The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-11-20

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The very earth seemed killed Tn,
trees stripped Of their bark, tortured
splintered. were dry and white as OLD
bones. and in the shell-holes the water
Was stained dark rust color, ths
tain, Of the poisonous gases. II WA
sad 10 see in THESE little pools tn,
small crosses that mark soldiers
grave. and when one looked at thu
long lines Of trenches half full oi
water, one thought Of the patient mer
who stood on guard in that freezing
mud so many long winter nights.
| shall not soon forget the aspect Of
la Bassce. formerly thriving manu-
featuring town, now a fcrmiess mass
of debris, with only few corners OF
walls still standing. As | looked over
the ruins the only man in sight WAS o
one legged soldier. hobbling along on
crutches,---a wreck of man in a
wreck Of a city. But from somewhere
behind pile of rubbish, came the call
to the noon soup, and suddenly, out
from under all those mounds of dust
and fragments appeared hundred
and fifty persons, men, women and
children. Filled with that strong love
for their native town that is in the
heart Of every Frenchman, they had
already returned. braving discomfort
and privation for the joy of helping to
restore their homes. In some places
where there are still an unusual num-
Der Of unexploded shells and grenades,
the civilians were not allowed to circu-
late, but wherever the gangs of Ger
man prisoners and soldiers had passed
70 do the dangerous work, the people
were focking back, and with indomi-
sable courage were tilling the grounG,
and building small shelters OF bricks,
sheet-iron, planks, whatever they
could pick up. | have seen old men,
women and children spading up whole
acres, or dragging plows through
fields where shell-holes fairly over
Tapped. They were trying desperately
to get in their crops in time, so that
the coming winter might be a little
less hard.
So many times am asked: "But
does the government do nothing ?"
Yes, the government has done and is
doing great deal But you must re-
member that in all this northern sec
tion crossroads were blown up by
the retreating Germans, bridges de-
stroyed, railroads torn up. And in
towns like Armentieres where nearly
every building is still standing, there
is not one that it would be safe to try
to repair. The government is still
tearing down, and clearing up. Real
reconstruction can begin only when
the ruins have been reno we'd. Iu the
mean time, prices are way up, and
although the government still allows
small sum TO every adult and child,
yet this added to the meager wages
that they can earn, where there is
work only for the strong men and
none for the women, is sufficient only
for the barest necessities of life. More
over the trains arc still occupied in
bringing in material for the track
mending, and for the barracks. Many
things are unobtainabe even for mon
ey. That is why garments, blankets,
goods should still be sent
from here, or money sent to Paris
with which things may be bought for
families in these ruined towns.
One of my soldiers returned after
twenty-five months in a prison camp
at Cassel. He 70 nd his family, nine
persons in all, living in one little
room, sleeping, in December, on a
cement foor with no mattresses and
no blankets, the rain coming in
through the paneless windows, and
the three little girls down with pneu-
monia. He had to walk nine miles to
obtain food for the family, or to find
a doctor or medicine for the little ones.
gave him a box full Of things that
had just received from America, but
there are still so many, many things
hat he needs.
Another man is in Lens, where the
English and Germans fought for so
ong. Before the war he had his pei
gis fractured in a mine accident, and
-ecently stone fell on his back, so
hat he again suffers from the old
lurt. His wife is very frail, her old
parents were both wounded during
he bombardment, and there are two
title children 10 feed and clothe. They
II first lived in part Of the cellar Of
heir former home, but now the man
las succeeded in roofing over little
tut that he has made above The cellar
With be debris gathered on the spot. :
The rain still eayaaa in ard ar,ox h;S Y