New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1923-05-25
COURAGE AND HOPE
REBUILDING HOMES
War Area In France Has Passed
Safely Through Crisis

Parts, May ss.-of De- as,atei
France 4 NAV be said ioday that, du,
in no small measure ~ tie Dogs
foFlltpae AMI teHaeily af ~ returned
Inhabitants the area has safely PASS /
the crisis In its recovery from tbs
wounds suffered through more than
'0uF years Of systematic destruction.
According % estimates Of YaFiou,
+ reconstruction agencies tie end ~
next year, IL all goes well, should see
this vast sore In the side If France
F practically healed with the exception,
~ course, af some Of the eaihedFsis
ana other historic monuments which
never can be replaced,
Idea Of the Work
A general idea Of how the work Is
progressing may be had from the fact
that bsa,bff OF the f4i,sss dwelling
houses which were eFumhled hY can.
non have now been completely re-
stored, other forms OF reconstruct
ton are going forward, and In less
than five years after the greatest mill
N.
more than 1000. 900 OF the 5000. 600
terror-strieken people who fed from
the German invader are back on the
soil they love and are beginning 20
catch a glimpse % normal. undis-
turbed eontentment While the world
talks OF reparations and the political
aspects OF the occupation o. the Ruhr.
these weather-hardened refugees are
plugging away from sun 20 sun Ia re-
store their cottages and rcplant their
gardens.
Their One Object
This is their one object. True 10
the temperament of the average prov
incial Frenchman, these repatriated (
men and women want only the OPP
portunity OF remaking homes for
themselves: places where they will |
10 longer be patronized as refugees; 4
places where they may Till the soil /
and enjoy It's fruits. They waste no
time discussing the Ruhr, and are
to leave such things 10 their |
political leaders II only they them
selves be left unhampered in their
efforts TO prosper the land which once
formed such fertile part OF France.
A correspondent OF The Associated
Press who has made a tour of the
devastated regions comes away with
he outstanding conviction that. of all
he elements entering into the work
If reconstruction, the greatest factcr
II all has been and still is the sheer
viii on the part Of the people to re-
store.
ALTHOUGH there are still many
.ivid signs OF war. the contrast be-
ween the wartime aspect of the
and that of reconstruc-
ion is startling. There are great
tretches of rolling, sun kissed fields
ill so full Of lead and steel and
awning shell holes that cultivation
0 far has been impossible; but there
ire even greater stretches which have
esponded to the plow and are now
arpeted with fuzzy growth of green
pring again. There are miles Of
.eed grown hilsides still matted with
arbed wire, but there are also great +
lies OF 1t that have been combed
ut. particularly from the Chcmin-
es-Dames region, like huge tangled
.eins of hair, and are rolled UP
long the roadsidcs to rust and disin-
CRATE.
Everybody at Work
Everywhere everybody is at work.
dolescent striplings, who were mere
,ildren when the great exodus
curred and who are yet too young
do the heavy work Of building, are
flowing ox-drawn harrows over the 81
Ids. while their sturdy, horny MI
.nded fathers are lifting heavy u
ans and stones into place Whlie
cir wrinked but wiry mothers are
,shine clothes, cooking meals and IN
ing other household duties.
Dcsolation to Reconstruction
This metamorphoss from desola-
N to reconstruction is particularly
ticeable in cities and towns that
re most completely destroyed.
,ntdidier, for example, which bore
, brrnt of some of the most ter
lie bombardments Of the war, looka
most like a new city. Chauny also,