The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-12-20
HOW REDCROss
NURSES BABIES
SPECIALIZED WORK BEING CAR.
RlEo ON IN FRANCE.
HUNDREDS Or LIVES ARE SAVED
Typical Case Shows Scope of Effort
and illustrates Wonderful Good
Being Realized for This
&.. Stricken Land.

(Note. The following is the last OF
the series of articles by w. S. Forrest
manager of the Paris office of the
United Press, telling how the Red
Cross is caring for hundreds of French
children rescued from the war zone
Editor) @
foul, France. Nov 17..-(By Mail
There is an eighteen-month-old wal
baby with perpetual smile and an
iron constitution at the American Red
Cross home for Refugee Children here
today who ought to have IN American
-God-Mother. ...-*
Simone Botmer,, French war child is
probably the champion war baby of
the entire war. More trials and tribu-
lations have been crowded into her
short young life than in any other life
OF equal period Fate has played as
many pranks with her than perhaps
with any other living fodder Today
Simone has a smile for everyone and
as for disposition she might just as
well have been born with a silver
spoon id her mouth instead of under
conditions which are as much the re-
verse as day is from night. 80
A Typical Case.
To begin with, Simone was born in
one of those dark, unsan:tary. vermin
filled caves where French peasant
folks live after the German guns have
blown their homes to hits. Simone's
father of course wasn't present. He
had disappeared several months be-
fore the event from the very region
just over the hill where the French
trenches face the enemy and keep him
from advancing further into the De-
partment of Meurthe and Moselle. ST.
mone's mother, being sturdy French
peasant woman gave the little mite
strength to live even under all the ad-
verse conditions.
What War Does.
Before the war the Botmer house
hold was as neat and thrifty as any
in the village. But the village like all
others within range of the enemy guns
is now a mass of ruins. No living
thing is safe on the surface of the
ground, To appear among the battered
and naked walls means to invite Ger
man shells from the enemy gunners.
The caves offered shelter against
these missiles until the Germans be-
gan to use gas. Then the French gov
eminent supplied the cave jewellers
with gas masks. But to send them to
safer place was the best remedy.
The French government moved the
smallest children to the "Asile-Ca-
serne de Luxembourg" a group of
buildings prepared for the purpose
here on hill near Toul. Then the
American Red Cross took a hand and
today more than 500 children are I'M
der the care of American doctors and
nurses headed by DR.. Julius Parker
Sedgwick, of Minneapolis.
IA. Placed in Hospital.
Little eighteen months old Simone
Botmer is among the children. Suffer.
ing from pneumonia she was taken
from her mothers cave end placed in
the small children's hospital. Here af-
ter many anxious days and nights un.
der the care of Nurse Bessie Spanner
Of Cleveland, o., and DR.. ]. /. Durand,
child specialist of Seattle, Simone pull.
ed through and has since smiled her
way into the affections of all the
American doctors and nurses.
~ Treatment Saves Life.
A month ago Simone's face, pinched
by the lack of proper nourishment and
disease made her appear like a skin
ny Japanese baby. Her halls, despite
the illness drew her eyes down to mar
row Sits and her small white teeth
not yet fully grown were the most
prominent part of her appearance
With proper treatment, a daily bath
and nutritious food Simone is begin
ming to blossom out.
All Simone needs is an American
God Mother.