The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-21
COLLEGE GIRLS
IN WAR ZONE
Eighteen From Smith Are Busy With
Social Settlement Work
Within Sound of
Cannon.
ARE LIVING IN CELLARS
travelling Store for Ruined villages,
With Wares Sold at
Less Than
Cost.
BY HENRY WOOD

4 by 1ENh4 VIVID
/ limited Press STAFF Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES
Nov. 1.-(by maii)-Thirteen villages
in the. blacklist center of the German
devastated district of France are now
being cared for by eighteen younIs
women, composing Smith colleges
for the war zone.
Constantly within sound of the can
on, with German airplanes flying over
head, living and working under condi-
tons uniquely difficult in the world s
history, these eighteen young women
have undertaken a task that consti-
tItes one of the highest tributes to
American womanhood and American
altruism that the war has produced.
The thirteen villages which the Smith
college girls haye taken over, harbor
a population Of about 1,200. Yet SO
thorough was the German devastation
that it can literally be said that none
of these people have roof over their
keads-at least a house roof. They
live for the most part in cellars, in
barns or in sheds which were not OF
enough Importance to attract the Ger
man genius for destruction. But for the
portable houses they brought with
them, and barracks given them later
by the French military authorities. the
eighteen girls would fare but little bet
ter.
The address of the unit looks very
impressive in print, as it is the name
of one of the largest and most beau
tiful chateaus in the devastated dis
trict. AS a matter Of fact the chateau
is a mere blackened ruin and 1t is
the park which the girls inhabit, their
lodgings consisting of two portable
huts and three French army barracks.
OF the extensive buildings that once
graced the park only part OF the gar
age remains intact. The Germans
used this for dressing station and
the Smith college women have fitted
up their hospital and dispensary there.
A small shack just outside which the
Germans used for their morgue, the
girls utilize as laundry. Most of
the cellars under the chateau escaped
destruction and these serve for storing
the supplies and merchandise which
the unit distributes to the needy
Under these conditions the girls are
solving for themselves, and for the
200 people they have taken over,
the problem OF re-establishing civil
lied life with the minimum number Of
things essential to that life. Aside
from the work which the unit under
takes for others, it has all of it's own
work to do for itself, and that includes
everything from cooking, wood chop
ping, farm work to automobile driving
and driving nails.
The French military authorities
have extended to the women every
possible help. An occasional soldier
is spared the women to do manual
work which even they with all their
training and willingness are unable to
soldiers elsewhere.
Until recently the girls chopped
their own wood. German prisoners
would have been given them for this
purpose but for the fact that they are
within the war zone where, under in
ternational laws, prisoners cannot be
employed The problem has been
solved by having the prisoners chop
the wood back of the lines and the
girls haul it up themselves in their
automobiles.
When the unit first arrived, they
were struck most of all by the sadness
and melancholy of the children. No
effort was made to "upIift' or educate
them. The supreme duty seemed to |
be to make them remember how to |
smile and how to play.
Already great progress is being /
made. The children are gathered to- /
gether several times each week and !
taught both French and American /
games, taught some lively songs and T
how to enjoy themselves as children /
should. At the same time by house |
to house visitation, the children are T
being brought up to higher standard
Of hygiene. cleanliness and health.
The installation of central hos
Dital-together with travelling auto.
mobile dispensary that makes contin- |,
ual rounds of all the villages was an /
other early problem solved. The
in charge are DIR Alice
Weld Tallant, of Philadelphia and DR..
Maud Kelly of the same city. Miss
Millicent Lewis. of Irvington, N. Y. is
The chauffeur of the travelling dispen.
sary.
While charity is distributed where
ever charity is necessary, the unit
nevertheless works on the lines that I
charity where not necessary is harm
'ul 1t was quickly found that while
he inhabitants had lost their homes
ihu an VI lhSll peiOHSiuSS, IHey SIlll
lad money. The difficulty was that as
yet no stores had been opened in the
district
The girls opened a travelling store,
stocked UP from Paris and began resu-
ar rounds of all the villages. They
sell their wares below cost If necessary
n order to meet the financial limita-
ions OF the population. The French
peasants never fail to recognize q bar-
,ain when he or she sees it, and If a
saucepan for exemple that is worth
several francs is offered them for one
hey are only too happy to spend their
money for it and escape the blight of
charity.
The greatest demands are for the