The acquisition by Germany at the close of the so-called

Franco-Prussian war resulted, as in well known, in Germany taking

over the tremendous fields of iron ore and coal located in

Alsace-Lorraine. It is my belief that this absorption is largely

responsible for the prosperous condition of the iron and steel

business in Germany and its being in second place in the world's

production. I am assured by men prominent in the iron and steel

trade in France, and by others connected with the government, that

the war will not end until these valuable mineral deposits have

been restored to France. It is remarkable that with this serious

handicap, France has been able to accomplish so much in the way of

steel supplies for its munition plants and other plants making war

material accessories.

From my observation, nearly all the iron and steel now produced in

France is being turned into war material and materials required for

other purposes have been furnished in a minimum and scanty way. In

other words, the whole of the iron and steel interests in France

have been mobilized by the French Government.

The last report I have seen on steel and iron production in France

is dated May, 1915, but I am told on good authority that since that

date the production has doubled.

With the reacquisition of the Alsace-Lorraine iron and coal

deposits and possibly the acquirement of other fields which our

French friends seem to have in mind there will still be a shortage

of coal. However, it is expected that after the war closes, France

will necessarily be obliged to export a good portion of its

production of iron and steel, by reason of the increased

productive capacity of its iron and steel plants.

Incidentally I might mention that, when we were in Marseilles my

attention was called by the Chamber of Commerce to the fact that

France would be in a condition to export large quantities of iron

ore from Algeria to the United States, and if this project could be

worked out and return cargoes of American coal brought to France it

would be very desirable, meeting the shortage of coal, which is

inevitable. The analysis of this Algerian ore shows the quality to

be such as would produce high-grade steel materials. A detailed

analysis will be furnished to any one who may be interested.

It is interesting to note that in the departments of Calvados, Manche

and Orne, there are rich deposits of iron ore yielding in some cases 45

to 50 per cent metallic iron. These deposits before the war were leased

by the Thyssen group of German steel manufacturers, but are now in the

hands of the French sequestrators. I understand that quantities of this

ore also were in great demand, and frequently shipped to the iron works

of South Wales.

I examined the steel plant making steel by the electrical process,

but the examination was very brief. I have assurance, however, that

the manufacture of steel by electricity in France has been very

successful not only mechanically but financially and is sure to

grow. There seems to be a large area in the eastern part of France

where water-power is available, and I think that many new plants,

and much activity will prevail in this particular region, when

affairs again become settled. The use of water-power will overcome

to a large extent the shortage of coal.

I think that when the war ends, the imports to France from the

United States of iron and steel will be confined to special forms

and that France will be able to compete not only with the United

States, but also with other countries in the matter of exports of

general iron and steel products.

With the port improvements contemplated at Bordeaux and Marseilles,

world-wide markets will be opened for France. The contemplated

improvements at both these places will, no doubt, be fully cared

for in other special reports, or perhaps in the general body of the

report which the commission may issue. The canal at Marseilles

should receive special mention in the general report.

The tariff question in France is in about the same condition as in

the United States, with the exception that in France custom duties

are handled quickly and settled expeditiously by the government.

Duties may be raised or lowered over night to meet contingencies.

The labor in French iron and steel plants is paid very much less

than in the United States; in many instances one-half and even

less. There are very few disturbances, and dictatorial labor unions

such as we have in the United States are unknown in France.

A large number of women are employed in France doing men's work,

which keeps wages at a lower level than would otherwise be

possible. All the members of the commission have seen in their

travels women doing men's work, and performing manual labor which

in our country would not be thought of for a moment. Employment of

women in steel and munition plants has, of course, increased the

number of women workers since the war commenced. This, I think, is

largely brought about by the patriotic feeling which prevails all

over France. "Working for France" is a slogan rooted and imbedded

in the minds of the people, whether they are soldiers, or engaged

in any other occupation which may tend to end the war and save

France.

Cooperation in France among all manufacturers of iron and steel and

in fact all other industrial works, is marvelous, and could well be

imitated in our own country. The various special branches of metal

trades have both local and national syndicate organizations for the

discussion of their trade problems, and means of voicing the

particular needs of their trade, on which a majority sentiment has

been expressed. These chamber syndicates are in turn combined into

a National Union. These national unions are members of the Comite

des Forges de France, which is the cap stone of the trade

organizations of the steel and iron industries. The most striking

fact to an American regarding the personnel of the governing board

and general committee of the Comite des Forges de France is that a

considerable number of its members are in one or the other of the

legislative bodies, and practically hold positions at the head of

the Government Committees, organized to look after the very

business in which they are engaged.

In spite of the fact that at the beginning of trench warfare,

France had lost behind the German line 80 per cent of her normal

pig-iron production, and 70 per cent of her steel production, it

has been possible by the utilization of lower grade ore in other

districts of France, and which were not exploited to any extent

previously, to increase the steel production of the country 100 per

cent over that of last year. The interesting fact regarding this is

that of the production which has been cut off the larger part in

pig iron is of so-called Thomas iron (non-Bessemer), and in the

case of steel, mostly "Martin" or acid open hearth. Neither of

these products enters to any considerable extent into the

manufacture of projectiles. The plants in the center and southern

part of France were already producing the special qualities of

steel required for artillery use, hence the amount of special

quality steel brought in from foreign countries, in both the raw

and semi-manufactured state, was an immediate necessity for the

country at outbreak of hostilities. It is also noticeable, and

based on information obtained from leading steel manufacturers,

that many idle and in some cases abandoned plants have been

rehabilitated and utilized as far as possible. As a matter of fact,

I am told that there is not a single idle plant of any kind

formerly engaged in the manufacture of fabrication of steel that

is not now in full operation, either in its original form or by

being transformed into a munitions plant.

It is only too evident that the present pre-occupation of steel

manufacturers is to bend every effort to assist in the final

military victory of the Allies. However, I met steel manufacturers,

conversing with them freely, and their mental attitude is that when

the military victory has been achieved and France has again entered

into possession of her own, they are determined to succeed in

producing a close union with the British producers and thus prevent

a rapid return of German industrial prosperity. With this fact in

mind, it seems clear to me that the United States will have to make

up its mind in which field it will choose to work. It certainly

will be impossible to continue to hold a position of theoretical

neutrality.

Welfare work in Le Creusot is in a high state of efficiency.

Comfortable modern dwellings are furnished the employees at low

rental. Hospital facilities are of the best and everything is done

to bring the workman in close and harmonious relations with his

employer.

It has been suggested that I embody in this report something with

reference to the mines in France, but as the data concerning them

has been printed in public documents of the French Minister of

Mines, I will omit this detail with the single word that these

reports include minerals of all kinds.

I am indebted to John Weare, representative of the United States

Steel Products Company in France, for valuable information in the

preparation of this brief report.

JOSEPH G. BUTLER, Jr.

* * *

In the early part of December I was requested by the Financial editor of

the New York Times to give my views on the present outlook and more

particularly with reference to the condition of the American Iron and

Steel industry, brought about by the war. This letter to Mr. Phillips is

copied.

* * *

December 20th, 1916.

Mr. Osmund Phillips, New York, N. Y.

My dear Mr. Phillips:--

I have before me your circular letter of the 8th instant and your

kind favor of recent date.

In reply to your question--What is the outlook for business in the

early months of 1917?

The outlook is good. Our mills and plants for several months could

not nil the domestic orders even if the war orders were entirely

withdrawn. I am told that all the recent orders placed are firm and

are to be filled regardless of the ending of the war.

Will the end of the European war mark the end of the present period

of prosperity?

This is a broad and doubtful question. I do not think the end of

the war will end the present period of prosperity. There will be a

temporary halt. I might add in this connection, that in my judgment

the last overture from the Kaiser may result in the cessation of

the war, but I believe this period to be quite a distance off.

There are three parties in Germany. First, the Kaiser and the

Prussian Military circle, who have been in charge and have carried

their own way up to very nearly the present time. Second, there are

the people of Germany who are the common people, the good

substantial people, the majority of whom have been kept in

ignorance of the real beginning of the war and the cause for its

continuing. These people are commencing to get information and as

time goes on will be in full possession of the facts. Third, the

business men of Germany. There are no better nor more substantial

business men any place in the world than those in Germany; these

men are really responsible for the building up of Germany and it is

my opinion that these people are now responsible for the pressure

that is undoubtedly being brought on the Kaiser and the military

party for the settlement of the war. I believe that this pressure

will continue until a settlement is made. These business men

recognize that the longer the settlement is put off the harder it

will be for Germany.

In your opinion, what proportion of the country's total trade, both

foreign and domestic, during the past year, was due to the war?

I think about one-half of the trade of the country is due greatly,

directly and indirectly to the war.

Do you think that labor demands have exceeded labor's fair share of

the increase in profits?

I do not think labor demands have exceeded labor's fair share. The

high cost of living fully offsets the greater wages paid.

Do you think present wage rates can be maintained?

I do not think that present wages can be maintained indefinitely.

There will undoubtedly be a reaction with a certain reduction in

the cost of living and labor will have to share in the reduction.

What do you think of the important legislation passed in 1916

affecting business, including the eight hour day, increase in

income tax, the shipping bill, retaliation against foreign trade

interference, etc.?

The eight hour a day law was an abnormal affair undoubtedly forced

through for political purposes, and never should have been passed

and should be promptly repealed.

The increase in the income tax is all right.

The shipping bill will be valuable if the right kind of men are

put on the Commission. Some of these under consideration are wholly

incapable.

I believe this answers all your questions.

Very truly yours,

J. G. BUTLER, Jr.

* * *

When the special report I had prepared and published reached France I

was favored with a number of letters from prominent people in that

country, containing comments on the same. There were probably one

hundred of these letters, from among which I have selected the following

as of sufficient interest, either because of their comments or the

prominence of the writers, to make them worthy of reproduction here:

* * *

French Republic.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.,

Youngstown, O.

Dear Sir:--

I thank you for the interesting data which you kindly sent me on

the development of the French Steel Industry during the war.

My compatriots cannot be otherwise than sensible of the praise

which you have given them.

They will find in your report an authorized opinion of the efforts

which they have made to make secure the National defense.

