t the town hotel we left by motors and
char-a-banc for the field hospitals. The drive of some twelve miles
was made over the chalk plains of the Champagne and the dense clouds
of white dust, raised by the cars ahead, half smothered us. The only
trees on this rolling country were scrub evergreens and only enough of
these had been left for cover, the rest having been cut for stakes,
and pit props. Through these bits of woods and across the open country
ran the numerous white ditches used for reserve trenches.

The field hospitals themselves were as fine as I have ever seen in
equipment and appearance. They consisted of series of huts, well laid
out and with walks planted with trees and shrubs from the surrounding
country. That was the artistic touch that made French field hospitals
look better than the British hospitals. Wells had been sunk for
hundreds of feet in the chalk, pumping engines installed, and
disinfection chambers and baths built with a capacity of a thousand
men a day.

While there we saw German aeroplanes being shelled and were much
interested to note that the anti-air-craft fire of the French gunners
was just as bad as that of the British.

On our return we visited a French mobile laboratory at Chalons, and
were much struck by their method of running it; like our own Canadian
laboratory they carried all their equipment in boxes which were
conveyed by a single motor lorry.

We arrived in Paris at midnight tired and sleepy to find my trusty
"Rad" waiting for me, and we drove home a load of thankful friends,
while the rest of the delegates searched in vain for taxis which were
unobtainable at that time of night.

A small item appearing in the Parisian journals on the following day
made us think. It read, "Chalons-sur-Marne bombed by aeroplanes."
Whether the aeroplanes that we had seen being shelled had carried back
word that an expedition of some sort had been seen coming and going
from Chalons in a large number of motors and whether they had
suspected that it was the congress including Lord Kitchener, Mr.
Asquith, General Cadorna and others will never be known; the fact
seemed to be that Chalons had never been bombed before our visit.

The saddest and at the same time the most inspiring sight that it was
my privilege to see in Paris or during the whole war was during our
visit to the institutes for the maimed and blinded soldiers.

The institute for the maimed had for its purpose the starting out in