Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-05
MISS THOMPSON
WRITES OF FRANCE
Wilmington Girl Tells How Amer
lean Help is Being Given the
Refugees There.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry II. Thompson have
received the following letter from their
daughter Miss katherine Thompson, VINO
Is working among the refugees IN France:
American Red Cross, (Croix-Rouge
Americaine), June 7. 1918, Oman, Cotes-
duNord
Like most of the other working women
I too get a little time of at the noon hour,
40 thought would drop you line.
At present | am working my head oil
irving To get enough articles cut Tor
MONDAYS and Thursdays to give to the
refugee women to sew. We have opened
a sort of Olrvroir twice week, to which
the women flock and absolutely gobble up
the garments. Thirty came today and
some took away enough for three or four.
So YOU see | have to provide enough work
for probably sixty some. Three women
cut out. but | ought TO have more and
more material.
Tomorrow the poorest ones are coming
with ..bons" to have clothes given 10 them.
and Saturday they-othcrs-l hope Will
come and buy the clothes, mt very re-
duced rates that are made Mondays and
Thursdays. Most of the women sew
beautifully and IL is too sad To sec such
lovely hands sewing on unbleached muslin
and fanncet If there was only SOME way
To ship them Ia America.
In the last few weeks, since May I'D
to be exact. | have started an ouvroH
From the 10th to june | gave out, my
self. $50 garments for the women Ia sew
| now have n refugee, wonderful ilttie
person from Dunkirk, who used to have
n mans hat store, who keeps the books
{ss found my talents run IN other chan
nelsl and cuts out the things, etc, her
family also cut out and besides an old
Mime Gicquel
have also started NestaIre Iues
DAYS and Fridays and have not counted
how many families | have clothed, but II
ia large number, | can assure YOU
have To get all the clothes twice week
from the Il ogesse "a convent which
takes an awful lot of time. yesterday some
Of the hlesses, who are there, came and
talked 10 me and one who WAS leaving
that evening asked me If | would like his
helmet as a souvenir Wasn't 1t lovely 81
him? | had seen him before a week or SO
ago. and he showed me his chest that look
Ell as if it had been painted with iodine,
but he had really been gasscd. had an
awful time taking the helmet out on my
bicycle as IL was round and the paper
came off so finally had 70 hang II on the
handIe-bar by the strap, like basket
much to the amusement OF the Oman
Asses
When one mcntions bicycling in Oman,
II sounds like comparatively safe and
sane snort. On the contrary. the life Of
the machine gunner IS less IN danger than
that of the Dinanais cyclIst; 10 begin with
the hills are straight up and down IN spots
and most OF the streets are cobbie stones,
and last but not least, everybody walks IN
the middle of the street. consequently u IS
most narrowing especially as ! always
seem 10 have a basket laden down with
laundry and provisions, loaves of bread.
caulitiOwcr. etc.
| wish everyone who has subscribed or
made donations to the \. r. c. could
come here any Monday Tuesday,
Thursday or Friday and see how much
their gifts have helped the French. not
only materially but morally, as well. get
perfectly overcome by their gratitude, aS
they do not know on whom else 70 let II
out If had time and paper ! could tell
YOU OF any amount Of cases that we have
been able to help thanks to the American
gifts, that would draw tears from stone.
The poor things arc 50 unstrunG. after
having lived under bombardments for
weeks or months al a time and being
forced to leave on a moment : notice with
what they have on their backs. that when
one docs the least little thing for them
they absolutely overflow with gratitude
and appreciation. That IS If they arc
treated in the right way. If this sounds
incoherent IL Is because there Is a chdd
next door having violin lesson
You see we can only give two garments
70 each refugee, so great is the demand.
which ism much when you consider they
usually wear all they own In the world,
but even then they nearly weep and in
woke all sorts Of prayers for me, etc, etc.
and l sit there feeling like an awful
hypocrite. telling them 1t Is the Les
Dons Americans not me that helps them.
30 ] hope you will tell anyone who is in
doubt how to spend any superfiuous money
Just 10 give il TO the Red Cross.
Ii YOU would like to send some money TO
me and know OF anyone else who could
dispense with some l could spend il on the
refugees and soldiers - wonderful adj
vantage The Red Cu8 OF course does
wonders, but there are so many cases
where little something extra would do
90 much good for the poor things.
an sorTy | cannot write any more but
have 10 go back TO work and even now
wont get home until $50 probably, or
even