The Cordova daily times., 1919-01-31
SHIFTING VIEW
WAR T0PEACE
REMARKABLE
BEHIND THE LINES IN FRANCE.


iAssociated Press correspondence
This land of recent battles Is queer
land now. Over the shell-torn villages
and blasted woods. the pitted fields
and the ruin of all that once was. Is
strange quiet. The winter sky Is
lacking in airplanes and great fiocks
OF crows have taken their place.
\ few villagers have crept back to
see what remains of their homes and
holdings, but they are few and prob
ably the winter will have passed be-
fore reclamation and reconstruction
are undertaken on large scale.
Along the roads repaired and re-
bridged for the allies advance into
German territory, long cannon trains
move slowly and always southwark
They travel lcisurely now. for the
need OF hurry is gone. They bring
back the salvage of battlefields. all
the things that go to make war,
abandoned or captured.
Truck load after truck load OF
rifles and shells, of water bottles and
haversacks, cartridges, machine guns,
bayonets and trench knives and pis-
tolls, mess kits. overcoats. caps, an
endless catalOg of paraphcrnalla are
brought in. The battle zone is still full
OF it all, in heaps and racks, waiting
salvage.
Now and then come trains OF air
plane camions, burdened with disman-
tied flying machines OF every type
and every nation, engine and fusllage
and running gear on the truck ana
the great wings on its specially design
ed trailer Some of them are unharm-
ed but many show bullet holes
through the frail fabric or the ruins OF
q crash \ fair proportion OF them
bear the Maltese cross that marks
them Boche.
There are trains of captured enemy
artillery particularly OF motor pat
tories. driven and manned by French
men. and these are happy outfits.
Often the guns are decorated with
eyergreens and always the French
soldiers laugh and wave 4 greeting.
As they creep through the villages
the populace flocks out to view the
cannon that for four years sent death
and devastation to their land, and
the children Chamber on the carriages
and out on the grim barrels.
But it is the troops on the way back
that are most interesting, returning
to rest areas or 10 their ports OF EN-
barkation for home. French or Amcri-
can their behavior is the same. Al
ways they are laughing or singing, al
ways they greet every one cheerily
or boisterously. and always the
French officers salute with a smile
when they meet an American car,
while the men wave and shout La
Gurre est fnic" or a similar greeting,
Even the children cry ''fnis, fms, "
to the passing car.
Strangest of all are the lights at
night, in the hamlets or villages or
shining friendly from the isolated
farm house, in the regions further
back. For no longer France seemed
a deserted land 10 the traveller by
night. Hour after hour The Asso'
ciated Press correspondent has tray,
eled at night without a glimmer to
be seen in the countryside, and now
from every hill and vale the CHEEKY
windows shine and the villages are
ablaze. The papers devote columns
to the illumination of Paris. but it is
here in the remote part of France
where war has been, that lights at
night seem most wonderful, even il
they are but candle or little lamp
Where once camions or stan cars
doomed lightless In the roads to the
imminent threat Of collision, and often
it's accomplishment. the brilliant
headlights stab the night.
There is no village now but where
the traveller can obtain food. not IN
variety perhaps, but enough and very
Hospitality. The deprecatory polite
and necessary refusal to requests fol
refreshments that usually were re
ceived in the little hamlets or single
farms has given way to a cheerful of
fering of what there is. for the farm
ers know now that the specter Of {
winter OF short rations has disap
peared The rationing of certain food
stuffs is still In effect Bread ticket.
are necessary in public eating places
no matter how unpretentious, buttel
and milk are seldom to be had ant
cheese is scarce, but of plain vege
tables and certain meats, there II
plenty, and the carefully hoardet