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Show ie Royal Progress of the French Refugeesthrouah'SwiVzerland' ' i!u',s have t.ou,-t o M.-lfrW.ii.f o.t a .o'.mI ft.MpltaMt ' V'1 ,S "''' ' ' ''! --U.nl. I.hr-irt jjr'lfld i , s (ir-'iAi ,'A.Ji'' ,:V.".. f.i rr.uv.V'X, trWr(' r.s tf nu'roij y' . 'i.r, !.'!.'' -f f;f :.:( .I.V- the l.ood .s',i ..,1,1 ,-(. . j. IV K. .1 ' ' ' ""'" I'' lii;;.'!'!.i!i,l luny fr'.ir ,,o u.f 0s if j.ri-1 jH.udmj oivr fir ylnf.-nny inou'l V.. t'.'.!s. and !... ,..!. i. i"' .:.? !.. I.ti-ftfoicl In ,-i.Ior im rfrfird In . ,..;..::. l' ':"" '''.'""'' flU;;h lit'.s f i ncj rum flM s ,,r j.W the I'ood :m.i.-if.:n. .li,ii.v.Ti(iin stands isolated ,...:. f.'.(.:y- . .'' I notion, "iinurnviii (,i (1JJ the u-arrlno kl.i':.:1 Mi.'.w:tiiM"H, ( kso . i 0 war. rr'usjff row ffc f'.t- c.ir.' ;i;;v-t Lihin her- borders, h'rorn Jie-r t. fi .-'!. 1.' :'),! 'i. I irj.'bM douu a le.'pi-ij; u 1 1 f to con n Hess neurxsii.'' f.!f i may rjiniiin apart from th ,j ,,.--."';'" ''" ..(: ts in o poii.ion to help the unfar- .x. , ." :V'. the Su-i.- f.t.:j, art t ii'in.j of f,':Hr jusf,'i:niu-c drowo'i :H Of-''' '1'1' the help'.SSS V-Ctlms n,!y )li!!'r ooa Clofh. .,, ::t'i.' i.oii'uS c-.J vnji.!,jf!: 'or (ddr u-oumled souls. rvj; i:f.!r:J o Si.-: '; :.'r',i n.) in this hour of hrr great need is to'.d -s,. .'v N::.m: -A 1, 1: 1 .A rt-i i.-an u-oman resident In li'it is .:' ''! i.-:-!fvJ in f'u- -or o' fAr re'vf from north- X. k.H.i a' V w.-.'it on.' o' R'-l."tuiR iind Franco to the tii-rmati-vjj, j furrif-J o !-.- ro r V Krorioh cf rhtf f"rcnrn-5n i.s border. . .k-.V i:ori-:.-t-s of tk.- Sut'M. -i,-oji!- i.-Jto are rr:l.'i and r,-'V (te'i- ;"i--i'' '' r'cons K-it?i (i.-sf refugees," she writes, te!.:rc!i:i that they ;f aid the wounded, the prisoners By Laura Allen y ru:- tfir Civ Cenrva, Aus. 5. -$ i.i t. station at Basel. - S'-'1'-"'! 3 before cii.-Sd trains Somg from i:.s or Ixr..1o:!. It ends at ret. a tiny mountain village I?'..':-, resion t the Swiss-rr-::;r. Kvery ray they s M'ls?rab'.es." driven from p vy Are and sword, from to'is o! France, livery diy tl.i.T-ei I-h that ncib'.e and r::il:ty for which SriLzer-t?n SriLzer-t?n r.oted among nations eu-dition of the republic. ' si Basel la splendidly for the passing of s'-i:s. Festoons of ever -pe ths gray walls. Gorgec-Js i; their greeting. There is e f-ig cf f itrerhind with r-:;; the white standard o: t'-h its b'.ood-red stirird of the citv of Basel ' t-iicp's creiier. Myriad ictt in this nas of sioriou? if-ir.ds of laurel, mottoes ft? -and-srers in the liner lin-er love 3;er.venu! E;en- Eiritii in V. hits I wcaisn ia white, their frei w.th white veils, on rts a scarlet cross, stand I ilnf the platform. It ia ft of snow cn & h:h moun-tt? moun-tt? clcjd in a summer sky. wait the streicher-i? streicher-i? chairmen the Sanitaires Phtaires in white and, last Siss soldiers, with their (rj tmiform. the picturesque . i htice ewcrd of the Cru-s Cru-s 5-155 Guard that iied for itere-e at Versajiles the Ti that protects the Pope3 is palace the Swiss Guard : i cf the army of Bien- ..Eiing the-creat oensive of tirdres in the?e days of CTcr. Gentlemen all. and' Hlute you. O Swiss Guard! 'T? train pulls in slowly, -; rj filled with pale, fright-Fcere fright-Fcere are 650 pilgrims on . and the trains come twice ' '0 the city of Easel. There pie. feeble and bewildered, terrified peasants who have eled on the railway. There ied, half-starved mothers -feted, sickly children. They everything they held dear H they have toiled a life- -. ?Srs; little villages they a mass of ruins little is where they have buried dead. All French evacues to Belgium now and wait ns weeks, perhaps some fc-cro the convoi is per-start per-start out. They are often '!rd days on the long jour-r jour-r travel in cars with wooden '' Jsre has been no heat, most bitter days of the "f- There has been no light ttrt winter day ended. All c?its they traveled in dark-. dark-. krror through the country Ifmy. There has been no 'itch provision as they could hands huge loaves of tad. Some trains have on the way and the . lave received the "potage W" for which Germany is " you ask them where they k- food they carry they will ..r'oa the good Americans:" kim that you are an Amer- !U kiss you on both cheeks ;i'-4ren will steal up shyly ?Wr hands. That is why I "'J. O generous Americans. "J:-ssey of the homeless ; bken and their royal wel-' wel-' Swiss, ir la France!"' tra'n halts a mighty shout ,m tke "hite army, glad and ""8"ViVe 'a Flance: -j " It is answered with -'ier cry, a cheer with a -" ive la Suisse! Vive la ' t.S,f 'aitin workers break activily- with no tom--f"fc.cnn0 delay. A Swiss train stands on the other side of the platform. It la heated and lighted, disinfected and spotlessly clean. Each carriage has a number corresponding to the numbers on the German cars. To the platform of each carriicge springs a Swiss officer, dirocting h.s soldiers. Beside the carriage stand two women with the number of the carriage on their breasts. Swiftly, but e!y gently, the travelers aro trrtns- t 1 , s . , L s. - - K " t ' V xJ , - . , t 1 - , ' ' ' " , - -v , t r - , . , m ' i, ,-.r-...