A Journey Through France in War Time

A Journey Through France in War Time, by

Joseph G. Butler, Jr. This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: A Journey Through France in War Time
Author: Joseph G. Butler, Jr.
Release Date: January 28, 2007 [EBook #20464]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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[Illustration: Typical French Soldier in Uniform.]
A Journey Through France in War Time
By JOSEPH G. BUTLER, JR.
Member of The American Industrial Commission to France.
THE PENTON PRESS CLEVELAND 1917
[Illustration: inscription by author.]
Copyright, 1917, by Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Youngstown, O. One hundred copies of this edition have been printed of which this is number 39
Second Edition
TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF FRANCE WHO AMID INEXPRESSIBLE SORROWS AND INFINITE CARES EXTENDED A GRACIOUS WELCOME TO THE AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION AND TO THE AUTHOR THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
*****

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Origin of the Purpose of the Trip.
CHAPTER II
Crossing the Atlantic.
CHAPTER III
Bordeaux and Paris.
CHAPTER IV
Meeting England's Premier.
CHAPTER V
The Birthplace of Lafayette.
CHAPTER VI
A Great Munitions Plant.
CHAPTER VII
Art and Architecture of Aries.
CHAPTER VIII
Along the Mediterranean.
CHAPTER IX
Towns in Southern France.
CHAPTER X
The Creusot Gun Works.
CHAPTER XI
Approaching the Front.
CHAPTER XII
Within Sound of the Guns.
CHAPTER XIII
The Story of Gerbeviller.
CHAPTER XIV
On the Main Front.
CHAPTER XV
Reims and the Trenches.
CHAPTER XVI
Back to Paris.
CHAPTER XVII
On the Way Home--England.
CHAPTER XVIII
On the Broad Atlantic.
CHAPTER XIX
The French Steel Industry in War Time.
CHAPTER XX
Where War Has Raged.
CHAPTER XXI
General Joffre.
CHAPTER XXII
The Work of Reconstruction.
CHAPTER XXIII
French Business Organizations.
CHAPTER XXIV
The Carrel Method of Treating Wounds.
CHAPTER XXV
A City in an Army's Path.
CHAPTER XXVI
Some impressions of France and the French.

ILLUSTRATIONS
Typical French Soldier in Uniform
Photograph of Commissioners, Taken on Train Leaving Paris for Limoges
The Author's Passport
Autograph Signatures of the Commission
Grand Theatre, Bordeaux. Closed Until the War Ends
Miniature French Flag Carried by the Author Through France. The Waving of This Flag by an American Aroused Much Enthusiasm
Lloyd George, Who Says "England is Fighting a Battle for Civilization"
Miss Winifred Holt, "Keeper of the Light House of France"
Ancient Bridge at Limoges--Built by the Romans Two Thousand Years Ago and Still in Use
Tapestry Workers at Aubusson
Lafayette's Deathbed, With Commission's Flag and Flowers
Monastery of St. Michael, at le Puy
Silk Tapestry Menu Used at Dinner to the Commission at St. Etienne
Col. Rimailho With 155-mm. Gun (upper) and Famous 75-mm. Gun (lower) Perfected by Him
Women Employed in Munitions Factories
Arlesiennes--Types of Southern France
Old Roman Arena at Aries--Still Used for Bull Fights and Other Amusements
Shore of the Mediterranean Near Marseilles. In the distance Chateau D'If, Made Famous by Dumas
Types From the French Provinces
Monastery of Chartreuse
New 520-mm. Gun, Carrying Projectile Seven Feet in Length and Weighing 3,100 lbs., Seen at Creusot Works
German Prisoners Passing Through the Village of St. Etienne
The Lion of Belfort
Battlefield of La Chipotte, Showing Monument and Markers on Graves
Ruins of Gerbeviller
Sister Julie
Cathedral at Nancy
German Trenches Captured by the French
The Reims Cathedral Before its Destruction
Ruins at Reims. Upper and Lower Plates--The Cathedral. Middle Plate--The Archbishop's Palace
Key of Archbishop's Palace at Reims and Bone From Twelfth Century Tombs Opened by German Shells
Trenches Visited by the Commission
King Albert's Address to the Belgians
Photograph of King Albert of Belgium, with the Royal Autograph
French Marines Operating 75-mm. Gun on Shipboard
Nancy--Place Stanislas
Ruins of Village--St. Die
The Prefecture at Reims After Bombardment
Portrait in Tapestry--General Joffre
Ruins at Nancy
Trenches Occupied by French Soldiers
Proclamation Posted in Reims Just Before the French Fell Back to the Marne
Arrival of Wounded Soldiers at Chalons, on the Marne
Proclamation by the Mayor of Reims, Issued on the day the Germans Entered that City, September 4, 1914
First Order From the Invaders
Second German Proclamation
Citizens Warned of Danger
Citizens Warned that Hostages May be Hanged
Postal-card Painted by Artist Soldier in French Trenches

FOREWORD
Of all that has been written, or is to be written, by Americans concerning the tragedy overwhelming the Old World, much must naturally be descriptive of conditions in France, since that country is, among those affected by military occupation, most accessible and most closely in sympathy with American ideals and American history.
While the ground covered by these pages may be, therefore, not unfamiliar, the motives prompting their preparation are probably unique. It has been undertaken at the request of friends, but not entirely for their pleasure; since the author hopes that those who read it may see in the patriotic devotion and courage of the French people something of the spirit that should animate our country, whose aspirations toward liberty the French aided even before they were themselves free.
Written in hours snatched for the task amid the press of other duties, these pages endeavor to present a simple, intimate and personal story of experiences enjoyed and impressions gained