World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
This morning I did some shopping. A shirt, a pair of garters and another
sketchbook. Then I walked all over town.... I walked some twenty miles
or more in a vain endeavor to understand the plan of Paris and to see
Notre Dame. I found the cathedral about four-thirty, and went in. I
cannot describe it, but it was surely wonderful. The exterior was a
trifle disappointing, but the interior—mammoth piers, soaring arches,
gorgeous stained-glass windows—all gloomy and magnificent—all solemn and
religious. The hollow echo of footsteps, the distant passing of
flickering candles and the low chant of monks—no wonder the Catholic
faith is with us yet. With such monuments and such mystery, there will
always be those to sign the cross and bend the knee in reverence.
_Tuesday, July 10._
It was my plan, to go to Versailles today, but Mr. Lansingh called up
and asked me to send a package to one of the boys. By the time I had
attended to that the morning was half gone, so I returned to the hotel
for lunch. In the afternoon exercise was wanted, so I went out to the
Bois de Boulogne and after walking round the pond, hired a boat. In
coming up to the dock, I had noticed a young lady, very American
looking, gazing at me with a twinkle in her eye. When I looked again she
smiled, as one glad to see a friend. I said, “What’s the matter? Do you
speak English? Come on for a ride.” She said, “Oh, the children will
talk about it.” She was very refined and pretty and very English, and it
seems she was a governess for these French children. She would not come
until I had taken a turn around the pond. Then she did come and was very
entertaining. She told me what she thought of French, English, and
American men and women; how the different societies seemed to differ. It
is the most sensible bit of conversation I have had since the voyage. I
am going to take advantage of being away from home to meet all the
various kinds of people. Such incidents are the punctuation marks of
travel.
_Wednesday, July 11._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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