-.;.Ty. . ; -.'v ..ti - t,,. v.: , . . .. ,. .. ! Arrixjl of a French rei'uiee train in S.it:erlar.J. From h an-1 ?LC .ft.. ;-l.J ...;.u r-J - 1... f .i i -.V 'T Arrixjl of a r reach rei'uiee train in S.it:erlanJ. Front h an-1 oftScerf min;d with Fe j Cro?s attai lies in supeni.:;-n of the tran-fcr !t! the picture ebove are ?h.r-n Hrti of the fotiotn Fr-n'h waif- in 'h-erm-. of f'.iir benfaclor? ferred from one train to the ' other. Strong arms aid them, kind hands take their burdens f om them. Flaces are quickly found for them and their pitiful possessions- There i no crow-ding no confusion. There Is room for them ail In comfort. Each mother lias a small section for her little family. The maneuver is accomplished ac-complished witii military precision and silent swiftness, but with never-failing courtesy and great tenderness. Then all Is in order the travelers of carriage N'o. 10 leave, in charge of workers No. 10. to find places reserved re-served for litem at table No. 10 In the warm restaurant, where other women, also No. 10. are waiting to serve them with a hot breakfast. As soon as the meal is finished and the travelers refreshed they are conducted con-ducted to the lavatory, where they bathe their tired faces and hands. It is a new building, put up for this pur-pose, pur-pose, as dazzlingly white as a modern surgery. It is well heated and amply supplied with hot w-ater. soap and clean towels.' Eighty persons may wash up at the same time. The white basins turn on their fastenings and empty themselves in a second. A thousand clean towels are supplied every day. Volunteer women workers stand in the steam and heat for hours and never leave until the place is made ready for the next convoi. The task i3 indeed fatiguing and r.ot too agreeable to those with fastidious taste. Bathing the Babie? Meanwhile the Invalids and the aged have been carried or wheeled into the infirmary- There is a double row of white bees on each side of the long room. There are long tables down the" center, where the children of sick mothers aro fed and amused. There is a veritable "cozy corner," with easy chairs for the relatives of invalids. Children of a sick mother are never taken out of her sight and aged couples cou-ples wait hand In hand, for the one great terror which tortures them all Is the fear of being separated from each other. One looks on in wonder and admiration at the strong Swiss women as they tenderly lift the tired invalids into the white beds. They loosen the clothing, bathe the faces, brush the hair, take off the shoes and stockings and bathe and gently rub the swollen feet to warmth. They bring food to the bedside end feed their patients as . if they were little children: They never cease their tenner ministrations min-istrations until the last patient is carried car-ried to the waiting train and made comfortable for the journey. It means all the difference between life and death, this interval of rest and nursing. nurs-ing. The doctor is always on duty, and many times in the cold weather it was with difficulty he restored to animation the half-frozen, half-dead travelers found unconscious on the floor under the benches in the train. From the moment tiio train arrives until it leaves again sweet-faced, S , ilV-:-'': -"'.a."-:' -v I-1 KV ' '."-'V-r";.-Pi ,- ,.: '' v-'"-'. ' :-. i -' ; -,.".',; ;ij ?-w.7, -'M V.'. - ;yj ' i !:'.V ;;: .,:'.. -,-y :' : V -. : - v A. 'i; c -?ii. .: ' .i s. ..... ' j , -v. ,-' . . . ',- - r''" ..' - . , v. - . .V-v- V . ----- : ; - I w:. ' X: , ;? i i? v - - whire- rower, ai't 'n t crowd. t kln5 - I!!'!? chiliren f' cm their iired motbers' am,c. A sti'i-T.-B.ry railway c?. rr .sc hit- !ei ti't2'! up ?. r.ursen". At (lie cr.'.ra n e th?re i? a h-iae mot'-: bearir.e or. its bai'k a r.akeJ bay wi;h a sah of t!ie tricolor cf France tiei ?.tovA v-pl'jn'p v-pl'jn'p little perFcn. He mchi up cir.ir? arms To a be utifui f-jzi scflrt f.a& with a !u:e cro.-s ai t1 t oe:uer. In impro i rursery thr ? al-va: 5 a bus-y s ; e n ? . A dozen. I! t q nnps cn n b b 1 5 at t rt same time T" omn in whit" Tork tire!- sb.