The Monticellonian., 1917-11-23

Hvered from the danger of German conquest.
 Not only in the spirit of feasting, but Tn the religious aspect of the holiday especially in the religious aspect-we may expect the French to join heart fly with the Americans in giving thanks, and we need not be surprised if 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 l the American Red Cross was caring 1 for S50,000 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 i them across the lines that the French government might have to feed them Ia fa, h, I, ,,I to provide Thanksgiving Day feast for this multitude. even if they had known what it was. But the help giv- en them-the portable houses in which reunited families might find shelter {; the little furniture and few tools sup i piled them that they might begin the l family life anew; the food to keep them alive and the clothing to keep them from freezing to death-such i services as these have aroused in the volatile and emotional French heart d 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 k 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 S5S9, ,930 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- 1 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 ful for what the American Red Cross is doing. Serbian war prisoners in Austro-German camps are on the verge of starvation, and only the Red Cross could reach them. The Serbian gov ernment has placed $500,000 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. iIeged to witness a real American eel ebration of Thanksgiving Day. and of 1 all those peoples the French are most likely to catch the American point of view. It is safe prediction that the French will take enthusiastically to