Buildings have been taken down, and the forts of Paris stand forth as
never before; but when you learn how unmanned and how useless they are
in modern warfare, you can but smile and join with the people in their
curiosity excursions. A single modern shell can put a modern
stone-and-steel fort, garrison and guns, entirely out of commission.

A year ago Paris looked dirty and decadent. Her building fronts were
grimy, her streets were dirty, and there was a general carelessness
where before had been art, precision, and cleanliness. To-day Paris
streets are clean. There is even more evidence of rebuilding and of
modern conveniences. Motor street-sweepers whirl through the squares,
not singly but in pairs and more extended series, and they move with
automobile rapidity, quickly cleansing the pavement.

I was reminded thereby of a personal experience at the breaking out of
the Spanish-American War. At breakfast on a Sunday morning with one of
America's most successful millionaires, I said, "How is it possible
that the stock market can be rising as the country is going to war--a
war that may cause some of our new warships to turn turtle and may
bring bombardment upon our sea-coast cities? Yet before the guns are
booming the stock market is booming. Indeed, the stock market began to
boom from the time we declared a state of war."

And this successful multi-millionaire replied quietly, "Stocks are
going up because I am buying them and every other intelligent
capitalist is buying them. Look out of the window there. That sweeper
at the crossing has straightened up and is sweeping that crossing
better and with more energy because the flags are flying, and the bells
are ringing, and the guns will soon be booming. War is the greatest
energizer of a people. There is now profit in industry and enterprise,