, 1923-01-07
Much of Var AYea Restored
Two- Thirds Of Devastated Region Is Re
claimed, Says Worker in France, Road
Building Records Is Established

~" ~ SaA
work with a w~eil-defined objective.
Tho earlier pioneers were In the main
rugged figures of men and womsn In
the prime Of life; among the new bio.
nsers women and children, old men
n disabled men are In the majority,
There have been no red and black
sevaBes IN the new French wilder,
ness but there have been unexpIoded
shells, The earlier pioneer. compelled
70 clear natural Jungles in order to
make his garden, gave his strength
ana vitality to that tnsk; the new pto.
neer face to ace with the tremendous
problem OF clearing away war-debris
and making Gas.poisoned soil produc,
v have consecrated, no alone his
individual strength ana vitality to tho
task, but has used all the assets OF
modern machinery and science avail.
able to him and unknown by the old
pioneer.
TO n Frenchman who has always
been an ardent individualist when al
work.. the life of the old pioneer Is
undoubtedly more allurins than that
Of h new. He believes in the mower
OF his own hands, Rnd accepts the idea
OF machine-made results unwtlIinely.
This Is particularly true of tho meas.
ant. and it is the peasant-pioneer who
has re-mads the fields OF devastated
France.
1T win not be difficult to imbue the
coming generation with this new IN.
neption," writes Mrs. Elizabeth
Hamm. In World Agriculture, Hbut
h older people Of France cannot
easily put By the individuailsm that IL
h very warp and woof of their ma.
turs. The peasant came back with
his wife and children to conditions OF
life than seemed impossible, appalling.
with nothing but the clothing on his
back with his wke and children 10
conditions Of life that seemed impoa.
sible, appalling. With nothing but
b clothing on his back, with every
material possession gone, with no
transportation available for the sim.
piest tool Of housekeeping and farm.
ms, with orchards destroyed, farm
animals Eons scarcely a stone left to
mark where once his tidy little farm.
house stood. stfI he has returned
with his u~nshRkAble faith In the soil
and in his ability 70 extract a living
from 1t with his hard and toIl.worn
hands, He lives temporarily IN a
military dugout, sleeps on straw.
cooks out Of doors on n rusty trench
stove found In the woods, goes hun.
cry. ragged n cold. rather than
abandon HIS plot OF ground.
Although relief and aid are AZ.
forded for his most pressing needs, he
finds uuarpa.taa agfftu
has received an advance on his war
indemnity and Herewith the means TO
purchase tools, how can he store
srain7 Where find seed for planting,
granted that his fields have been
cleared for barbed-wirs and unex.
pioded shells. the trenches that zig.
zagged across them have been filled
in, and his hungry horse has been
sheltered in some rough abrl near at
hand?
"Then there is the question Of farm
hands. H's son was killed in the wer.
His tract Of land IL too large for hin,
to work alone. especially now that he
10 not so strong physically as before
the war. There r no young men
for hire. II Is a vicious circle. and he
i've u pthe hope OF q crop this year,
digs patiently in his garden with a
'pade furnished by the Relief Commit
toe In a nearby village. and plants
seeds bought from the same source
for the slsnder nourishment Of his
fani' y next year.
"lhe life of the region depended
upon the robirth of it's agricultural
activity. New conditions had re.
placed the old. New tools and meth,
DDS must be substituted for what had
served heretofore. Yet It seemed AZ
though It might be a difficult prob.
lem TO convince the French peasant
of that fact. so tenacious is he OF his
individual rights"
To Offset this characteristic Of the
Freneh character - individualism-
there were those other characteristics
mors deeply rooted and more power.
fui' his Intelligence and his love Of
the native soil. When fully con.
WINGED by his own government n bv
friendly helpers from across the seas
that farming by machinery and farm.
Ing In groups must be accepted for
h sake OF his native soil, he made
the sacrifice Of his ind~ivtduailsm. The
same tra~its-pluck, re~soureefuiness,
quick-wittedness and common-sense-
observed in the character Of the earl.
Ter french pioneers have been dem
onstratsd I'M Intensified in the con.
guest Of the new wilderness. Those
other traits. the Frenchman's adapta.
btity and his passionate love of the
native land, which seemed drawback,
to success In he old days Of pioneer.
Ing, have worked magic In the now.
overcoming seemingly insuperable
difficulties.