Yours very truly,

A. MIRMAN,

Minister of Commerce and Industry.

* * *

Consulate-General of the United States of America.

1, Rue Des Italians

(28, Boulevard Des Italiens)

Paris, December 6, 1916.

Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Esquire,

Youngstown, Ohio,

United States of America.

My dear Mr. Butler:--

I am in receipt of your good favor of November 9, 1916, enclosing a

reprint of your report on the French Steel Industry, for which you

have my best thanks. I have read it with a great deal of interest

and must congratulate you upon getting a great many solid facts

into a very small compass. In my opinion you have covered the

situation very intelligently and the information you give ought to

be of great value to our manufacturers in the United States.

I cannot tell you how glad I was to see you over here and I only

wish that more of our people would come abroad to study conditions

at first hand.

I have also received a letter from your friend, Mr. Warren, and

from Mr. Douglass saying all sorts of nice things about me which, I

hope, were merited.

Very sincerely yours,

A. M. THACKARA.

* * *

Republican Committee of Commerce,

Industry and Agriculture.

Paris, November 30th, 1916.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.,

Member of the Industrial Commission of France.

Youngstown, Ohio.

Dear Sir:--

I acknowledge receipt of the interesting report that you have made

on your return from France, and I trust that this voyage will have

allowed you to learn to appreciate our fine country, and that the

results of your visit will be good and fruitful for the exchange of

our products with North America.

You need not thank us for the reception that we have given to the

American delegation in France. It was our duty to receive heartily

our American friends; it was for us a cherished duty to tighten

again the bonds of cordiality which exist between the two

countries.

Personally I myself have been very glad to be introduced to you.

Yours Very truly,

MONCURAND,

Senateur de la Seine.

* * *

Meurthe & Moselle,

Office of the Prefect.

Nancy, France, November 28th, 1916.

Dear Sir:--

I have read with the greatest interest the interview which you gave

upon your landing in America to the American newspapers.

I feel very much impressed by your own remembrance and I myself

feel honored, as a French citizen, by your sympathy for my country.

The poor city of Nancy has suffered since your visit. We buried

yesterday, the victims of the Friday bombardment. Big shells have

been thrown on the city. One fell right in the center, in this

vicinity, in a populous street, many women and children have been

killed, a mother and her two little girls--what a dreary sight is

war, the way of the war inaugurated by the Germans, for it is the

shame of all humanity. We have inhumed our poor victims, washed the

blood that reddened pavements, put in order the rubbish of the

houses and have come back again to our daily work.

Yours very truly,

MIRMAN, Prefect.

To J. G. Butler, Jr.

* * *

Lyon, Le 28 November 1916.

Consulat Imperial de Russie a Lyon

Mr. Joseph G. Butler, Jr.

Youngstown, Ohio.

United States.

Dear Sir:--

I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 9

November, and of the copy of your report respecting the French

Steel Industry. I thank you for same.

I have read your report with high interest, on various questions

referred to, and particularly the Comite des Forges de France, and

the works of Messrs. Schneider & Co. at Le Creusot.

I should be happy if a further good opportunity could afford me the

pleasure of meeting you again, and I remain, dear sir,

Very truly yours,

C. CALOR.

* * *

Chambre

Des Deputes

Commission du Budget.

Paris, le November 30th, 1916.

Mr. Joseph G. Butler, Jr.

Youngstown, Ohio, U. S. A.

My dear Mr. Butler:--

I duly received your favor of Oct. 31st, and of Nov. 10th, and

also the documents which you kindly sent me. I have read them with

greatest interest.

Of course, I have at once communicated your report in French to the

Chambers of Commerce and I was pleased to place such a useful and

well established document at their disposal.

I trust to hear from you soon, and with very kind regards.

I beg to remain,

Cordially yours,

MAURICE DAMOUR.

Depute de Lands.

* * *

Bordeaux the 29th November, 1916.

Dear Mr. Butler:--

I beg to tender you my very best thanks for the copy of your report

on French Steel Industry in war time you so kindly sent me.

I learned a lot by reading it, and it is comforting to know that on

the other side of the Atlantic, we have friends not sparing their

time and their energy, for helping us through the tremendous

struggle we are fighting.

Your flag is made of the same colors as our flag, both are the same

symbol of human rights and Liberty.

Yours very truly,

D. G. MESTREZAT.

* * *

Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Esq.,

Member of the American Commission to France,

Youngstown, Ohio, U. S. A.

* * *

11 Ironmonger Lane London 31st January, 1917.

J. G. Butler, Jr., Esq.,

Youngstown, O.

My dear Mr. Butler:--

I have received your lines of the 29th ultimo, and your most

charming verses which accompanied them; also your report on the

French Steel Industry, which I read with very much interest.

The people on your side do things in a very thorough manner. For

instance, I do not think that we have sent a deputation to consider

the state of trade in France, but numerous committees, dealing with

various important trades of the country, are conferring in regard

to "trade after the war conditions"--I hope with advantage.

I trust that out of all the trials of war time there will emerge a

period when the angel of co-operation with healing in his wings

will again have a chance of being heard.

My wife sends you her kindest regards, as I do also. I have most

pleasant memories of my visits to the United States and of the

hospitalities which you and your hospitable brethren invariably

extended to me.

Believe me, Yours sincerely,

WM. R. PEAT.

Lyon, Nov. 23rd, 1916.

* * *

Ministere de la Guerre

Inspections Generales

5e Arrondissement

Lyon

9, Rue President Carnot

My dear Sir:--

I beg to thank you sincerely for that reprint of your report on the

French Steel Industry, which I have read through with great

pleasure and most interest.

Besides, I am glad to take such an opportunity to remember the time

we spent together so agreeably in Lyons, and remain, dear sir,

Yours very truly,

A. D'AMAND.

Paris, Dec. 27th, 1916.

* * *

Mr. J. G. Butler,

Youngstown, O., U. S. A.

Dear Sir:--

I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letters of November

6th and 9th, in which you send to me the text of the report of your

trip in France and an interview that you have granted to a

representative of a newspaper before landing.

I thank you very kindly for this information and I wish to testify

to the pleasure afforded me by the good impression which you

brought back of your trip. I beg you to be so kind as to excuse me

for delaying so long in answering your letter--a delay caused by

the work that we give to the intensive effort toward the production

of war material.

As you have made the request of me, I shall tell you very frankly

the few observations which have been suggested to my by the reading

of your report.

First of all you have noted the lack of any safety apparatus in the

factories and the lack of placards by means of which, in the United

States, the attention of the laborer is called to the probable

dangers of his profession. The last part of the observation is

particularly well founded, but you must not forget that working

conditions in France are quite different from those existing in the

United States. In our country, the metal workers are taught more

slowly; as a rule they start their apprenticeship earlier and their

professional education wards them against the dangers of the plant.

As to the safety apparatus, perhaps they have been neglected in

some workshops erected during the war, but they are required by law

and always installed in times of peace.

I can tell you that as far as the Schneider's establishments are

concerned, special safety regulations were established twenty years

ago, with such care that they are actually in use almost without

modifications up to the present time.

I have had looked up, some records on the fatal accidents in the

French and in the American metallurgical factories. I notice that,

according to the report of conditions of employment in the Iron and

Steel Industry in the United States, the percentage of fatal

accidents in America was 1.86 for 1000 laborers in 1909 and 1910,

while in France it was only 0.6 for 1000 laborers.

The comparison of these figures will show you the accuracy of what

I have just indicated to you. As to wages it is certain that the

French wages have nothing in common with the American prices, but

the cost of living is much less.

One cannot therefore compare the figures according to the report

which gives the exchange between the monetary units of the two

countries.

Finally, in the chapter "Collaboration between the Manufacturers"

it is shown that the production of which the French industry has

been deprived, consisted entirely of Thomas, or Basic (Bessemer)

Steel and acid Open Hearth Steel.

In reality the East and North departments of France, which have

been invaded, were producing chiefly Basic Bessemer pig iron and

steel. Open Hearth, Acid and Basic steel figured only as a

relatively small tonnage.

As you take an interest in the social question, I thought I was

doing right in having addressed to you, by the same mail, a copy of

our pamphlet on social economy.

I trust that the materials which you will find in it will allow you

to complete the data that you have been able to gather in the

course of your trip.

Yours very truly,

SCHNEIDER & CO.

H. COQUEUGNOT

* * *

Paris, December 2nd, 1916.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.,

Youngstown, O.

Dear Sir:--

I have had the honor to receive your letter of November 9th and was

very much pleased to note your very interesting report on the

French Steel Industry.

I thank you for sending this document which I immediately

communicated to our several metallurgical departments concerned.

I thank you, too, for the kind mention you make of our relations

during your stay in France and beg you to believe dear sir, in the

assurance of my best regards.

Yours very truly,

SCHNEIDER & COMPANY.

MAURICE DEVIES.

* * *

Arles-sur-Rhone, Dec. 10th, 1916.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.,

Youngstown, Ohio.

Dear Sir:--

I have received with your favor of the 19th of last November, the

copy of the report which you drew up following your trip to France

about the steel business in France during the war.

I have had it translated, for, as I very much regret to be obliged

to tell you, I do not know the English language, which deprived me

of the extreme pleasure of conversing directly with you and obliged

me to remain your silent neighbor, when I had the privilege of

being near you.

The reading of your report has interested me very keenly and

informed us in France of many things about France.

You have been so kind as to add a very elegant piece of poetry

about our two flags comprising the same colors that the sun blends

in its radiant light, but which none the less preserve their

symbolical import. May they continue to float thus together as

formerly for the glory of our two nations, which are actuated by a

common impulse, though differing in expression.

I trust your visit to France at this unfortunate time through which

we are living, will have a happy effect upon the continuance of the

good relations between our two countries.

Thanking you deeply for your considerate attention, I beg to extend

to you and the other members of your Commission the expression of

my sincere regards, believe me, sir,

Yours very truly,

A. VERAN,

Architecte des Monuments Historiques.

* * *

French Embassy.

Washington, D. C., Feb. 21, 1917.

