France.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 31, 23 September 1914, Page 5

France.

PARIS iIESTLESS.

DESIRE FOR THE RETURN OF GOVERNMENT.

Times and Sydney Sun Services. . (Received 8 a.m.) London, September 22. Paris is becoming restless at the delay of the Government in returning from Bordeaux. DISPOSITION OF ARMIES. [United Press Association.] Paris, September 21. .

Official.—On the left wing, on thd right bank of the Oise, we have ad vanced to the height at Lassingly, or. the east of the Oise and north of the Aisne. The Germans have manifested renewed activity. Violent combats, ending in bayonet charges, ensued in the region of Craonne. Everywhere the enemy was repulsed. Round Rbeims the Germans have not attempted infantry attacks, but have limited themselves to cannonading our front with heavy artillery. In the Champaogne district, and on the western slope of Argonne, beyond Somaine. we have taken Mesnil and Woevre. The enemy continues to hold Thian Court, ,and has cannonaded Hassonchatel. There is no now report fro.n Lorraine and the Vosges. The Germans are fortifying tebmselves on the Delme side, and to the south of Chateau Salins. TRAINLOADS OF WOUNDED. Paris, September 21. Every evening trains crammed with wounded crawl back from the front. 30 coaches composing a train, packvj fuller than excursion trains, the worst cases, being lucky if they can lie at full length. FRENCH REINFORCEMENTS FROM AFRICA. Paris, September 2|tj j" M. Millerand is despatching heavy reinforcements from a large body ol Turcos and Senegalese, who. entrained at Bordeaux for a destination unspecified. THE USE OF DUM-DUMS.

Paris, September 22. Thirty dum-dums have been ed from wounded troops. BURYING THE DEAD. GERMAN LOSSES THREE TIMES GREATER THAN ALLIES. \ . (Received 9 a.m.) London, September 22. A large number of civilians in th ■ Metz district are burying tho dead. are 1000 bodies of French an . English and 3000 Germans. GERMAN BARBARIANS. TRIFLING REASON WHY SENLIS WAS BOMBARDED. Times and Sydney Sun Services. (Received 8 a.m.) London, September 22.

Brave, a tobacconist at Senlis, exasperated by the insolence of the invaters, declared: "I will serve men, not bullies!" He was hurled upon hiknees, and his wife rushed out, shriek ing "Mercy!" Botli were shot. Tin townspeople became infuriated and fired upon the soldiers, and the gum were' turned upon the town, killing men, women and children. From tlr shattered houses the people ran wounded and terrified. The horrible bom bardment continued till the town wafwrecked. Within an hour the Tjirco> arrived and pursued and punished the barbarians.

THE RHEBMS CATHEDRAL.

FAMOUS MONUMENT ONLY AN EMPTY SHELL.

[United Press Association.] London, September 21

The Daily Mail correspondent at Ilheims states .that the fire started m Saturday afternoon. At least 500 shells fell between early morning and sunset. Part' of the city se\ oral yard' square ignited, and street after street was lurid with blazing houses and shops. Meanwhile a battery on a hill at Noagent l'Abbelle made the Cathedral a deliberate mark. Shell aftei shell smashed away the old masonry and an avalanche of stonework tliu.i dered down the panelling of the altar: and confessional. Tlie German wound ed would have been incinerated but fo the French doctors. As the German' wore carried out the crowd howled wit) uncontrollable passion, with shouts ol 'iA mort!" Some soldiers among th< crowd levelled'their rifles, but the Abbe Andrieux sprang forward be tween the muzzles and the wounded, and said, "Don't fire. You will make yourselves as guilty as they."

When day dawned, the famous monu merit was only an empty shell

kU EYE-WITNESS'S STORY.

HOW THE CATHEDRAL WAS DESTROYED. (Received noon.) London, September 22. An eye-witness of the Rheims bombardment states that shells killed se •- eral German wounded in the Cathedral. Four Sisters of Mercy lay dead on the floor, and notwithstanding the entry of shells the women nelt rounl in prayer, apparently beseeching the intercession of St. Joan of Arc, whos° statue is within the Cathedral. Like that outside, it escaped unharmed, but a shell reduced the statue of the Virgin Mary to dust. The clergy remain, ed within the building, comforting the frightened people, until a fire started, and the belfry fell with a tremendous

crash. Presently the .building esemhled a gigantic sot-piece or fireworks. It is estimated that the German visitation has caused four million sterling damage to the Cathedral.

