equire at least two
weeks' time.

Mr. Herrick sent for me today and questioned me as to the state of the
preparations. He told me that he intended to select me to make the
trip, and that I was to start as soon as the necessary permissions had
been received from the French Government. Attache Herbert Hazeltine,
who has been a fellow-worker in behalf of the Germans, is to take
charge of the Paris office during my absence.

* * * * *

_Saturday, August 22d._ German affairs are now reduced to a system.
The Embassy each day opens to Americans at ten o'clock. I begin with
my Germans and Austrians at nine in order to get clear of the least
desirable element before the Americans appear. In that first hour we
dispose of about fifty per cent.; the half that need only routine
assistance. At present I receive them in the entrance hall of the
Embassy at the far end. I sit at the desk facing the door and have the
money sent by the German Government for destitute cases on my left
hand in a drawer against the wall. An Austrian, long resident in
Paris, and president of the Austro-Hungarian Relief Society, is placed
on my right to give me the benefit of his long experience in charity
work. He already knows many of those who apply for aid and can judge
whether or not they are really destitute. Beyond him is another
assistant who fills out receipts for each sum distributed and obtains
the signature of the recipient. Special appointments for the afternoon
hours are made with those applicants who want information or help
which cannot immediately be decided upon.

The crowd outside the door, often several hundred in number, is kept
in order by two policemen. Assistants hand out numbers like those used
for the Paris auto-busses, not given however for priority, but for
undesirability; the least desirable getting in first so that we may be
the sooner rid of them. These assistants also see that each applicant
has the correct papers in his hand, and that three of them are waiting
in line to facilitate the steady flow of the human current. The
receipts and my entries form a double record and check to be used in
the official accounts which are balanced every day and in the end will
be transmitted in reports to the German and Austrian Governments. A
stenographer keeps an indexed, alphabetical list of all the
applicants, which enables me to find the past record of any case which
reappears. In addition to this, I hav