Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-07-02


Work Of Fiends.
The members of our party shud-
dered as we gazed on the spectacle
of this ruined city. Could this be sne
work Of men or of fiends? Can such
wounds be healed? Can the Germans
who inflicted this destruction ever OBJ
tain forgiveness?
To those In America whose only In
terest in war has been desire to get
over here before everything Is all
cleaned up" l can send the message
that they need not fret IL they are
delayed a year or two. Their chill
dren's children will still look upon the
ruins of invaded France.
With the sun OF spring but few
days old, 1t already begins to smell
bad In western Belgium and north
eastern France, Bones of men and
horses are all about unburled. Great
piles of ammunition and lines of
trenches lie just as If the troops had
marched away yesterday No prog
ress has been made In the restora-
ton of homes, factories or stores.
Mile after mile we sped through
wrecked towns and villages In which
civilian residents are just being per-
mitted to return.
Vicious Dissertation.
We stopped at once famous coun.
try villa. The beautiful home had
been occupied by German officers.
When we went from room to room and
found filthy pictures and obscene
poems scrubbed and scrawled upon
the walls. when we found priceless
tapestries with spikes deliberately
driven through them. when we found
statuary deliberately knocked about
with rifle butts and everything NOV
able carried away, we wondered what
sort of men had dwelt therein.
Just as it seemed our hearts could
stand no more. we came upon little
group of laughing, kissing country
follks--one Of our party caught enough
of the conversation 10 learn that mann
ma goat had just successfully increas-
ed the population with baby goat.
and France could even smile with so
little assistance.
We returned with Increased admi-
ration of the French nation and a
greater appreciation of the hardships
that had been endured so heroically.
Martyrdom of France.
No more pregnant emotion can grip
the human soul than those inspired by
the scene we had beheld. Here men
fought for empire and left their mark
on nature. These ruined villages, this
tortured earth. this awful desoIntlon
stretching for miles In every direc-
tion--unite In showing what men will
do when they put on the livery of inn
perial militarism.
We know now what France has
suffered. and we know that all she has
lost Is loss to the whole world. Her
awful martyrdom, her heroic endur-
ance, her indomitable fortitude cry
aloud from these heaps Of stone which
were once peaceful homes or the cen
tiers of industrial prosperity. now
stilled for brief time only. In this
war the spirit Of evil sat upon the
throne and sent his slaves to chal-
lenge civilization. In the providence
of God the end was certain. That end
we saw on the battlefield, for there
despotism died and the new Justice
for France and for the cause Of right
was born.
We returned to Paris through Cha
teau Thlerry with the conviction that
not a tenth of the devastation, de-
struction and lootlng has ever been
told or ever can be.
/ have since read the peace terms
with a new understanding and do
not wonder at their severity.