Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12
BEL CLAN BENEFIT TUESDAY
NEXT AT BELASCO THEATER

A benefit for the Holland-Amerfcan
Homes for Belgian Widows and Or
phans will be held at the Belasco The
alter on Tuesday afternoon, May IA, at 4
o'clock. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. who is
a member of the American committee.
will be the guest of honor. Motion pic
lures will be shown of Holland and
Belgium in peaceful pursuits before the
war and then the terrible flight from
Belgium.
Miss Hendrica van der Filler of The
Hague is at the head Of this work. She
has come to America authorized by the
garden village for the poorest widows
and orphans and the lost children of
Belgium. King Albert has presented a
tract of land near Antwerp for the pur-
pose.
Miss van der Filler is the daughter of
the late court chaplain of The Hague,
a man whom the queen especially hon.
ored. She introduced to Holland and
hundreds of children have been cared
for since the invasion of Belgium.
Bazaar at Mrs. Hamlin's, May 16.
On Thursday. May 16, at the home of
Mrs. Charles S. Hamlin, 1851 New
Hampshire avenue, a bazaar will be
held for the benefit of the garden viii
termed Belgians from soup-bones. air
plane fragments and tinfoil-reall
little works of art, for the Belgians
are very artistic.
The American committee for this gar
dem village consists of such distin-
guished persons as:
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Miss Margaret
Wilson. Cardinal Gibbons, Col Theodore
Roosevelt, NJ. Cartier de Marchienae,
Belgian ambassador: Mrs. Andrew Car
negie, Mrs. Charles S. Hamlin. Mrs.
Salisbury. DR.. Charles Wood, Church
of the Covenant; Mrs. Fl. Leonard, Mrs
Charles Carroll Walcutt. Mr.. and Mrs.
Albert B. Ruddock, Mrs. Coleman du
Pont. New York; Miss Eveline du Pont,
B. Spence. New York; Edward w. Box,
Philadelphia; Mr.. and Mrs. E. E. Olcott,
New York; Mr.. and Mrs. Robert E. Ely,
New York; Miss de Sadeleer. New
York: Mr.. and Mrs. ]. B. Dimmick,
Scranton, Pa; George Marston, San
Diego. CAL; Mrs. August Collbran, Den
yer, Col.
The Belgian committee Is headed by
Baron Fallon, minister of Belgium at
The Hague. The Holland committee is
represented ny JOHkHeeT van 6eeren-
brouck. president of The Hague.
"saddsst Feature of War"
ITO me the saddest feature of the ter.
rible war is the lost children who were
early flight from Belgium into Hol.
land" said Miss van der Filler.
Most of-them have learned to hide
| their sorrow and to play with other
children at Scheveningen, where we
have temporary camps for them" she
| continued. But at night they mis-:
| their mothers. And somewhere the
mother is longing and praying for heI
lost child. 1t was when ] first saw
these children that l made up my mint
to devote my life to them. 1t is fol
these lost children and poor orphan.
| that 1 have crossed the ocean. w.
Dutch people look upon America as oul
big brother. our brother with tn,
strong arm and helping hand.
Much Still to Be Done.
America has done much. but there is
Americans could witness the joy among
| our people and among the refugee:
when ship from America arrives.
AFTER the war all the Bclgians will
have to return to their own country. But
what can we do with the orphans and los,
children? The cities OF Louvain, Liegt
and Dinant are gone-utterly destroyed
| There is SO much to rebuild and replace
| that has been destroyed or lost. The Ger.
mans have carried away most of the
bricks and stones. The Belgians hav.
large families, mostly six, but often nine
or ten children. With the task befor.
them Of re-establishing their ruined home,
they will be unable to take care OF sew
eral thousand orphans and stray children
| Now, we desire to build garden vii
lage near Antwerp to be called the Hol
land American Homes for Belgian Widow
and Orphans. mother must take carr
OF her own children-no institutions; fo
a mothers love is the best love on earth
A mother who has only two children cal
take five more. for each cottage will shell
ter seven children and the mother. Eacl
child must be educated and taught to carr
his own bread. We must make goo
Icitizens Of them for the sake of thei
brave king and queen.
Here to Raise Funds.
THE king has authorized me to com
to America to raise funds for this pur
pose. He has set aside parcel of Ian
near Antwerp for the garden-villagt
But first, as I told Baron Fallon, tn
Belgian minister at The Hague, W
must care for the very poorest who ar
| sick and weak for want of proper foo