Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1920-02-28
pRObLEMSFAC|NC |
STRICKEN WORLD
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War?
CHANGE OF SOME SORT SURE
Returning Soldier Feels He Has at
Least Earned Better Chance
Than He Has Hitherto Been
Granted.
CHANGE OF SOME SORT SURE
Article III.
BY FRANK CoMERFoRO.

BY FRANK CoMERFoRD. ne
Europe wears an anxious look. one m
thought is arousing her from the IN
Stupor Of her misery. She opens her &C
eyes in wide amazement when she no IN
tees and notes the striking change e
that has come over her children. IL Is II
puzzing her. although she well knows I;
what they have gone through, how pa u
tiently and uncomplainingly they sur
fered. 1t isn't strange To her That the! u
have changed, when she remembers p
the peace of the years before the war ;
the quiet. sane lives they lived, ana the i
four years in which they lived in Wet t
foul sewers called trenches, slept III
tOmbS on the edge of a strip OF heH
called No Mans Land. hreathed the
smell of burning flesh. saw their pas
go west" buried their dead, Grlnheu
nj pain. laughed at death. Nerves OF
steel could not stand what they have
, gone through without being changer
, by ii.
, They have put on multi again. IL
/, Is strange TO them. The quiet streets
are dull. The demobiiZed soldier teeis
- the letdOwn. The tenseness over de-
\ preston sets in. During the war ne
didn't have time to think of anything
- except the Job ahead of him. EVERY |
+ minnie every move was life or death |
y m him Now he realizes for the trst
time what he has gone through Won
ders why he is alive. Two thoughts
u posSess his mind; one the memory Vi
y every minute of the days and nlghOH
of the war-the other. OF what II
o. ahead of him. what is he going to 90
III with his life He is at strange cross
roads The word "job" doesn't mean
much to him. 1t isn't that ne Is ia"F'
He has to pinch himself to realize tila'
he n is over and that he is back from the
ew war.
'ut Earned Right to Better Place.
ny Retween the whzz of machine bull
let's and the shrek of shrapnei ne
spent his time thinking, ana MS
oo thoughts were not all about the wal
III He never got used to the war. out ne
an learned TO forget 1t. He has brough'
OH more than souvenirs and memories
,em ~. axnorionce He has brought
from
home thoughts. ideas and amDition'
she from the trenches. Many night, look
inc over No Mans Land, listening u
my tha "hanshee" Of the war. he though
mes. and resolved that II he ever cam
an haek he wanted. and would nave
ore. heSter chance in this queer thing calie
him r.fe He feels that ne has pa q IS
kim place. and he has paid. he ma
. earned the right to a decent place !
fine the world. for which he fought n
shot helped save the woriu anu he looNS
the that world to save him from me"'
onth ingless machine existence. III IL uoesn
win, he has made up his mind to use 1orc
= of He is willing TO work, wants 10 WoI
: .ho but no insists on being part OF II
= uort rather than his work being All
- him He sees. feels and measur
s+ora things from an intensely human ahs
-. ue fools his humannesS. Inc
omnbosized the value and meaning
ms .ho human heing. IT was life or dea
Du' IT. g. o,;va He wants human int
"Sick He IS awe ne
est in his work.
-, urndreds of demObilized soldiers
s out difIereht p' Ioncroqas h;
"Per- WORDS Ill "i'l' -, to- 90
.o,d to me. IF the world isn't 90
i'm 20 rive us q better chance than II q
Co"'' hofora the war. then the VIC
things us oeiole srhtino for When
Know" WASH WI III - voc IN make
- world safe for democracy ann 10 III
life worth while. We thoueht
lSe ,,oont rs and ours. We have lear
CO. g.. ITO isn't ONLY a question or
- onouoh 70 eat, we want TO
trooted like human beings.
,.onts 70 feel that his work mi
MORO IN him than Just wages
onds most of his time at work.
DnICc .aa+ IF II is spent with his family
tn s,eening so he will be ahle 10
tho next day. why shouldnt ne
49, an interest in the business anu
sborIdn't the business have an Ih'
IN him. We don't want 10 run
airosS all we ask is a say IN
outh VI e.;ond1, say in il. Some people
hilS''" .,at 20 no fed is to be free-it
concrete that 10 pe le ZINC treated |
the wa Beng lIee
,rcla Of human being
',rc,e Of have found many good hohes'
circular and women WI" a,, 49,, ,o+
fod by work. They say, 1--WE don't ger
From share of what we make. we
look at omong ourselves for jobs pecau'
rdly see have TO or si"rNe "r 10. roo
o ocs little as they can" am NOT reaS
shutting or arguing TINS quuon tbo sto
- the fac, which indicates the sta
,,ored a mind of millions of men ana wo.
sountoin, Enrone who did their bit for CT
oU ton during the past four years
is full of Eair Hearing Must be ord"'
are not coui,g these people bolSl
ing suits. - silence them nor sol'
Owe their ohJom Such tactics irritat
nd leave deepen the unrest lhe.I :,
: plunge mist be given fair paueh' u
;. Their Their attitude of mind must D
ny them anod with if we hope to ger
one re- normal living. have heara 50
saves the .Lat those people must be gwen