New Britain herald., 1922-12-30
A Visit to France After Wars
 Dire Desolation and Destruction

f Francisco. A tip equivalent to thre, and one-half cents at thnt days ex,
 change was acknowledged not only h, : whole-hearted thanks, but also by tho
 drivers alaerity in carrying my bag to the station door, an indication that
 q little money means a great deal in
 the life of m ex-soldier who has
 stepped back into his pre-war job
 The train of fourteen cars had only
 one iirst-class coach: long lines of
 men, women and children hastened to
 the second and third-clas coaches,
 but in the flrst-cass there was besides
 myself only one passenger, an elderly
 man with Legion of Honor ribbon in
 his coat lapel. Even he was spirited
 away to a second-class coach by a beyy of fellow dignitaries before the
 train started on It's northern journey. The French never did waste money on de luxe train travel much less now, it
 seems when every sou Is needed for
 the upbuiding of their land and | homes.
 The train was comfortable--a fast
 cxpress--and we arrived at Noyon on
 the minute. The impressions of the
 trip were those of each subsequent
 journey by rail in the devastated area
 of France; passenger service seems to
 be functioning on the same scale as | before the war and it's schedules are lmaintained. This is surely an unpre- cedented achievement considering the
 stupendous losses in roadbed, bridges, tunnels, rails and rolling stock and equipment, as well as in workmen and personnel. Temporary, and in some cases permanent, railway sta tions have replaced the destroyed structures of pre-war days. The tenn porary stations. like the thousands of barrack homes and shops, sadly dis figure the fair landscape of France, and I have heard more than one re- turning visitor rage against conditions which could make it necessary to re- | place with such ugly wooden struc- tures-sturdy and doubtless answer | ing every requirement of utility-the l artistically enrbellished stone and | brick buildings which helped to make | France a pleasant place to visit be- fore the war.
 French Resolutions.
 Resolutions adopted by the French | Regional association include the fol- lowing items: That barracks needed | to replace destroyed buildings shall be of a strictly tenn porary character; that no permanent building shall be undertaken until general plans have been adopted, and then only under public control; that all reconstruction shall be inspired by the spirit of the community and with regard for natural harmonies." These only of the men in public life, but also of every villager and peasant with ', whom have talked.
 The Northern Railway company is trying to live up to these esolutions in the erection and restor- ! ltion of architecturally appropriate tations. This in itself is a tremen- d lous task and once in a while there ! nay be slips. Only last week l was 5 lrged by fellow-pa passengers to "be- [ lold" in one new station, just opened, q the black eagles painted hideousy on t he station wall" How did it hap Q en? Is it possible Germany had at lst sent material or workmen and X ad added this cynical bit of Teuton \ umor to the payment? 1n any case s am sure that when I return to that own the black eagles will have fallen rom their frescos and lovely French andscape panels will smile back at le as of old.
 Construction Begun. '
 Railway and road construction were ecessarily the first cares of the state nd local governments but not even le lack of roads could keep the rench peasant away from the ruins / his old home and fields. Empty atded, but strong willed and tenaci- IS, he wandered back and sought till 9 found 1t, some evidence that this : that bit of ell-ploughed land was | Is. He did not wait for a suitable yelling, for furniture or tools. Sleep ,,, 8 in dugout or any other make oI lift shelter, eating war-bread secur- t; once a week at the crossroads a VI. ile or more distant, he toiled from '" " tO WllI lllt pdllenl, I ,,, ubborn industry which is the basic w, ement of his character, to rehabili- o' o' te his fields and gardens A holy C' use the war had been to him, a hol- Y, r cause the reconstruction of his H' Ids. The enormity of the task of bring s.i g back cultivated fields to four mill ''., ,., III and a half acres which had been ", Id waste did not stun the French asant into inactivity nor deter him - ,m facing toll and want, pain and nger. His intelligence, his com on-sense, told him to return to his n fields and by his own labor re- jim them-his neighbor would do ! co np,n t,E ir trrl,I ,A,,'e Al; ,I,Ns