The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-26

0T1 o Birmingham during the past few l days has come a very charming S Englishwoman in the person of Miss Elnor Fell, who as a delegate to America. in behalf of the "fatherless chtI-
 dren of France" is making an appeal to the citizens of this community.
 Miss Fell who frankly tells you at
 the start that she has always loved the
 French people, and in equally frank manner says that she loves them more now than ever before; hence, her trip i across the waters to raise her voice in ! pleading to the American people to help | perpetuate the French nation by giving i freely to the maintenance and support
 of the thousands and thousands of pen niless boys and girls whose father have
 been slain in bloody warfare and who
 are, day by day, staring poverty in the face with no hope of betterment of con- dtion unless America does her share and contributes to the cause.
 "One cent a day is what the French government has given to the hundreds of thousands of fatherless children of France during the past two years" Miss | Fell said deeply agitated as she ut 1 tered the pathetic words. It is all the government could do you can imagine i the emaciated wasted condition of the | children who must live on that sum- There are between 5o0,0o0 and 100000 fath- erless children now in France; on our
 registration books we have the names l of 150,OOO of them, and what we ask Of
 the people of America is to giveithe small
 sum of 10 cents a day for the support or
 one child in it's mothers home.
 Ten cents a day will keep child in | it's mother home,"' Miss Fell repeated,
 ''or sS6.5O a year This added to the
 same amount from the French govern
 ment will cover daily expenses. Unless l this is done the French nation will be swept off of the face of the earth. It Is to these children that the future of
 France looks; the orphans of France are
 regarded by the French people as their l richest treasures, and in sense their own to guard and shield
 "The fatherless children of France committee began by arranging for the care for two years by an American, fam | fly or person or child. of French or | phan child, on the basis of a payment 1 of 10 cents a day, or s36.50 a year, or l $73 for the two years, said Miss Fell 1 Tt was reckoned that if the widowed l mother of the child could have 50 cen- times a day in addition to her little pen l sion from the government she could and l would keep the child with her and keep l the little home going; so the friends in America send the money and the little ! pension of 45 francs for every three 1 months is sent by postal order to the 1 mother and each postal order bears the
 name and address of the American giver, and the committee charges itself also
 with sending the photograph of the or plan child and an account of the welfare 1 of the child It is a work which is well done, and thoroughly done, and it is a | wonderful agency in the establishing of permanent bonds of sympathy between America and France"
 How did you become. affiliated with | the work, I asked Miss Fell.
 ] My friend, Miss Florence Schofield," /" | she answered, ''who has lived a great deal in Paris, and who like myself has loved 1 France always thought it would be a good idea for us to see what we could do to help matters during the war. We l accordingly went to France We found | that everybody was looking after the soldiers, but nobody was paying atten- l ton to the children We found poverty 1 on all sides; distress and illness; tubercu- :; losis has taken tremendous hold on l French children on account of their l wasted and impoverished condition and | We realized that if this dread malady be- ca me widespread it would mean the ab- | solute extermination of the French race. Accordingly after consultation with some | os the most noted French women in Paris,
 those of the executive and most elegant | social standing Miss Schofield and my l self were appointed delegates to America 1 in behalf of the fatherless children oi | France"
 It may be said just here that the ltev. 1 s. N Watson, an English clergyman in Paris has called Miss Fell and Miss Scho- field true apostles in the splendid work they have done in connection with the movement.
 We have already visited 106 cities ir ] the United States Miss Fell said, "ane we have met with hearty response every where"
 , Here in Birmingham we have beer most encouraged. Dr. Henry M. Ed monds has kindly consented to allow us few minutes during his Sunday evening services at the Lyric next Sunday tt | make our plans known and to plead oul cause Mr w V. Trammell, whose of l ing here, has been appointed the loca
 treasurer for your city, and just her'
 let me say that every penny which il
 contributed from Birmingham will go di
 rectIy to the French children through th
 local treasurer"
 q am greatly interested in the work, Miss Fell continued, flor France ant
 England are are very closely united, ant
 I admire so tremendously the work wha the French nation has done during tn war France alone has saved the worlt for democracy; France has made tn most valiant fight and for the Frencl children not to be taken care of seem simply criminal to me"
 "Tell me something about yourself I asked, ''and your home in England.- q was born in northern Lancaster shire" Miss Fell said, which place pro duoes the most conceited people in a
 the world it is said You know ther
 is an aphorism which goes to the ei ~&~ f1-4