New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-21
FRIENDS OF FRANCE"
By ARTHUR GLEASON.

American rellef work IN France has mani
agencies and activities. have given illus.
trstions of it, but these are only aiminbls
bits among host Of equals. have told o.
the American Field Service. Other sections
Of young Americans have been at work in
the hottest corners Of the battle front The
Harjes Formation and the American Volun.
teer Motor Ambulance Corps, known as The
Norton Corps, have made a name for daring
and useful work with their one hundred cars
on the firing line. What the Field Service
has done they. too, have done and suffered.
II was with q glow Of pride that read the
name of my Yale classmate, ". P. Clyde.
jr., OF the Norton Ambulance, cited in an
order of the day and made the recipient Of
the French War Cross. The commanding
general wrote Of him:
"Volunteer for a perilous mission. he ac-
Quilted himself with cool courage under
. heavy and continuous fire. He has given
in the course of the campaign numerous
proofs Of his indifference to danger and his
spirit Of self-sacrifce"
| have shown the contribution OF scientific.
cans have made in hospital and ambulance
work. There remains a work in which our
other American Characteristic of executive
ability is shown. Organization is the merit
of the American Relief Clearing House.
When the war broke out American gifts tum-
bled into Paris, addressed and unaddressed.
There were j tangle and muddle Of gener-
osity. The American Relief Clearing House
was formed to meet this need. 1t central
ICES and controls the receipt Of relief from
America intended for France and her allies.
] DO not write Of the clearing house
from the outside, but from a long expert
ence For many months my wife has given
all her time 20 making known the work Of
Miss Fyfe. who manages the work OF rellet
for civilians, their transportation and con
duets a refugee house and a maternity hos
pital in the little strip of Belgium which is
still uncnslaved. Little local committees
such as Miss Riders, in Norwalk, IN Cedar
Rapids, in Montclair and in Dougaston, Long
Island have been formed, and thirty-sH
boxes Of material and over $1,000 in money
have been given. Those supplies the clear
ing house has brought from New York to
La Panne. Belgium, free of charge, promptly
with no damage and no losses. The names
Of the men Who have administered this eK'
celent organization in Paris are II. "
Beatty, Charles r. Scott, Randolph Mords'
CAL James r. Barbour and Walter ABBOTT
After the claims Of immediate drsmato
suffering comes the great mute communi.! u
the French people, whose life and WORK nave
been blghted. And for one section Of 'nS'
community The association Of Les AIMS ds'
Artistes has been formed ITO preserve
French art from the deadly effects Of INC
war. which create conditions so urfsVorsof
to the production Of masterpieces OF PAM
ing, sculpture, architecture, decorative afh'
engraving" is the object Of this society
Purchases from It's funds are made oy
committee composed Of distinguished aru'ss'
critics and connoisseurs, representing Wv
three great French salons and the ysrioO'
art tendencies Of the modern movement Inc
honorary committee includes Bsks,, hsho'
tsux Maeterinek, Rodin and Rsemssker'
Americans who are aiding are Mrs NA'
Baldwin, Mrs. Paul Cans. Walter Gay, ISu
renee V. Benet and Percy peixotto.
The new American fund OF the Gu'nHs
Committee Cor the relief Of the orphans "
var has been recently announce u
planned to raise many millions o. dollars i''
this object
No better work anywhere is beng a0"'
than that of Mrs Wharton. ore oil our wv
living writers OF genius has laid aside "''
art at It's moment of highest creative eAP'''
sion and turned to the task Of raising mon"
for needy persons and performing the ~
tailed work Of executive management "''
Wharton and her friends have de'"''
hostels for refugees and continuation ueS'
ment for tuberculous soldiers after they 81
discharged from the military hospitals %
cause of her valuable service to the freh'-
nstion, the government has conferred on ~
the Legion OF Honor.
Children, artists, invalid soldiers, ref0s'''
there is = yarious and immense sunel"s
in France at this moment, and no Amer"S,
can afford to be neutral in the presence "
that need.
4 group OF Americans among our mlli''"'
are aware that Washington wrote;
"Al citizens Of the United States should y
inspired with Interchangeable gratitude
France"