The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-04-25

great aim in life: They want to get back
to their lands and they willing to suffer
privaton in order to get reestablished In their
brokenup homes. They numerous. numbering
more than two million l have seen and talked to
hundreds in the devastated country around Soils
sons, where scores of towns are wiped on the map
and found not single soul starting life over again
with crouch.
There Is doubt that much needless sunerng
caused by the eagerness of the peasants to
get back to their homes before the French gov
ernment had fully organized its relief machinery
Each peasant however. knew that the 1919 grow
Ing season, in order to be productive OF fair re-
suits must begin with the spring piowing In Febru-
ary with the disappearance of the SHOWS. So
each family head made great effort to get back TO
his land in the bitter weather Of January and early
February In order to get some kind of shelter
ready In which he could sleep and eat, before
his days given to work on the land
and the production of food
Most Of the refugees were the very old or very
young. During the early weeks of the peace con-
ference there very few soldiers returning to
the land Eighty per cent Of the French army
consisted of men from the farms, and the demob
ization rate comparatively slow.
At scissors American organization, with
French name, rendering valuable assistance
to the people. This committee. which was known
as the Comite American pour les Regions De
vastees de la France with Mrs. A. H. Dixie Of
Baltimore president and Miss Anne Morgan of
New York vice president had branches In 20
surrounding villages where supplies were being
either given away sold, depending on the 6nan-
cial condition of the farmers. II the returning
man woman had money with which to buy
goods. charge of "cost plus 10 per cent" was
made. The 10 per cent profit went to the French
man woman running the store. Funds to con-
duct the organization came from America and
were raised by popular subscription.
cutry, 4 Typical Village.
Not far from SoissOns. which Is peppered with
machine gun fire and shattered by big shell explo
sions Is the little hillside town of Cutry typical
destroyed village, with only about 10 per cent Of
the houses remaining habitable. The American
women Of the committee peddle supplies In Cutry
once twice a week. Twice q week a woman
doctor from the committee visits the place. In
Cutry "a peasants live with the cheerful out
look on life. Twelve of them sleep in a big cave
ON the hillside Rough boards have been placed
In the entrance to keep out the wind Inside,
In the dark, small stove serves to keep the place
fairly warm.
One old woman one of the happiest creatures In
the world apparently was living alone In one sec
tion Of tho cavern. Adjoining her temporary home
was N improvtsed stable where she kept her
donkey and four chickens and a two-wheeled cart.
She had fed before the advancing German army
with the donkey and cart and four chickens; had
kept them for four years In the south Of France.
and on returning CutFy rode back In style In the
donkey cart
Down the street, in q house that had suffered
severely from shell fire. were Afme and N.
Crimean war, was bent and feeble. His eighty
almost doubled I'd with the nfirmties Of age. His