The Wrangell sentinel., 1920-03-04

with him, either metal or paper money, In excess of a thousand francs, and on that day you could buy almost nine francs for an American dollar. Can France pay? The figures prove France insolvent. Her officials and her men of prominence say she cannot pay. Her war debt is enormous.
 Poverty on Every Side.
 Italy Is as bankrupt as France. A forced loan temporarily held the lira from losing all of Its value.~ Her war debt threatens the throne.
 In the new Balkan countries we find no gold reserve, little but poverty. In Czecho-Slovakia the government closed the borders for ten days, commanded the people to bring their money to the banks where stamps were put on the bills. When they brought their money they were given 50 per cent of 1t back and receipts for the balance. In this way the government cut down the volume of paper money 90 per cent. Even after this was done in the city of Prague I bought kronens for less than two cents piece.
 In Poland every kind and species of paper money is in circulation. Her frontiers have not been fixed by the peace table, and the profiteers in money smuggling have dumped the worthless paper of Europe into Po- J, fn xxy and my recollection Is that the mark was worth about two cents in Amer ican money. Poland has no metal money. She hasn't a gold reserve. Her struggle to get credit to keep her people from dying by the millions from hunger and cold is pitiful.
 Austria is penniless, proverty-strick- en. Vienna is city of ghosts, list less, pepless, human beings. They drag their feet after them. Their heads are bent between their shoul- ders. The kronen was worth a cent when I was there in September, and even at that price there was prac- tically nothing to buy. Austria in her extremity, her people starving, peti- toned the peace table for the priv ilege of selling her art treasures and heirlooms. The plea was to exchange them for bread and coal. Necessity prompted the plea. The peace table refused the permission, holding that these things of value might be the only collateral out of which the al- lies could collect the indemnity.
 Europe's debt is her crown of thorns, as her dead Is her cross. Un- rest is her Calvary. A new Order is her hope-her resurrection.
 Facing Gigantic Task.
 Europe is not dying; she is ex. hausted, tortured, confused. She Is trying to find herself. She is putting all of her remaining strength into the effort. The task before her is stupen- dous. She must rebuild her house. She must nurse her wounded, care for her cripples She has counted her losses, inventoried her possessions.
 The past must bury its dead. To- morrow is for the living. Today she is planning for the tomorrow. She must repair her house, put it in or der. To understand her work, to know her plans, to feel her problem. it is necessary to know her thoughts.
 Unrest is frightening her. Fear is keeping her from work. It Is causing her to worry. With all her soul she is pleading to the rich and powerful to become as little children again, her children. She Is telling them that the fate of the family is at stake, that they must make concessions to their more unfortunate brothers. She Is trying to make them understand that they are brothers. Many of them have forgotten the relationship. When she urges them to stop wrangling and quarreling she is pleading for their common good. the family welfare. She is warning against the danger Of jus tice too long denied, of unrest too long bent up. She is translating the nut terings and mumblings of the discon- tented. She knows the complaint In their hearts, she sympathizes, she un- derstands.
 This was Europe as I saw her in her black rags arising from the war.