The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-11-17
BATTLEFIELDS
SLOWLY CLEARED
State College Professor Visits
EurOpe-Italian Trains Are
Mounted With Guns and
Armed Guards

Telling how the battlefields of Eu-
rope are slowly being cleared Of
their dreadful debris and, literally a
yard at time, brought back to cul-
tivation. Prof. c. NJ. Brewster of
the chemistry department at the
State College of Washington showed
the Cosmopolitan Club pictures he
took last summer in Europe.
He brought back to the college
some so new volumes for the scien-
tific library giving the most recent
chemical developments abroad, and
gress at the College of Science in
London, the University Of Heidel-
berg, and the universities at Nun
ich, Geneva, Genoa, and Paris, as
well as at the National Chemical In
dustries Exposition in New York,
which he visited on his way back.
Mr.. Brewster had a party Of Il
men and women with him, who visited
England, Belgium, Germany, Swift
zerland, Italy and France under his
guidance. Six of the party flew
from London to Brussels in 2 hours,
thus saving an extra day for sight
seeing. the rest of the party taking
from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m. to cross
the channel to Brussels. Travelling
conditions, he says, are much better
than when he was there a year ago,
but one must still watch baggage
carefully to prevent theft, many Of
the railway officials being irrespon-
sible in that respect.
At London they visited the Cow
ent Garden markets, and also the
regions made famous by Dickens.
After a trip up through the Shake
spear country in Warwickshire they
crossed TO the battlefields Of Bel
gium and northern France.
owe could hear them blowing up
heaps of unexploded shells every
half hour said Prof. Brewster, tell
ing how the buds" still make it i'm
possible to plow and cultivate most
Of the district. All about were the
piles Of barbed wire, tins, and old
guns gathered up. He showed pho
tographs Of trenches and dugouts
overgroWn with weeds but still
easily recognizable Many cities are
still such heaps Of bricks and debris
that they can not be recognized as
cities, but the small cottages are
beng neatly re-roofed with red tile,
and rebuilt on the old foundations
among the ruins. In Germany, he
said, the people get enough to eat,
but the question of clothing is the
pressing one.
Some interesting photographs TAX
On in Switzerland showed the cattle
stalls on the ground floor Of the
chalets, the family living above, and
the hay filling the gable spaces, so
that when they are showed in. as
they usually are in winter, they
need not leave the building 70 care
for the stock. Women and children
make lace during the long winter
season. and men and boys do curious
wood carvings. which they sell by
the roadside in summer to the tour
lists. War time, when there were no
tourists to buy, was famine time for
them.
In summer the Swiss drive the
cattle up onto the heights to pasture,
and make the cheese there which
they bring down to market in the
fall when they drive the cattle back
to winter quarters.
In Italy the visitors rode on trains
with machine guns mounted on the
cars, and armed guards to keep the
trains moving. The conservatives"
we're forcing the striking government
officials to keep public untility SER
vice open. Airplanes were circling
over Rome TO see that not more
than people gathered anywhere,
to prefent mobs forming.
The work of removing rubbish
from the ruins of old villas occupied
1000 years ago is going forward,
many beautiful things being found.
About half the old city of Pompeii
is also uncovered now from its vol
canic ashes.