Evening star., 1917-10-19
Mayors Family Living in Stable.

! They slept in shack WHICH had
! been built in advance, but when the
| light of day dawned on the scene OF
their new lahors their hearts sank.
! The only building the Germans had
spared was a stable. and In that dwet
| a mayor and his family, who had been
| burned out of their own home in
neighboring community
| But no difficulty could long dampen
the spirits of this expedition The
ruins of villages which were to be in
! their care. and, finding that in all that
refugee population Of LOO souls there
| were no able-bodied men left to help
I them with the manual labor. they set
| to work to do everything themselves.
| even to chopping their own wood. The
| chateau had served tho Germans as
| hospital before they destroyed it. In
resisted the general collapse, the girls
| stored their various supplies. An out
| house, which the Germans had used
as a morgue. they turned into a wash
! room. They set up a free dispensary
! in the ruins of the garage and sewing
| class in the ruins of the sun parlor.
| Hearing Of their plight the French
military commander in neigh boring
up the portable houses. A British army
| officer seeing them stepping from the
| doorways into lakes of mud. sent them
| a load OF trench flooring and with this
1
| who had walked many miles to call ar-
| rived Just in time to help build the
| chicken coop and rabbit hutch.
| Not a Source of Mirth.
| You may smile at the idea of chick
| this devastated country you would feel
anything but mirthful. The work or
| the German vandals was complete
They left literally nothing-no live
1 f,trn SIrra n n
| implements, no orchards. no houses
| Despite the universal desolation many
peasants having nowhere else 70 go.
stayed on in huts and cellars. strus
| Cling vaguely to exist on the charity
| of the army and the various reiief or
| The smith girls keep not only chick
| ems and rabbits but q herd of flne cows
| The milk and eggs go to the sick The
chickens and rabbits will go gradually
| to restoch the nearby coopT ith',
The material need Is great, Inc peo-
sils and even beds. But the moral iteo
| is greater. Three years OF war ana IN
vasion have left their tragic imprint
on the soul. :. -.
| what struck US most" said one OF
| the girls to me, was that even tns
| children seemed sad and listless ana
had forgotten how to play.
Trained in Social Work.
1t is to the alienation oL .Hi"
| Of despair that the girls are dlFectlhs
| their finest efforts. one charity can
| supply material wants as wen as an
! other hut these Smith graduates are
| all trained social workers. All know
| French and all have had experieerlS,S1 er,',1 IN
/ their various specialtles. Ai!ce iniIrr.t ,,
and Maud Kelly are physiclahS -aai
| Wolf who is OF Belgian descent ana
who was in Liege at the time or the
siege, is head OF the social service ae
partment Ann Chaplin devotes herseii
10 social service and also acts as
| nurse Millicent Lewis can ariFe d car
and has done ambulance WORK.
Catherine Hooper devotes herself TO
| social service. Marjorie carr -
/ chaufYeuse and social service worker.
Ruth Joslin is q chaulfeuse and nurse.
Marion Bennett is a chauffeuse and SO :
cIal service worker. Margaret :" oou is
a chauffeuse and expert IN "olk a. a'iioiIs :
children. Ruth Gaines Is sociAt ser
| vice worker Elizabeth Bliss Is Il chll-
dren's nurse. Elizabeth Dana is an ex-
I pert in child welfare work. Alice LeaV-
ems is head of the chilarehs d@1par.- @
4 rnent Lucy Mather, Harriet Hawas
/ and Zephine Humphreys arc all social
workers.
So day by day. headiess Of bad weather
and discomfort. these spaai.ea women nnia !
4 reconstruction. Their hrst care was to
borrow an army priest ana hola a ser
vice In the chapel. which, Tor three
| years, had not re-ecnoeu ~ thc tii.oha-
tions of the mass People came from
miles around and wept Tor Joy a this
indeed to be resumed.
! Free Dispensary Each Morning.
i In the chateau every morning there
Is a free dispensary. On sunny after
moons the children come and are, taught
to play again. On the faded grass
CHARMING eeaaqe sh1 round % and country dances
Of oIden France. and It is . moving
I sight to watch the tong-ensent Joy
possess the little Saoee. Twics Wesk