I offer you, my dear Colonel, my best thanks for the most

interesting account you kindly sent me of your experience in France

and of the sentiments inspired to you by your stay among my

compatriots.

Sincerely yours,

JUSSERAND.

* * *

Louis Nicolle

17, Avenue Bosquet

Paris

December, 1916.

My dear Sir:--

I am much obliged to you for the reprint of your report you kindly

sent me.

I have read through it with the greatest interest, and although I

am a textile manufacturer, I found some very interesting

suggestions in it, and at the same time compliments to my country

of which I am very proud.

I hope some further opportunity may bring us into contact again and

in the meantime, I remain,

Yours very sincerely,

LOUIS NICOLLE.

* * *

Reims, December 15th, 1916.

Dear Mr. Butler:--

I thank you for your very interesting communication on the Steel

Industry in France and on its future. I am quite of the same

opinion with you and I congratulate you for what you have brought

to us.

I cherish the best remembrance of the visit to Reims of the

American Commission and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you

again.

I forwarded your kind regards to Mr. Representative Damour, who

begged me to send you his regards.

Ever at your service for all that could be service to you, I beg

you to accept, dear Mr. Butler, the expression of my sympathy and

of my most devoted friendship.

JACQUES REGNIER,

Sub-prefect, Reims.

* * *

Paris, Dec. 23rd, 1916.

Mr. J. G. Butler, Jr.,

Youngstown, O.

Dear Sir:--

I duly received your letter of November 9th, in which you were so

kind as to enclose a copy of the report on the French Steel

Industry which you made out following the trip which the American

Commission has made recently in France.

After reading carefully this report which interested me very

keenly, I can tell you that it represents precisely the actual

situation of our Steel Industry.

With my best thanks, I remain,

Yours very truly,

J. MAURICE.

XX.

WHERE WAR HAS RAGED

In spite of the tremendous nature of the present war and its duration

for more than two years at the time of our visit, comparatively little

of France had been visited with the indescribable destruction marking

the struggle. No war in history has been so intense, and few wars have

been so long confined to such small areas as that on the western front.

It was about the first of October that we reached Belfort, and here we

saw the first signs of havoc wrought by gunfire. At Paris we had been

within twenty miles of the battlefield where the German hosts were first

turned back, but there was not much ruin wrought to buildings at the

Marne. Men, unprotected by trenches or any of the later found defensive

methods, bore the brunt of the cannon there.

At Belfort we saw signs of bombardment, but they were not so shocking.

The shell fire had been at long range and was apparently brief and

inaccurate. This seemed to be the case at all of the towns between

Belfort and St. Die. Apparently the Germans had not used so many heavy

guns in this region, or perhaps they had not yet become so desperate and

ruthless as later on. At any rate, it was at St. Die where we first saw

a whole town ruined.

The ruined portion of France extends in a narrow strip around the

frontier from the Alps to the North Sea. Very little of this section,

about three hundred and twenty-five miles in length and varying from ten

to fifty miles in breadth, escaped the fearful blast of war. Few towns

located in it can ever be restored to their original condition.

After the great German army had crushed Liege and captured Antwerp, one

section came up the valley of the Meuse and the other up the valley of

the Schelde, uniting at a point between Namur and Mons. At the latter

place Sir John French had gathered his hastily formed army of one

hundred and twenty-five thousand men, and with this made a gallant

defense. The British were soon forced back with tremendous losses, but

they delayed the Germans until the French army, hastily mobilized on the

German frontier east of Paris, could be reformed on the Marne. The great

German machine drove rapidly down the valleys over the wide and splendid

roads, forcing the English backward toward the sea and spreading out to

meet the French front so hastily interposed between it and Paris. In

this way the German line became extremely long before the Battle of the

Marne began. The Kaiser's army had spread itself out like a fan. I was

shown maps illustrating this mightiest of all military movements, and

it was made plain how the English, hanging on the German flank, had

placed the invaders in such a position that a skillful attack at the

right time and in the right place forced them to fall back and

strengthen their lines.

[Illustration: Ruins of Village--St. Die.]

It was while they were attempting to do this that the French attacked

them with all the fierceness of patriots defending their most beloved

city. Then what the German commander, Von Kluck, had meant to be only a

halt to reform his lines became a retreat that ended only when the

Teutons had gained the hills beyond the Aisne. In their retreat they

destroyed, or the French were forced to destroy, most of the towns in a

section fifty miles wide and two hundred miles long--the fairest part of

France--Artois and Champagne.

The surge of battle--such a battle as the world never saw before--swept

over all these towns, but it was strange to see how much more some of

them suffered than others. At Belfort, the town famous for withstanding

sieges, comparatively little harm was done. Rambevillers, in the path of

the stream of destruction, was almost unharmed. Gerbeviller, on the

other hand, was entirely destroyed, probably out of revenge for the

stubborn opposition of its defenders. St. Die was badly wrecked, as were

Raon l'Etape and Baccarat.

It was the same all along the front. We saw some towns absolutely

ruined, others very badly damaged, and still others in which the shells

seem to have fallen in places where they did little harm, or where,

perhaps, there was not time for the complete shelling that had made

heaps of brick and stone of other thriving towns.

The smaller towns appeared to have suffered worse than the large cities.

Nancy was badly battered, but not entirely destroyed. Reims, which was

under the fire of German guns for many months, and where the wonderful

cathedral was destroyed, apparently with malice, had lost about

one-fourth of its buildings by fire and explosions resulting from the

bombardment.

In the country, the territory once occupied by the Germans and now in

possession of the French is seamed with trenches and pitted with shell

craters in all directions. To all appearances about every foot of it has

seen the tread of either French soldiers or their foes. Back from the

lines a short distance in some cases, the fields had become green again,

and the trees were trying to send forth new growth from then-burned and

battered trunks; but it will be a long time before this part of France

loses all of its scars. The filling of the trenches and leveling of the

fields will be no mean task of itself. Few farm houses, which in France

are built in groups of half a dozen or so, are to be seen. Stone heaps

fill their places.

The roads over which we passed were in good condition, having been kept

in repair. We were told, however, that many of the finest roads near

the front had been badly torn up and that it would require much work to

restore them. Hundreds of bridges have been destroyed, and most of the

rivers and canals, of which there are many, are now crossed by temporary

structures.

We were given a glimpse of the complicated system of railroads, built in

large part since the war and to supply the armies with food and other

necessaries. These roads were all laid hurriedly, but they seem to be in

good condition and are invaluable to the French. Some of them have been

laid with rails taken up in other places where they were not so badly

needed. In this system of railroads and roads one gets a striking

illustration of the huge task it is to feed an army.

The Commission was given figures showing the total number of buildings

destroyed in France, with an estimate of their value. These figures had

been compiled in July, 1916, and were reasonably accurate at the time we

were there, since the Germans had yielded little ground in the interim

and there had been less wanton destruction than in the first months of

the war. According to this official report, more than half the houses

had been destroyed, either by flames or gunfire, in one hundred and

forty-eight towns. In the greater portion of these towns nearly all of

the houses had been ruined. Besides this there were scores of towns

suffering from gunfire which did not lose so large a part of their

buildings. Among the buildings destroyed were two hundred and

twenty-five city halls, three hundred and seventy-nine schools, three

hundred and thirty-one churches, and more than three hundred other

public buildings of various kinds and sizes. The mills and factories,

like all of the larger buildings, suffered severely, more than three

hundred having been totally destroyed.

[Illustration: The Prefecture at Reims after Bombardment.]

Most of the towns suffering were of the smaller class, although four

cities of more than one hundred thousand people were bombarded or burned

by the Germans. These are Lille, Roubaix, Nancy and Reims. The section

swept by the German advance and suffering even worse in the retreat is

the most populous in France. It covered about ten thousand square miles.

No one has yet undertaken to figure the loss in property sustained in

this region. The Germans have still possession of about five million

acres of French soil, including seventy per cent, of the iron ore mines

and a large part of the coal supply.

The farmers are already back at work on a great part of the territory

ravaged by the war. Farming under such conditions as we saw, where men

and women worked in the fields within range of the guns and amid their

constant roaring, or with the eternal white crosses for company, may be

more exciting than the usual occupation of the agriculturist, but it

must be a sad, discouraging and difficult task.

XXI.

GENERAL JOFFRE

Perhaps no other man in France is so talked of so much as General

Joffre. Certainly he is the idol of the French people. They look on him

as their hero and savior, and his name is mentioned among them with a

sort of half-worship. No other people have ever depended on their

leaders as have the French. They believe with the right sort of

leadership they can do anything. This is the impression you get in

talking to them. They say that since the Franco-Prussian War they have

looked forward to the time when they might have a general with

Napoleon's genius and some other name--for even the name Napoleon now

prevents a man from fighting for France, at least if he is of the royal

line.

You may be certain that we all looked forward to meeting this great man.

We did not meet him after all at close range, having to content

ourselves with a view of the busiest man in France as he rode by in an

automobile at top speed.

General Joffre, as we learned, has been at the head of the French Army

for two years before the war. He first came into notice when, at the

last grand maneuvers, he jarred military circles and greatly pleased the

people by unceremoniously dismissing from their command five gold-laced

generals whose methods did not meet with his approval.

But Joffre first showed what sort of stuff was in him when he met the

Germans at the Marne. It will be recalled that the French, never

suspecting that Germany would invade Belgium and having all their

military plans laid for mobilizing on the German frontier, were more or

less demoralized when they found an entirely new line of defense

necessary. They had no railroads built to help reform their line, and

the moving of a vast army is a perplexing task. Without a leader in whom

the whole army had supreme confidence, and with the German host sweeping

across Belgium and hurling back the English, it would have been a

hopeless situation.

But while what the Kaiser called "Sir John French's contemptible little

army" was holding back for a few days the German onrush at terrific

cost, Joffre was busy realigning his forces between the invaders and his

beloved Paris, which seemed doomed to all but him. He had studied the

situation carefully and detected the fact that the long flank of Von

Kluck's army left an opening. This opening was found by the Army of

Paris, augmented in every possible way and finally reinforced by every

available soldier, rushed from Paris in every kind of automobile to be

found. The Germans were stopped at the Marne--twenty miles from

Paris. Not only was the capital of France saved, but the invaders were

steadily driven back until they were sixty miles away before they could

make a successful stand.

