The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-30
WAR EPISODES.
The Deserted VILLAGES of France.

The Deserted villages of France.
pquant sketch Of the deserted villages OF
Daily Hess. Life in these villages, he says when
the soldiers make themselves Comfortable in the
mic Everything is hunted out which can supply the
wants Of the moment, and no attention is paid to
housekeeping. If there be window curtains in one
dwelling, and lack Of blankets in another, she
curtains change their function for the benefit or all
concerned-for the benefit OF all save the original
owner, who is far away and forgotten. The writer
Your true deserted village is deserted because Of
siege operations. II is In the great belt OF ruin
round Paris and its inhabitants have fed to escape
the dangers Of shot and shell. The owner OF the
curtains above named would have gladly COM
pounded to lose every article OF furniture If only
to lose furniture and house together Yet the
soldiers Will keep this last Mt for hsbtaton IL they
can. The military picnic requires doors and win.
dows on these cold nights to make il elmplete
There may be need to break up some OF the furniture
il the owner has been careless about drewood and
has left little or none in store. But then the
share and share alike principle of the hour helps
out one supply with another, 80 that hrewoOd
enough is usually found.
SO is wine in some cases, by the wonderful quick
ness Of the men about unearthng it. Prussian
putation Of smelling good wine through any dePth
OF earth. His instinct for tracing the slightest sign
In the garden to contain hidden wne-bln is of in-
mense value TO his comrades. They think the wine
OF deserted houses fair prey and are content with
the moderation which leaves the bottles uninjured
to be filed again at some future time.
detachment will, covers much that is done in de-
serted village. Why leave anything but "6Xtures"
day? There are chairs to be shifted from house to
house, according to the actual distribution OF the
guests Plates must go where plates are needed
even at the risk OF confusing different peoples din
ner services and useless lumber must be flung into
the back yard that it may not crowd the sitting
rooms. often think amid all this sad waste OF pro-
perty, this scourging Of the land by war, that the
scene In such village offers wild suggestion OF
what would happen II we were to "play at being in
desert island, as children would say, but to play
it with the strength OF grown-up people.
A MEDICAL VIEW.
The correspondent of the London Lancet, inside
Paris, forwards by balloon post the following COM
munication, showing that, among other things the
military surgeons are practcing conservative sur
gerry on an extensive scale, and apparently with
more successful results than have been attained In
the field
The siege OF Paris presents very many points of
professional interest. The almost daily skirmishes,
attacks, and larger actions supply the hospitals
with wounded, presenting injuries Of all degrees Of
gravity, and illustrating in the measures taken in
their management from all that is ingenious scen-
ti1c, and admirable, down to that which is incon-
ceivably bad, horrible, and disgusting Conservative
surgery is having, in some instances at least fair
trial. and Is doing wonders in fact, limbs shattered
by bullets being saved in cases where some
years ago, anything but instant amputation would
not have been thought of. considerable amount
of dysentery, rheumatism, fevers, and chest afec-
| tions have arisen from exposure of the troops in
| bvouacs and in the tentes d'abrt There is very
little disease, however, when we consider the great
| fatigue our troops have had to undergo, and the
wet, inclement weather we have had during the
| scarce; butter and milk are luXures for the very
wealthy and eggs difficult to be had and dear. The
! daily ration OF beef or mutton now allowed to each
adult inhabant Is reduced to 35 grammes that is,
about an ounce and half, including bone,
and in consequence Of imperfect arrange
| ments there are many who have been un-
able to obtain that little scrap. The sick and
! wounded troops, except in the purely military
| hospitals, nsufncientlv supplied with meat =
| cept, perhaps in the American ambulance and one
| or two Others where private energy supplies what
official routine fails to furnish. This state Of affairs
is injurious to the wounded themselves, and calcu-
lated to give rise to i'll feeling among their effective
comrades. 1t is therefore, to be hoped that it will
soon be rectifed. Great abuse had crept into the
system Of taking the wounded off the field. 1t has
been asserted that some persons, who have esta-
blished private hospitals in their houses, for selfish
purposes, have actually paid money to tnfrniisTs
! for carrying wounded to their carriages near the
field OF battle. This has now, it is hoped, been put
stop to-"