Evening star., 1924-08-08
PARIS OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE,

can athletes cut, in comparison with
their European rivals. In the first place.
they came in unparalleled numbers
some 900 of them. They arrived in a
chartered ship. They were met at the
Paris railway station by fleet of high
powered limousines, owned by rich
American residents. They were escort
ed in a cavalcade to the Chateau Roc
quencourt, near Colombes, which was
American Olympic headquarters, while
their retinue of trainers and attendant
was accommodated in adjacent and
more or less luxurious barracks. Euro
pean athletes, the while, were on hand
not only in immensely inferior numbers.
house quarters. All these physical cir
cumstances. coupled with our invincible
habit of winning nearly everything that
came along. combined to depopularize
the American cause bit.
X x K
Paris is crammed with Russian ref
numerous arstocrats and officers of
the old imperial army. A delightful
and distinguished gentleman, who
once was Russian military attache in
Washington, now fills an humble cler-
ical position in the United States con-
sulate general. Like others of his
caste, he is persuaded that new and
better Russia will rise on the ruins
which the Bolshevists are creating,
and he is biding his time hravely and
uncomplainingly against that day.
Hundreds of Russian ex- officers are
employed by France in the Ruhr,
where their executive experience has
proved of great value in the superin-
tendance of railway and industrial
operations.
Gen. Gouraud, Frances one-armed
war hero, who visited the United
States in 1923 as the guest of the
Rainbow Division, is now military
governor of Paris. He has an unfail-
ing welcome ready for members of
the American expeditionary forces
who call to pay their respects. Men
like Foch, Joffre and Gouraud, though
their opinion of war comedies with
that of Sherman, and though their
prayer is that France may be spared
another sanguinary ordeal, are con-
vinced that Germany plans a cam
sible moment. What France never
can get out of her mind when she con-
templates the German peril is that on
the other side of the Rhine lies a
virile nation of 60,00O,000, while
France is still country of 100000
Inhabitants. The children of the Ger
mans who fought in 1914 are grown
up now, and are just as numerous as
ever they were, while France remains
in the same state of relative inferior
ity. Frenchmen always have the
Franco-German population propor-
In, 20
of Germany, at the root of their cal
culations of what the future may
hold.
Although the tomb of Frances
Unknown Soldier, at the Arc de Tri-
omphe, is the mecca Of endless thou
sands OF visitors, few more impress
sive ceremonies have taken place
there than the one carried out by
the American advertising men. They
went to the arc on Sunday morn
ing, headed by an Episcopal bishop
from Texas. After the leader Of the
%4eath OF brona. naa isa s
United States colors, on the grave,
the bishop asked the throng Of Amer
icans-nearly a thousand of them
to kneel around the grave while they
ACSIICO IhC LII u ~ ay hC CiICIl
who watched the impromptu scene
were deeply touched by it's spirit Of
reverence. The eternal lamp that
burns at the head Of the Unknown's s
resting place, symbolical OF the in
extinguishable glory of the. French
army, makes a lively appeal to the
American Imagination. 1t is q dis
tinction to be permitted to revive"
the lamp, which never goes out but
sometimes Is allowed to die down to
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