, 1918-08-15

The treatment of children during the German
occupation was very terrible. Little tots of four
and five, and children on up to the ages OIL Ini-
teen and fourteen, were forced TO work M "hS
for their ensIavers. They were taken into the
fields at five in the morning and were not d"
lowed to come back until seven in the evening"
During all that time they were given ohly o
meol Their tasks were to dig potatoes CUT
away the bnrbed-wire entangle1nentS ana PieN up
unexpioded shells. After the Germans Wet' 49,
tbern was no milk to be got because all the COWS
had been either killed or driven away. III -.
district there were 800 children who eN'steu VI
months without n single drop of milk. l III oe
little girl who had been kept for 20 days on Il uet
consisting of nothing but bread ana SOUP ''
latter being watery and scarcely at all hourlSh-
ing. ,,,da
The destruction of the schoolhouSes mas MAUI
II impossible for the young childrel. to gam my
education. 1t is no strange thing to encounter "
hoy or girl of eleven who can neither rt''u W
write. In their hldeous thoroughness' 'G S
mans destroyed books, pencils, desks anu IN WV
a thing was left. After the American RELIEF WORK
ers came into the devastated regions they eStap-
Ished schools and built little wooden puluIIlSS
in which to carry on the work.
At one school they told Il story of a niue
girl who was brought in with the other children
to learn to read. AS soon as she discovered an
old chair in one of the corners she immediately
got into it and curled up in utter enjoyment anu
relaxation. She could not be persuaded 10 set
out of that chair. The teacher inquired why She
was so pleased with the chair and learned that
fine household in which the child lived had not
boosted n single chair since the first invasion OF
the Germans.
ents is another very tragic occurrence. In me
months and years before they are reunited the
children grow and change so that they are NOT
recognizable to their parents when they meet
again. Some of them, to be sure, wear on a
chain about their neCks little gold baptlsInaI
gifts on which their names are inscribed. But
this Is exceptional. 1t is one of the confessed
schemes of the Germans to divide and scatter
families as much ms possible.
My heart bleeds for the children of France!
Oh, that they should suffer this unmerIted abuse
and tribulatiOn!
The deportation of young girls has been sys-
tematically practiced. A German officer comes
to the front door of II house and orders the entire
family to assemble outside on the door step. Then
he picks at random n number of the younger
women of the family. II will take you and
you and your he says, indicating the
chosen ones with his forefnger. AT this sum-
mons they must leave their homes mt once. They
are not allowed to pack their belongings nor to
carry much baggage. They are permitted only
so much as they can carry wrapped In a hand
kerchief.
After they are taken into Germany they are
put to work cultivating the fields. doing the
hardest and most mental kind of labor. They
are forced to live with the soldiers, and are
rudely treated by them. They can send no word
to their families, and it is almost MS though they
were dead.
The relief work In the invaded districts has
been tireless. Great credit is due to the Amer
lean committee for devastated France, organized
by Miss Anne Morgan. Over 1,CO9 children have
been turned over to this committed TO be cared
for. One OF its most useful works has been In
assisting the stricken people to leave their homes
SO long as there is danger from the Germans In
the vicinity. Pitiful stories are told of the flight
OF these people. One old woman refused to be
separated from her goat in transit, and would
only consent to go when she could he assured
that another goat could be got In case her own
was lost. .
France has been hard-tried, but she is not
broken. Never has the morale of the French
people been more mistaken than 1t Is today.
France halls with joy the arrival of the Amer!-
cans. 1t is most fitting that these great sister
republics should be fighting side by side in this
hour of stress. Victory will be won; it is in
evitablel But ah, the pain, the woe and the I'M
necessary degradation that have followed in the
wake of the invaders VIII the world ever for
get these? Can the bitter memory ever be
effaced2