New Britain herald., 1917-03-15

I - T6~
 lief work in New Britain:
 1 Boston. March 10. 1917. Mrs. Forest. from our Paris depot has just been here for q few days prior to her return to France.
 She has only come over to this coun- try Tor two or three weeks-on busi- ness connected with our fund, and
 l only wish that all of our helpers could have met her, and have heard
 her tell of the wonderful relief and encouragement, which the contribl- ticns from America bring. No one, wno had heard her. would think of stopping the supplies for which the reed is so desperate, and which ia bound to increase in an oyerwhelm- ing degree, when the spring offensive begins, six hundred thousand beds have been prepared for that drive bv evacuatings every man, who could be moved from the hospital, which are
 nearer to the. front. Surely this
 means that we must redouble and
 treble our efforts. unless We are to fat! In the time of greatest need" '.
 An American girl, writing from
 france three month ago. said:
 Apropos of this wonderful pa-
 t1ence. gatety and power of making
 the best of 1t. with which we have
 been struck from the first in eyerv; wounded and crippled man with
 whom we have talked. I will tell von of just one ward (the first of the sort in which had ever been) where every man in the room had had some sort of amputation. and the room held forty. q have been in many sinceO Six had been amputated the day before and so were pale and si
 lent. think had I known that was about to be led into such a room. IT should have hesitated. both for their sske and mine. But not Knowing, went in and. hardly realizing tho sense or what was being told. found myself looking into the hand of 8 man who held out towards me. at the surgeons suggestion, fifteen or twenty pieces of shell, nail. bone which had been taken out of his leg the day before. He was as proud as boy with handful of new marbles. We moved to the next bed where we were shown the mans arm-a won cerful operation that do not under stand. where the diseased and broken bone had been sawn off and the two parts of the arm brought nearer to- gether. Here again. great pride both or the part Of the surgeon and of the man. A little further along we came to a mere boy standing at the foot of his bed, leaning on crutches, for one leg7was gone. W talked with him. He had won the ''MedaitIe Adilitaire' for bravery and was wearing 1t on his breast. These kind ladies have come to offer us help. Jean; thank them for their generous desires,'' the sister said. Perhaps the ladies will some day send me leg" said the boy, laughing, .but I hope they will send me one that ts quicker than the one I had. for 1t was not fast enough to save me from the obus of the bosches. They say that Ia bas en Amerique they are very quick" and he was de- utterly regardless of his pitiful7 con- dition. Somehow I felt as if he were trying to save my feelings for by this time my eyes were swimming. It only needed one thing more, as the last straw. The surgeon: rather brutal lys thought, suddenly turned down the bed clothes from another boy, pale. Ditiful fellow, and showed us leg amputated the day before. It was Q grave case, but they had saved his life. and today he is a little ner- vous." said the surgeon. felt as If I could scream. When thought of that poor fellow, all those poor fel- lows, there in that noisy room, with all discomforts and suffering every where around them. far from friends, and just beginning this new life of mutilation and deprivation, 1t seemed impossible to bear any more. and I just cried, didn't cry out loud, but I got out of the room as fast as could. and the sister, kind soul. took me into the little chapel and there I stayed until had gotten back my sclf-control. But those men them selves-do you think they lose their self-control? They say they are the gayest men in the whole hospital. And the surgeon said to me, ""Ah, ma- dame. that nght-hearted gaiety for which we as nation have so often been reproached has stood us in good stead in these horrible times. It has brought many man up from the brink of the grave" Strangely enough, I have never yet heard from any French lips words of revenge, though I have from others lips, and some were Americans.
 Surely some of those who hear this, in remembrance of their own
 happy sons and nephews, will send
 us some money, or will themselves
 spend some money for the surgical
 apparatus we need. Clothing is need
 ed-especially socks and woolen
 things. pillows, gauze and cotton but above all else Is the need of sur-
 gical appliances, large and small.
 What, eighteen months ago, was of
 service is now, after constant use, worn or wearing out. This is a war of terrible wounds. ard unless the man has the right treatment on the operating table all the rest is useless.' The local committees will be glad fo hear new volunteer workers