The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-05-21
QUAKERS HELPING
RUINED FRANCE TO
BUILD Up COUNTRY
Citizens Whose Religion Was
Against War Offer Services
in Cities and on Farms for
Reconstruction Period.

wv
PARIS, May 81. Especial Core
spondence .)-America has sent to
France a little peaceful army of 500
men and 50 women, who's task is to
combat the fearful ruin and desola-
ton OF the war. This army is made
up of Quakers, who did not 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.
rms territory, rich in manufactures and
in coal mines before the war. paid a
fun quarter of the nations taxes. Now
It is helpless, Homes numbering $780,
900 have been ruined. Personal prop
erty worth four billions Of francs has
been destroyed or carried away by the
Germans. The losses in horses, cattle
and other farm animals number 1,b1O, 900
head. To rebuild the country, 800, 000,-
600 days work will be required, with an
outlay for building material amounting
ITO 10, 200, 900, 600 francs.
Do you wonder that France wants an
indemnity, and the protection of a
league of nations against further at
tacks?
Aid Rendered Is Vital.
or course our American Quakers can
not do more than a small part of the
work of reconstruction, but they are
starting where their aid is most vitality
needed, and everything they do counts.
DR.. r. NJ. Jones. of Haverford college,
Philadelphia, who Is chairman OF the
service committee, told me about the
work after completing a trip over the
region where his people are employed.
W have undertaken to help the
French people start life over again in
the area west of Verdun to st, Meme
hould. n from Brizeaux to Montfau-
can" he said, This is the region from
which the American army started at
the outset Of the Argonne campaign,
and part Of the ruin resulted from the
fighting in the big offensive.
our first aim Is TO take care OF re-
turning refugees. who are offs. sick,
and who always need shelter, We have
a big general hospital at Clermont,
which we shall presently turn over to
the French people, with a small en-
dowment. We also have a maternity
hospital at Chalons, Both hospitals are
kept very busy. We have also a de-
partment 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 fac
tories at work building portable houses,
which we set up for the returning peas
ants, These houses are made Of wood,
double boarded and double floored. and
have roofs Of red tiles, They are in
tended for us as residences for two
or three years, but they are good
enough to be used much longer, The
French government viii supply 1000
more portable houses, and in May our
tuEn foatnTiau will uhhtE Inupn co Nhnt
the workers may devote their time to
setting up the houses.
The French farmers will pay about
10 per cent of the cost OF these new
homes, on the partial payment plan,
and as the money zones in we shall
turn all Of 1t into the endowment fund
for the two hospitals.
As the refugees come back we fit
them out with a few simple pieces Of
furniture, n we also give each fam
lily a pair OF rabbits, some bees and \
few chickens, That sets them on their
feet.
Are they grateful? | can not tell you
how richly repaid we feel for all Of
our work by the simple and touching
evidence OF gratitude that we are en-
countering all the time
The $50 workers are for the most
part young college men and women
from Quaker institutions, who have
come TO France to work without pay,
Many OF them are from farms and
small towns, They are the most will
ing of workers and accept any sort Of
task cheerfully. They TIL the soil, set
up houses, repair roofs of buildings that
may still he used, drive ~ambuiances.
nurse the sick, DIR. Jones told me how
they take their lives In their hands
sometimes.
our men are blowing the battle
fields" he told me. with tractors and
gang plows. They are constantly in
danger OF striking unexploded shells
hidden in the ground. A French farmer
was driving a tractor and a gang pillow
when n OF tho pillow points struck n
dad He was blown to pieces. That
sort Of thing is bound to happen many
times within the next year or two.
Devastated Land Rich.
Last autumn our mon succeeded in
blowing over q considerable area OF
devastated land, and In sowing II with
wheat. The young crop, growing over
territory so recently trodden by armed
men, looks very fine and encouraging
this winter, We are unable to use
est OF the Argonne country; we use
horses and single plows instead.
w have 100 moving machines,
about 40 binders for cutting the grain,
and four or five threshtng machines.
which we expect to keep very busy
during the coming summer. We have
Ii agricultural headquarters at Grange
lie Conte, a 600-acre farm. There we
train u workers and the French peas
ants in handling modern farming ma
chlnery,"
The Quakers have so far raised all
the money they have used, about half
n million dollars. among their own mum
Der. They need $500, 900 more. and are
preparing for a new campaign.
Judging from appearances and from
current reports, no one Is doing more
good per dollar spent in France than
these kindly, quiet, u~uassumlng Quaker
folk and their English cousins, who are