THE MARSEILLAISE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2552, 28 August 1915, Page 11

THE MARSEILLAISE

HONOURING ITS COMPOSER

I have seen many Fourteenths of July in Paris," but none so moving as this one, writes the Paris correspond--1 ent of the London "Daily Telegraph." No rejoicings, .- of course, no open-air dancing, and 110 military review; but only tiho flags of tlio Allies at every building.' At the last moment the Government liad the good idea of comi plying with tlie popular wisli, and had i ordered the transfer of the ashes of i Rouget de Lisle from Choisy le Roi, •• rfhere lie was buried wihtout pomp, to i the Hotel -des Invalides, where Napoi leori lies.' ; It .was an extraordinary July 14 day. . This, morning tie coffin, containing the • remains of the man. who in a moment of genius wrote the "Marseillaise" was brought up to Paris and laid in. state ■ at fie foot of the Atc de Triomphe. . Almost all Paris stood round the Arc. ■ The coffin, draped, in the Tricolour, was ' placed on an ancient gun-carriage from • tlie armies of the First Revolution. The ; casket was deposited just beneath r Ilude's has relief on the arch, representi iug tho "Marseillaise." Above a fur- - ious figure flies; impersonating every- • thing that is warlike. Below are the ■ tfhVee figures'who stand for Wie three . stanzas of the '-'Marseillaise"—the i fighter, "Allons, enfants de la Patrie" ; the'elder. '"Armour sacre de la Patrie" ; and the hoy; "Nous entrerons dans lai carriers quarid nos aines n-'y sgront '. plus:"-. . ~ impressive Moment. Beneath Uhe has relief, guarded by y Dragoons and Cuirassiers, was, the gun- [ carriage bearing the remains of Rouget [ do Lisle. A chorus stood by and sud- , dently sang his song. A soprano gave ; the first verse, a bass sang the elder's ; verse, and a soprano again gave, the [ verse,of tliose who will enter tlie arena ~ when their elders qre no more. Each time the chorus sang "Aux armes citoyens," and. one heard it all over the Place de l'Etoile. The crowd stood bareheaded, but did not. join in. the • chorus. The moment was almost too i impressive for that.j ■ , The'remains of Ronget de Lisle, who I was little- honoured in, his '; lifetime, I ■ am afraid, were then taken down the Champs Elysees to Napoleon's resti ing-place, the Invalides. Mounted troops i escorted the coffin, President Poincare ■ and all the -Ministers and Corps Dipi lom'atique .walked bareheaded behind the i coffin; followed by the members of Parliament,'public officers, and the staff i of the Paris garrison. But' the most moving spectacle of all in the Champs Elysees was perhaps to he/witnessed in those, once cosmopolitan hotels Which are now hospitals. The beds in which the wounded lay had been drawn up to the' windows, and the wounded, with drawn, erey faces, looked at the pageant as it passed.' Those who could-stand stood at tho salute while Rouget de Lisle's remains went- by. A Pathetic Sight. In the silent, deeply, moved crowd one met., at. every turn men who had fought for all that' the "Marseillaise" means for France. Here a trooper with the Military Cross, there another with the Military Cross and tho French V.C., tho. Medaille Militaire. Here, again, a man with both, and with tho Legion of Honour over and And I also ; saw two young wounded subalterns, who had all these three medals, and tho Belgian Order of Leopold'; with them. But perhaps tlio most pathetic sight : of all ; was. that of quito cheery, tone-legged troopers -hohblling I, P the Champs Elysees oil crutches who had no medals at all. They had each lost a limb, but nono of them had done enough-to. deserve a medal. While tne procession passed down the Champs Elysees a dozen aeroplanes performed amazing acrobatics in 'the sky, some ridingin and over fhe clouds at enormous _ heights, other skimming down-to within 200 yards of the street. /The Procession. The Esplanade des Invalides was chosen by; thousands of Parisians as a vantage ground from which to witness the arrival of the body. A battalion of Territorials lined the route which' the procession was to follow. Behind them were batteries of artillery. On the upward islope of the Pont . Alexandre 111, ,011. this side and that, the brighter' uniforms "which form the distance have almost the effect of masses of flowers. • ' ...- At 10.30 a.m. _the bright helmets of tlie. Cuirassiers ripple,slowly over the bridge-—the advance-guard of the procession. Then,comes, slowly and to the solemn sound of drums, the gun-carriage' covered by the tricolour and followed'by the President of the Republic and the Ministers, all bareheaded. There is no cheering, but the soldiers come 1 to ,the salute and civilians bare their heads, ;The procession enters the Coiirt of .Honour, and the.President first mounts the.steps.leading to the; Salon d'Honnour, where lie is saluted'by the menibersVof the Diplomatic Corps,'while the band of the Republican Guard in the upper gallery, strikes up -the "Marseillaise." -. "Certainty of Victory." Amid a deep and tense silence the President, descending one or two steps, began his speech.,; At'the'end of the discourse, which, with its proud assertion of the' indomitable' spirit of France, of, the certainty of 7 victory filial ..and complete, again and again evoked applause that would not be held back. ■ Madame Delne and M. Albers once more sang tho-"Marseillaise." - This time the thousands who thronged- the Court of Honour joined] in the, splendid chorus. Until five o'clock the gun-carriage containing, the mortal remains of the poet who conquered immortality by the flaming inspiration .of a moment, remained in front of the great stairway,- * with foot soldiers mounting guard. During these six hours a;long line defiled unceasingly in silent homage. In the evening the body of the poet was, in the presence of the members of the Government, placed in the crypt of the Church of St. Louis, where the governors of the Invalides, famous marshals and gallant generals, sleep their last sleep. The Practical Care of the Hair.—The hair is the most determining factor in a woman's looks; yet many a.fine head of hair has been spoilt for want of attention. Such apathy is wrong, for the hair is -one of woman's most' valuable, assets. Now, to start, why 'not call on or write Miss Milsom. 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