Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-01-31

thoughts turn to 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 10 a hurst of glory
Others there were who fell in their
racks-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. II is esti-
mated that 20OOO000 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
beer her morning thought. II 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 totaliug. The figures are
ton. 1t is easy to write them. tnr
possible to understand their full mean
ing. The mind can't grasp 1t; the
world 5 bewildered by the number. 1t
is too stupendous, too horrible for I'M
derstanding. 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 a half million wound.
Cd
Who can measure this loss?
War brought death. 1t did more
it stoI ped birth. In the devastated re-
gions of Belgium, France Italy, POI
land. parts Of Russia and the Balkan
countries. the birth rate fell 10 al
most nothing IL england and Wales
the birth rate in the last part Of 1918
was 1913, the lowest on record. Nal
lett calculated that the birth rate had
fallen y per cent " England and
Wales by 1916.
The Journal Of Heredity quotes Saw
orgnan as having estimated that ii will
take England mt least ten years Ger
many l. years Italy 81 years and
France 36 years to recuperate their
populations. These calculations by
Savorgnan were made before the fear
full losses of the campaign OF 1918.
A village in France Blerancourt,
tells what the war has zone to The man
power of Europe. This village which
is in the Chateau Thierry- SCISSORS dis
trict, had a population Of a thousand
people before the war Its losses have
been tabuated Twenty-six soldiers
from this village were killed III the
war. Ninety-seven of the villagers
died from war privations 1he total
Of 1913 is the death toll Of a village
Of a thousand.
The figures ! have quoted from the
calculations Of Savorgnan and Mallett
were 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 aud forty years were
listed as dead or incapacitated for
work Further. that il would take
France over 20 years to recover her
normal population.
1t is said that IT will take Italy 50 /
years and England p years to regain
normality Of population
The human waste Of the war is more
thtu sad memories The loss of man
rower makes a grave problem. 1t has
thrown out OF balance the domestic
scheme of the world II will be felt
for years There are great many
more young women han men. Home
life is bound TO suffer, There will be
fewer marriages. fewer children. Sta
tistics only tell part Of the story.
tCopvrieht 1899 Western Newspaper Unfon1