Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-04-10
Belcium's Su1erinss.


Names talented daughter Maxine
Elliott is doing noble service in Bel
GUM. She is feeding and clothing VIC
tins of the war and is telling the story
Of the suffering there in words that
should open American hearts and
pocket books. But she bluntly ex-
presses her surprise at certain facts
which surprise us also. when she
says:
Il recently wrote an open letter to
My Own Countrywomen' in England
for aid, but only English people re-
sponded. IT was a great surprise to
me, for I thought l might get help
from America and little or nothing
from England, but as usual the unex-
pected happened. From England got
a little over 5000 in cash and be-
tween $4,000 and $4,000 worth OF
stuff for the barge"
Further on she writes:
Il can hardly describe to you the
pitiful condition Of these poor iefu-
gees. Only today we have clothed
twelve families from top to toe. from
ten to fourteen people in each family.
1t is impossible for them to find shelter
and they are stuffed like sardines in
the barns, even in the pigstys and hen
houses, in fact, in any place that has
a roof.
I'm a house close by eighty soldiers
sleep on the ground floor, and in a
tiny room adjoining are fragments OF
several families, fifteen people in all
Two of the children are down with
typhoid, one on the floor and one IN
an old biscuit box. And this is the sort
of thing We encounter daily. but we
have managed to make a great i'm
provement in conditions though 1t is
quite impossible to house them any
better. There is not enough room fol
the army, and as many civilians as
possible are sent away continually, bu1
still they come on-shelled out Of theil
homes, and buffeted about from one
wretched place to another"
And again: -
"One could not dream there was s.
muc1 misery in the whole world
Babies apparently arrive every minute
and from the wonderful cargo / hav'
managed to fish out a lot of complete
layettes. Kind people from Australia
and South Africa even have sent M
great quantities Of things. One wond
ers where the family disappears whel
these poor women have their babies
| for there are never less than eight O
| ten persons in one tiny room. We go
| one into hospital at st. Idesbald yes
| terday, and it was the nearest civilian
| hospital we could find-close to tn
| firing line at that.
| 1--WE also put little typhoid girl o
| twelve there, one whom we found liv
| ing in a dark hole in the caves of ;
wretched nut. 1 had to climb up
rickety ladder to discover her, guide'
| by the faint moaning. The rain wa
trucking through on the filthy straw
where she was lying and ones eye
could not penetrate the darkness to Sc
what she looked like so 1 had my frs
| glimpse of her face on visiting tn
hospital today and found her such
fair haired pink and white pretty littl
thing, so happy to be in a bed. TIL
doctor says she will get well. I ar
looking after her Of course, but on
woniers sadly what can be the futur
| of these fragments Of families. and tn
thousands and thousands of shattere
homes. 1t is all 50 pitiful-so tragic
so monstrously wicked"
y The French authorities hav
ordered six hundred thousand NOR
hospital beds. Think what they mus
be expecting with this impending ad
vance-it makes enc shudder with hor
ror and revolt that such things ca
! be-"
The Maine girl Of whom we are a
so proud is doing magnificent worl
Heaven must note some of those VIII
can-and will. But she reports fror
a comparatively small section Of Bel
GUM only. From her description an
that consideration what are the hor
rors Of war? Let US amend Sherma
and conclude that today Europe
hell