The daily banner., 1918-08-06
Florence And The
Italian Refugees
{ William Il. Hereford. J

ceS, compelling the people TO lice
from their homes and abandon all
they had, Florence had played a
large part in the care and relief of
these homeless ones. OF course,
Florence, as every other city in Italy
or in all Europe, for that matter, has
its own separate Problems brought
about by the war, and although the
refugees must tie looked after, there
must be at the same time provision
made for the relief to be extended
ito the families of soldiers at the
front. their wives and children and
aged parents.
Florence is beloved of all Ameri-
cans who have had the privilege to
visit it. Not few, indeed, have
found the lure so strong that the in
tention to stay but few weeks has
changed and they have remained on
and on until Florence has become
their home. There is something in
these blue Tuscan hills that begets af
fection, something Of a golden at
mosphere that give a patine to monu-
ments and historic palaces and
makes on pause, and something, to,
in the atmosphere and the climate,
neither too warm nor too cold, nei-
| ther too rainy nor too dry, that
brings to mind the land Where it is
always afternoon"
| Florence, the beloved, is a differ
| ent place now from the Florence of
! before the war. Outwardly the
change is not marked, there is the
same loyeliness and the same gentle
ness: but here. as elsewhere, every
one is too busy to dream and too
engaged in the actual work on hand
in the fight necessarily going on be-
hind the lines.
The PalaZZo Vecchio, for instance,
that monument where so much his
tory is stored, has been the witness
of many strange scenes these latter
days. A few weeks ago the great
Cinquecento Hall was given over/to
the passage through it of thousands
of dependent women and children
and old men. They came here at the
instance of the Sindaco whose mu-
nicipal home is in the Palazzo Vec-
chic, and of the Kings Prefect, who,
co-operatingwitn the utmost efficien-
! cy with the American Red Cross, has
investigated the cases of these 40.-
! 600 people and found them deserv-
| ing of immediate relief This relief
| took the form OF warm clothing and
hall went away bearing a bundle TO
clothe him or her, warm things from
America, some of them made by
| the hands of women from across the
seas.
That was one problem to be met
and met quickly, And another prob
! lem was to feed the people of the
poorer districts. For this purpose
the American Red Cross established
kitchen right among the homes of
the very poor. 1t is a very pictur-
esque place now and exceedingly well
planned. A small lane leads up to it
| from the street, and people coming
up this lane file through gateway
where they show the ticket that en-
titles them to relief. The kitchen it
self and the buildings attached to it
are painted white, and it is all kept
spotless. The installation is modern
and can take care of many thousands.
AS it is, three thousand persons get
their meals here daily. There is a
small dining room where they can
sit if they wish, but for the most part
the people of the district bring their
pans and pots and take away hot
soup or stew with them.
1t is not a charity which is being
conducted by the American Red
Cross in Florence, The people pay
for what they get Only the deserv-
! ing poor whose cases have been care
fully Investigated by the municipal
authorities, by local societies and by
the Red Cross agents, can avail
themselves of this kitchen for the
prices here are much less than gov
ern elsewhere. But most Of these
who come are women whose men are
away at the front fighting, and who
cannot earn enough to take care OF
their families. The price charged,
although low, Is enough to make GER
tain that the dignity of the individual
lis maintained There is therefore no
charity in this distribution OF food
to the needy, but even if the food
were given away, as it may be In
cases where the people are absolute
ly without resources, there is no
charity. For this is Americas help
behind the lines to a people who
have been bearing the burden of wal
for three years, a war that America
now recognizes as her own.
In charge of the Florence district
is Captain \. J. Akin, of the Amerl-
can Red Cross. His territory in
Ecludes Florence and the surrounding
country, and daily the work is grow
ling. Workrooms where the wives OF
Isoldiers may be employed have been
established and warehouses opened; ;
agents are sent to the surrounding
Towns and here, too, the work of re-
lief is carried on