The Colorado statesman., 1920-10-09
CLAIM OLD HOMES
French Peasants Repairing Dev-
astation OF War.
Cheerful Sights Seen in Districts Raw.
aged by the Hun Hordes-New
Villages Arising From
Heaps Of Ruins.

La France is IAN American mnga.
zine" which aims TO promote Franco.
American sympathy and understand
Ing says the New York Times, and is
conducted by group OF public-spirit.
ed citizens. Recent numbers huve
contained notable records OF the re-
vlyul OF agriculture and industry In
the devastated region, photographs
showing the progress which has been
made In rebuilding churches and
canals, and significant statistics as TO
the great recent increases in taxation,
thanks to which France hopes TO fund
and eventually wipe out her wartime
debt. Most impressive OF all. how
ever. is the story of French failure
as told by Claude Rlviere.
In certain devastated districts the
verified and the soil so completely
blasted that 1t seemed impossible to
repopulate them. Not house was
remaining. nor a tree; and instead OF
the familiar green herbage there came
"a curious yellowish grass. utterly un-
like anything seen before in this part
Of the country" With a characters
tlcnlly dramatic instinct, the authori-
ties planned to keep these districts
as they were. and especially such
places as had been the scene of signal
and memorable examples of German
barbarity. They were to be an exam
pie and a warnlng-the 'red zone"
But these dramatists reckoned with
out their hero-and heroine. Deep In
the heart of the zone rouge, amid
scenes OF volcanic" devastation. Nj.
Riyiere saw through his field glass
tiny green square upon a distant hill
side. 1t proved to be a cultivated
field, ian oasis in the desert" Dis
regarding the new law which protect
ed" the zone rouge. u peasant had re-
turned to the site of his old home,
had himself removed the unexploded
shells from his soil-24 of them were
lined up by the road-and so he had
established himself as producer once
more, if only on a tiny strip. 1--WE
have always plowed the land" he said
to NJ. Riviere; 1--WE must pillow again."
In what was once the village of Nan
old woman who was somehow man
aging to live alone In the dismal wreck
of her home, though she had to walk
ten miles to buy food. She said sim
ply that she wanted to die in her own
nnSr-"Je veux mourir dams ma
..aison." A more cheerful sight In
the zone rouge is village which for
merly housed 800 people, all but five
" whom have returned.
A correspondent of the London
Times bears similar witness. The
most recent battlefield guide book con-
tains picture entitled. "All That Is
Left of Hooge-the Signboard." But
the traveller finds that new Hooge
Is already rising upon this site of SO
many bitter scenes I'm the battles for
Ypres. Even the local guides have
their troubles. One of them, having
announced to his tourists that Guile
mont was so completely destroyed that
no attempt could ever be made to re-
build 1t, discovered upon reaching the
site chat four houses had been erected
in his brief absence. and were already
occupied. the children playing in the
streets.
From the nation to which such
things are possible much Is to be ex-
pected. Heroic as 1t was in war, II
has equal vigor and tenacity In the
arts of peace.