OCR Text |
Show fl TO FEED IfflY URCHINS I ;ousands of Austrian children to Benefit by Yankee Aid. restigation Reveals a Shocking Condition of Undernourishment. 6y FARMER MURPHY. hli-ngo Tribune Cable, Copyright.) E.N'XA. M-'.v 12. via I'aris. May 14. f.'idin? of the lil-tiouri.shod children of ri:i, for which the American people ritiutcd a fund of ?t"0.000 to be ciis-itid ciis-itid over four months, is ready to be Into effect ns soon as the first ship-t ship-t of food arrives. It is expected daily, elimirary investigation by Dr. R. niiui Ceist of the children's relief au of the American relief administra-lcaves administra-lcaves no doubt as to the urgent i of this work, and American cor.-uors cor.-uors to the fund may have tlio satis-ion satis-ion of knowins they are heipin.e; per-i per-i a service which would make their ie bun an is to be in charge of Cap-Claire Cap-Claire M. Torrey of the army, who tti today. Jdren Underfed. Geist, who came ahead, first stopped raz and Oberticrirarfc, where he found Jren pitifully undernourished. At the r place in an inspection of the schools -bserved the children's color was pale grayish, the skin drawn so tight over iiiead as to outline the skull. Their j are angulr.r and there is no fat on bodies. Their shoulders are sharp, thin and scrawny. The dresses of the i girls seemed to hang on sticks, er than bodies. :t, in spite of all, they endure their lot cheerfulness and. to use the doctor's Is, "with innocent resignation." Vienna, there are 3U,0uu children "t j4 who are in bad condition and need help at once, but so far pro-.n pro-.n for feeding enly 10,0 has been ar-ct ar-ct It is hoped soon to enlarge the pities so as to include all. Nef ul Lack of Fats. ie children are divided into seven ?3C-s, from No. 1, in the best condition, No. 7, the worst. The Americans are ngin? to feed the fourth, fifth and Ji classes. The normal child should i 2U0O calories daily, but investigation sis the children have only been getting j 750 to 900. The American plan con- )lates providing a thousand calories "his, bringing it almost to normal. (-le. pale, pale that tells the story for 'children, and, in fact, almost every-1 every-1 r the utter lack of fats and blood-Mrg blood-Mrg foo'Js. You cannot walk even the ''cipal streets without noticing it in 'faces of the well-to-do. I have seen ;ig girls, well -clothed, smart, refined i ippearance. whose every mark and lition indicated they were used to the - which could be had, and in whose ""9 you could see youth backed by early "s of comfort, making every effort to "al its bloom. Yet scrutiny disclosed feeble was the result. Under the t tint of health there was an almost T)le whiteness. "er Wretchedness. noTig the poor suh state produces a - of utter wretchedness. The food -n to children in the day nursery will "".ate w hat their needs are. For break -'.i they get black coffee which, fortu- ;ly, is not coffee with saccharine and ;e pieces of bread small ones. For !h they get soup made of sauerkraut 'arrots. At 4 o'clock, coffee alone. The , Iron are then taken home by the , nts, and hundreds get nothing more ,eceive usually what is called "sule," nd of tasteless mush or gruel. ie Americans ore bringing in -sugar, -a, flcar, pc-as, beans, beef, bacon, ril and tod liver oil. When the plans -In full operation, automobiles placard-'Ammican placard-'Ammican Children Relief," will carry r)3 all over Austria from the distribut- ing centers of Grnz and Vienna- Supplies are allocated on the basis of numbers and needs, and provide for 50 per cent of Vienna and 16 per cent for Graz and Obersteirmark. The remainder will go abcut equally among upper Austria, Salzburg, Salz-burg, Tyrol, Voralburg and Kartoen. Government to Aid. The government has given. Gurstenburg palace to the bureau for headquarters, and is doing everything possible to assist. Working separately with kitchens, they have conducted luring the war, is a group of American women married to Austrians. Among these are Frauen Etfenne von Scanavi, formerly Nellie Harris of St. Louis; Edgar Procknek, formerly Gretch-en Gretch-en Sterling James of St. Paul; Friedrich I von Ternes, formerly Miriam Cable of Chicago; Henriette von Flutgel, formerly Wright of Cleveland: Josephine Benger Hey, formerly Kolan of St. Paul; Lucy Mueller, formerly Campbell of Lexington, Lexing-ton, Ky. |