New-York tribune., 1918-03-05
q French Villages
Being Rebuilt by
American Fund
Miss Anne Morgan Out
lines Work of Reconstruct
tion Behind Lines
Staff Correspondence |

WASHINGTON. March 4. Recon
struction work in France means the
day help which the inhabitants
of the reconquered territory must have
to live, not the actual rebuilding of the
French villages as they were before
the war" said Miss Anne Morgan. one
of the leaders of the civilian division
of the American Fund for French
Wounded, at meeting at the home of
Mrs. Joseph Letter here
"Criticisms frequently heard in this
country that it is too early to begin
reconstruction work in France are
based on a misapprchension of the
term reconstruction Miss Morgan
said. "The American Fund members
have no idea of the literal restoration
of the French towns, which would be
at this time preposterous. The 'adop
ton of French towns by American
communities is hopelessly futile, and it
has amounted to nothing. A French
architect who had been asked to make
p,ans for the reconstruction Of one viii
lage had stated that it would take him
a whole year to get the work started.
Such work, if it is ever to be accom-
plished, is a work of the future and
cannot possibly be undertaken while
the war is being fought. The work is
the daily problem Of helping the re-
turning French villagers to get the
necessities of life.
23 Villages Being Restored
"1he American Fund for French
Wounded is working in close ccopcra-
tion with the Red Cross and with the
French army and agricultural authori
ties and has been decorated by the
French government. 1t has undertaken
tho restoration of twenty three villages
IN the Aisne and has headquarters at
Blerancourt But without the constant
and generous help given by the Red
Cross the organization could have ac-
complished nothing.
This district was ono of the finest
farming countries in France, and the
Germans made vow to leave 1T urin-
habitable. They drove out the villag
ers, sending off ns..ny of them to Ger
many They blew up, burned and de-
stroyed the villages hacked down trees,
battered down farming machinery, car
ried off livestock and uprootcd every
vegetable. The returning inhabitants
find none Of the necessities Of life.
"The devotion of the French peasant
to his native soil, one Of the most
characteristic traits in the French nat
urc, leads him like a homing pigeon
back to the site Of his own little hut,
even though there is not one stone left
standing on another. The 'reconstruc-
ton work needed here is the daily
problem OF helping to supply these viii
layers with the necessities of life. Put
a roof over the ruins OF their home,
give them food with few utensils in
which to cook it, clothing, farming i'm
plements, seeds and COW, if the fam
lily need milk.
Red Cross Gives Seeds
"Sixty-five hundred fruit trees, Sc
cured in France, will be set out this
month and l 100000 vegetable plants.
Vegetable seeds have been secured
from the Red Cross. The villagers
have been encouraged to breed rabbits.
Rabbits and chickens have been given
to those who could profit by them The
organization has aided in establishing
cooperative societies in each commune.
an important and difficult work. as the
French peasant is essentially indi-
vidualistic. These community organi-
zatlons take over the cultivation of the
land and are resuming more and more
financial possibility
"The improved condition of the
French children, responding as they
are to better nourishment, is one OF
tie most impressive features of the
work. The organizations labor is
largely devoted to the care of the chill
dren whose schools have been recstab-