The Washington herald., 1917-04-29
BY HENRI RAIN.

Paris. April IL. (by maiD-Quite ex-
cluding the many In Belgium, In North
ern France alone three hundred and
twenty-seyen village churches have been
entirely destroyed by the Germans. j
have not only seen some personally. but
have examined official photographs OF
each and every ruin, and can affirm both
the total and the destruction as without
an iota of exaggeration.
By Village church." do not mean in
any instance, and therefore do not In
clude. places Of worship in towns OF
cities of even relative numerical import
ance; but the simple. modest religious
sanctuary of the ''paysan." the farmer.
the tiller of the soil-the consecrated
house Of prayer where gathered small
congregations within s27 areas Of from
one to twenty kilometers about Sz CEN
ters.
Family Records Destroyed.
These sz7 village churches were modest
and without renown. Yet they were
quantity beautiful, in great part of an
cient pious usage. devoted 10 many In
stances TO the constant worship Of God.
They were quiet sanctuaries. containing
family records, records Of birth. baptism.
marriage and death, the ex-votos Of graf
itude. commemorations of festival and
sorrow, the stories in the life history of
generation after generation of the same
line; for all over lovely France there
are families living where their ances-
tors settled centuries before.
Simple and unheralded as IL was. the
village church of Northern France was
thus not only q holy thing full OF ancient
recording and tradition, but the most be-
loved and -pretentious building in many
an industrious, home-loving, God-fear-
ing community. towering always far
above the modest picturesque houses and
cottages about II. yet always very lowfy
In stature notwithstanding.
Anse1us VIII sound No More.
The bell in its tower had sounded
the Anselus from "a great while since, =
the Angelus heard afar in beetneld
and vineyard. waited for as a daily
part OF many a simple, beautiful. pious
life. when the laborer, hoe in hand
ceased toll for a moment, made the
sign of the cross, and bowed head in
prayer. He had been baptized beneath
the tower in which It hung. 1t had
rung his marriage peal. II would toll
at his burial as IT had for his fathers
before him. as II would for his chill
dren after him.
Monsieur lie Cure was godfather tc
him. as another Monsieur lie Cure hac
been to those before him, still another
might be to those coming after him
aiding in counsel. solacing in suffer.
ing, seated at the place OF honor at the
wedding breakfast, presiding in priest
ly robe at the end which cometh &c
all.
So, in the destruction of village
churches in Northern France, the Ger.
mans destroyed more than ancient
graying stone and the beautiful evil
dence of Catholic piety and faith
within, more than the sometimes mar
velous ancient glass, the often valua-
Bile paintings and objects Of ecclesias-
ticAl art, the marbles and sculpturec
clay, the always Beautiful and varied
stations of the cross. For these, aftel
all, had a material side, visible to the
eye. responsive to the touch, as hac
the long-lined sacred written records
Of life and death or q whole com
munity, a far wide countryside.
Tablets were destroyed, too; tablets In