McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1920-02-20
PROBLEMS FACING
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 a Better Chance
Than He Has Hitherto Been
Granted.
BY FRANK coMERFoRD.

BY FRANK coMERFoRD. {
Europe wears IN anxious took. One
thought Is arouSiug her from The
stupor of her misery. She opens her
eyes In wide amazement when she no
tees and notes the striking change
that has come over her children. II is
puzzling her, although she well knows
what they have gone through, how pa
tiently and uncOppIainingl they suf
fered. II isn't strange to her that they
have changed, when, she remembers
the peace Of the years before the war.
the quiet. sane lives they lived and the
four years in which they lived ~ wet.
foul sewers called trenches, slept In
tombs on the edge of strip of hell
called No Mans Land, breathed the
smell OF burning flesh, saw their pals
'go west" buried their dead, grinned
at pain. laughed AT death Nerves OF
steel could not stand what they have
gone through without being changed
by 1t.
They have put on mufti again. II
IL strange to them. The quiet streets
are dull. The delnobilized soldier feels
the letdown. The tenseness over de-
preston sets In. During the war he
didn't have time to think Of anything
except the job ahead of him. Every
minute, every move was life or death
to him. Now he realizes for the first
time what he has gone through. won
ders why he is alive. Two thoughts
possess his mind: one the memory of
every minute of the days and highs
of the war-the other. Of what Is
aheai of him. what Is he going 70 do
with his life He is Mt strange cross
roads The word "iob" doesn't mean
much to him. 1t isn't that he is lazy.
He has to pinch himself 70 realize that
II is over and that he is back from the
war.
Earned Right TO Better Place.
Between the whizz Of machine hui
let's and the shrek of shrapnel he
spent his time thinking and his
Hesnever got used to the war. but he
learned tn forget II He has brought
more than souvenirs and memories
from his experience. He has brought
home thoughts. tdeas and amhifions
from the trenches MANY night. look
ing over No Mans Land. listening to
the "hanshee" Of the war, he thought
and resolved hat II he ever came
hack he wanted and would have
better chance in this queer thing called
Life. He feels that he has pnId for
place, and he has pnid. He hns
earned the right 70 decent place in
the world for which he fourht. He
helped save the world and he looks to
that world to save him from mean
ingipSS machine existence If II doesn't
he has r'ade M his mind 70 use force.
He Is willing to work wants to work.
hut he insists on hc'ng part Of his
work rather than MS work being al ~
him. He sees feels and measures
things from an intensely human angle.
He feels his hmonness. The war
emphasized the value and meaning If
the human being. II was life or death.
He is alive He wants human inter.
est In his work.
| Hundreds Of dnmohli2ed soldiers In
/ different parts Of Europe in different
| words. in different languages. have
said to me: "If the world isn't going
| TO give us better chance than II gave
us before the war. then the world
wasn't worth fighting for When we
| fought they told MS II was to mnke the
| world safe for democracy and 10 make
life worth while. We thought this
! meant us and ours. We have learned
| that life isn't only question Of 4 Job
and enough to eat we want to he
| treated Ike human beings. A man
wants to feel IhRt his work means
more to- him fhan inst wages. File
| spends most ~ his time ut work, the
! rest Of II Is spent with his family and
In sleeping 80 he will he able TO work
| the next day. WHY shouldn't he hav,
an interest In the business. and whv
SuoHHlu I'VE "''SiIitSS UTE AL INTEREST
| In him? We don't want to run the
business. all we ask IL say In 1t. a
friendly shy in II. Some people think
| that TO he fed is TO he free---it isn't.
Being free means being treated like
human being"
have found MANY good honest mon
and women who have lost interest in
work. They say ave don't get fair
share Of what we make. We fight
among ourselves for jobs because we
have to ar siarve. and they pny ms rs
little as they can" ] nm not reasoning
or arguing this question. am stating
fac, which indicates The state of
mind Of millions Of men and women In
! Europe who did their hit for civilian.
| tion during 'he past four years.
Fair Hearing Must Be Granted.
Calling these people bolsheviSts
| doesn't silence them nor solve the
problem. Such tactics irritate ard
deepen the unrest Their grievance
must he gwen a fair patient hearing.
Their attitude Of mind must he reck
oned with If we hope 10 get hack To
normal living. | have heard some say
that these people must he given to I'M
ALBlNoS.