The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-10-13

America, GU can nave no IDEA OF tne oeptn Q
feeling we have for America. The United State
has been wonderful to US, your people and you
ways are easy for US TO understand Certainl
as result of this war there will be uniting o
ideas and genius between France and your coun
try which shall profoundly affect the rest of tn
world" Be that as it may
! These people in Paris and indeed wherever w
go, are marked in their courtesy to American
soldiers. Time and again we have appeared hes
| liant as to a direction when some one woult
step up to us to offer their services. Regular in
terpreters, men, women, knickeredbockered lads
many of the latter three classes speaking some
English. have walked blocks with US and far Out
| Of their way to put us at right destination One
| lad chased with us through the maze of passages
| to different stations of the subway, rode miles
with US to see that we arrived. And then he ran
away when one of US held out coin. One man
who listened patiently to our stumbling French
Comprised" sufficiently to put US on to the right
street car, got himself and paid fare for all
If us Instances Of this kind would fill letter.
But back to the crowds. Shops closed very ear
ly on Monday as by command assent, on Tuesday
by official announcement of a holiday. Mini
aeetes flocked to the streets from their shop and
offices. Pous in their snappy horizon blue uni
forms there were by the thousands. Toward the
evening the gaety would rise to is fullest. One
night be roughly jostled or have his toes stepped
On but it did good to get peeved. No one paid
ttention; no one wanted quarrel "La guerre
'eenish". "C'est las armistice" There
ountless parades but curiously to no thir were
10 bands. In needed only man il a uniform with
flag to organize parade and behind him crowd
yould fall in and from fifty to TWO three blocks
II depth, surgi2g up the streets, singing popular
ongs which always included the "Marseilles.'
me parad:ng group kept up rhythmic chant of
ne name of Frances great statesman "Clem-eH
eau" Several groups there who had come
rom the "Place d. Concords," where are collected
arious trophies captured from the Germans, and
laving hitched themselves in long, hand clasped
ines to gun limbers, dragged them uproariously
through the streets. These guns were always
oaded with soldiers and as a usual thing, a
french poilu and an olive drab yank stood togeth-
r. with their tri-colors and star spangled waving
n unison One big American mobile ordance
ruck made trumphal journey through crowd
ed street, it's framework ablaze with electric lights
power furnished by portable dynamo within)
is roof packed with soldiers and their girls
;o,diers on the tenders, soldier astrde the rad
ator-every passenger waving cluster of flags
In one parade some bore aloft cardboard
affigy of the Clown Prince hanging from a scat
fold and the crowds damned on the sidewalks
2heered their approval.
These hilarious people were very "affectionate"
IN their demonstrations toward soldiers. Women
folks from elderly matrons down almost to tod
Hers lavished kisses on men in uniform No
consent was asked and in fact consent seemed |
Iuite unnecessary. At corners where the crowds !
occasionally thinned, string of madams and mad |
,moiselles with few poilus and civilian men
mixed in, would usually dance out in the throng. |
ISOLATE some soldier or group of soldiers within |
heir circle and kiss him or them once around. |
No one escaped in fact l never once saw any one |
shrink under the bombardment Officers and |
men were they-Yanks, Tommies, Poilus, Italians |
Serbs and on through the list of Allies, any one
n uniform, unless they kept aloft in aeroplaaes
hid away in cellars had their cheeks well kissed
During the war, as we have known, gay "Paree"
las not had it's great white ways and It's nights
ave been gloomy dark through fear of air raids
londay and Tuesday laborers were busy removing
he blue paint from street lights and tearing
way shades from shop windows. Official pro-
lamation granted permission for few hours of
ull illumination. Coal is still scarce and some
veniag at dusk the lights bazed forth and inev-
ably these streets damned people blinked with
ertain delight at The illumination deprived them
or four and half years.
There was an impressive occasion in front of
he building of the "Le Matin" one of the fore
lost daily papers of France. An immense map
France and the battle region covers the from.
the building and on this map the line held is
lainly marked evidentally having been moved
ack and forth with the sway of battle On Mon
ay night very small portion of France was
l German possession. This night, while by some
process the black line was pushed
astward across the face of the map there was
wung out over the area thus liberated a large
osette made of flowers and from which hung
treamers of The tri-colors; underneath was the
aspiration Aux Nos Heros ''Vive la France" A |
TRANCE silence held the crowd for moment and
hen came roaring cheer
Participating in all the gaiety but in depres-