Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1917-03-02
j. 6. SYMPATHY
BEING SHOWN IN
CONCRETE FORM


VITRIM MONT, Near Luneyille.
France, March American SYM
pathy with the civilian sufferers
from the war has given more concrete
expression in this little village than
in any other part of the deVaste6
country Immediately behind the
French fighting lines.
When Mrs. William Croker, of San
Francisco, chose Nirimont in which
to carry out her idea OF reconstruct
ing with her own means one of the
villages destroyed by the German
troops in their first rush into France.
she met with much doubt and sus-
piciOn. The people of Lorraine are
practical and hard-headed and also
object to partake OF anything given
in the form of charity. II was there
fore necessary to make the PROPOSE
ton a purely business like one before
laying it before the villagers.
All the men of fighting age are at
the front with their regiments. One
of the villagers while in the trenches
one day, received from his wife let
ter giving details Of the plan of re-
construction. He Immediately re-
piled: Don't waste ink on telling
me fairy tales. You are ready to
swallow any yarn told you. Just
make up your mind as I have done
that we have lost everything and
don't dream that good fairies are go
ing to restore all to US
In order to convince this man and
many of his village neighbors serving
in the same corps that somebody
was really taking interest IN them
and that they would not merely have
to be content with the government
Indemnity Of sixty per cent OF their
losses. Miss Daisy Polk, also a Cali
fornian and now administrator of the
plan, gave printed plans and details
of the scheme to the wives left be-
hind These were forwarded az once
10 the men at the front. who coulG
be assured only by documentary evil
dence Of this kind Of the good for
tune 10 be conferred on them and
their dependents
Miss Polk who since the beginning
Of the war has been occupied in re-
lief work of various kinds. was chosen
by Mrs. Croker to administer her
benevolent scheme. She decided at
once to live among the people so as to
become better acquainted with them
and to earn their needs. Every
house, without exception, had been
either shelled or burnt She. how
ever, was able to find a one-roomed
cottage which could be repaired and
here from her single room Miss Polk
directs all the work. She interviews
there the architect the builders. the
department officials and government
tunctionarics. and only recently re-
ceived Ambassador William G. sharp
who had come to lay cornerstone OF
the first new house.
OF the seventy houses composing
the village thirty-four were shelled
and the remaining thirty-six burned
The government itself decided to re-
pair the bombarded houses, which
were not so badly damaged as those
which had been set afire. The re-
construction of these latter was
undertaken by Mrs. Crocker.
No attempt was made by the au-
thOrs Of the scheme To force Ameri-
can ideas down the threats of the
conservative Lorrainers. Very littls
change had taken place in the villag,
since the fifteenth century and tn.
style Of architecture was very uni
form. usually taking the shape o
one OF two story cottages with grange
door entrances and attached at tbs
hack Of tire granaries and cattlesheds
The only changes insisted on by tbs
promoters Of the scheme as well a.
by the French government were tbs
introduction of sanitary arrangements
which hitherto had been non- existent
the provision of ventilation in the
rooms and the separation by an in
tervening courtyard Of the cattleshed:
and the human habitations.
1t was with difficulty that the
peasants could be induced to accept
some Of these changes but at length
reason prevailed and the plans were
finally drawn up.
The new village is to have wider
streets and the main road through il
Is TO be planted with trees, while the
town hail and school are now to oc-
cupy prominent and spacious posi-.
tons in the center of the village in
stead Of being hidden as before the
war in narrow lanes without any all
space.