[Illustration: Portrait in Tapestry--General Joffre.]

It was then that France found Joffre, so the people say. Up to that time

they had heard little of him and nobody knew who he was or where he had

come from. At once they began to inquire. Few of the soldiers had ever

seen him, and there had been nothing much in the newspapers about the

man who had managed all this.

After the Germans had been forced across the Aisne and there was time to

breathe, the French decided to have a review of that part of the army

that could be spared. It was here that everybody watched for Joffre. The

French tell it in their own way and it is interesting to hear one of

them explaining, with the usual gestures, just how the hero looked on

the day of that review.

It was not much of a display of military style. The troops reviewed had

been in the thick of the fight and there was an enormous amount of mud.

There was no reviewing stand except a muddy elevation, on which the

commander was to stand. Nobody seemed to know where he was or where he

would come from, but it was passed around that he was to be there and

the soldiers watched for him eagerly. Most of them thought that he was

a little, fat man. They had unconsciously absorbed this idea from

pictures of Napoleon, and, forgetting the terrible stress of the past

weeks in the temporary flush of victory, they expected to see their

general come to the stand with a blaze of glory. They looked for silken

flags and gaudy uniforms and a regular French military parade. This was

as little as they thought would do proper honor to the victorious

commander of the Allied armies, and they were right, because General

Joffre is at the head of the greatest force of men ever gathered

together.

As you are told about this in France, the day came and at the spot

selected for the review, an open field somewhat back of the lines, with

plenty of freshly planted crosses in sight and evidence all around that

the peace and quiet had not always been there, a few generals and

officers gathered. Finally, a regimental band, playing the first martial

music heard since before the battle of the Marne, swung out of the woods

at the head of a body of troops.

Then a large man, tall and heavy and wearing an ordinary soldier's

overcoat, but with the laurel band around his hat that showed him to be

a general, came out of the woods behind the little knoll and walked

rapidly toward the group of officers. Every hand went up in salute. Then

they knew it was Joffre. He went to the muddy knoll, and stood there

watching keenly while the soldiers marched past, the bugles blowing and

the bands playing.

In spite of their muddy uniforms and the hard fight they had just gone

through, the French say that these soldiers looked spic and span as they

passed their general. Their rifles went up in salute as straight and

accurately as if they had just come from quarters and were marching over

a level parade ground, instead of over fields filled with shell holes

and slippery with mud--or perhaps something worse.

Joffre is a silent man, they say. This does not interfere in the least

with the adoration of the French, who are usually great talkers. They

believe in him to the utmost, and they will follow him to the limit of

endurance. So long as Joffre is at the head of the French army, the

spirit of victory will remain.

Since Joffre has become famous, of course much is known about him. He

was born in the Midi, as they call the southern part of France. Trained

as a soldier, he saw service in the East, where he did that which he set

out to do. There is no particular incident that points to the discovery

of his genius, although he must have done unusual things to get to the

top. He is known to have been a modest, quiet, home-loving sort of man,

spending much time with his family at Auteil, and showing while there

that he was very fond of fishing. Fishing is a good recreation for the

man who wants to think, and the French believe that while Joffre was

doing that he must have been evolving plans for settling with the hated

Germans. He likes to fish yet, and when he can get away from the war

zone, he hunts a small stream and spends his leisure hours along it.

During his brilliant career since the war began Joffre has developed

some of the qualities notable in our own General Grant. There is not a

particle of show or bluster about him. He dresses as plainly as

possible, talks little and seems to prefer solitude. But his will is

imperious and he does not hesitate when anything is to be done, whether

it is pleasant or otherwise. For his men he has the greatest

consideration, but they say in France that, like Lincoln, he has little

regard for Generals. Some of the things told about him remind you of the

story of Lincoln. In this story a Confederate raid had resulted in the

capture of two generals and a number of privates. When the story was

brought to Lincoln, he said it was too bad about the men. Someone

suggested that it was a pity the generals had been taken, but Lincoln

said that did not matter much, as he could make some more. Joffre has

made it uncomfortable for the inefficient generals in France. Many of

them have lost their commands and most of them live in fear of his quiet

but inexorable discipline.

Joffre does not look kindly on visitors to the Front, and nobody gets

there without his permission. He signed the passes on which the

Commission traveled, but he did not seem overjoyed at our coming enough

to look us up while we were there. Apparently he regarded us as people

who could not help in his big job and who were likely in some way or

other to become nuisances.

When you talk with people who know this man you are at once impressed

with the fact that he appreciates his great responsibility and that

there is nothing on his mind but how to win this war for France. They

say he has a clipping bureau that saves for him all that is being

printed about the war. He probably expects to read it somewhere after

the war is over, but he will not likely be able to do this in the

remainder of an ordinary lifetime.

Time only will decide whether Joffre is really a great military genius,

or whether he is merely a good general, conscientiously doing his best

and fortunate enough to become a popular hero. Modern war is so

different from old time variety that no one can judge results up to this

time. It is at least certain that Joffre has beaten the Germans back and

back, slowly, but surely forcing them out of France. He says himself

that he "has been nibbling at them."

There can be no doubt that at the time this is written he has reached

the pinnacle of fame in France. He is the man in all France who is most

talked about, most admired and most trusted. Were he to die now, as

Kitchener died, his place in History would be secure. What will happen

before the war is over is another matter. But, having heard the French

talk about "Father Joffre" so much and so lovingly, and having been

given the most useful thing in France, if you want to see the front--a

pass by him in spite of the great cares resting on his shoulders, I hope

that fate will be kind to him and that he will remain the idol of his

people to the end.

As might be expected, France is full of the sayings of Joffre. Everyone

you meet can tell you a new one. Some of the aphorisms credited to him

that I can now recall are: "Go where the enemy is not expecting you";

"No soldier is expected to think of retreating"; "Now is the time to

stand and die rather than yield". This last is said to have been his

utterance before the beginning of the Battle of the Marne.

XXII.

THE WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION

While no estimate can be made of the cost of rebuilding the towns and

cities destroyed in France until after the war is over and it is known

what further damage has been done, this matter is already receiving

earnest consideration. The French are confident of victory and are

satisfied that they will soon be able to rebuild their cities and

reorganize their industries. They are a frugal and thrifty people, and

usually have more private means than the average American whose manner

of living would indicate that he is wealthy. On this account it is my

impression that France will recover very rapidly after the war and will

soon be as well off in property as before it began.

The chief loss of the French is likely to be their young manhood. Houses

can be rebuilt. Factories will spring up over night where there is

capital and faith to invest it. Even the fine old cathedrals may be

restored or replaced with something that will serve equally well in a

practical sense. But the young men--the flower of the French

nation--whose lives have been offered on the altar of national

defense--these cannot be replaced. Generations must pass before the

terrific price of national existence will be fully paid in this

direction.

Most Frenchmen feel this way about the situation. From a material

standpoint they expect to soon be as well off as ever. They do not seem

to mind the loss in wealth destroyed by the great war. But they are

bowed down with grief at the thought of the young men who have been

slain and the years that will be required to replace them. Although they

do not care to discuss this phase of the situation, the French have

already begun nobly to meet the problem of the lame, halt and blind who

are a part of the legacy of every war and an exceedingly prominent part

of that left by this one.

It is surprising to learn that the Belgians, whose little country has

been crushed under the heel of the invader so that its government

retains only a narrow corner behind the British army, are even more

optimistic than the French. They are determined that the Germans must be

driven out and are already laying elaborate plans for reconstruction of

their farms and villages and cities. Almost before the Commission had

reached Paris we were asked by the Belgians to hold a meeting with their

chamber of commerce in that city in order to discuss the problems of

Belgium's rehabilitation.

[Illustration: Ruins at Nancy.]

When this meeting did finally take place, on October 16th, we were all

impressed with the pathetic earnestness of the Belgians upon this

subject. Some of the most prominent citizens of Belgium took part in the

discussion. It was easy to see, even from the meagre translations we

were able to get on the moment, that the Belgians realize that they have

been martyrs and expect the world to render them substantial aid when

the time comes to restore their national entity and rebuild their war

torn country. In fact I was compelled to admit with reluctance that

their enthusiasm was greater than their business acumen, for they seemed

to have very little tangible information on which plans could be laid

for helping them.

It was explained afterward that these Belgians have no means of securing

the information they need, as the Germans have almost absolute

possession of their country and are, as might be expected, not

furnishing any information as to the amount of destruction, or the

quantity of materials which can be used again, or in any other way. It

is stated that the Germans have practically looted the whole country,

carting off the machinery in most of the factories, and even forcing the

Belgians to work on military defenses to be used against them and their

allies. Under such conditions it was not to be expected that the Belgian

chamber of commerce would be in possession of definite information. The

impassioned belief of these gentlemen in the magnanimity and wealth of

America was inspiring, and I sincerely hope that when the time comes to

reconstruct this stricken land our people will have as large a part as

the Belgians expect and one much more generous than they have had in the

saving of the Belgians from starvation.

[Illustration: Trenches Occupied by French Soldiers]

At this meeting I heard many kind things said about the Americans who

are working in Belgium and about how much this country has done to save

the people there from suffering. Great praise was also given to the

English, who have aided most nobly to prevent the absolute destruction

of the Belgian nation.

XXIII.

FRENCH BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

To the members of our Commission one of the most interesting things

found in France was the organization of chambers of commerce, or bodies

whose purpose is to promote the industrial and financial welfare of the

communities where they exist. Unlike the situation in America, where

chambers of commerce are purely local organizations, without power or

even much prestige in the regulation of municipal affairs, the French

have a system of such bodies that is probably the most important single

force to be reckoned with in the republic.

We were entertained at almost every city where we made a stop by the

chamber of commerce, and were given every opportunity to ascertain how

these organizations work. We found their system admirable, and many

features of it should be copied in this country. Before this can be

done, however, we must have more liberal and sensible legislation on the

question of co-operation among productive organizations.

