A Journey Through France in War TimeButler, Joseph G. (Joseph Green)
History
A Journey Through France in War Time
Butler, Joseph G. (Joseph Green)
France -- Description and travel; World War, 1914-1918
About the close of the Civil War in 1865, I paid a visit to a younger
brother who was managing a small charcoal blast furnace in Tennessee. I
had never been in this part of the South before and had received minute
instructions as to how to find the place.
Embarking at Nashville on a Cumberland river boat, after a day's ride, I
left the boat in accordance with my brother's instructions at a small
landing and, crossing the river on a ferry, remained over night at a
cabin occupied by a pious old Negro. A horse was sent me at this humble
abode the following morning.
Some little time after finishing a hearty meal composed almost wholly of
corn pone, the old gentleman brought out a time worn Bible and read two
or three chapters. He then announced that we would all unite in prayer.
We all kneeled down. He invoked the Divine blessing upon the rulers of
the earth, the President of the United States and almost everything else
movable and immovable, on land, under the sea and over the sea. After he
had prayed fully a half hour, tired and sleepy, I became impatient and
nudged the half-grown boy next to me with a query as to how long the
prayer would last. Meantime the boy had fallen asleep. However my nudge
woke him up and, repeating my inquiry, I was answered with the
question:--"Has pap got to where Moses crossed de Red Sea"? "No, he has
not got to that yet," was my answer. "Well, when Pap gets to where Moses
done crossed de Red Sea, he am jes half through."
We saw also in this church the tomb of Montcalm, grandfather of
Montcalm, the French general who fell at the taking of Quebec in the
French and English war during the Seventeenth century.
We visited Roman walls and ramparts built by Julius Caesar, and saw an
ancient cemetery directly opposite a munitions factory, which we thought
was a very appropriate location. This cemetery had been pillaged and the
ancient things carried away as relics.
We also visited, while at Arles, a convalescent camp, and saw a number
of Moroccan soldiers.
A point of great interest is the ancient Roman Theatre, built by
Augustus Caesar and containing a statue of that Emperor. Another is the
Arena, built in the first century, restored and reconstructed, and now
used as an outdoor theatre. Sarah Bernhardt played there two years ago
in a Shakesperian representation. It was used in the olden days for the
entertainment of royalty, for gladiatorial contests, and battles of wild
beasts. It is frequently used now for bull rights, as this part of
France is near the Spanish border.
In front of the Hotel Du Nord is the statue of Mistral, the great poet
of Provence.
We visited the Palace of Constantine, Roman Emperor in the fourth
century. In this place remains a pool with means for heating water which
would be considered in good form at the present day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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