The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1920-03-04

grope through the world In . never
ending darkness, night without staPs
or moon; sunless black, hopeless days
and these. too. young men In the very
morning Of their day.
Others sentenced TO sIlenee-dedf
and dumb. Never again will me hear
their voices nor viii they hsar hers.
Still others In wheel chairs, dwarfsd
legless.
More hubbllng on crutches. umpIns
on canes.
Some with empty sleeves.
Many with great scars, where once
was a handsome face.
She sees them ALL her heart bleedS +;
the twisted. the mangled, the torn
She is counting them, the 12.61o,O17,
fhe wounded OF the war.
Wars Frfohtful Cost.
Her voice is husky, her hands are
fired. but she must count on. Six and
a half million OF her sons were marked
"misslng and prisoners" In the official
war score Many Of these have come
back TO her. but she does not question
them-she dare not. Their faces tell
OF the nnspeakable horrors they en-
durO. She sees In their eyes n depth
OF pain that Is Questionable. She Il
n mofher-she knows.
The wnr Is over but she Is not over
the war. Must she never stop count
ing? Is there no end to her lossesf
The gruveyards are crowded. Her
thoughts turn to the dend who, while
they did not die IN the war, died be-
cause Of the war. Those who went out
In battle left life in burst Of glory.
Others there we're who fell IN their
tracks-exhaustion broken hearts seat
them west" She has not forgotten
how the home flank suffered. The stay
at-homes were not all Aackers. They
fought hunger and cold, bent their
backs beyond the strafning point.
Worst of all, they waited. II Is esti-
mated that 20OOO,0OO civilians died
from weakness, fatigue, strain, broken
bearts-the horror Of waiting de-
stroyed resistance These we're the
nnderfed older men and women. the
scared, undernourlshed children. Is
here any wonder that Europe has a
Heath look In her eyes? Death has
been her morning thought, II has been |
ler night sob, and for four years made
up of months, weeks. days, hours, |
minutes and seconds death has been
,er Nemesis.
She Is now totaling. The figures are
appalling. They stagger her imagina-
ion. II is easy to write them, I'm /
possible TO understand their full mean
ng The mind can't grasp 1t; the
world Is bewildered by the number. 1t
S too stupendous, too horrible for I'M
Outstanding Think Of 1t. seven and
alf million young men, for the most
'art between the ages Of eighteen and
hrty, the youth, the strength, the
plrlt the man power Of Europe. dend
twenty million from civil life dead,
yer twelve and half million wound
Who can measure this lOss2
War brought death. 1t did more
/ stopped birth. In the devastated re-
ions of Belgium, France, Italy, Po-
md, parts OF Russia and the Balkan
ountries, the birth rate fell to al
lost nothing. In England and Wales
he birth rate In the last part OF 1918
as 1915, the lowest on record. NAL
1T calculated that the birth rate had
allen IL per. cent In England and
'ales by 1915.
The Journal of Heredlty quotes Saw
rgnan as having estimated that II VIII
Ike England at least ten years, Ger
amy II years, Italy 3S years and
rance SO years to recuperate their
)pulations. These calculations by
avorgnan were made before the fear :,
Il losses of the campaign OF 1918.
A village in France, Blerancourt
Ills what the war has done to the man
over of Europe. This village, which
In the Chateau Thierry-Soissons dis
let, had population Of thousand
,ople before the war. Its losses have
zen tnbulated. Twenty-slx soldiers
ON this village We're killed In the
ar. Ninety-seven Of the villagers /
ed from war privatlons. The total