The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-03
FRENCH CHILDREN ASK FOR LETTERS Love to Receive Messages From Fairy Godmothers" BIRMINGHAM'S PART People of This City Have Adopted 115 Fatherless Children and Have
 Already Forwarded More
 Than $3170

The members or the AoSaA VI s9"S'A tion of the American Society for the Relief of the Fatherless Children or France will be interested in letter recently received from representative of the organization in Paris, by Mrs.
 Edward P. Fowler of New York, ex- ecutiye secretary of the society.
 Birmingham has adopted 119 French children and more than $3170 in cash has been sent to them already. Each person or family pledges to adopt one or more French children and 10 cents per day is required to support each child. This money, s96.5o per year. IS sent direct to the French children in
 quarterly payments.
 The French children call their Amer ican friends their "Fairy Godmothers,' and are very proud to have them come from across the sea. The letter Is as follows:
 Nv Dear Mrs. Fowler: l have been making a great many visits lately to cur adopted children and have reported to Miss Fell all that has impressed itself most upon me. She has asked me to write you specially Of one thing which every child that is old enough to know of their 'camarades ] in America has asked me, and that IS do you think my camarade Will an swer my letter? I have written him. but he has not answered me- Their mothers tell me that these small tots watch the mail eagerly for an answer which in most cases never come. 1 "They have so little to look forward to in their daily lives that their moth CTS have been weaving stories about their fairy godmothers in America, ana also. as one mother told me, to help lkeep the children from grieving about their fathers, they try to keep their little minds interested in their unknown benefactor. 1etter to one of these children gives them as great thrill as a letter from Santa Claus would give to our children. One little girl. aged lo' | has even been trying to learn English from man who lives in the same apartment house with her, so that she can read the letter when 1t comes. 1 WHAT WAS FOUND
 "This child and her mother lodge in one of the poorest quarters of Paris. l and when I went into the squalid 1 courtyard and climbed five pairs of staircases, so dark that I had to feel
 my way, I must say l very much won dered what I should find at the home of this child. You can we'll realize how ashamed was of my doub ting, when I tell you I found the mother and lit tie girl living In g. fair sized, light, airy room. The mother, who has heart trouble, was making some sort of cot ton bags which they now use to take the place of paper ones, now that the article is so scare (that Is how she makes her Hving). The child had just l come in from school and was telling her mother some amusing thing over 1 which they were having a great laugh. They were so keen about seeing any,
 one from that country which is so good | to children that I felt I should never l get away, and when I did leave I promised to tell her camarade how she longed for letter.
 1 'It is quite easy for all the adopted 1 children to get a friend who speaks English to read it to them. They asked me to write that to America, too. feel sure that if those in America who have not as yet adopted children knew of the feeling of affection and love that l these children have for those who are
 helping them through this time of srf- fering and privation, that they who possibly could, would adopt one of these little ones. This class in France Is l really too wonderful
 II have been treated with the utmost courtesy, even in the worse quarters of Paris.
 This is my first letter on this type writer. I am bit rusty anyway. but also 1t has been loaned me by a friend
 who had 1t in the battle of Verdun, SC it is rather the worst for wear, how 1 writ fare non I,A t,- Paris for any sum, so I am more than fortunate, but you must forgive the de fects in this letter.
 50 far in my visits I have found moi even one unworthy case. Such a thine has never occurred to me before when I have been working among the same
 class of people. It looks as if the so- cietes had been very thorough in thei, investigations. Sincerely yours.
 1 tR- A IT n