The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-10

wish to take life in battle, but who
wanted to render some service in the
cause of humanity.
And what an opportunity for service
lies before them! Six per cent of the
territory of France is a desolate waste.
This territory, rich in manufactures
and in coal mines before the war.
paid a full quarter of the nation s
taxes. Now it is helpless. Homes
numbering 100000 have been ruined
Personal property worth four billions
of francs has been destroyed or car
ried away by the Germans. The
losses in horses, cattle and other farm
animals number1 100000 head. To
rebuild the country, six hundred mil
lions of days work will be required,
with an outlay for building material
amounting to ten billion francs.
Do you wonder that France wants
an indemnity and the protection of
a League of Nations against further
attacks?
AMERICAN QUAkERS
RENDER VITAL AID
OF course our American Quakers
cannot do more than a small part of
the work or reconstruction, but they
are starting where their aid is most
vitality needed, and everything they
do counts. DR.. r. M. Jones of Haver-
ford college, Philadelphia, who is the
chairman of the service committee,
told me about the work after COM
pleting trip over the region where
his people are employed.
I'VE have undertaken to help the
French people start life over again
in the area west of Verdun to St.
Menehould, and from Brizeaux to
Montfaucan," he said This is the
region from which the American army
started at the outset of the Argonne
campaign, and part of the ruin re-
suited from the fighting in the big
offensive.
Our first aim is to take care of
returning refugees, who are often sick
and who always need shelter. We
have big general hospital at Cler-
mont, which we shall presently turn
over to the French people with a
small endowment. We also have a
maternity hospital at Chalons. Both
hospitals are kept very busy. We
have also department devoted to
the care of orphan children.
AS you have seen for yourself, the
houses in northern France have been
shot to pieces. We have two facto-
ries at work building portable houses,
which we set up for the returning
peasants. These houses are made of
wood, double-boarded and double
floored, and have roofs or red tiles
They are intended for use as resi-
dences two or three years, but they
are good enough to be used much
longer. The French government will
supply 1000 more portable houses,
and in May our two factories will
shut down, SO that the workers may
devote their time to setting up the
houses.
FARMERS WILL PAY
ON INSTALLMENT PLAN
"The French farmers will pay
about Is per cent of the cost of these
new homes, on the partial payment
plan, and as the money comes in we
shall turn all of it into the endowment
fund for the two hospitals.
AS the refugees come back we fit
them out with few simple pieces of
furniture, and we also give each fam
lily a pair of rabbits, some bees. and
a few chickens. That sets them on
their feet.
Are they grateful? / cannot tell
you how richly repaid we felt for all
of our work, by the simple and touch
ing evidence Of gratitude that we are
encountering all thetime."
The $50 workers are for the most
part young college men and women
from Quaker institutions, who have
come to France to work without paw.