In a hotel in
Brest it took me forty-five minutes to
get drink of water. l asked young
woman acting as what we would call
bellhop If she would be good
enough to get me a drink, or tell me
where l could get one. Her answer
was question in French:
"What sort of wine does Monsieur
wish?"
When l told her that 1 wanted
drink of. water she looked perfectly
fabbergasted. A request of that kind
probably had not been heard in that
hotel for many moons.
There was consultation of young
women on the subject of how to get
me a drink of water. 1t must be said
that this request was made between
meals. On the French tables there Is
always a caraffe for ornamental pur-
poses, but brought into occasional
use by Frenchmen who like to mix
their water with their light wines,
although the wine Is so innocuous
that n dozen glasses of it will not in
toxicate.
After the consultation was over
glass of water was produced, but the
young woman who gave it to me said
that she didn't think it was quite
fresh.
No Ventilation for Peasants.