The Washington herald., 1914-10-18
TITLED women
nurse SOLDIERS
American Women Give Is
tates and Efforts to AlleM-
ate Suffering from War,
BOTH SIDES ARE FAVORED
Rooseyelt's Daughter Leaves Baby SOr
and Goes to Hospitals in France
with Her Husband.


does not exist in Europe today. There
srs no balls. no dinners. no splendid
receptions. The women who lead In the
pleasure OF other days have donned a
nurses cap and gown or even accepted
a menial task in order TO alleviate the
distress Of poor and wounded.
In this work the American women who
have married foreigners or who. Tor
same other reason, find themselves resi-
dents of Europe have been notably prom
inent They have done more work them
selves-they have proved themselves
leaders
In rscounting the faithful lives Of serv-
ice Sfnerican women are leading today II
is hard to know where TO begin. for the
work goes on in every capital-Lonoon'
Paris. Vienna, Berlin-end In no way Is
the unfortunate character of the great
conflict better illustrated than by the
presence on both sides of these noble
American women. some laboring for the
Germans and the Austrians and others
TO be seen at their posts OF duty on the
sides Of the allies
Titled Women Are Nurses.
Famous estates owned by Americans Ia
Europe have been placed at the service
Of the combatants. Countess Johannes
Won SiersdorfI the former Mary Knowl-
ton of Brooklyn, turned over her castle
in Silesia TO the Kaiserin for the use OF
the Red Cross Then she herself went
~ Berlin and entered the ranks Of
hospital nurse corps there Her husband
is in the German army.
In happier times they once spent 80
900 10 entertain the Kaiser at single
DAYS shooting on the estate now given
for the use Of the German wounded.
Another German Red Cross nurse Is
the beautiful Duchess OF Croy, who was
1sr1rG HG n
ant in the Guard Corps and his German
castles and estate are receiving wounded
soldiers while his Hungarian chateau
has been offered to the Archduke Fred
erick, Austrian commander-in-chief for
hospital
The women Of the American colony in
Berlin are working like beavers The
American Church is now hospital
while the American Women's Club has
offered to use its beautiful building also.
The American women are attending Red
Cross lectures and have gone so far as
to offer to receive wounded men in their
own homes should there be an over
fiow from the hospitals.
In Budapest the Countess Leszio
szechenyi, once Gladys Vanderbilt, and
the Countess Sigray, nee DAILY, are lead
ing in Red Cross work while their hus-
bands are at the front Count Sigray In
reported q prisoner of the Russians In
stead Of living in Ritz hotel his present
quarters are the military prison N
Odessa.
Imposing Castle Was Barracks.
The palace Of the Countess szechenI
is one Of the most magnificent in Hun
gary. But 1t was ruthlessly remodeled
for a barracks in the course Of mobiliza-
ton and now It has changed its character
again. sheltering several hundrtd victims
Of Russian bullets. The countess her
self clad in the modest garments OF the
nurse. goes about among the beds cheer
ing the guests war has brought her.
Curiously enough, the countess cousin
the Duchess of Marlborough, who was
ConsueIo Vanderbilt. is doing much to
help the Hungarians' foes. She Is the
most active spirit in London relief work
Besides making Sunderland House, her
London home, a center of activities, she
has been influential in directing the work
Of other Anglo-Americans. 1t was largely
through her that Paris singer was led to
give his palatial country house near
Torwuay for the wounded men under the
fcare Of the American Red Cross.
Waldorf Astor, jr., is also very active.
In the course Of q letter to a friend in
Richmond. Va, Mrs. Astor, who was
Miss Mamie Langhorne, Of Virginia
writes:
I'VE have come here CBriar Toro Yel-
verton, South Devon) and taken this lit
tie house, nine miles from Plymouth. II
is lust on the moor. We took II so that
the children could get moorland air and
we could work In Plymouth most Of the
day.
I'VE have had 100 of the wounded at
Plymouth for the last fortnight They
were wounded at Mons those first three
days. A great many Of them saw the
horrors Of German brutality, and the
An ,1- NTT1h 1hnlt
only they tell them quite simply, and told
them to me the first day they arrived
before they had seen or heard Of a news
paper One poor creature was absolutely
shattered he said, not from fear of the
war or guns. but at seeing two Belgian
women with both hands cut on.
'I know that the Germans are doing
what they can in America to deny these
things, but have got It from the men
thenselves-plain, uneducated soldiers
great many Of them. The Coldstream
Guards regiment was nearly wiped out
because the men refused to fire on the
BELGIAN women and children whom the
Germans had put in front Of their guns
Al Mons This soldier was wounded
there and told me this himself"
Mrs Astor has assisted in the con-
valescence Of men at Plymouth by tax
ing them In large numbers for automobile
trips over the moors.
benevolent ministrations of American
women than any other city. II Is related
that a visitor to the improvised American
hospital at Neuilly found Mrs. Herman
Harjes wife Of the partner In the Nor
gan Paris banking house, Mrs. w. X.
Vanderbilt and her friend, Mrs. Munroe.
all washing dishes in the kitchen. They
had reported at o'clock every morning.
declaring they we're ready for any kind
of useful work, from scrubbing floors
to assisting in the operating chambers.
American Doctors Specialize.
The American hospital at Neuilly,
near Paris, was established in 1906
through resident Americans and Ambas-
sador Henry White. 1t has thirty-hve
beds and is one of the finest hospitals
Lon the Continent But these thirty-hys
beds were not enough for Americans TO
give when war broke out
The American ambulance committee
obtained from the government the use
OF the new Pasteur High School at
Neuilly and improvised a hospital here
Here are accommodations for wounded
to the number Of q thousand. The stan
is led by the distinguished Or. Joseph
A Blake. Of New York; DR.. Charles Po-
land. former United States army
surgeon, and DR.. George b Mayes.
This hospital II specializing in the most
serious cases. because there are few
places IN France where such splendid
talen and appliances are available.
The American committee is also opor-
atfnR q motor ambulance service and