The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-08-29
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THE FRENCH FlREsIDE. !

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Frances Toplitx. In New York Times.
The French love their "foyers,y their
own fireside and the solidarity and
eepaFateness OF their family life. They
nave not the boarding house or hotel
habit as we have in America. and gree
garlousness does not suit their temper
ament. The very enterprising do not
wait for the officials to find separate
lodging6 for them. They usually 40 1t
themselves. For the others. the less
energetic. 1t is matter of weeks some
times before they can be satisfactorily
placed. With a proper regard for the
training OF the people. the French Off
cial does try not to send weaver to
an agricultural center and farmer
to q factory town. But mistakes do
happen.
The French government has planned
Well for Its now shifting population. A
daily allowance is made according to
age; rent is paid. or, rather. provision
IS made for rent whenever families de-
eide to lodge separately. That the fine
program OF the government is not al
ways carried out my be due to the
enormous volume Of; work-this placing
OF whole cities Of people at one time
and at short notice. Where the task
+
Red Cross steps in. and together the
responsibilities are carried. There is
tine spirit of cooperation. With the
Red Cross workers understanding that
she Is not there to show the French
people what they should do, but to
help them carry out the work they
nave planned, rehabilitation of families
can be made to count 81
1t Is tremendous rush and hurry all
q, the time. Things must be done quick
~, one must think on ones feet. Get
ting materials, furniture, stoves, kitch-
en- utensils. is problem; in some
lnlngs the country has been scraped to
the bone. 1t keeps the purchasing
bureau on the hop. Here are thousands
or people with, nothing but the clothes
they are standing In. And eventually
Hley are to go back to their homes
homes denuded--ves. and in many In
stances stance RACED to the ground. The few
lhlngs they can take back with them
will be their beginning
Iive a FrencnWoman bed, mar
nome. 1t is one of the gratifying
Things after days work to step into
one OF these little improvised homes
OF "repat," as we. in our American
hurry, have abbreviated them. and see
a reconstructed family 1t may only
be a bed. table, some chairs, a stove,
ana a "marmite." but we know that
In their hearts they feel that it is
better than the "cantonement" and
the woman, industrious from habit,
bustles about as if she had com
pick household to take care OF.
You may drop into a home at al
most any time and the "marmite" is
on the stove. A thick soup with some
bread broken into it, and they have
q meal. 1t is well not to question
what goes into that soup; but when 1t
is ready to be served it is very savory
and palatable. I can only recall one
instance where there was that lack of
many of our American households,
where the "delica lessen" store is the
first aid, and there the woman apol-.
oglzed for having eggs, butter, red
wine, and bottled water for her ltJ14ch-
con. Eggs and butter are almost pre,-
hibitive as to price. and one wondered
how she ever did it on the alloca lieil-
| money! franc SO centimes GO cenfs9
day for adults. and 1 franc GO cegfs3
| for each child-plus the 40 centimes an
hour she earned for cleaning-8 cents
an hour.
| War bread, loaves fully yard long,
or In rings no less than two feet in
| diameter, or in solid round loaves of
similar dimensions, is ever present. II
is never wrapped in paper. Everybody
walks along the street with his loaf OF
bread under his arm, and all the san
itary measures we take to have our
bread wrapped and sealed, or handled
with ,gloved hands only, would prob
ably be scoffed at. The war bread is
not very good, but we may Judge from
the size Of the loaves that it is not un-
popular. One does not feel any short
age of food here, except, perhaps
sugar and chocolate. / have not the
least doubt there are many speak
easy places in town where these can