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

The Deserted Villages of France.
piquant sketch OF the deserted villages OF
France is given by correspondent OF the London
Daily Meme Life in these villages, he says, when
the soldiers make themselves comfortable In the
absence OF the Inhabitants, is sort of military pic
mic Everything is hunted out which can supply the
wants OF the moment, and no attention is paid to
the conventonalities which hamper common place
housekeeping If there be window curtains in one
dwelling, and a lack of blankets in another she
curtains change their function for the benefit OF ali
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. 1t 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 il only
he could save his house. As it is he may chance
to lose furniture and house together. Yet the
soldiers Will keep this last nt for habiaton II they
can. The military picnic requires doors and Win
doUs on these cold nights TO make it eJmplete
There may be need to break up some OF the furniture
II the owner has been careless about frewood, aud
has left little none in store. But even then the
share and share alike principle OF the hour helps
out one supply with another, so that nrewood
enough is usually found.
SO is wine in some cases, by the wonderful quick
ness of the men about unearthing it. A Prnssiau
Jaeger has been pointed out TO me who has the re-
putaton OF smelling good wine through any depth
Of ofconceslment, and for judging the keliest spots
In the garden TO contain hidden wne-bln, is Of
mense value to his comrades. They think the wine
ofdeserted houses fair prey, and are content with
the moderation which leaves the bottles uninjured
to be filled again at some future time.
detachment WILL" covers much that is done in de-
serted village. Why leave anything but "dxtures''
to the unknown successors OF those who picnic to-
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
rooms. often think amid all this sad waste OF pro
perty this scourging OF the land by war, that the
W6a sSpb w % @I - eO
desert island, as children would say, but TO play
| 1t with the strength OF grown-up people.
MEDICAL VIEW.
The correspondent OF the London Lancet, inside
Paris forwards by balloon post the following COM
muncation, showing that, among other things, the
military surgeons are practicing conservative sur
| gerry on extensive scale, and apparently with
more successful results than have been attained IN
| the feld-
| The siege OF Paris presents very many points of
professional interest. The almost daily skrmishes,
with wounded, presenting Injuries of all degrees OF
gravity, and Illustrating in the measures taken in
their management from all that is ingenious scen-
t1c, and admirable, down to that which is incon-
cevably bad, horrible, and disgusting Conservative
surgery is having in some instance at least fair
trial. and is doing wonders in fact, limbs shattered
| by bullets are being saved in cases where, some
years ago, anything but instant amputation would
| not have been thought Of. A considerable amount
of dysentery rheumatism, fevers, and chest affec-
| tions have arisen from exposure of the troops in
bivouacs 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, inclsment weather we have had during the
scarce; butter and milk are luxuries for the very
wealthy, and eggs difficult to be had and dear. The
daily ration of beef mutton now allowed to each
adult inhabitant 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 anC
wounded troops, except in the purely military
| hospitals, insuf1cientlv supplied with meat
| cept, perhaps, in the American ambulance and one
or two others, where private energy supplies wha
official routine fails to furnish. This state Of affairs
is Injurious to the wounded themselves, and calcu
comrades. 1t is therefore, to be hoped that it viii
soon be rectifed. Great abuse had crept into th'
system Of taking the wounded off the field 1t ha
been asserted that some persons, who have esta
bshed private hospitals in their houses, for seldsl
purposes, have actually paid money to tnfrmisy
for carrying wounded to their carriages near tn,
field OF battle. This has now, it is hoped, been pu
stop to-"