Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-13
CH|LDREN'S INSTITUTE
MOVES WITH sERB|ANs
temporarily Established in Three
rents In Side Yard OF Russian
Hospital at Saloniki.
GIVES SHELTER TO 30 INMATES
Clean White-Walled Building That
was Planned for Erection in Bel
grade Does Not Exist-Conceived
and Formed by Americans.

correspondence of Associated Pressl
SALON1kI. January 1.-The I'roth-
inGham Childrcn's Institute has ended
it's long anabasis In Salonihi The
OF iisht and flowers. that was planned
Tor erection In Belgrade does not exist
The sufiicien. endowment carefully
placed that should insure the ducation
and rearing Of 100 Serbian boys and
girls orphans Of the three wars that
nave destroyed their fatherIand, scarce
~ serves TO provide thre" tents In the
stdc yard Of the Russian Hospital at
Shioniki. and nourishmcnt for thirty
nine Serbian children. to whom the
wretchcd mserieH Of war arc all in
the days work. Old before their time,
tried In the fire OF sacrifice and suffer
| Ing, the thirty-nne set up their com
mon house for the fourth time within
month-and hang up the American
hass they have brought with them
through all their wanderings as cheer
fuiiy az II the world had not crumbled
under their tiny feet
For when John W. rockingham OF
Tarrytown. and Albert White, OF New
York, and group Of their friends con-
ceiVed and formed the Frothingharn
Children's Institute Of Serbia no one
dreamed Of the ruin and desolation
mat has fallen upon the country since
IT ia true that as Serbia was a, war
with Austria. and Belgrade somewhat
| too exposed TO attack or bolnbard,ncnt
the FIRST resting place OF the institute,
temporarily At least was Cskub
Then. when the capital was moved to
Nish. II was thought best TO establish
the institute there. The thirtv-ntne
youngsters in their Boy Scout and Girl
Guide uniforms obediently moved the
yet mcagcr belongings OF the institute
t. N!sh They remained there Just
three days. II was evident almost
from the first moment that the Serbian
army could not hold even this tenn
porary cep!tal-that II was a mistake
TO have brought the children there
that II would be far wiser TO send them
as FAR TO the rear ~ possible. that they
Nigh, remnin in peace So the Froth-
ingham Ch!ldren's Institute moved Il
aecond time-this time to Ghcvghel.. al
most on the Greek frontier
CAN ONLY PLAY ROLE
OF CRITICAL SPECTATORS
They remained in Ghevghel just
three weeks The impacable advance
around the eager but inadequate
french forces that had been sent 10 the
help Of the Serbs. The British re-
endorsements daily expected. remain
In tranquility In Saloniki awaiting
orders from London. failing which they
could only play the role of critical
spectators OF Scrbia's daath struggle.
The King of the Greeks held the leash
Of his army. while the Serbs and tho
French withdrew step by step from
Belgrade. from Nish. from Uskub. from
/ Ncles--and finally from Ghcvghcli and
Serbian soil.
The children of the rockingham In
stituto were dispatched TO Saloniki in
time. Unlike thousands OF their com
patriots. they were able TO transport
the white metal beds OF tho young
sters. cases OF clothes and provisions
and the American sewing machines,
which purr to-day in the work tent"
Of the institute under the hands OF
refugee women fashioning bed ticking
for tho straw mattresses Of tho thou
sands OF destitute women and chill
dren. less fortunate than the orphans
OF the rockingham Institute
The head OF thu Rockingham Chill
dren's Institute. in its final tent home.
is plump little woman OF pleasant
.features-Dora Grouitch. known to her
charges by the affectionate diminutive
OF her give nnamc. Northumberland
her secretary and first aid is Marcelle
Red. OF Legrande. Oregon, who. with
her hair and her skirts cut short and
her high. mud covered Serbian boots,
her flannel shirt and broad br!mmed
cowboy hat IS one of the busiest per-
sons In this world OF disaster.
III only We could ever get settled
somewhere the latter exclaimed,
well begin the work for which tho
institute was founded. Just now IT is
about all we can do to keep body
and soul together for the Riddles. II
ever we do get started properly. Ito
idea Is to teach them English and the
history OF the United States In tho
morning. and Serbian and arithmetic
and other difficult things In tho after
noon. Julia Sabine, of New York. and
I are TO have the morning work-atI
least. az startcr-while tho afternoon
work Will be looked after by competent
Serbian teachers Now. about all wet
can do is to try to see that they are
clean and warm and dry-and to keep
them from going hungry"