The French chambers of commerce are officially recognized by the

government and given certain powers which, to a large extent, place

every community under their care, at least in so far as its business

interests and development of its resources go. No chamber can be

organized except by governmental decree, and this provision naturally

prevents them from interfering with the legitimate prerogatives of the

government, while giving them powers that enable them to be of real

service to the community.

Everywhere we went we found that the chamber of commerce was regarded as

the guardian of the public interest, and we were told how these bodies

took action frequently with much success in matters that in this country

would be regarded as far beyond the scope of a chamber of commerce. They

have power to represent the towns where they exist in all matters

regarding industrial, agricultural and transportation problems. They are

under the direct control of the department of industry, and the charter

of each is signed by the minister of commerce then in office. Their

members are elected much as we elect regular city officials, and the

number cannot be less than nine or more than twenty-one, except in

Paris, where there are forty at this time. The number is fixed for each

chamber by government decree and depends on the population of the

district. The members must be thirty years of age and citizens in good

standing. Bankrupts are not allowed to serve. In every way these bodies

are made thoroughly representative of the best citizenship, and it is

regarded as quite an honor to be permitted to serve on them without

pay.

These chambers usually meet twice each month and they keep in close

touch with each other, working out plans that will be for the good of

the whole country as well as for their special localities. Many of the

largest undertakings in France have been begun and carried out largely

by chambers of commerce. The new port at Marseilles, which will cost

about two hundred million francs, is an example. For this work the

chamber of commerce raised six million francs, the government provided a

like amount, and with this the chamber was able to finance the

improvement, depending on tolls and other revenues to pay the balance in

due time.

The feature which appealed most strongly to me in these chambers of

commerce was the manner in which they are dovetailed with the government

in the performance of duties of a nature such as, in spite of their

tremendous importance, we Americans generally regard as nobody's

business in particular, and which are therefore usually left undone.

A national organization of chambers of commerce is maintained in Paris.

Part of the expense of each chamber, as well as of this body, is paid by

the government. The secretaries of the local chambers have also an

organization, and all these seem to work in perfect harmony for the

general good. The secretaries are usually professionals, and special

courses of training may be had in France for this work.

We found that nearly every chamber had its own building and that all

were handsomely housed, well financed and extremely effective. They have

become a most important part of the government, handling with success

many problems that are difficult for a government and which, at the same

time, require a certain amount of governmental authority if they are to

be disposed of in an efficient manner.

In my opinion this country could copy the French system of chambers of

commerce with much profit. We are in advance of them in many things,

especially in the matter of industrial operations, but they are a

century in advance of us in the co-operation needed between the citizens

and the government for the highest development of community life and

progress.

XXIV.

THE CARREL METHOD OF TREATING WOUNDS

So much interest has been expressed in the new method of treating wounds

discovered by Dr. Carrel and bearing his name, and the subject being of

such great importance to the cause of humanity and the preservation of

human life, I have thought it worth while to give here the following

authoritative descriptions of this new and epochal discovery in the

science of medicine. It is now generally known as the Carrel-Dakin

treatment.

Reference has been made to meeting Dr. Sherman in London. On discovering

that this physician had enjoyed considerable experience with the Carrel

treatment and was thoroughly familiar with it, I invited him to deliver

an address on this subject at my home town after his return from Europe.

He readily agreed to do this, speaking to an interested audience under

the auspices of the Mahoning County Medical Society on Dec. 19, 1916. A

newspaper account of this address is appended. This will, in a measure,

serve to show the importance of the Carrel treatment.

Out of the horror and carnage that is raging across the seas some

inconceivable good must come. This is the opinion of all who have

been close to the din of battle, who have visited hospitals and

seen with their own eyes the human wrecks wrought by grape shot,

shrapnel and bursting shells. Dr. William O'Neill Sherman's visit

to this city Tuesday night, when he opened the eyes of the medical

profession here to new and greater things, is the first inkling of

one great good that is to come out of this war. To treat the

millions of wounded and maimed, medical genius has been taxed to

the limit. As in all great times, great minds have come to the

rescue and found a way. The old saying that where there is a will

there is a way, has been clearly proven.

Particularly is this true in the medical world. Dr. Sherman came

here from Pittsburgh, the invited guest of the Mahoning County

Medical Society, at the suggestion of J. G. Butler, Jr., who wanted

him to tell the physicians of this city and county the many things

he had learned by close application and association with conditions

in European hospitals and trenches. Dr. Sherman was filled with an

enthusiasm that he made every man who attended the annual banquet

of the Mahoning Medical Society feel. Particularly was he anxious

to bring the local medical fraternity to a realization of the

methods and treatments developed by the horrible carnage raging now

in the European countries. He drove home his point without gloves

when he told physicians of Youngstown that medical men throughout

this country were given too much to criticising new methods rather

than investigating them.

The Carrel method, he explained at length. It is simply a newly

discovered antiseptic solution, conceived by Dr. Alexis Carrel,

which sterilizes wounds and arrests infection and inflammation

before they have an opportunity to spread and result in blood

poisoning and death.

* * *

[Illustration: Proclamation Posted in Reims Just Before the French Fell

Back to the Marne. (See Chap. XXV.)]

TRANSLATION

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE CITY OF REIMS

TO THE INHABITANTS

At the moment when the German army is at our gates, and will

probably enter the city, the municipal authorities request you to

preserve all your presence of mind, and all calmness necessary to

permit you to undergo this trial.

There must not be any manifestations, any riotous gatherings, any

outcries to trouble the tranquility of the streets. Public Service,

Charity, Health, and street maintenance should continue to be safe.

You must co-operate with us. You must remain in the city to help

the unfortunate. We shall remain with you at our post to defend

your interests.

It does not devolve upon you, the population of an unfortified

city, to alter events. It does devolve upon you not to aggravate

the consequences. To this end it is necessary to keep silence,

dignity and prudence.

We rely upon you, you may rely upon us.

Reims, September 3, 1914. DR. LANGLET, Mayor.

* * *

Mr. Butler said to visit European capitals is to witness a

revelation difficult to convey in mere words. Soldiers of every

nationality are treated by the expert and world famed in medicine.

Human wrecks, victims of shot and shell, are repaired and rebuilt.

It matters little whether a man is friend or foe, as long as a

spark of life is there, he is picked tenderly from the trench and

everything known to medical science done to bring about his

recovery.

The mind is filled with horror and wonder of it all. New thoughts

bombard the mind as one looks on. A man is brought in. His face is

practically shot away. It seems that even should he recover he will

be so disfigured that life will not be worth the living. The Carrel

solution is applied. By plastic surgery and other means the

disfigured mass is shaped. In a few short weeks the man again

begins to resemble a human being and eventually is well, with

little more than a few indistinct scars. Not infrequently he

returns to the trenches. Some of the things that shock the mind are

metal jaws, screened behind false beards, artificial noses, ears,

cheeks, eyes and limbs. Sometimes when a man is facially disfigured

beyond repair, that is, when nature can never replace the

countenance, a copper mask is fitted. These sculptors in

flesh-and-blood do their work with such precision and accuracy that

it is startling and cannot be believed unless it is seen.

The war has seen the springing up of many hospitals of special

character. There are groups of institutions where only faces are

treated, eyes, ears and nose, maimed limbs, etc. Medical attention

in most cases begins in the trenches and the patient is carefully

watched while being transported to the hospital. By sterilizing

wounds shortly after they occur, infection and pus are robbed of

their chance to hinder nature and the patient recovers in a few

weeks from a frightful wound that if infected would take that many

months. There are many things of today that help in the

preservation of human life. The highly developed X-ray has played

an important part in this great war. Electricity, new antiseptics

and anaesthetics have been at the finger's end of the skilled

medical profession, to work what can honestly be called miracles

and wonders.

One of the strange things of this great war is the fact that new,

unheard of diseases are developed. It has tended to make common

rare diseases and greatly increased those that are usual. Thousands

die, having no mark upon their body. Post-mortems held have

disclosed in nearly every case that such deaths were caused by

shell shock. Bombs from the huge guns dropping near a company of

men will often so disarrange organs that death follows quickly.

Many who survive lose mind, sight, hearing, speech, and so on. This

has become one of the common things of this great war. As a result

the warring countries will find themselves confronted with a new

and difficult problem when peace comes and normal times are again

established. There will be hundreds of thousands to pension and no

doubt insane institutions will have to be enlarged. Rest is often a

saviour. Men taken away from the fronts, minds blank, in the quiet

of home often regain their reason. There is the large percentage

that God in his goodness does not see fit to restore that will form

an elephantine problem. There will have to be vast pension lists,

for these men often have large families.

The way men may be pieced and patched together is one of the finds

of the new medical era. It has been discovered that bones in legs

and arms practically shot in two can be brought together by means

of silver and vanadium steel plates fitted with screws and that the

bones will knit and after a period the afflicted can walk almost as

satisfactorily as if nothing had happened. Dr. Sherman while in

this city this week displayed a steel plate that he worked out and

used with marked success in the hospitals of France. These plates

are applied in what would seem to be a very simple manner. A man

may have a leg or an arm practically shot off. By placing the

broken bones together, after a treatment with the Carrel solution

to keep down infection, a plate is fitted on either side of the

fracture and screws are applied. This holds the two members solidly

together and in a few short weeks the bones knit. In time this

place is practically the strongest part of the limb. What this

means can best be told by explaining that before the discovery, an

arm or a leg so badly shattered was simply amputated because this

was the only safe and logical way to save the life of the

individual. In the olden days gangrene would invariably set in and

the patient die within a short time unless amputation was performed

promptly following the accident.

Dr. Carrel has gone a long way to eliminate this danger.

Having seen with my own eyes the wonderful results of this treatment

during my visits to the American Ambulance and other hospitals in

France, I requested Mr. Laurence V. Benet, superintendent of the

American Ambulance, to furnish me with an authoritative description of

the treatment. The chief purpose of this is to enable medical

authorities in this country, particularly those connected with hospitals

maintained by iron and steel plants, to gain a reliable outline of the

treatment. Dr. Benet, in spite of the fact that he is one of the busiest

men in France, kindly agreed to furnish this information. In doing so he

accompanied the description with the following letter:

* * *

1 Avenue De Camoens

Paris, October 26, 1916.

