. The
frontier was closed, all communication with France was cut off and no
one could cross the border without a passport that was vized by the
German Ambassador in Paris. This was done until the death of Bismarck.
In spite of all this, whenever a chance was given for the people to
choose between France and Germany, they chose France. It must be
remembered too, that a half million people crossed the line into France
while they could and that a half million German immigrants had taken
their places.

All through the years France had mourned for her lost provinces and
refused to be comforted. Many times I have seen the mourning figure of
Strassburg, which is in the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of the
city of Paris. This statue represents the distress of Alsace-Lorraine
and "around this figure the war spirit of France rallied for forty
years." It is said that flowers were placed at this figure every day for
forty years.

When General Joffre and the French army entered Alsace in August, 1914,
the joy of the people knew no bounds. How they wept and rejoiced as the
bands played the Marseillaise! French flags that had been hidden away
for forty-three years were brought out and such scenes of rejoicing have
rarely been witnessed. The same was true in Paris. A great company of
Alsatians formed a procession and marched to the Strassburg statue on
the Concorde. The procession was led by Alsatian women who carried palm
branches. All marched bare-headed to the statue. Ladders were placed
against the monument. An Alsatian climbed to the top and wound a broad
tri-colored sash around the statue. The crowd cried: "Away with the
crepe" and instantly all signs of mourning that had surrounded the
statue for forty-three years were torn away.

As might be expected, when the French army was driven out of Alsace
later on, the people suffered untold misery. The Good Lord only knows
what they went through. Thousands were condemned to prison for the awful
crime of manifesting their French sentiments. A single word that
reflected upon what Germany had done in any way would send one to
prison. A lawyer by the name of Berger was sentenced to prison for a
term of eight years for casually alluding to the invasion of Belgium.
The number of women condemned to prison was enormous, for the women were
more outspoken and less respectful to the Germans than the men.

Neither did prison sentences end it; sentences of death were very many.
The press