New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-03
Paris to Greenwich
Village
Continued from page fveJ

They all seemed in careless good hunor in
spite of the fact that the bar had been closed
and sealed for some hours. / had enjoyed my
last ginger ale there some time before, as
sured by the barman that it was Belfast extra
dry--none such in New York
This was the first time / had seen ali the
American citizens really segregated, and was
stunned - note how few we were-only a
handful. All tn. other hundreds, then, wete
only would-be Americans. All this material
was to 90 INTO the melting pot from which
would be turned out the Americans of the fu-
ture. But tie Inc was growing shorter, and
with my expired passport in my hand was
fast approaching my doom.
One of the lessons learned in the war was
that of cheerfulness, and resolved to 90 down
smiling whatever my inward feelings might be,
BY testing found that my smile muscles were
working all right. / pulled a curl forward
around my left eye and handed over my pass
port. The WITCHES! They didn't even look
at me. They smiled into each others eyes
and exclaimed, laughing Lansing" Then
they said inculgently, France" And they
Passed me over with a large yellow card as if
were thing of not the slightest consequence
A portly gentleman at the door made mag
net shaped sign on the back Of my yellow card
and I was free, free as bird-so I believed.
There was another long wait while the
would-be American citizens were being dealt
with. At last, after twenty tugs had succeed
cd in berth.ng the helpless big whale, stood
beside the gangplank ready to rush off among
the first ores. But it was not to be--not yet
The big policeman who had come aboard
blocked tae passageway and shouted: ~AIl
American citizens down stairs to the deck.~
This American citizen business was being
overdone and it was getting on my nervesi
However, if I hoped to land at all that day
there was nothing for it but to obey. But what
in the name Of humanity could they want with
US now? We had been driven about that ship
up stairs and down since o'clock in the morn
ing, and it was now in the afternoon
The DE- ok is the lowest down-that is, four
stories below. When / finally succeeded in
reaching there the most extraordinary state Of
things prevailed Every other nationality had
evidently been given the order simultaneously
with our own, and every man, woman and child
to say nothing OF every dog, was there crowd
ing, pushing and painting in the narrow, dark
stairway. Women with crying babes were half
fainting; nursing bottles fell and were broken.
babies' milk splattering all over US; and brutes
Of emigrants were elbowing, pushing and run
ming over 'he weaker sex-all this in a fetid
atmosphere below decks. What was it all
about? .r
American citizens to the rightw howled a
giant in Uniform
| could see women emerging from the doors
Of staterooms either side, all more or less
xn6reSSpd fr b,,ffo %l,;~ -.
and rearrange their hats as they struggled
back in the midst of the surging mass
What II II" asked an elderly lady. who
was pale and almost fainting, and helped her
Is get the shoulder of her blouse back on.
sit is the final medical examination" she
said. eve had the same thing several times
already since left my home in England, at
Cherbourg and on the ship. came to Ameri-
&C to see my children. But if had known ali
the worry and humiliation of it would never
have started"
There were dozen other women in the or
binary stateroom, some sick and all trying to
get back into their clothes.
The poor doctoress was looking commiserI
alton. She was only unit in the shameful
and badly managed business, obeyng orders
like the rest of Us.
The whole thing was disgraceful farce.
"You know you don't do this to first class pas
sengers," remarked. She stared at me, dumb.
Once back on deck and in the air my spirit
of audacity revived. But there our last great
struggle took REPRESENTATION Of our bag
gage by the customs men. And once more We
were to feel the ignominy of being second class
passengers. We were obliged TO wait until aft
er the first class were dealt with.
The day waning; soon it would be
o'clock, and was thinking of myself, verita-
bic Rip Van Wink.e of stranger in New York
with not a where to lay my head. I had taken
an advertisement of hotel in Gramercy Park
from The Ocean Times, our daily paper print
ed on board, and locked carefully to be sure
that the announcement was for rooms from
$3.50 a day-up, Of course. Also, had the
address Of rooning house in Greenwich Wiz
lage.
But there was plenty Of time for reflection.
At least 500 second class passengers were
standing in line, hoping thus to get customs
inspector a bit sooner. declined, and sat
down On my luggage resolved to let the lire eat
itself up before making move.
Here I met several first class passengers
and when / explained what we had been
through with since daybreak they vouchsafed
the information that nothing Of the kind had
harnened IN then,