Mr. Joseph G. Butler, Jr.,

Youngstown, O.

My dear Mr. Butler:--

In compliance with my request, Dr. Joseph Lawrence, of the American

Ambulance, has kindly prepared a short note on the Carrel treatment

of wounds, and this I am now enclosing. I trust that you will find

it sufficiently explicit for your purposes, and that it will be of

use and interest to you.

Now that you are again home I hope that your wonderful trip in

France will be less than a mere memory and that the labors of the

Industrial Commission will prove, as they should, most valuable to

the manufacturers and exporters of the United States. Believe me

that it was to me a great privilege as well as a great pleasure to

have met you and your distinguished colleagues, and that my only

regret is that I was unable to be of greater use to the Commission.

I am, with very kind regards,

Sincerely yours,

LAURENCE V. BENET

1 encl.

* * *

The Carrel Treatment of Wounds.

The Carrel treatment consists in thorough irrigation guided by the

bacteriological observation of the wound.

For the irrigation of the wound, Carrel has chosen a certain size

of rubber tube about 4 mm. in diameter into which he punches small

holes at intervals. The one end of this tube is shut, the other end

is allowed to protrude from the dressing.

On the surface wound, the tube is laid over the wound in the

direction of the greatest diameter of the wound with the open end

towards the most elevated part.

In perforating wounds, the tube or several tubes, when the wound is

large, are passed through from both sides, or pushed into cavities

or pockets that may exist.

If the wound is not a perforating wound, but a deep wound, the

tubes are planted deep into the cavity that may be formed. These

tubes are always of sufficient number to thoroughly irrigate the

broken surface.

Over the uninjured skin, about the wound, is placed thin strips of

gauze which have been steeped in vaseline, the skin having been

thoroughly washed before with soap and water.

To keep these tubes in place, a bandage wet with Dakin's solution

is placed over them. The wound is flushed every two hours with

Dakin's solution. The amount of solution used per wound, varies in

proportion to the size of the wound from 500 c.c. per day up.

Wounds are dressed daily.

The bacteriological observation is made by taking a smear from the

most vicious part of the wound at intervals of two or three days.

The number of bacteria on these smears is noted and counted per oil

immersion field. A count of more than 75 bacteria per field is

considered infinity. When there are less than 10 bacilli to the

field, and not less than 5 to the field, three fields are counted.

When less than 5, and not less than 7, five fields are counted.

When less than one, from five to twenty fields will be counted.

A wound that retains a count of one bacillus to two fields or less

for three observations, is considered bacteriologically clean, and

suitable for operation. If the wound is a compound fracture, it is

advisable to close the wound, converting it into a simple fracture.

If this can be done without exerting too great tension on the

sutures.

If the wound is a flesh wound, and can be drawn together without

too great tension, its closure is indicated.

[Illustration]

The important parts of the treatment consist in thorough

irrigation, and careful bacteriological observation. The

bacteriological observations are charted on charts similar to

temperature charts.

Dakin's Solution.

(Sodium Hypochlorite at 0.50%)

1--To prepare 10 litres of solution, weight exactly:

Chloride of Lime (Bleaching Powder) 200 grms.

Carbonate of Soda (dried) 100 grms. or if used in crystals 200

grms.

Bi-carbonate of Soda 200 grms.

2--Put the Chloride of Lime into a large mouthed bottle of about 12

litres capacity. Add 5 litres of water (half the quantity) and

shake well two or three times. Let this stand all night.

3--Dissolve in another 5 litres of water of two Soda salts

4--Pour this latter solution directly into the bottle containing

the maceration of lime. Stir well and let the solution stand in

order to allow the precipitate of Carbonate of Lime to settle.

5--At the end of half an hour, siphon the clear liquid and filter

by means of a paper, in order to have a perfectly clear solution.

This should be kept away from the light.

6--No heat should be employed in the manufacture of Dakin's and

ordinary Tapwater should be used.

* * *

Preparation of Dakin Solution.

Technique of Dr. Daufresne.

The solution of sodium hypochlorite for surgical use must be free

of caustic alkali; it must only contain 0.45% to 0.50 of

hypochlorite. Under 0.45% it is not active enough and above 0.50 it

is irritant. With chloride of lime (bleaching powder) having 25% of

active chlorine, the quantities of necessary substances to prepare

ten litres of solution are the following:--

Chloride of Lime (bleaching powder) 25% CI act....200 gr.

Sodium Carbonate, dry (Soda of Solway) 100 gr.

Sodium Bi-carbonate....80 gr.

Pour into 12 litre flask the two hundred grammes of chloride of

lime and five litres of ordinary water, shake vigorously for a few

minutes and leave in contact for six to twelve hours, one night for

example. (Shake until dissolved) at least the big pieces are

dissolved, large pieces float--notice only floating pieces. At the

same time, dissolve in five litres of cold ordinary water the

carbonate and bi-carbonate of soda.

After leaving from six to twelve hours, pour the salt solution in

the flask containing the macerated chloride of lime, shake

vigorously for a few minutes and leave to allow the calcium

carbonate to be precipitated. In about half an hour, siphon the

liquid and filter with a double paper to obtain a good, clear

liquid, which should always be kept in a dark place.

Tritration of Chloride of Lime (Bleaching Powder).

Because of the variation of the products now obtained in the

market, it is necessary to determine the quantity of active

chlorine contained in the chloride of lime which is to be used.

This, in order to employ an exact calculated quantity according to

its concentration. The test is made in the following manner:--

Take from different parts of the bar a small quantity of beaching

powder to have a medium sample, weigh 20 grammes of it, mix as well

as possible in a litre of tap water and leave in contact for a few

hours. Measure 10 c.c. of the clear liquid and add 20 c.c. of a 10%

solution of potassium iodide, 2 c.c. of acetic acid or hydrochloric

acid, then put drop by drop into the mixture a decinormal solution

of sodium hyposulfite (2.48%) until decoloration. The number "N"

of cubic centimeters of hyposulfite employed multiplied by 1,775

will give the weight "N" of active chloride contained in 100

grammes of chloride of lime.

The test must be made every time a new product is received. When

the result obtained will differ more or less than 25%, it will be

necessary to reduce or enlarge the proportion of the three products

contained in the preparation. This can be easily obtained by

multiplying each of the three numbers--200, 100, 60 by the factor

N/25 in which N represents the weight of the active chlorine per

cent of chloride of lime.

Measure 10 c.c. of the solution, add 20 c.c. of potassium iodide

1/10, 2 c.c. of acetic acid and drop by drop a decinormal solution

of sodium hyposulfite until decoloration. The number of cubic

centimeters used multiplied by 0.03725 will give the weight of the

hypochlorite of soda contained in 100 c.c. of the solution.

Never heat the solution and if in case of urgency one is obliged to

resort to trituration of chloride of lime in a mortar, only employ

water, never salt solution.

Test of Thetalkalinity of Dakin Solution:--

To easily differentiate the solution obtained by this process from

the commercial hypochlorites, pour into a glass about 20 c.c. of

the solution and drop on the surface of the liquid a few

centigrammes of phenol-phthaleine in powder. The correct solution

does not give any coloration while Lebarraque's solution and Rau de

Javel will give an intense red color which shows in the last two

solutions existence of free caustic alkali.

TECHNIQUE--Dakin Solution.

The procedure is very simple. The solution, however, must be

between 45 to 50% hypochlorite. Anything above this strength will

burn and anything below is too weak. The edges of the wound should

be covered with gauze which has been well soaked in vaseline, the

solution should then be introduced into the wounds from an

irrigator every two hours. A stopcock should be put on the tube and

only sufficient solution should be allowed to enter the wound to

completely saturate all parts of the wound. In other words, the

wounds should be bathed with the solution every two hours--do not

mistake this and irrigate continuously. You can easily tell how

much solution it takes to keep the wound wet.

Rubber tubes are used. The end of the tube is tied off and six to

eight small perforations are made so that the solution can run into

all parts of the wound. If the wounds are superficial, the same

kind of a tube can be used to which a cuff of turkish towel is

wrapped around the end of the tube.

If you feel that the wounds are sure to be infected, it would be

well to lay them open freely and immediately start this treatment,

be sure to have the skin well protected with the vaseline and gauze

and see that the solution does not run out of the wound on the bed.

Just keep the wound bathed every two hours.

I have been informed that a movement is on foot to inaugurate the

use of this remarkable discovery in the United States military

hospitals, and that the Rockefeller Foundation has in view the

erection at New York of a large hospital where the treatment may be

studied and still further perfected for the benefit of this

country.

* * *

[Illustration: Proclamation by the Mayor of Reims Issued on the Day the

Germans Entered that City, Sept. 4, 1914.]

TRANSLATION

APPEAL

TO THE POPULATION OF REIMS.

Dear Citizens:

To-day and in the days following, many from among you, both

prominent citizens and workmen, will be kept as hostages to

guarantee to the German authorities the quiet and good order which

your representatives have promised in your name.

It is to your security and to the safety of the City and to your

proper interests that you do nothing which may break this agreement

and compromise the future.

Have realization of your responsibility and facilitate our task.

Men, women, children, remain as far as possible in your homes,

avoid all discussion.

We depend upon you to be equal to this occasion.

All riotous gathering is absolutely forbidden and will be

immediately dispersed.

J. B. LANGLET, Mayor.

L. ROUSSEAU, DR. JACQUIN,

E. CHARBONNEAUX, J. De BRUIGNAC.

Assistants.

* * *

XXV.

A CITY IN AN ARMY'S PATH

Few who read this book have ever been in contact with actual war. In

order that they may have an idea of what happens to a city which finds

itself in the path of an irresistible enemy, some account will be given

here of what happened to Reims, a city about the size of Youngstown,

having a population of one hundred and twenty-five thousand and being

situated on the north bank of the river Aisne, in north-eastern France.

When the Germans attacked France they hurled their great armies by three

routes. Not only did they violate the neutrality of Belgium and

Luxembourg, but they also sent an army across the frontier between

Verdun and Belfort, this being the force stopped by the chasseurs at

Gerbeviller, as has been told elsewhere. France had trusted too much and

was in a desperate plight because her troops had been mobilized on the

wrong front.

