Evening star., 1914-11-18
Nine. Hendi di Sincay Urges
America to Do Duty in Al
Ieviating Suffering.
WRITER, GRANDDAUGHTER
OF MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN
Dramatic Description of Wars
Honors Gives Impetus to Relief
Work in Washington.

! Dramatic presentation of the horrors
of war and the suffering among the
Belgians is contained in letter re-
ceived from Nine. Henri di Sincay.
granddaughter of Mrs. John A. Logan.
who is at the front administering to
victims of the European conflict.
That America cannot call itself
civilized or Christian nation If 1t sits
| idly by and fails to relieve these suffer-
ings IS the opinion expressed by Nine.
ldi Sincay. In her letter appealing for
aid for the Belgian sufferers, which has
given impetus to the work being done
here by her grandmother as chairman
of the Washington committee for the
relief of the women and children vic
TINS of the war, with headquarters at
425 11th street northwest, she says:
DO please send me all the things
that you can possibly collect for the
refugees. l will distribute them my
self at the Cirque de Paris, where SO
many pass to be fed and clothed and
listed before they are sent to the
south and west.
Terrible Conditions.
How can l write you about them!
The aching misery of those heartrend-
ing creatures passes any power of de-
scrlption. They are beyond words pitt
full. Homeless, separated from their
children in the hurry of fight. or chill
dren without mothers or friends, not
knowing If their husbands and sons
are alive or dead, penniless. many with
their right hands cut off, heartbroken,
many too 'abruti' to remember what
has happened to them, they sit patient
iy for hours waiting to be put into
another train, to be sent they know not
where.
1T is one of the saddest pictures of
the war, and one which must be seen
to be realized.
Hard to Realize Horrors.
How any one can calmly 20 on with
their old life, spending money on un-
necessary food and clothes, when go
much misery exists in the world 1
cannot conceive. l feel guilty every
time 1 eat a piece OF meat and try to
live on little as possible so as
to give every availab BILE penny to the
refuge fund here. When people live
In peace and security as every one
uoes in America it is very hard to
to them. One reads ones morning
paper and one is shocked for a mo-
ment into little feeling of discom-
fort that such things should be, but
by midday. when one sees ones nor
NAL easy life flowing smoothly around
one, one has already forgotten the
mornings impression and one COM
forts one s-self by the reflection: OF
course, it's exaggerated
Sure of Americas Generosity.
Collect all the money which you
possibly can, and I am sure America
will be generous. for it Is she who
will profit first when this war is over,
and keep it until I can get back to
Belgium and see where and how it can
be used to go farthest and do most
good most quickly.
Il am at the British hospital at the
Astoria since six weeks. on duty from
am. till pm. and only come home
to tumble into bed more dead than
alive. Any spare minute which have
goes to collecting warm woolfes for
our soldiers at the front and attend
ing to many details such as buying
woods, etc. for women who are work.
ing for me. Then l am also collecting
clothes for my Belgians, and especially
shoes. which are more difficult to get
and often have to be bought.
Bring in the Wounded.
Last month before the Astoria was
running we were sent constantly with
wounded English back to Paris. 1t
was most exciting. although, Of course.
we were never allowed nearer than
three kilometers to the firing line,
which was practically safe except for
an occasional stray shell.
'Once 1 spent the night on the road
surrounded by the dead. The horses
were the worst. The smell was per-
fectly horrible. I shall never forget
1t as long I live. Another time I
was sent with the Princesse de Polk
to Braine (about five kilometers behind
the trenches), where we spent forty
eight hours in the church there dressing
the wounded as fast as we could. They
could only bring men in at night, as
the bridge over the Aisne was being
shelled all day long. SO from o'clock
began the line of motor parties bring
ing sixty to eighty men at time from
the field hospital. and we had to work
all night to the light of lanterns held
by soldiers in that gloomy, ghostly
church, to the roar of cannons and the
groans of the wounded. We washed and
| dressed them, and the bad cases passed
| on to the two army surgeons who had
4 been at 1t a week and were nearly dead
| from fatigue. About noon the next day
we had 332 men ready for the train,
which took them down to the base hos
| pital at Nantes, then we ate and both
went to sleep in the same bed. In the
| village hospital. and began again at the
| church about Z the next evening. We
/ had so many the church wouldn't hold
them all. and ten spent the night out
| side on their stretchers.
Mrs. Logan Makes Appeal
Mrs Logan is appealing to all the
citizens of Washington to contribute
| either food and clothing, or money with
which to purchase supplies. Responses
! already have been generous. and boxes
of wearing apparel as well as cash
have been forwarded. but the needs Of
the people driven from their homes by
the war grow. greater daily.
Contributions OF new clothing. OF
clothing in a serviceable condition, or
of money with which clothing can be
purchased in Washington and shipped
abroad are asked. Any amount will
be received and devoted to this cause.