- and cef'ly, t ransfor m b'ack 3v.6 brown babies into pink and whi'e cberub?. Soldiers with whire t niockt over their uniforms stand cn duty to fiH and empty the v. hite baths. The softest soft-est cf white towels, the finest of soap, tji1 warmest cf fre.Mi srarments are provided in abundance. When a dozen little ores all scream at the same time it is appalling to the uninitiated, but these swift workers are not daunted. They never speak. There is no time; and it is useless. Before the bath is finished the most stubborn cf protesters is smiling, and when the baby is carried beak in triumph often the mothers do not recognize their own children. But there can be no mistake, for the mother's number it tied about baby's neck. Many a time the mother hides her face agninbt her baby's soft cheek and they both C3"y together, and it does them both good. If you would meet the morning train you must' make an early start, for soon after 6 o'clock in the cold gray winter dawn you wiU find the soldiers cn guard. You will need your permit to enter arid you will see the white women hurrying about the cold station, sta-tion, preparing for their work. There will be no time for breakfast before you start, and no appetite for food when you have looked on at tha pitiful tragedy. But the splendid work of the committee at Esse! is indeed inspiring in-spiring to fresh endeavor and increased in-creased generosity. It is a privilege to have even a humble share in such a noble work, and a grave injustice to oneself to be cheated out of such an enriching- experience. Songs of the Homeland There- are about 400 persons on this committee at Basel, most cf them women. They work in relays of 100, many of them on duty every day and some of the directresses twice every day. The work must be done swiftly, for really there is very little time, especially es-pecially in the morning. One is continually con-tinually impressed with the silence, the skill, the speed, with which all is accomplished. The afternoon train arrives at about 5 and leaves at 10 in the evening. The travelers have hot tea. and a rest on arriving. The proceedings of the morning are repeated more at leisure. - A hot dinner is served at 7. There is a concert every evening at S. The music i: -.: . . : -. :-'K-'Kr:?'- - !- : -v. --. r : H " - r ppp W-mA, l-vm i- -? h- t . - mm '$ a. '.--. i K.swit5ar-- ;v -.i3 i ' vr y-Tr"': ; ; ..; . i - ?..-y::'.T-'tJ.':' K.iud and gentle vonien folk vho help to ea5e the privation and misfortune mis-fortune of th- innocent victims of the Kaiser has a wonderfully quieting effect. Often they cry as the ol3 songs of their country bring them sad memories; mem-ories; but it is a gentle rain of tears that refreshes. Oiten they join in the singing, with white lips that quiver and sweet voices broken with sobs, while the tears fall softly and unheeded un-heeded as they sing. At 10 the long train pulls out again, the white army massed under the Mags, cheering the waiting crowd along the railway line cheering, too. es the train speeds out into the darkness. They will reach La Bouveret at 4 in the morning, and they will find a warm welcome there and hot coffee waiting for them. Seeking the Missing To appreciate all this marvelous hospitality hos-pitality one must remember that this train has been Voing over the same route for months. More than 90.000 pilgrims 1-yive passed through, and tha welcome is always as cordial, and never are the generous Swiss weary in well doing. One little man at Ba-sel attracts special attention. He is so alert, so anile, so eagerly helpful. He comes on duty at C. He is the last to leave, fie is a chimney sweep, who every nigh: scrubs off his sooty mask and clad in spotless white works with tireless zeal and never-failing gayety. The waiting crowd outside the barrier know him and toss him all manner of gifts, which he delights to pass on to the travelers, who will never forget the merry chimney sweep of Basel. There is a great work of special importance, im-portance, which occupies every moment mo-ment of the time the travelers are in Switzerland. At every stop all the way on the train the different committees commit-tees of Keneignernent are seeking information in-formation of each traveler, in the hope cf finding those who are "missing." of reuniting broken families and restoring re-storing to each other those who have been lost so lonn; thnt they are o'ten mourned as dead. If, for example, a wlf at lJ,xr;el finds from thi records that Bhe him a huHhand Interred any. where in Switzerland tho committee telegraphs to the hUNhand to meet the train at the nearent Mnp and to go on