Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-17
CANNOT
WASH away woe
CAUSED BY HUNS
Continued From Page one9

have in these matters, am not pre-
pared to say that the German race
is beyond redemption, that it is not
our duty to endeavor to build up
that people to the decency OF menu
bership in the league of nations.
There is perhaps one step outstand-
ing today in their progress in that
direction more lacking than any
other, and that is total abstinence
from any expression of regret. If
the 100000 Germans were to shed
the tears of Niobe for the next
1000 years they could not wash
away the human misery for which
they have been responsible in Bel
GUM and northern France alone.
No Conversation With Civilians.
zone of the features of the rela-
tionship of our Americans with the
Germans was that they had to en-
dure every hour Of every day, wheth-
err awake or asleep, the personal
definite attachment of German Off
Ger.
"One of the worst features of this
association was that there could be
no conversation between the Ameri-
cans and the civil population except
in the presence of an officer and
such conversations were required to
be confined to the mere routine Of
the revictualling. Some of our men
were escorted out Of the country ON
a German order for an expression
of the merest human kindness.
when the United States came
into the war, it was necessary for
the relief commission to retreat out
of the north of France and secure
the assistance of neutrals. By that
time the organization had been built
upon until it required no interview
ton in its administrative features,
but merely guardianship.
!" / am happy to say that there never
has been case, or even a sugges-
ton of dishonest dealing. Beyond
this, from the point view of the adj
ministrator there has been that fi-
deity to duty that earefulness as to
detail and conciseness of thought and
action which should stand out as
monument TO the abilities of the
French people for all time.
Suffer From Apathy.
"The occupied population, after
four years of endurance, has come
out alive and in good health. 1t is,
however, suffering from very nat
ural mental apathy and it will be
months before it RECEIVERS its initial
activity, that activity Of mind and
self-reliance, so inherent in the
French people. You cannot expect
men who have suffered years of i'm
prisonment under. continuous cruelty
and terror to resume their mental
activities, their energy and abilities
in their daily tasks, until they have
had a period of acclimatization to
their new surroundings. and a grad
ual resurrection of courage and ini-
tiative. The consequence is that
the population in the north requires
not only physical assistance, but
moral stimulation and leadership for
gradually nursing them back through
convalescence.
The task of the care of the peo-
pie and of the reconstruction of the
north is appalling. The preparation
of plans of projects, of means of
material by which reconstruction
can be constituted on an enduring
basis takes time for development 1t
requires the assembling of vast f.
nances and material and no people
will accomplish it with the thor
oughness of the French.
Result is Vital.
"This ultimate result is vital, but
in the meantime the population must
have every care. The Anglo-Saxon
mind naturally tends to a solution
of the problems Of the day and, if l
am allowed to make one suggestion,
it is that there is need of more
Anglo-Saxon adaptability to- the
temporary measures projected for
northern France today and during
the next months. There is a depth
of human misery that requires ur-
gent remedy day by day in temper
airy shelter and medical attention as
we'll as food.
Zone of the first acts of the Ger
mans was to denude the people of
Belgium to very large extent and
the north Of France almost wholly
of their cattle. In consequence, it
has been necessary TO maintain a
stream Of condensed milk and other
food, especially for children of the
first four years. These races are