The first Germans crossed the frontier of little Luxembourg on the

morning of August 2, 1914. They were met by the Grand Duchess, who

disputed their passage and pleaded with them to turn back. Her little

army of four hundred and thirty men could do nothing, and when she

turned her car across the road the German soldiers gathered around and,

on the order of their commander, pushed it to one side and passed on.

The Germans entered Belgian territory at Gemmenich on August 3, 1914.

The next day they attempted to take by assault the city of Liege,

Belgium's greatest industrial center, and failed. This city, with its

ring of nine forts, blocked the passage of their troops and held the

main roads into Germany. After a most bloody and unsuccessful assault,

the Germans brought up their big guns and blew the forts to pieces. But

they had been delayed five days. Then their hosts swept across Belgium

and soon came in touch with the French and English. The English army of

one hundred and twenty-five thousand men met them at Mons. The French

met them between Mons and Verdun.

At this time the Allied lines swung like a huge gate from Verdun west

toward the sea, barring the Kaiser's passage. The Germans then had a

million of men, with hordes of the famous lancers, and clouds of these

horsemen hung on the right flank of the English, swinging out and around

them so as to force Sir John French to fall back or suffer the turning

of his flank. Von Kluck was in command of this turning movement, which

was made possible by the fall of Namur, Lille and Charleroi. Things then

looked desperately bad for the Allies.

* * *

[Illustration: First Order From the Invaders.]

TRANSLATION

ORDER

Having taken possession of the City and the fortress of Reims I

command the following:

Railroads, routes of communications, both telegraph and telephone,

not only of the City of Reims, but also throughout the immediately

outlying districts, must be protected against all possibility of

destruction; it is absolutely necessary to protect by a minute

surveillance the public buildings along the lines of communication.

The City will be held responsible for disobedience to this order:

the guilty ones will be pursued and shot; the City will be levied

for considerable contributions.

I add also that it will be to the interest of the population to

conform to the foregoing commands, at the same time going about

their ordinary occupations; thus the inhabitants will avoid having

new and serious losses.

THE GERMAN GENERAL

Commander in Chief.

* * *

This notice on a white card, 45 by 56 centimeters, was posted on the

walls of the City of Reims by German authority during the occupation of

September 4th to 12th, 1914.

As they were forced back toward Paris, not so much by actual fighting as

by the necessity to keep their lines clear and avoid the turning

movement of the swift German division under Von Kluck, the Allied armies

swung, like a gate with its hinges at Verdun and the outer edge at Mons,

back until they stretched between Verdun and Paris. This movement

uncovered the beautiful city of Reims, with its countless art treasures,

its magnificent cathedral and its thriving population of more than a

hundred thousand people, all of which, as the swinging movement

continued, were left to the mercy of the German army. The French

evacuated Reims with nothing more than some rear-guard fighting and fell

back southward to take their places in the great battle line which

Joffre had planned somewhere north of Paris--on the Marne, as it was

later evident.

As the Allied forces swung backward to this then unknown position, they

were hard pressed by the advancing German hosts. Their retreat will

stand as one of the most masterly in history, for during ten days these

vast armies retired more than two hundred miles on their left flank

without disorder and without excessive loss of men or material.

The English army occupied the side toward the sea in these grand

maneuvers for position. Sir John French moved swiftly backward, fighting

as he went and constantly swinging outward to prevent Von Kluck from

encircling his flank. On the morning of September 3rd, he reached a

point between Paris and the sea, actually a little north of that city.

Suddenly in response to orders from Joffre, he marched his tired troops

through Paris to Lagny, twenty miles east of the capital, where he took

up a position on the Marne front.

Von Kluck was almost in sight of Paris in hot pursuit of the English

when he found how he had been tricked. He could not attack the defenses,

and it was urgently necessary for him to join the main army on the Marne

front. To do this he had to circle to the north, around the outer

fortifications of Paris a much longer march than that of the English.

The French government had packed its belongings and left for Bordeaux on

the morning of the day the English passed through Paris, and the people

thought the Germans were about to besiege the city. All buildings in the

line of fire had been destroyed, the civilian population sent south, and

every preparation made for defense. Joffre only knew the real plan.

The Parisians were amazed when the Germans scarcely stopped in front of

their city. They could not understand why Von Kluck should suddenly

withdraw to the east, because they did not know how badly he was needed

on the Marne front. But Von Kluck must have suspected, for it is said

that he told an aide that, "We have met with a great misfortune."

Von Kluck was right, for the masterly strategy of Joffre had won the

battle of the Marne before a shot had been fired in that historic

struggle.

These facts were gleaned from military men whom we met in France. They

show how little the civilian population of a military zone, or even the

soldiers themselves, know of the movements in which they are engaged.

Evidently Joffre had not confided his plans even to the government

authorities at Paris, preferring to have the seat of government move and

the population flee rather than take chances of these plans being

learned by the enemy. So also at Reims.

The French who had been stubbornly defending the city they love best

next to Paris from German "Kultur," were forced to move through Reims

and to the south to take their place in the great battle line on the

Marne. They went reluctantly and the Germans followed them into the

city.

This explains the situation shown in the poster on page 245. The Germans

were just outside of Reims on September 3rd, and the Mayor knew that the

French army was moving south and leaving the city at their mercy. He

counselled his people concerning their conduct, warning them to

interfere in no rear-guard action such as was likely to occur. This

proclamation was dated September 3, 1914.

* * *

[Illustration: Second German Proclamation.]

TRANSLATION

PROCLAMATION

All authorities of the French Government and Municipal authorities

are advised as follows:

1st--All peaceable inhabitants may follow their regular occupations

in full security without being disturbed. Private property will be

absolutely respected by the German troops. Provisions of all sorts

suitable for the needs of the German army will be paid for as

purchased.

2nd--If, on the contrary, the population dares in any form, whether

openly or disguised, to take part in hostilities against our troops

the most diverse punishments will be inflicted upon the guilty

ones.

3rd--All firearms must be deposited immediately at the Mayor's

office; all individuals bearing arms will be put to death.

4th--Whoever cuts or attempts to cut telegraph or telephone wires,

destroys railroad tracks, bridges, roadways, or who plans any

action whatsoever to the detriment of the German troops will be

shot on the spot.

5th--The inhabitants of the city or of the villages who take part

in the battle against our troops, who fire on our baggage trains or

on our commissary, or who attempt to hinder any enterprises of the

German soldiers, will be shot immediately.

The civil authorities alone are in a position to spare the

inhabitants the terrors and scourge of war. They are the ones who

will be responsible for the inevitable consequences resulting from

this proclamation.

Chief of Staff, Major General of the German Army

VON MOLTKE

* * *

White card, 45 x 56, posted on the walls of the city of Reims by German

authority during the occupation of September 4th to 12th, 1914.

On September 4th the Germans entered Reims, having met with no

resistance. They occupied the city without interruption until after the

battle of the Marne, which historic struggle began at sunrise on

September 6th and continued along a front of about 140 miles until

September 12th.

In this battle, which was lost to the Germans because they had been

out-maneuvered and compelled to shorten their front so that they were

rolled up on both right and left wings, two million, five hundred

thousand men were engaged--the greatest number taking part in one battle

in the history of the world. Of these nine hundred thousand were Germans

and the remainder Allies, principally French, the English having only a

little more than one hundred thousand men in France at that time. On

account of their superiority of numbers, the Allies were able to extend

their front and thus threaten the Germans with envelopment at both ends

of the long battle line, which reached from Meaux, twenty miles east of

Paris, to the fortress of Verdun.

The losses in this tremendous battle are said to have been exceeded only

by those of the battle of Flanders, which began October 13, and in which

more than three hundred thousand men were slain. The losses at the Marne

have never been officially stated.

* * *

[Illustration: Citizens Warned of Danger.]

MAYOR'S OFFICE

REIMS

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The inhabitants are requested to abstain absolutely from touching

shells which have not been exploded and are requested to notify

immediately the police department, Rue de Mars regarding any such.

The least shock may cause the explosion of the projectile.

Reims, September 7, 1914. DR. LANGLET, Mayor.

Notice posted in Reims by order of the Mayor, September 7th, 1914.

* * *

Next followed the battle of the Aisne, in which the invaders were again

defeated and forced to retreat. It was in this battle that the Germans

made their last stand south of Reims. They had prepared strong positions

on the right bank of this river as they moved toward Paris and in these

tried to stem the tide of battle without avail. They were pushed back

slowly out of these positions, some of which we were shown, and after

being driven to the north of Reims, they began, on September 20th, the

bombardment that destroyed the famous cathedral and many of the finest

structures in the city.

It will be seen that the Germans, on their entry into Reims, guaranteed

the safety of life and property. They had forgotten this when, on

September 15, the victorious French reoccupied the city. Five days

later, without reason or any other motive than revenge, the Germans, now

making another stand in the trenches to the north of the city, opened

fire on the cathedral and the bishop's palace nearby, destroying both

beyond repair.

* * *

[Illustration: Citizens Warned that Hostages may be Hanged.]

TRANSLATION

PROCLAMATION

In case a battle takes place today or very soon in the environs of

Reims or in the city itself, the inhabitants are advised that they

should keep absolutely calm and are not to take part in the battle

in any manner. They must not attempt to attack isolated soldiers

nor detachments of the German army. It is formally forbidden to

build barricades or tear up pavement of the streets in such a

fashion as to hinder the movement of the troops. In a word nothing

must be done which will in any way tend to hinder the German army.

In order to insure sufficiently the safety of the troops and in

order to keep the population of Reims calm, the persons named below

have been taken as hostages by the commanding general of the German

army. Those hostages will be hanged at the least sign of disorder.

At the same time the city will be entirely or partially burned and

the inhabitants hanged if any infraction whatsoever is committed

against the preceding rules.

On the other hand if the city remains absolutely tranquil and calm,

the hostages and the inhabitants will be placed under the safeguard

of the German Army. By order of German authority,

Reims, September 12, 1914. DR. LANGLET, Mayor.

