Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-07-08
RESTORATION WORK
IN RUINED FRANCE
AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL AND
BUSINESS MEN MAY FIND
OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
DEVASTATION WAS APPALLING
Varenne and Sermaize Cited as Exam
pies of the Way in Which the Ger
mans WiIIfulIy Destroyed Thousands
of Towns.
By EDWARD q. CLARK.

BY EDWARD q. CLARK.
observation-disclosures of inquiries are
being made in Washington by profess
opportunities for American enterprise
in France, and in the upbuilding of the
devastated territories. 1t seems prob
able that if France cannot supply from
her own population engineers enough
and enough men of the professions and
trades generally to do the work Of re-
construction, the United States may
bear a considerable part of the work.
Many of the inquiries have come
from discharged soldiers, officers and
men, for the American Expeditionary
forces contained both in the commits
stoned and nOn-commissiOned ranks
many men of a training which fits them
for the work which is ahead.
Thousands of reams of manuscript
have been written about the devasta-
ton in France, but no one who has not
seen it can, by any chance, have real
iZIng sense of what this devastation is.
II is appalling, and large part OF 1t
IS devilish because it was caused by
deviIish intention without the slight
est excuse of the necessities of war
fare. When one has seen the terrible
ravages in the fair land of France he
readily can understand why the French
people today are so inSistent that full
reparatiOn shall be made by Germany.
Varenne an Example of DeViIishness.
There are some interesting if COM
paratively small towns in France
which the Germans destroyed without
excuse. These towns have high places
in history. They contained priceless
monuments of the past which today
are level with the dust. Monuments
can be rebuilt but they are not the
same monuments, nor have they in
them the interest which centers on
things sacredly ancient.
Take the town of Varenne, for in
stance. 1t Is close to the Argonne
Forest. Varenne five years ago was
thriving place with several beautiful
public buildings, a cOmpellingly beau
tiful church, while all about the place
was the nimbus of history. Today the
only thing left in Varenne is the shell
of an apOthecary shop. The sign still
is over the door. 1t is the only sign
left in Varenne except the sign of Ger
man desOlatiOn.
Varenne is known to every reader of
history as the place where Louis XVI
and Marie AntOinette were arrested
while on their flight from Paris to get
out of the hands of the RevolutiOnists.
Ipassed through Varenne last fall IN
the wake of the advancing army. Even
amidst desOlatiOn one occasionally can
find something to arouse a sense of
humor. | saw a number of men dis
appearing down a ladder which led to
a deep hole in the ground underneath
the demolished apOthecary shop. l
wondered what they were doing down
there. In few minutes l found out. 1t
seems that in the subterranean regions
# this drug store the men had discov-
cred something which occasionally is
found IN drug stores in dry territory
in the United States. Apparently the
Germans had overlooked it, and if my
eyes did not deceive me the boys had
made some find.
What the Huns Did 90 Sernaize.
There is the town of Sermaize in
France. The Germans did everything
that they could to Sermaize and every
thing that they could means that they
entirely demolished ii. 1t was place
of 5000 Inhabitants, beautifully laid
out and with one of the most wonder
FIJI churches in all France.
When war had done its worst to
SermaiZe there was nothing left of il
except the church tower, which was
punctured with shell holes. 1t may be
that there were older churches in
France, probably there are, but when
one reads as l did the date 1893 on
the facade of a sanctuary he realizes
that he is in the presence of an ancient
and honorable.
Mention has been made of only two
towns which today are in a state of
deSolatiOn like unto that of the Cities
of the Plain. There was no excuse for
the destruction of these fair old towns
of France. Only two have been named.
Multiply the two by 1000 and the
multiplicand will give you close to the
number of villages the destruction OF
which France mOurns today. and which
Americans may help TO rebuild.
Army Plans Depend on League.
In the hot weather a house commit
tee has been holding hearings on bill
for the support of the army as it ex-
lists, and indirectly getting informa-
ton which may be of service when the
time comes TO reorganize the regular
army.
How can men decide on regular
army reorganization when they do not
know definitely what the fate of the
covenant of the League of Nations is
to BET
Ii seems likely that if the league
takes the field one day fully capari-
soned. the larger part of the proposed
American army may never get into the
ranks. An accented League of Ma
tons might have no effect on the