El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-05-22
RURAL FRENCH
.UHG1NPLHHIN6
dol HEAVY TASK
Work Hard While Waiting
For War to End and Men
to Return Home.
CHILDREN HELP
WOMEN IN FIELD
By IA RACONTEUsE.

~ ARTS, France, May 22.-That the
- Parisians calmly and confidently
4 await the outcome Of this dreadful
war. all the world knows. but what do
the French country people think Of 1t
ana how do they bear the strain that
has been put on them?
The French farmer and villager Is
really the marrow of the French ma
ton. It was to find out the senti-
ments OF these people that I spent the
past week visiting some typical French
villages well out of the beaten track
Of the tourist and sightseer. found
everything among the people the same
patfence and determination TO hold out
10 the end as 1 have found among the
French soldiers at the front.
What first struck me as I entered
these country districts was the great
activity everywhere. The French
peasants love the soil on which they
live as they love their own children
and they would just as soon let a cnlId
of theirs starVe as they would InlhA
Of negleCting their dear fields Nlne-
were uncultivated fields here and
there, but the presence Of these was
explained by closed cottages and the
many fresh graves in the cemeteries
seM Ork MusL BE Done
Everywhere, however. saw women,
old men and many children who had
been taken away from school, WORKING
silently and spending their energies on
tasks too heavy for their hands. Ihey
were undeterred by the fact that they
lack horses as well as oxen The Work
must be done, the people must be fed
and there were no strikers
To the rural, population Of France,
who had begun to believe in eyerlast-
ing peace, the war came as dreadful
blow. In the villages there are now
only old men, orphans and widows, and
wives who will be perhaps widows to-
morrow You might expect to hear
complaints or reproaches, but you hear
nothing Of the kind
Tears you see, Of course, but all the
women are working with the single
thought OF being able TO write to him
who is away and who is risking his
life to defend them: When you return
you shall find neither cellar nor barn
The Home Force.
The mobilization called out all men
capable Of bearing arms, hut another
force mobuized itself at home And
what wonderful discipline in the ranks
What zeal at the work. what magnitude
Of souli Everywhere you see calm
determination. born OF resignation and
hope. The war came as a fatality, and
these people bowed their heads to the
inevitable, but they kept their faith in
the future They are waiting and work
ing, firmly convinced that the day of
victory is dawning- Talk to them Of
the army and their eyes beam with
pride. nothing can shake their conf
dence in our boys" they talk with
admiration and love OF Father Jof-
fire." because he is saving the lives Of
his soldiers, and who never gives up
the goal he has set for himself
Glass Distinctions Disappear.
All class distinction has disappeared.
The people, rich or poor, noble or hum
bic, are one great family.
Want, that is to say material want.
is unknown in the country. The state
does its duty towards those left be-
hind but the wealthy and rich do far
more than their duty and share every
thing with those less fortunate
Some weeks ago those left behind
in the country were worried; the har-
vest must be provided and the old men
and women were afraid of falling in
their agreement with the soil, but the
minister Of war felt what was going
on and soldiers from agricultural dis
tricts were sent home temporarily to
SOW the seeds.