NO YOUNG MEN.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 3001, 24 July 1916, Page 4

NO YOUNG MEN.

COUNTRY IN MOURNING. An Australian writes from France: "Everywhere here we noticed the absence of young men. As we travelled alwng, old men, of perhaps 80 yvnvii or more, stood out in front of their places, not cheering or waving, but they stood, hats off, and held out their hands to us. You could read their solemn welcome readily in the look: 'Thank God for their lielp' was stamped on all their faces. I could imagine their feelings. Most of them had sons at tho front. Some of those sons had been very likely killed. There wa.s no one left to help them, and their country was devastated. Another thing that hurts is seeing the women doin_ men's work, following ploughs, cutting wood. One very striking thing is the general mourning everywhere. Practically every woman in France is in black. 1 nearly cried sometimes at tho things I saw, and I felt it a pleasure to fight for such a country and a people in such a plight.

"I am with four other officers in a household on a farm. There are •six girls, ranging from 25 to 8 years, and two young brothers with us. No father or mother. Nicer people 1 have never met. I imagined the French girls as a lively, overdresesd lot, but I was never more surprised in my life. There i.s not the suspicion of anything frivilous about these girls. They are very good to us, and do any mortal thing to make ns comfortable. W e are absolutely trusted, and aro looked to as kind of natural guardians, and although at our farm wo have 250 men quartered, I have never known any man to use an insulting word or do a wrong ,act. I am perfectly satisfied that Hie- way to get the real good out of the Australian is not by orders, but by putting him on his honour. The men are up early, and help in milking and farm work, and have created a splendid impression."