Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-20

may have tramped from town IN tne Prov
ince of Brabant, sixty miles distant, he may
still be over the border,-one of the half
million penniless runaways poured into Hol-
lane, in the tiny home of a Hanswert
burgher, almost under the caves of stone
town hall designed by medieval artist.
Or possibly he trudged back with his aunt
to their little hamlet in Flanders when the
news had filtered across the Dutch frontier
that its walls were standing.
Perhaps he is one of those in Dinard,-
one of the dazed little ones in wooden shoes
and the picturesque dress of the Flemish,
who with party of stragglers walked and
were partly carried the two hundred miles
into France after the loss of their parents in
the wild fight before the contending armies.
If his refugee party had money enough to
travel so far, he even may be across the
Channel at Dover, Folkestone, or the seaside
resort Ramsgate.
In any event he is a child out of the million
homes, deserted in the early days of the
present war in Europe, who, thanks to the
generosity of American childhood and
grown-ups from Maine to California, will
have share of Christmas cheer perhaps
some knitted wristlets, a Bo-Peep or Tommy
Tucker picture and words in the corner of
his handkerchief, or little black dog with
a wriggly head There are dolls for the girls,
with sfawls and work bags full of pins and
needles; blue bootees, eiderdown bonnets,
flannel skirts, stockings, and warm little
slips for the babies. Nor are the mothers
forgotten, as something is provided for all
the women in the war zone.
EOR weeks the boys and girls in the coun-
try districts of Belgium have run to the
banks of the canals and stared in amazed
silence at the fotillas of barges on their way
to the American Minister at Brussels. After
they had puzzled out the large placards on
the boats stating that the cargoes contained
supplies of food, clothing, and holiday cheer
for them and their neighbors, it seemed like
a Heaven-sent dream, and their faces relaxed
into smiles Their gratitude found ready
expression as the distribution of the gifts
was made from door to door by representa-
tives of the Red Cross, the latter having
handled this end of the work in all the regions
affected by the war.
Safe conduct and assistance were rem
dered to all the shipments by the Germa
who worked theoretically to clear the debri:
waterfronts SO that relief supplies could
directly in the various towns, including Lie
The gifts for the Belgian children finished
mediate lap of their journey to Rotterdam Oh
ship at the end of November; while those fol
in England were taken by train from Faln
first port touched by the American Christ
The presents for France reached Marseilles {
Der 6; while those for Austria and Germany W
at Genoa four days later There the Italia
,,,ant I,rovided SDecia1 train tO carry the
northward, Austria having undertaken to me
them along to Germany. The gifts for Mont,
Servia were the last of all to be unloaded,
the Greek port of Salonica on the sixteent
they were taken inland by train.
Most remarkable of all have been the ira
remembrance for the women and children
now finishing the final stages of their long
true Santa Claus fashion. Nearly all the ri
are at present highways for sledges, and prob