Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-09
NORTHERN FRANCE
NEAR STARVATION.
Stripped Ham Bones, Costing;
Three Francs, Boiled
for Broths. Il q
P0lLUS RETAINED AT 'FRONT.'.
Soldiers Miss Christmas at Home,
and Restoration Moves
Forward Slowly. -
PoILUs RETAINED AT FRONT
by ROBERT WELLS RTTCrrrE.


stale stun. you folks at home, VINO
will read this sometime after the. Ast
STEW has been extracted from tho a
bones OF the Now Years turkey? VIII 81
you be 80 completely launched on tia
new year. and with the holidays 30
what Christmas meant in Franco Win
have no more interest for you than
last years results in the worlds cham
ponshlp series? It really believed 20. n
OF course l would not write this
without question there is a prtFSSs
lent belief at nome that this is the noaf Il
tEonized countries Of Europe las eser
for four years. Peace has come yoG
say; therefore everybody in the, land.
happy and fuf of rejoicing. The mss,-;
sage sag the angels chanted at Beth!ehen,
ror may sound clear and sweet ~
IS DiFTrcu1R PA41si
True great weight of terror 49,
been lifted from bowed shouldeeB ovSsi
born light of confidence in tho eyRl
OF folk who,ve drained to tho verys5
lees Nil imaginable suffering and hop-s
through which France and her alifsa,S
have passed the softer moods OF psao6s
nave not come automatically with thes
war cannot become insta Ntaneo0sfy'gAi
world Graded in the comforts Of peace
Jubl ny luS SCf<kNCHfII1S Oh lu0 UeI6Ak8V1t
toes' pen. The way to restoration 90
the normal IN life is long and di1ncuSs 81
and this Christmas has meant SuxtS
France but a beginning in the tsdso0as
In one OF the Pur1stan p4perg 1ssAs
terday appeared an editorial hnadedl
that editorial with my limited faoiS-
ity in the French and drew tharefrpus
Christmas lesson which was pesyS:
haps tho strongest this holiday ne0s,
son ever gave to me. Ss.-s.is
PAY THREE FRANCS For
STRIPPED HAM BOH
The editorial said that in tho dry.sh
aHtated districts around Ldllo en9sl
ing 2 TO francs for ham bonHt
stripped entirely of the meat: that the13s
boiled the bone two and three tin11si
and considered the resultant brotnsa
After these boilings.- tho odseus1sGl
went on to say, the bona Itself III
split and the marrow. Il any remanat
tor cxhorted the English and AmeSAst
can troops still occupying the odd bA6-f
tie lines not TO take advantage OF th4tSSi
eggs, cream and cheese from the farns
ors; for. however the shopkeepetS -xndS
producers might profit, the thousznasI
who had no government rattons StoI
greatly needed necessities. Ss !,
NORTHERN FRANCE rs ,
STARVING FOE BopnNl
Here is the sober truth. told mesbyf
French soldiers who have just re-
turned TO Paris from the devaStHtedIs
areas: The north of France from TIN I
Belgian border to Verdun is in q worSAI;
state in the matter OF food nowsthanl
under German Nomination. Becausesc4t
the scarcity OF transportation facllkSf
ties the government has not beenaAhl4t
TO put sufficient quantities Of pr0vt1St
ions into the devastated areas to fkSAN
the population OF NnrfhAxJaN
Francs is starving. sisA3ysst /
Not only does food lack, but coalst
very scarce; thousands whose hornas
were destroyed are without adequat~f
shelter; clothing and furniture 3garsl
equally wanting; medicines for tho oichps
are being supplied in'oart by the uedi-I
armies Here, in the wreckage od HaSt
there was no merry Christmas. -GslsS
CONDITIONS ARE SAME asfs
IN land OF BELtSuNEtS
Nor are conditions greatly dtfferezsa
in Belgium. a dispatch from RruoseSaf
in lie Matin OF to-day said that becausai
OF the embargo Holland had put oni
the expectation, OF cheese and meats ton
through all the lt,t!e Kingdom. The
Germans. as | know from personal ToS-l
serVatton, carried away with them ALI
the cattle they could find; even chicicen8j
overlooked by German foraging paIrt
ties during the great retreat OF %th& I
autumn. EseSstgtf
Even though the Belgian Relief -CdiS-.t
mission still functions 1T top pressure,
every month cannot be fed SFsafIi
For all OF France another eIemertE +
in the situation made for sad NOEL
Not single man has yet been do!
mobiiiZed from the French army,
though the opposition to the Clemen-
ceau government has forced this ques-h
THIS means that more than 1000 .en0 &
homes were without fathers huShando e
or sons this Christmas. atsssS3
FRENCH SOLDIERS SPEND bSs Il
CHRiS1MAS AT FTfOHTS
Pc't Pierre, the grizzled old TerrsSM
torial or the class OF o. who had
looked after the armis;ico TO spenS5fffg
the holiday season with his Sood-wtf8s s
and his husky sons--themselves inslaea
horizon biue--pRsscd Christmas gruns.- &
bling over a little nre somewhere DIT
in the war-scarred country of the Cham
nagne or in the mis-y Vosges. To himg
rett Pierre and hos comrades want TO-
know why lin the name of a name OF 81
a dog the politicians AT Paris keep
him rottins in desert when thar0sts
war. s,sS5ssfsss
Another and more grizzly feature ot
the holiday time over here comeasstnS
daily renorts from the old battle
fronts. While the world re-eohoes with
news OF peace the spiteful trash ~
war still claims las victims. Up there
along that terrible waste from the q
WI "a SCI 10 S"llGsTlbHu not a DAY
passes but new lives are added to tho
Toll OF war through the explosion OF 4
hand grcnades. "duds'' and other grim
instruments OF killing, which malfctraI
ously Withheld their functionins tostakSs
the lives OF noncombatants e4fss13l
RATTLE FIELDS ARE SowN Xa4<sszl
WITH NUMEROUS DArFGfzsss
Every battle field is sown with tbeSss
terrors; delayed mines left behind Ebys|
the Germans in their retreat OF twS n
months stu their VVfnArnvp4fiI
OF death: aerial bombs buried In hou&sSssi|
but uncxploded at the moment OF cQMyS
tact. spread destruction when masan8
PICK strikes them. And at sea. nnWsd
and then. a fishing boat or q smutsyt]
tramp strikes osting mine dvGr~Sl
with all hands SESes% ~
No. folks 3, home, this was NIX
very merry Christmas oTsr heY>es sxS4isi
who sat down TO turkey and psun. pUQ-fl
ding must remcmber nlisery still ye$&SkMy n
In Europe. and when anotbe f call fs&xAH q
to hclp relieve 10 do not bettero ,aa3xkSSfj
has put an end 20 CHARITY f z! Is