The Benson signal., 1917-11-24

livereu from the danger of German
conquest.
Not only in the spirit of feasting, but
in the religious aspect of the holiday
especially in the religious aspect-we
may expect the French to join heart
lily with the Americans in giving
thanks, and we need not be surprised
II they take Thanksgiving Day to their
hearts as they have taken the Ameri
can soldier, and make it their own for
the rest of their national life.
Not the American army alone is giv-
ing the French reason to be thankful
to that Providence which has raised
up powerful ally, but the American
Red Cross, which stands ever back Of
the army and navy, helps to care for
, them, and takes on it's shoulders the
burden Of feeding and sheltering and
clothing the pitiful thousands of ref
ugeeS.
Back of the French fighting lines are
now these homeless, shelterless wom-
en-, old men and little children, in num-
bers almost unbelievable. On October
for $4,000 of them, and more were
coming at the rate of 1000 a day
| through one city alone, and no one has
estimated how many others. The Ger
mans, who had held them prisoner in
the lines for three years, were driving
them across the lines that the French
| government might have to feed them
It was not possible for the Red Cross
to provide a Thanksgiving Day feast
| for this multitude, even if they had
known what it was. But the help Civ
en- them-the portable houses in which
reunited families might find shelter;
the little furniture and few tools sup
piled them that they might begin the
family life anew; the food to keep
them alive and the clothing to keep
them from freezing to death-such
services as these have aroused in the
volatile and emotional French heart q
love for the American and his Red
Cross which may easily encompass al
so the American feast day.
In the one little corner of Belgium
which is free from the German heel,
there also is the spirit Of thanksgiving,
though the Belgians know nothing of
the American holiday. For there has
! come the American Red Cross, and
only few days ago it voted $3.50, $50
for the relief Of the Belgian refugees
crowded behind their army in the little
strip Of soil still held by King Albert
and Queen Elizabeth. This fund will
be used especially to care for Belgian
children, and to run Belgian hospital
for wounded soldiers, because the Bel
gian government hospital is now over
/ taxed.
For the feeding of the refugees,
warehouses are built along the many
canals, and supplies will be sent by
boat all over that corner of the little
kingdom into which are huddled the
helpless ones who have fled from the
German invader.
Serbia, too, has cause to be thank
full for what the American Red Cross
is doing. Serbian war prisoners in
Austro-G German camps are on the verge
| Of starvation, and only the Red Cross
could reach them. The Serbian gov
ernment has placed $5OO,OOO to the
credit of the American Red Cross, and
it has already bought 5000 sacks of
flour and shipped them through Swift
zerland and Austria, to be furnished
the starving prisoners.
But of all the nations the Red Cross
| has befriended, France alone is priv
ileged to witness q real American cell
ebration of Thanksgiving Day, and Of
| all those peoples the French are most
likely to catch the American point of
view. 1t is safe prediction that the
French will take enthusiastically to