Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-08
FIRST WINTER RAINS
IN DESOLATE FRANCE
For Three Years People Have Lived in Midst of Horrors
wrought by Hands of the Unspeakable Hun.
Comfort of Summer Passes.
by PIERRE; LOTT.

Bh PIERRE LOTT.
i,"hSrlhht international News Burcau.l
Desoiation and horror. II extends as
lar as one can sec. For three years.
alas. wc have lived in the midst OF IL.
watching ii continually. your eyes grow
more sad and finally become almost
tnacnsiblc TO IL.
I'ut from time 10 time one feels a
sudden rising Of Indignation and just
hate.
Look, sec what they have made OF
our beloved France. these savage Ger
mans. And still they go unpublished:
And he. that monster Of monsters, who
has unclaimed them on US. not only IL
he still living and at liberty. but he
continues to deceive all that human
scum which surrounds him.
DISSOLUTION and horror: They wero
less Expressing in those beautiful DAYS
OF summer Just passed. when the now-
cr5 made our ruins more cheerful:
whom the jasmine. tho creeping climber,
hung charmingly over the walls OF our
ruined houses and the crumblims church
I"riicoa. In those days our soldiers.
passing TO and fro. seemed more alert
under the bright sun Of September.
But to-day tho signs Of the winter
season arc showing themselves with a
sharpness that one cannot but feel.
Everything is changed under an icy
rain and black sky. do not recog-
nizc. 50 to speak. tho same nfty kilo-
meters Of this zone that have zone
OYER a hundred timcS-and which arc.
beside. but "A portion Of our great wast-
ed area. II seems tonight az though
any eyes were opened on now scenery.
tho aspect Of which is no longer bear
ahlc. Indignation and hate rise up in
my heart like a food.
IRREPAltABLE DESTRUCTION
Is WROUGHT by HUN
Farms, orchards. iian,lcts. villages
and small towns. from top TO bottom
everything mas been d~estroycd: de-
s;roycd IL such a manner that nothing
can hc used AGAIN. II will be impos-
Sihlc TO rebuild because all the walls
have been destroyed al the bottom, and
not a stone remains in place. With
wha, fury and Internal patience they
have carried on tho destruction,
An along what was once streets. tho
-a,tcrcl fronts OF buildings which still
lspli, ID.N ~ EpI i!lEpISll lO!cS " men
were olcc windows. but there are no
longer outside shutters or easements
ana thcy. look like the sockcts in a
corpse from which the eyes arc gone.
Sow and then the roofs have, as they
fcll. made. the beams burst through and
raise themselves like long srpalicatinE
arms toward tho 81 y that il may bear
witness.
Here and there these gorilla. Q.
William have written. before they
made their escape. the sort OF curses
that only make you shrug your shout
dcrs because Of their tooiishness. God
punish England THAT is what you
read most often on places on the wall
IN great ugly letters. Punished for
what? Poor dupeS o: the Kaiser; moor
crcdu!ous slaves .hosc bondage is a
foolish IS il is unholy-wil! they be
punished for being 50 couraseously up
right as 10 light, against tho rage OF
The German monstcr:...
Rain! rain. How cold 1t is on our
ruins The mild days that were not
50 hard on our soldiers are over. /,
Is almost winter. Those sinks OF mud
that We had forgotten abou. have
formed since morning. and We mus;
submit 10 them until spring. on the
reads TO The ron along which pass a
continuous cortcSc Of cam!ons SO heavy
that they sink in tho ground. tho ruts
and dangerous holes arc again filled
With that Glucy mud which spurts up
ia showers Oh the blue garments OF
our soldiers. Soon, poor brave fellows.
they viii again take the gray ;int Of
49,. ,-,,.. ,.Lnr tlAs- lN,.n- iz-r.nI
.s though they were made OF earth.
III the numbcrlcss camions which
AXE them 10 the great struggle or
back 10 the doors OF the rooaess
houses. whose elias shelter their
slumbcrs. one sees them all mufHed
up for the irSi time in their o~ilclo,h
canes like the hood OF a priest. Mean
while, most OF them laugh and joke;
there seems 70 be no sadness in their
eyes as they watch the sudden shower.
one would imagine that they won!d be
saying TO themselves. What. after we
have already endured this for three
winters. after all that we have already
given OF Saior and courage, must We
so all over il again another winter
and that because of vile weaknesses to
which We arc Stransers-treason or
unworthy allies, and also, on the part
Ct the neutrals, criminal completely.
Without these ~dishonorablc people We
oLld have finished our task. we who
have never failcd!' -.
As for our task, ii is enough TO look
around o to discover that II remains
the same. even more severe. for the
fourth winter ought TO he tn" ia&t
and the best. Besides, ono cannot but
think that the Bochcs. even the most
puffcd-up and decorated OF them. have
been loSin. their prestige since our
last great offensive when they re-
treated in n body. Truly. for those
who have that 10 think OH there is
no rain. even rain as icy as tails to-
night. that can piot out the renein-
brancc of our wonderful victory on the
.ii.nc.
GAS MASkS MUST RE READY
AGAINST GERMAN ATTACKS
During tho summer which has jus.
passed. the written signs at all the
roads and ruined streets have been
greatly multinlicd, and these inSc:iD-