* * *

Both armies surged backward and forward over Reims twice, and it is not

surprising that the city suffered severely. Nevertheless, the French

officer who gave us the information outlined above was firmly of the

opinion that the cathedral had been wantonly destroyed in revenge for

the defeat and humiliation suffered by the German commanders at the

Marne and the Aisne. Whatever may have been the motive, and regardless

of how great may have been the excuse, the two illustrations of this

splendid structure shown in a previous chapter are sufficient to stamp

its destruction as a crime that can hardly be justified by the plea of

military necessity.

Reims, when we saw it, with the story that is told by the proclamations

reproduced, furnishes strong evidence that General Sherman was right

when he described war.

XXVI.

SOME IMPRESSIONS OF FRANCE AND THE FRENCH

In closing this work it is my hope that the reader will consider that

its inspiration and purpose have been stated with sufficient clearness,

but in this final chapter I am venturing to record my general

impressions of a truly great nation seen during a period which must be

regarded as part of the most vital epoch in its history. This concluding

chapter will have accomplished my purpose if it portrays the patriotic

nationality of the French under existing conditions, in such manner as

to be considered worthy of emulation in our own country.

During the necessarily brief and hurried visits made by our Commission

to many parts of France, I met many notables, generals, under officers,

parliament members, prefects, as well as great commercial leaders, but

regret that owing to lack of time and my ignorance of the French

language, opportunity for investigation and conversation with the

bourgeoise was slight. Nevertheless it would be impossible to travel

through afflicted France as our Commission did without experiencing an

acute impression of the solidarity and quiet, determined patriotism of

the French people. They stand as one to fight the war to a decisive

finish. They treat the war as some gigantic job, about which there is to

be no questioning, no weighing of sacrifices of life, comfort or

finances, and which simply must go on until finished satisfactorily.

This development of the French character must come as a revelation to

those who have in the past regarded the French as a volatile, frivolous,

impulsive people, virile, yet lacking the accredited determination and

persistency of the Teuton. This impression has been a great mistake. The

faces of the men and women of France alike show no sign of vacillation.

The French are counting the terrific cost, as becomes the thriftiest of

nations, expecting to collect a bill that in their opinion has been

running since the Franco-Prussian war and through the humiliating and

irksome years which followed under the "favored nation" clause. From any

other standpoint I believe few Frenchmen ever permit themselves to dwell

upon the ruin and suffering the present cataclysm has brought upon their

country.

Upon comprehending this attitude of the French, the thinking American

cannot avoid speculation as to what would happen in these United States

should a like emergency confront us. We may not dismiss such thought

with the statement that such an emergency is impossible. It is a most

unpleasant possibility and must be faced. We might be unconquerable,

in the sense that Russia cannot be conquered because of her magnificent

distances and natural barriers against a foe; but without the

preparedness and the single-hearted patriotism of the French, an invader

would find nothing in America to prevent him from working destruction

beyond calculation and inflicting humiliation that would be even worse.

[Illustration: Postal-card Painted by Artist Soldier in French

Trenches.]

As these lines are written we are still at peace with all the warring

nations. Our neutrality has been preserved only by submitting to

outrages such as have been endured without forcible protest by no other

great nation in the history of the world. If our patience with Germany

serves as an example to the world of how a great and magnanimous nation

may make sacrifices to encourage peace, our policy will prove to be

wise. If, on the other hand, it serves only to make the Germans believe

that we are too mercenary or two weak-kneed to defend ourselves and thus

encourages further transgressions, our peaceable policy will have been a

great mistake. After an opportunity to observe at close hand the methods

and motives of the German war party, I am frankly afraid that the latter

situation will prove to be the outcome. We shall be indeed fortunate if

we can keep out of the war that has involved half the civilized world.

Nations like men profit by experience. The French people have records

of history and civilization extending beyond the days of the Roman

Empire, and that civilization has gone steadily forward through many

centuries. No wonder then that they excel us in many things; the wonder

is that they do not excel in all. In architecture and the arts, France

leads America. This must be admitted by any fair-minded person familiar

with the facts. But in industrial affairs the story is different.

Our country has adopted more progressive and efficient methods in the

industrial field than can be found in France, where efficiency is not

the word so much as is the comfort of the workers. This is particularly

true of the iron and steel business. We saw in France not a single steel

plant that could compare in efficiency with the great plants of this

country. By this is meant that in none of the plants visited was the

output per man nearly so great or the share enjoyed by the worker nearly

so large, as is the rule in this country. Since we did not see the

plants to the north which had been captured by the Germans, perhaps it

is not altogether fair to make this comparison. Nevertheless the same

impression was gained in the inspection of other industrial operations.

The French workman is more artistic but he does not move so rapidly or

produce so much as does the American. Neither of course, does he enjoy

so large a remuneration. On the whole, wages are much less in

proportion to individual production in France than in this country.

To the resident of a country which has not had a war within the memory

of a generation, it is hard to convey by written or printed words a just

conception of what a great war means to any country involved. The

outward, visible evidence of individual restraint was one of the most

vivid things witnessed on our trip through France: at least this was the

case with me and, I believe, with some others of the Commission.

In France the individual has disappeared; he has been swallowed by the

State; the nation in its dire necessity, obeying the law of

self-preservation has practically obliterated the individual as such. He

has become simply a small part of a great whole, a whole so

inconceivably more important than any of its parts that all of them are

completely subordinated.

The average American citizen would resent with heat the regulations

regarded as a matter of course in France. He would fume and fret and all

but rebel, if asked to live as the French people are forced to live

during the war.

From what we could learn the submersion of the individual is far greater

in Germany than in France, but to a healthy American citizen, accustomed

to doing about as he pleases so long as he is able to pay the price and

injures no one else, there is abundant restriction on personal liberty

at this time in France. Possibly under similar circumstances we would as

a people show an equal spirit of self-repression for the benefit of the

national welfare.

The first great lesson taught by war to the death--as this war is for

all concerned--is the great outstanding fact that people as individuals

must surrender their rights to the people as a whole. Obedience to

constituted authority must be absolute. Personal tastes and interests

must be ignored or suppressed. The whole nation must work as one man,

under the direction of one head, to keep it from being made subject to

some other nation having less regard for personal liberty and more

respect for efficiency.

I took particular pains to ascertain directly and indirectly from all

classes the feeling of the French people towards Germany and the

Germans. Prior to the declaration of war it is safe to say the feeling

was not wholly unfriendly. Only three months before war was declared a

similar commission came from Germany. The German commissioners were

treated with great consideration. Plants and industrial establishments

were shown, views exchanged and entertainments were the order of the

day, or rather of the night, and everything possible done by the French

to foster a good feeling, having in mind increased trade facilities

between the two nations. But after war was declared, French territory

invaded and the unspeakable and unwritable deeds of the German soldiers

made manifest, this previous feeling changed to one of hatred and

revenge which it will take generations to eradicate.

In our intercourse with the French people a kindly appreciative feeling

was manifest towards the English and Americans; a feeling of deep

gratitude towards England for the great part she has taken in the war

and to America for the generous aid and assistance rendered in many

ways. Hospital work and the great aid rendered by American aviators were

much dwelt upon, the personal work of American men and women being

everywhere in evidence.

Since my return I have been asked by a great many people as to the

revival or otherwise of religious feeling as the result of the war, also

as to the food situation, the general appearance of the country in

France, the manner in which the dwelling houses are built, the

maintenance of public roads, the school system of France and its

efficiency as well as to the conditions prevailing now compared with

former visits. France has never been deeply religious. Catholicism

prevails to a great extent at present and has for centuries, although

certain parts of France are Protestant. Such divisions and subdivisions

of Protestant churches as prevail in the United States are unknown. A

Frenchman or a Frenchwoman is either a Catholic or Protestant.

Religious feeling is no doubt deeper in the country districts than in

the larger cities, and this is particularly true of the Catholics. From

the brief talk I had with French people on this particular subject I

should say the war has made no difference and the religious attitude is

about the same. The thoughts of the French people are so concentrated

upon the war and its consequences that but little else occupies their

minds.

During our sojourn in France, food seemed plenty and we heard no

complaint of shortage. The French are proverbially thrifty and can and

do live comfortably upon the equivalent of what Americans waste. When a

Frenchman finishes his meal there is nothing left on the plate, on

dishes or in the glasses. This was particularly noticeable at all the

banquets and luncheons which we attended.

We had but little opportunity of ascertaining prices. The market houses

in the small villages seemed well stocked with provisions.

Going to school in France is a governmental affair as all the schools

are run by the Government, excepting only the convent schools, where

higher education is taught to private pupils. France contains many high

grade "polytechnique" schools, arts, military and schools of mines, all

regulated and managed through the government department of education. I

should say the common school system is not as thorough as in Germany,

where education is wholly compulsory. Military education and training in

France is a part of the established system of the public schools and is

rigidly enforced. There are schools for training of officers the

equivalent of our own West Point. Children of the wealthier class in

France are taught and trained by private tutors. Retired army officers

are largely employed in the military schools.

Our journey through France was largely through the devastated districts.

I am certain that when this portion of France is rebuilt it will be done

on a more sanitary scale, as indicated by the beginning of the

reconstruction by Miss Daisy Polk and her associates at Vitrimont.

I was specially impressed by the magnificent scenery we saw and passed

through during the latter part of our journey. The French Alps are

considered in scenic effects equal to the world famous views in

Switzerland. We were treated by the authorities directing the movements

of the military automobiles with a perilous night ride from Le Puy to

St. Etienne. Starting about eight o'clock we were taken a distance of

nearly a hundred miles around, over and across gorges, steep inclines

and winding roads innumerable. We got through safely but were warned

from time to time by the peasantry that the ride had never previously

been attempted except in day-light. We were several times lost and

traced and retraced our steps time and again. But few of the party knew

of the real danger we had passed through until told the following day.

Concluding I may say adieu to the reader by adding that the Commission

has issued a printed report of its labors, the information contained in

that book being the joint and collaborative work of all the

commissioners. I have availed myself of some of the information

contained in the two chapters in this commission report "The Work of

Reconstruction" and "French Business Organizations".