The Washington herald., 1919-05-22

a lot OF chicks may be incubated with
that sum, and by early spring hun
dreds of thousands of chickens we're
peeping under old shawls and in COM
forters and old clothes-chicks that
never would have been better than
fried eggs except for the girls who
worked this button plan. And it
was one of a dozen schemes to aIIevi-
ate the French life in the long pano-
rama of despair that was gashed
across France and Belgium when the
green got back in the trees this
spring.
The Friends built houses: they
helped the Frenchmen restore the
crushed homes; they helped in the
fields as farm workmen; they distrib-
uted aid where charity was needed.
and sold on credit where people de-
sired credit. and for cash where they
had it. such things as the people
needed that could be supplied. The
matter of merchandising was one of
the hardest things the people helping
in the devastated area had to do.
They were quite willing to give
things away. But the self-respect of
the French resented that, and the next
thing was the matter OF starting
stores and selling at cost The women
of the American Committee. for in
stance. found that If they sold things
at cost it kept out the French store
keepers. who. after all. should come
in and establish themselves as soon
as possible.
So the committee tried to avoid
selling directly to the people. and en-
couraged storekeepers to come in. To
these storekeepers the committee fur
goods. and simple hardware-at ac-
tual price cost at wholesale in the
French ports. And the committee
required that the village storekeep-
ers should mark the cost price and
the selling price in plain figures. add
ing 10 per cent for handling the
goods. This gave the storekeeper his
profit and helped to re-establish trade
in the community; and it kept down
profiteering.
Reconstruction Problems.
One Of the serious problems Of the
reconstruction was the matter Of
house building. Certainly there was
plenty of good building material on
every town site. But it was In neCIi-
gee, as it were. Practically every viii
lace had to be completely torn down
before rebuilding could begin. And
when in a town Of 3O.noO this process
was required. as in Lille or Rheims
or Scissors or Cambria or St Quen-
tin, it represented years of labor But
the French are Ioath to give up their
towns. To them the connection with
the past is important: indeed. it is
vital. The fact that generations of
a family have lived upon a site sig
rif hi
in French life. 1t means little or
nothing in American life. Destroy a
town like Omaha. so that It would
have to be torn down and carted off
before II could he rebuilt. the town
would merely move up or down the
river a mile or two and begin again.
But even in the smallest. poorest.
most terribly wrecked French villages
the people are stirring among the ruins
and no one thinks of going to an
other townsite. So the problem OF
rebuilding the houses arises.
French people are spending millions
of francs on city and village plans.
American committees from the Red
Cross all over the benevolent area
of her activities are working out plans
for modern houses not materially diff
ferent from the ruined French homes.
but somewhat more sanitary. For
instance. the manure pile which so
often in the French home lowered as
mark of social distinction in the
front yard in tho new house nlans
has heen moved to the rear of the
establishment, and the entrance to
the house is no longer through or
bv or near the stable. Model houses
are being put up in certain villages
bv Americans as community centers-
the property of the village where pub
lie meetings of the young people may
be called. These community centers
look much like the neighboring houses.
but they give the hint of modern
lighting and plumbing and ventila-
ton without really imposing It, And
they seem to be doing good by ex-
ample,
1t was late April and early May
before the roads to the devastated
area began to grow black with
returning home seekers. Then all
day long upon every highway all
sorts of vchicles-two-wh wheeled
carts, donkey carts. old carriages.
automobiles. hand carts with dogs