The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-06-30
HOW YOU CAN AID A BOY OR GIRL IN FAR-OFF FRANCE

Mrs. Henry Dean, who is local chair man of the "Father1ess Children CT France" fund. has made public the following:
 Jacques stood in the shadow of a poplar by the long white road that wound away from the village far over the hills to the north. From behind those hills that little French boy could hear the. mutter of distant firing.
 It was year ago that Jacques had waved his chubby hand at the broad back of papa swinging along the road to the north country. At the top of the hill papa had turned to fling back the cheeriest sort of au voir, so that Jacques would know very well that | soon papa would be coming home again.
 Summer with It's panorama of sing ing men marching north and broken men dragging wearily southward, i, winter with snow where the white dust lay.s and now spring again and still papa had not come
 To be sure. there was the letter in the long envelope from Paris that made mamma cry, but Jacques knew in his heart that mamma was mistaken She had told him on that gray day when the laundering behind the hill was vary loud that he need not go out to his poplar any more. But what was a woman to know of such things? Had not papa promised; And then, there was the Roche helmet that Jacques was to have for his very own.
 So the boy kept hopeful eyes upon the blue hills and went regularly to his post by the poplar dispite mamma S tears and the statement of his kindly, gray-haired official that soon Jacques p,1fT ct Ia h fS hA. 4r tN two l. . other little boys in a great institu tion
 Try a he would to be brave, how ever, Jacques was troubled this aft ernoon. He would stand stiffly at sa- 1ute new attachments went silently by As they gravely acknowledged the salute, some of the blue-clad men would turn to look back at the little figure under the poplar He seemed to be shaken by a sorrow that sucn a child should never know.
 No, the world was not kind to French boys whose fathers had gone away to where the big guns were quarrelmg To be sure. the old man had said that mamma was to have 10 cents day from the government. but that was so little to feed and clothe a family And with papa so long away and mamma so sad and very little to eat and notn- ing to play with. we can hardly blame Jacques if his head dropped bit as he trudged away from the poplar For the first time the awful thought that all these older people might be rl-lit and that papa would never again come singing down the hill, was having its way with him.
 On all the poplar lined roads of France today there are children look ing to the north for fathers who will never return. We can do but little to make their vigils easier. They have been made fatherless that the world they are to live in may be free. but this they cannot understand Despi.e the gentle sunlight of northern France these are black days for it's youth.
 But though we can never ssva Jacques father back to the boy. there < IS something we can do right here and now in America where there is ns. threat from the northern hills On July we celebrate the birth day of the nation that we love today with a new passion. And 10 days la ..l. in France Jacques and his friend- wil wave tri-colors and do their Httle Dit to be happy because that is the day the Bistille fell. On other Fourths VOL, and the childr en have shown that you are true Americans by shooting off fire crackers and saying "Ah" as tii1 rockets spilled their sparks among the trees, WHlcn was onIy right and prop CT. But this year they are sending up rockets over No Mans Land in Jacques country and there is little feastings there even on Bastille day.
 So what you can do for Jacques is this Tell the children that instead of firefrackers and rockets you are going b give a child in France q chance for the life that your children nave sq abundantly. Tell them that you are going to keep Jacques out Of that grin institution and let him stay home wlere he can run out and talk to his poplhr every now and then and ! salute tie soldiers that were papa's friends.
 There Is an American society called The Fdherless Children of France" ! that has made arrangements to take your moiey and get it into the homes where it is most needed. For a sum as low as $S6.50 a year, you caA keen a child safely at home under mothers care. As soon as you send your money to the society you will be given the name ofthe child that you are caring for and some fine day you will receive letter from that child telling what your generosity has meant That let ter will De more to you and the ones you lovesthan whole wagon loads of firecracksrs
 ''The Fhtherless Children of France" has natihai headquarters at 665 Fifth avenue. New York. Col T. o. Smith is 'fAt iseaI treasurer