Omaha daily bee., 1919-01-02
Versailles Peace Palace
General Felix Angus in Baltimore American.

he palace OF NerSallleS is a marvel IN archl-
tecturat art and even today stands above all
others as an example of the French renaissance,
spacious and grand in all its appointments.
Its avenues and courts so planned as to give
one an uninterrupted view OF the marble build
ngs, which today are to house the great dplo-
mats from all countries, who assemble 10 dis
cuss the terms of settlement of affairs in Cen
trail Europe.
Built upon perfectly level plain. the great
chateau is surrounded by grounds which, includ-
ing its surrounding parks and forest formerly
connected with the famous estate of St Cloud
represent thousands of acres. On its parade
grounds alone army OF many thousands
might easily be drilled. The Field of Honor, as
the name suggests, is the spot where the king
availed himself of the opportunity to show off
his newly equipped troops, whose costumes were
always the envy of other countries
Versailles has always been the home OF the
BourbonS The site was selected by Louis XIV
who, after the success of his army against the
Germans wished to do something to impress his
foe and indeed, all Europe with the grandeur
of France. Every hall, every court every ave-
nue. bears name to commemorate the deeds of
his arms, whether the name be that of great
general or that of some conquered town or
country
With its many appointments and its great
acreage, Versailles is everything in one-a
d
as it is today really the Museum of France The
library contains more than 100000 volumes;
while on holidays and fete days thousands flock
to the wonderful gardens to enjoy its beauties,
not the least of which are the wonderful foun-
tains which only play on those days for the
benefit OF the masses.
Passing through the famous golden gates
leading from the Court of Honor the visitor
Gee hat he o.
the victories of the creator of the palace He
sees. too, the huge equestrian statue of Louis
himself which seems to give welcome to this
chef doeuvre of his reign, which cost France
more than S400.0OO00O. But what mattered the
cost so his majesty and his court favorites were
comfortable and happy. And who could not be
happy il the midst of such splendor on the in
side. with a surrounding park generously sup
piled with game of every description to crafty
the taste OF the hunt-loving element of the royal
household?
Great as Versailles was thought to be during
the reign Of Louis XIV the reign of his success
sor saw the palace still further enlarged and en-
riched One of the first things Louis XIV did was
to build remarkable chapel not so much for
his personal edhcation or glory as to crafty the
whim of some of his lovely favorites, among
them the stately Madame de Pompadour and the
witty, fascinating Du Barry were undoubtedly
the most influential over the king. Those love-
~
and ntrigues. were not lacking in certain kind
of religious devotion. and it was for these Louis
XIV built the richly decorated chapel which still
calls forth the admiration of all visitors.
When the peace assembly meets in the Hall
of Mirrors to discuss the terms of settlement by
which justice shall be done to the nations who
have paid so dearly during the great world war
and to mete out proper punishment to those re-
sponsible for the terrible sacrifices that have
been made and the desolation that has marked
the patti of the invaders. the voice Of our own
President Wilson will be heard and its echoes
will be added to those which will continue to
ring down through the ages.
Another of the great attractions of Yer
sales is the Hall of Battles, where are the won
derful paintings on which France has spent
many millions, paintings each one of which SYM
bolizes her deeds of war and each bearing a
name high in the art annals of the country The
same gallery also contains wonderful statuary
of Frances great men, so that with its royal
apartments. its library. its museum and its mar
velous works of art in oils and marble the
palace is world in itself-one which the visitor
cannot easily forget.
The 400 jets of water which have made the
fountains of Versailles famous the world over
fall upon myriads of statues representing every
character known to mythology, all executed
with the same skill as is displayed in the paint
ings and statuary inside the palace Thousands
of brilliant, sweet-scented flowers which lend
their beauty and fragrance to the scene. COM
bine to make of it perfect paradise. Grottoes,
too, are hidden here and there and everywhere
about the grounds, while on every side are won
derful vistas that enchant the eye.
Indeed it is to be questioned whether the
Temple of Solomon itself at Jerusalem was
more splendid or more attractive, though with
4 e.. @,a
temple of Bible history must needs have been
on more commodous scale even than Yer
saies. Then, too, Solomon lived in an age when
it was not safe for a monarch to go outside OF
his walled domain, while the kings of France,
on the other hand, under the guard regime of bis
day, could extend his domains almost ad libitat,
and there was nothing to stop him in his am.
biton to make Versailles the greatest abode OF
royalty in the world.
The Grand and Petit Trianon, too, are scarce
1y less interesting than the great palace proper,
for they are really architectural bouquets and,
occupying most secluded spot in the great
park, afforded delightful retreat, where the
might play at being dairy maids, shepherdesses,
little bo-peeps or other pastoral characters to
their hearts content.
Little did Louis the Great imagine when he
planned all that magnlfcence which made him
the envy of all other monarchs that the NAL
contents of France would ever make it a rem
devious in which the more easily to trap royalty
and so have an excuse for the discords that rup-
tured those pastoral dongs for here it was at
the Trianon that Louis XVI and his youthful
Marie Antonette, finally realized them
selv~s in the midst of volcanic disturbance in
stead of the veritable paradise they had believed
it.
With Paris only few miles away and the
country financially ruined the king and his fol-
lowers were living in luxury and extravaganza in
a palace that had cost the country many mil
lions II was in the days before the telegraph
or telephone, and even steam was still unknown,
so that Versailles might have been loo miles