The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-11

hu-tshiu. but IL was the greatest bless
ling that ever happened To them. Brown
bread is best"
The Quakeis are great believers In
! wholcscm me diet, even In their own
homes. whether IN peace times or war.
They hnye been studying dietetics this
summer. and practiclng what they shall
preach IN France With plain, simple
food for themselves as well rs the
people they go To aid. the French peas
ants and our American Friends will
have good basis for the immediate
future they are trying to make for
broken villages in the country OF the
Marne.
The demountable houses they build
at Dole can bc put anywhere on mans
Hot. preferably whecr they can be used
later as some sort of outhouse. Their
estimated life is seven To ten years.
Meanwhile, these houses give their
owners a start, and once French peas
ants have start. nobody can save or
build his property more rapidly. At
Red Cross headquarters in Paris Mr..
Leeds said, no methods Were more IA
| vorably quoted than those of the Eng
llish Quallers. who have labored at their
chosen work since the first six months
of the war. There are about $50 per-
sons in this British unit. of whom about
| fifty are conscientious obicctors who
are not Friends
| AN sorts of unforeseen obstacles
confront the reconstruction work" Mr..
Leeds told the unit as they left Haver-
ford The government is assuming re-
l .a.s s..aa n
ual property owners, therefore. want no
reconstruction done until the damage
has been satisfactorily assessed. The
owners, who may be at war. or refugees,
and the mayor and prefect as well,
must all be consulted before work can
be begun. In the reconquered section
lbehind the French line l07 towns or
villages out of 2?6 are completely de-
stroyed. 107 are partially destroyed and
Isl have not been injured. No civilian
il allowed 10 go back TO his village un-
less he has place To stay. and in cases
of total destruction. therefore. there
are no civilians at all--only soldiers.
who are camped near or who have built
temporary huts or are using built-np
stables.
THE civilians frequently crowd into
the larre towns OF cities nearest. their
homes. 50 as TO return and start work
on their land as soon rs possible.
Chouny. where several factories of va
riOus kinds We're wrecked by the Ger
mans. was the largest town destroyed.
It's population was 10000. All the fur
niture. garden tools and agricultural
implements in the whole district of the
| g. a
mans Fortunately. in some places be-
! fore their retirement the invaders plant
ed crops, and these are being gathered
this season by the army. Most Of the
! fruit trees have been cut down as an act
Of pure vandalism. Dynamiting and
! burning were means TO the end very
| frequently. and in the town of Villers
st. Christophe wells were filed up with
offal and bricks so that typhoid devel-
! oped.
! There had been no fgiIting in this
little town, no bombardment even, but
the people who fed before the mad
| Huns came back To find the old familiar
places in ruins. \ young woman was
first TO work her way back, and she
acted as mayor for two months, manac-
ing things so well that the subprefect
of the department sent materials for
building and erected a large hut TO pro-
vide shelter for old villagers who re-
turn 10 hunt up possessions. Many Of
them had buried their money. and there
were touching scenes when they were
permitted TO return to hunt for il. The
center for relief land reconstruction !
work done by American Quakers in /
.e;lI Il
shipments OF material will be carrieC on
trucks 10 the places of cons,ructionf
|. Henry Scattergood. who 'accompa lied |
afr. Leeds TO France. TO look over ihe !,
ground preparatory TO the coming. Of |
,thei Ihfei'folsl unit, told the young men !
Of the fields the returned farmers were I
trying TO cultivate in mo mans lapd.'
lie spoke of the work the American |
boys would have 10 do. where the land !
had been cut up by trenches and shelled, I
though this was one Of the last things |
to do. The food. houses and furniture |
were first He said that he saw waving !,
fields OF grain this summer in the midst 1
.of which great strings Of barbed wire /
defied the most wary.
The minister Of the interior. who has |
recently opened up "A special depart ,
ment for reconstruction work. assigned !
the British Quakers To the utterly ruin
ed villages Of ST simon. Tungy. Bray
st. Christophe. where the girl mayor
managed things, as another. for their +
labors. Exactly where the American
boys will go first viii be determined !
largely by the Red Cross. which vel
comes their coming
One tning Is certain. thcy will wear i
the Red Cross uniform. and wherever
they appear il win soon become known
that they stand for sympathy and
practical help TO exhausted France.
Their hope Is that 'somewLere ia
France NC shall build Fi the hearts OF .