The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-05
Girls Doing Real Re-
lief Work in Stricken France.
Each of 10 Young Women Re-
deeming a Devastated Town.
NOT CHARITY-CO- OPERATION
Family Remnants Re-establish-
ed in Ruins of Their Homes.
Great Pleasure in Work Be-
cause It's Fully Appreciated.
BY w. S. FORREST.

With the French Armies in the
Field, March 5.-Working day by day,
enduring the vicissitudes of winter il.
barren war-swept portion of the
army zone, aiding homeless war vic
Tins to start again or to better en-
dure their hardships, ministering to
the frailness of age and the abused
tenderness of infancy-this, to Miss
Ruth Gaines, Smith college graduate
and social worker of New York's East
Side is one of the greatest pleasures in
life.
Miss Gaines is one of the nineteen
Smith college graduates who have
now spent over six months among the
French country folk in nineteen
ruined villages of the Department of
the Somme and Disc.
Compares 1t With n. Y.
IF this can be called social work"
said Miss Gaines, as accompanied
her on her rounds thru the dem olished
village of Hombleux, Somme, sit is a
social workers heaven. After all it
isn't the kind of social work we do in
New York, but as a worker who has
had much experience among the poor
of the East Side, can't help but COM
pare the two.
ION the East Side the people we
help are the victims of ignorance and
common poverty, many of whom live
under conditions as bad as can be
found today in the French war zone
Their poor. down-trodden, unsanitary
lives are all they've known To eIe-
waite them, make their lives more
worth living is something better than
they've ever known and they cannot
and do not appreciate and never will.
Every Pot or Pan Finds Welcome
In these villages of France the
people are victims of war. They are
living under New York East Side con-
dit:ons because it is one of the TRACE
| dies of having been under the iron
| heel of a merciless invader. Their
thrifty, comfortable peasant homelife
| has been snatched from them and
| they are striving to re-esta blish it
| Our work here isn't charity, it's CO.
| operation. Every bed, stove, pot or
pan we bring into the village is re-
ceived with {. full knowledge of what
it's al about and is appreciated"
| Shaking the heavy mud from her
stout boy scout shoes, Miss Gaines
entered a little makeshift dwelling
eight feet by ten, the home of a mid
die aged woman and her two small
| daughters, the eldest and her sis
| ter. 8.
| When the Germans evacuated HON.
| bleux in March, 1917, they blew up
| the pretty little stone dwelling, a
single wall of which standing now
supports the makeshift lean-to room.
Rchabilitate Makeshift Home
girls relief unit who furnished the
roofing for this makeshift which was
built alone, mostly of waste timber
from the ruins, by the thrifty mother.
A baby crib, miraculously saved with
| its shiny white enamel untouched
holds the place of honor on the dirt
floor of the refuge. A long narrow
| piece of galvanized corrugated iron
| extends from the roof at a sharp angle
| directly over the Grip. 1t keeps the
ofP xITha
it is rainy and the roof leaks. An
| other bed, as primitive as the dwell
| ing, occupies much of the remaining
space. Two chickens nervously perch
ed themselves on the baby crib. The
| little S-yelr-old, a bright-eyed little
brunette, sat on the damp floor play
ing with piece of paper twisted care
| fully to resemble what might have
been a doll of happier days.
We found the mother outside, re-
| turning with some timber she had
gathered to build another section of
her home.
Nurse Inherent French Pride.
I'm bringing you a nice new bed
tomorrow" was Miss Gaines's greet
ing. The woman's eyes sparkled and
genuine gratitude was written on her
face.
81 will thank you with all my heart,
ademc tselle." she slowly responded.
This bed had been promised three
weeks before when Miss Gaines
brought the two chickens and that
piece of corrugated iron to cheat the
Ieaky roof.
The woman will pay a small price
fo- the he'd. There's still pride in ad-
versity with these peasant folks of
France. They know why these Smith
college girls are out here in the war
zone distributing desperately needed
things, and they know it isn't for
profit. So they pay their little price
and retain their pride but extreme
gratitude goes along with the bargain.
Trade Rags for Clothes.
AT first we had some difficulty dis
tributinS warm clothing which comes
to US from our Smith college alumni
people all over the United States'
added Miss Gaines. "Of course it
was second hand and we didn't like
to sell H. We think our scheme is
rather good. We have appealed to all
the villagers for rags and in exchange
VIC give them clothing. It's a barter
and it appeals to these thrifty peasant
folks We are getting rags in enor-
nous Guantlty-rags off the backs of
> wom'> and babies which are imme-
diately covered with our warm winter
supplies of clothes. We pay some of
e the women to boil and strip these ra gs
: and others to braid and sew them into
rag carpets. Then we sell the ra e car
, pets
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