with hit family to La Rouveret. K;mcy the Joy of thewe, reunions of loved ones who have had no message from each other In many months and even. years. Swiss Guard of Honor We may Join these pilgrims and travel with them, if we have a mili-tnry mili-tnry passport, not easy to obtain. Only those who are willing to work and capable In helping may Intrude upon these, sad travelers In their misery. Wo shall travel like royalty, with the right of way and a crowd to welcome iih at every stopping place. We leave the white army at Basel, under the gorgeous flags, cheering us out of fcli;ht. All through the city will shout a il cheer an we pass, and the French children on the train will ehout and wave the little Sw!s flags the committee com-mittee has given them. Jr3glfi They can cheer, too. now. They have, found their voices. They ere not hungry hun-gry nor are they frightened any more. Men working in the fieids take off their hats and salute us as we pass. Women come to the doorways and wave their welcome. Their little children toss flow-ers up to the windows and smile their greeting. We have on the train our guard of honor a Swiss captain and hie soldiers. "We have a Eanitary officer and his Samaritans. W have trained nurees and volunteer in-firmieres, in-firmieres, who work all the way, ministering min-istering to the sick and helping to care fur the children. "We have a servant who keeps the train as clean as an "all-Pnllmau special." Oh, yes, we travel in state now, and we are very cheerful. The first stop Is made at a small way station, but there are plenty of friends waiting to greet us. An old man goes out on the platform of the train. He shivers in the sharp morning morn-ing air, for his clothing is worn and thin. A Swiss peasant dashes up the steps and wraps the old man in his peasant's cape. It takes a peasant many years to earn one of those capes, and. once acquired, it lasts a lifetime. Did St. Francis do more or do it more tenderly? Red Cross Ministrations Another stop, and ladies In white come on, carrying hampers almost too heavy for their strength. The soldiers lend a kindly hand. The hampers are filled with presents for the travelers, made by Swiss ladies and children ai! along the route. TVhen their hampers are emptied the ladies leave us as the train stops, and another relay of these white workers comes on. One of them carries huge bags made of the Swiss flag and tilled with little gifts slippers and scarfs and white caps, stockings, stock-ings, etc. The most popular gifts axe the little "housewives, " made of bits of silk, (jnd furnished with threaded needles. Thread is anld by thu yard now, end in ahn;st unknown In the invaded countries. Women have wrpt until they cannot ree to thread their needk-a. Tog are made by the Swiss children with great Ingenuity. I taw a cradle made by a child from a matchbox. In-bide In-bide was a paper baby doll and an ex-quifcite ex-quifcite letter written in graceful French, confiding the dolly to ius new little mother. At lo o'clock the station is whit e again with the Red Cross womo.v, waiting with hot coffee and chocolate. At 11 a picnic luncheon Is served on the train. Soldiers carry hue baskets of sandwiches and sweet biscuits for the children. These sandwiches are given by one man in Basel, and there are a thousand served every day. Another man of Easel gives a thousand apples a day. When one remembers that the ration of bread in Switzerland Switzer-land is half as much as the people need, one is astonished at this bounty. m'' f French and fljg. intertwine a the heart of Switzerland goes out to the heart of France At Lausanne again the station is white with the Ked Cress army, gay with officers in splendid uniforms. Arain the refreshing hot corfee an.: -hocolate arc handed about in the train. Ferhaps you will think that the' travelers will be killed with kindness, there is such an abundance offered. But when one thinks of the long starvation star-vation they have endured one knows that the only safe kindness is to feed them often and not too much at a time. The excitement dies dow-u a litt'e now. for the travelers are too worn out. The children are playing quietly with their toys. The mothers' faces are peaceful. The old people fall aii'.eco. The committee of Information Tsork tirelessly and eagerly. A man who has mounted the train finds his mother in one carriage, hie wife in another and his eiEter-in-law- in an-c(l!er an-c(l!er so separated are the families in their hasty flight so strict is the discipline on the train. They may not so from one carriage' to another, but the people from the same village