THE ESSENTIAL THiNG,"

THE ONLY REPLY OF ARTISTS AND PATRIOTS TO THE DEZD.

[United Press Association.] (Received 9.55 a.m.) London. September 22

Mr Maurice Banes, -commenting i n bhe destruction of the Hheims Cathedral, says: "It is satisfactory that r,o shells fell on our battalions. At the present moment we prefer the humblest French infantryman to the worthiest works of art. These we will :e----create. The essentia! thing is that ;uir nation remains. This is the on)v reply of oiir artists and patriots to this dsed." ..

"USELESS ACT OF BARBARISM."

Rome, September 22.

The. bombardment of Rheims' cathedral caused a thrill throughout Italy. The Giornal d'ltalia describes it as "a useless act of barbarism, due to a lunitic outburst cf wounded vanity and •aused pride—? ooy-ou tnd ursed pride."

HUMANITY ROBBED OF ITS ARTISTIC INHERITANCE.

q Sydney, September 22. M. Delcasse has cabled to the .Consul, protesting at German andalism in the destruction of Rheims 'athedral, thus robbing humanity of in incomparable portion of its artistic nheritance.

TATUE OF JOAN OF ARC SUR VIVED DESTRUCTION

HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS PERISH. (Received 9 a.m.)

London, September 22. Scarcely a house round the Cathedral remains undamaged, but flu. tatue of Joan of Arc in front of the cathedral is undamaged. Wbenev-.v-the French artillery became aggresive the Germans shelled the Cathedral.

Tt is estimated that between ?00 an i 00 civilians perished. The French left, reinforced by

u-avier guns capable of reaching ths >uge, German ordnance, is now searc?ng the enemy's' trenches with paraysing effect. _. ;,

(Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, Krn in 1410 at Domremy, . departnent of Vosges. was the daughter o imple pheasants, and at the age of 13 vas subject to strong religious im oressions, believing, she received spe".al spiritual communications. Two ears later, she imagined that St. Michael, the tutelary angel of France, her to raise the seig« if Orleans, then closely pressed by the English. She promised to relieve Orleans and to procure the coronation ■* Charles VTT. at Rheims. The story if her leading the army to victory and Seing burnt at the stake by the English at Rouen in 1431 is a matter o" ■istory. Recent researches have tend>d to throw considerable doubt on this 'arrative, and documents fennel at Hftz and Orleans furnish strong evilence that the story of the execution \ fiction. She assisted at the coronation';'and her family was ennobled b.v he King, receiving the. name of Du >vs, and thejdpcuments show that six ears after her supposed death she named Robert Des Armoise, a Fren ;.. r C.night, and she subsequently receivrl a gift from Orleans as recognition if her services. Her beautification ook place in 1909. The story of Joan )f Arc's life has furnished a theme u> nany writers).

"SCOURGE OF COD." -HE POPE EXPRESSES HORROR AT THE DESTRUCTION. (Received 9.55 a.m.) Borne. September 22. Pope Benedict XV. expressed horror >t the destruction of Rheims Cathedral. Me remarked: "It is scarce!), •reditablo in the twentieth ecnturv lint Ave should he plunged hack to tho lavs of Attila."

■.■ (Attila, King of the Huns, who woo barbaric people of Asiatic origin, ntered Gaul in 451 at the head of a umerous army and committed great, avages. The Imperialists attacked' im at Chalons, and after a bloot'v ontest forced him to retire. Soon iter his return home, he married <i leautiful maiden, but died the same ' ight from bursting of a blood vessel

.el, and with him expired the empire >f Huns. Attila rejoiced in t><e name >f "Scourge of God." and, expressing i wish to extend his conquests over the vhole world, often feasted his barbuitv by dragging captive kings in his .rain." Attila was born in 406; dijd 153).

"THE KAISER AND THE IMPERIOUS LOUVAIN CRIME."

Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, September 22. The Times, in a leader on the destruction of the Rheims Cathedral, says:—"The Kaiser has outdone his imperious crime at Louvain." APPRECIASLE PROGRESS.

THE FICHTING IS' LESS VIOLENT BUT IT CONTINUES.

(Received noon). Paris, September 22

It is officially .stated that the fighting is less violent and continues. We have made appreciate progress, parti i.larly between Elieims and t\w A,rgonne.