| Show some plain facts regarding conditions in in the war zone throughout the united states the people are being asked to assist in raising a fund for the relief of the wounded soldiers and the other war sufferers of 0 france the following paragraphs taken from a letter writ ten by elizabeth perkins shows the need of immediate help if the out felings of the wonderfully brave french people are to be alleviated the letter tells of a visit to a sec see tion of france which hd had been re taken from the germans all that Is left of these towns being shell rid died walls and leaky roots roofs every ar tide of value having been carried away or destroyed elizabeth per kins says A woman with pinched face and haunted eyes stood in the shattered doorway of a crumbling house no expression passed her countenance no welcome lit her eyes as we stopp ed and gave her greeting she had seen too many come and go in the last thirty months to wonder or to care whence we came or why but the sound of our motor bad had attract ed two children from within a boy of five and a baby of two who bled over the fallen stones and with the curiosity and timidity of child hood clung tor for safety to the tattered skirt of their mother their great hollow eyes had an employing emp loring look albeit frightened like a deer a my french friend talked to the mother and I 1 extracted a bit of cho from my pocked to coax the children they would not come to me the chocolate meant nothing to them I 1 broke oft off a piece and p pit it it in my mouth instantly the eld est child tell fell upon me like a furry he clawed my hands and put his grimy little fingers on my lips I 1 drew away I 1 did not understand the woman a eyes looked more hunt ed than ever and in a feeble 1 loice of protest she said pierre pierre dou cement mon petit but pierre had forced my willing hand open and had fallen on the stick of chocolate as a starving dog falls on a bone the smaller child began to cry the mother stooped to pierie whose mouth was full and pathetically tried to reprimand him pardon madame she murmured he has eaten only rice and water and war bread for seventeen months and hia his stomach no longer accepts it for give my little boy his greed with a aluch at my heart and at my throat I 1 searched in the motor tor for bus cults and any scraps of our picnic lunch with the little food I 1 found I 1 entered uninvited her crumbling home she followed with the screaming baby and pierre chok click ing over chocolate too quickly lowed it was evident another baby would soon be numbered in the household it was dark inside tl TI e window glass was gone and the draughty hole filled with straw and dirty rags A board was placed across two to barrels which served as a table A bed built into the wall seemed intact but no s beets were there and no pillows I 1 placed my poor provisions on the improvised table the woman look ing dull on the baby pitifully cry ing the woman made no move to take the food and I 1 asked might the baby have a sweet biscuit 7 while pierre seeing further chance ot of eat ing tried to reach the biscuit box for me for us usa she queried of course I 1 answered she gave a biscuit to her baby and slumped onto a bench the teara tears rained down her face pierre had both hands full the baby had quiet ed and with tiny fingers like a bird birds claws he clutched at the dry cookie in his mo hers her s hand the drawn skin of the little one a face the hollow temples the huge eyes told its own story of months of star little by little I 1 got the woman s story her husband of course had gone to the war she knew not where the baby on her arm was born during the german entrance so that she could not flee with the 0 oth th er refugees subsequently her life was within the german lines she scrubbed she washed she cleaned their boots she slaved all day and she was fed enough to keep her alive but her children got no ra eions but a portion of her own and scurvy h had d lately become the added curse and now another baby was due what preparation was there tor for the child none II hid id she bedding and clothes and blanket blankets 7 none the dirty rags in the window holes she could not wash and use would anyone come and care tor for her in her sickness 7 9 yes probably a neighbor down the street I 1 had seen enough that day to know that there waa was work tor for all the societies america could organize to rebuild the shattered lives and the scattered homes of wo men and children in that part of 0 france mr french friend whose society gae gane out linen to the most desperate cases promised a pair of sheets and six towels it was all the society could afford to give they had so little and it had to go so tar far I 1 promised everything I 1 could think of for I 1 knew I 1 had my asplen did country back of me and I 1 had but to ask tor for help in the recon st ruction division of the american fund tor for french wounded and I 1 would get from generous workers all that was needed for this woman and for other women and food and cloth ing tor for all their babies ELIZABETH PERKINS |
