the source of this stream, Caesar subdued one of the native tribes. 

 And battles have been waged and counsels have been held along 

 this watercourse during the great conflicts of western Europe, 

 from the time of Caesar's invasion until the present day. Thus, 

 a study of a region so favored with a historical background and 

 of its inhabitants whose mode of living is so utterly alien to the 

 modern world to which we are accustomed is full of interest, 

 especially since France has been the storm center of the Great 

 War and her deeds of valor and might have won the admiration 

 of the civilized world. 



2. France a Rural Nation. France is a country still in the 

 agricultural stage of industry. More people live in the country 

 than in the cities, a condition largely due to Napoleon's agrarian 

 reforms, by the provisions of which small holdings were parceled 

 out to the citizens as an inducement to remain on the soil and to 

 build up a sturdy peasantry. Thus, instead of a few large estates 

 there are many small farms. An idea of their number may be 

 gained by recalling the fact that the average size is seventeen 

 acres. As a result of this agricultural prominence national life 

 has a strong rural trend. Designs upon coins and engravings 

 upon currency represent chiefly pastoral scenes the sowing of 

 seeds and the harvesting of ripened sheaves. The Department 

 of Haute Marne is a representative district of rural France. 



3. Topography. Haute Marne is a region of unsurpassed 

 scenic beauty and pastoral tranquillity, untouched by the blight- 

 ing desolation of the recent war. The predominant features of 

 the landscape are a continuous series of forest-crowned hills 

 with intervening valleys, green with vegetation, through which 

 streams move leisurely on their journeys to the sea. Hard- 

 packed stone roads, bordered by rows of tall poplars, follow the 

 course of the valleys and wind their way over the hills. Rainfall 

 is abundant; the soil is well adapted to agriculture. Hence this 

 region is ideal for dairying and general farming. 



4. The Rural Village. The rural village consists of a group 

 of buildings of varied age and architecture which are clustered 

 along narrow and crooked streets. They are built entirely of 

 stone and roofed with tile. Houses set amid lawns, flowers, and 



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