Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-02-28

thoughts turn 70 the dead who, while
they did not die in the war, died be-
cause Of the war. Those who went out
in battle left life In a burst Of glory.
Others there were who fell in their
tracks, exhaustion, broken hearts sent
them west" She has not forgotten
how the home flank suffered. The stay.
at-homes were not all slackers. They
fought hunger and cold, bent their
backs beyond the straining point.
Worst OF all, they waited. It is esti-
mated that 100000 civilians died
from weakness, fatigue, strain. broken
hearts-the horror of waiting de-
stroyed resistance. These were the
underfed older men and women, the
scared, undernourished children. Is
there any wonder that Europe has a
death look in her eyes? Death has
been her morning thought, it has been
her night sob, and for four years made
up of months, weeks, days, hours,
minutes and seconds death has been
her Nemesis.
She is now totaling. The figures are
appalling. They stagger her imagina-
ton. 1t is easy to write them, i'm
possible to understand their full mean
ing. The. mind can't grasp it; the
world is bewildered by the number. 1t
is too stupendous, too horrible for I'M
Outstanding. Think Of it, seven and
half million young men, for the most
part between the ages of eighteen and
thirty, the youth, the strength, the
spirit, the man power of Europe, dead
twenty million from civil life dead,
over twelve and half million wound
ed.
Who can measure this loss?
War brought death It did more
it stopped birth. In the devastated re
gions Of Belgium, France, Italy, PO-
land, parts of Russia and the Balkan
countries the birth rate fell to al
most nothing. In England and Wales
the birth rate in the last part of 1915
was 1915, the lowest on record. NAL
lett calculated that the birth rate had
fallen u per cent in England and
Wales by 1916.
The Journal of Heredity quotes Saw
orgnan as having estimated that it will
take England at least ten years, Ger
many - years, Italy 38 years and
France SO years to recuperate their
These calculations by
Sayorgnan were made before the fear
full losses of the campaign of 1918,
A village in France, BlerancOurt,
tells what the war has done to the man
power of Europe. This village, which |
is in the Chateau Thierry- scissors dis
trict, had. population of a thousand |
people before the war. It's losses have |
been tabulated. Twenty-six soldiers
from this village were killed in the |
war. Ninety-seven of the villagers
died from war privations. The total
Of 123 is the death toll of village
Of a thousand.
The figures l have quoted from the
of Savorgnan and Mallett
we're made before the war was finished.
Since the war, estimates have been
made, and these estimates show the
situation to-be even worse. In France
was told that 81 per cent of the men
between twenty and forty years were
listed as dead or incapacitated for
work. Further, that 1t would take
France over 20 years to recover her
formal population.
It is said that it will take Italy so
7ears and England % years to- regain
lormality of population.
The human waste of the war is more
han sad memories. The loss of man
)Ower makes a grave problem. 1t has
brown out Of balance the domestic
scheme of the world. It will be felt
or years. There are a great many
more young women than men. Home
life is bound to suffer. There will be
ever marriages, fewer children. Sta
ist1cs only tell part of the story
Copyright, 1920. Western Newspaper UniOn)
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