sometimes start out and travel together. to-gether. Joyful Reunion? We go through the tram, tdil.ir.g w'th them of their great sufferings. It seems to help them, to speak of their troubles, for they have endured so much. One very pale, emaciated woman is surrounded by four little children. She eays she had a home with a garden. There was a kitchen in the little house and a bedroom with good beds for the children. The Germans took possession. The officers slept in the beds; she and the children chil-dren rested on dirty straw from the stable on the kitchen floor. The Germans Ger-mans ate first at the table and there was almost nothing left for the children. chil-dren. "And was there anything left for you when the children had fin- Ifhed'" "Oh, mndame, I w.is never hungry. I was ho f i-iRhl cr.ed ! " W'e Kto,p-d at a little Ki.nlon and fcaw ft Frr-iK-h nr.f-r lool:jr. eav'.rly at the f.-if-'-.i in the windows. The p.t!; woman v.w too tin.d to look out. The other women at the windows were from the name vi!!a;.;e where l.T home had hern. Suddenly one of them i creamed, ".Mai.-, mon B:c-u, Marie, it Is your husband!" The coi-i.er heard, hut the pule woman rouid not f-tir. H'-r breath came In f..-ehle pasj.s. Such lauKhlns and sobbing and cheerin; as he bounded Into the carriage! tie ki.-sr-a all the children on both cheeks, because he did not know h.s own from the others. Me took the pale woman in his ai-ms tenderly and she hid her taj-n on his heart. Then he whi-pered eoft'.y, "Have you suffered, ma cherie?" She smiled bravely through her te-irs and answered, ".Mais, non, mon ami, pas beaucoup." With her head resting on his strong houlder, hand in hand, they traveled on silently. His eye3 shone with Joy, as his children crowded crowd-ed about him to kiss his faie, his hands and to touch the medailie d'honneur that gleamed upon hi heart. La Bouveret, and the mountains of Francel The platform of the station is crowded with Swiss and French officers and soldiers. Half the little village Is wailing to welcome the wanderer. wan-derer. Hot coffee and hot chocolate for the children are ready. It Is made and served by the women and young girls of La Bouveret. There are many among them scarcely twenty years of age. The village is small and there are not enough workers to come on in relays. All through the cold winter the same women have been at the station at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and again at 4 o'clock in the morning. They are as excited over the comlr.g of this train as they were over the first one that went through. The Swiss captain on duty here has met every train, both afternoon and morning, morn-ing, a' through the winter. Brave Little Switzerland! At La Bouveret the Swiss officers and soldiers, the nurses and visitors, the sanitary corps, all must leave the train. Only the engineer may cross the frontier and take his convoy into France. The women who have found their- husbands waiting for them, the old people who have met their children, chil-dren, all must go on into France, too, for a few hours, for the "formalities." Then they may return again and stay five blessed days together at La Bouveret Bou-veret before seeking new homes in Fran.ce. La Bouveret is a tiny mountain village. vil-lage. The people are poor, but their -hospitality is generous and kindly. The steep, narrow streets are blue with the French uniform. Husbands and wives, long separated, walk hand m hand together, scarcely speaking. The reunited families crowd the small hotel and overflow into the homes of the villagers, where they are cordially welcomed. They are fitted out with neT garments, for there is more time here to answer every need. La Bouveret Bou-veret gives them the freedom of the city. Switzerland pays all the expenses ex-penses of their entertainment. The women and young girls of La Bouveret Bou-veret are untiring in their devotion to these wanderers, who after five days must be separated, perhaps never to meet again in this world. When the history of the war ia written no fairer record of noble hospitality hos-pitality and courtesy can grace its chronicles than this story of tha progress of the pilgrims from the city of Basel to the village of La Bouveret. Bou-veret. The brave little Swiss Republic, Repub-lic, sorely stricken by the war, standing stand-ing steadily in the midst of fighting nations, threatened with famine from within and invasion from without, has a truly magnificent manner of welcoming wel-coming the coming and speeding the parting guest on this sad pilgrimage of the victims of the great catastrophe catas-trophe of civilization. |