Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-12-18
N JEWISH WARSAW
MISERY RULES the LAND
Every Human III Exists There In 'ts
Worst Form.
BY JACOB BILLIKOPF.
Special Representative Of the Amer
lean Jewish Relief Committee.

lC&A SSWAS&A ASSeASe
Breadlines that stretch for blocks.
children crippled by ricketts,, hollow
.hested women carrying in their arms
wan babies that look to be undernour-
tshed infants OF six months, but in
reality are children four years old
these are some Of the scenes Of indie,
scribable poverty and dire want that
my stay in Warsaw disclosed.
Krochmalna is the most CHASTITY
street in Jewish Warsaw. Here suf-
fering reaches degree Of intensity
that Is unbelievable. The terrible
thing about the children here Is that
nlerciful death from starvation does
tot come to them quickly. The chill
den wither In Krochmalna children
ere only born to wither before they
can even feebly blossom.
Tie choice, II you are looking for
noverty at the worst on Krochmalna
street, is hard to make.
We selected an entrance to tena,
,nent at random. II led into an I'M
speakably dirty courtyard bounded on
four sides by ramshackle novels with
broken windows and crumbling walls.
We picked by chance one OF the en-
frances opening on this courtyard.
We scrambled up a ladder, through
a sort Of scuttled and into
garnet so low that the tall Amer
lean Army captain with us had
almost to bend double. One OF the
volunteer guides triumphantly threw
oren door, already half off its hinges.
Inside was a room. bare Of all furni'
ture save one bed. which was covered
by a ragged quilt. and stove with
a crazy. twisted stove.ppe.
A woman who looked to be over
seventy. but whom we learned later
was not yet forty. was standing by
a tiny slit Of a window. She turned
slowly and spoke to us in a whisper.
her hands pressed to her breast to
keep down the fits Of coughing.
She had Ave children. The Oldest
was at a neighbours, the remaining four
were there with her AS or eyes be.
came accustomed to the semi-darkness
we saw them. Just as | have often
seen in the poorer teraments OF our
t'rerican cities. pot OF hyacinths
trying to blossom in the smoky cit!
air so were these little human bios.
SONS trying to be real babi $ despite
fe.d air. strvat:on and disease.
But they were not succeeding very
we'll Two Of them looked to be
youngsters Of abort one year. The
mother, gasping between coughing
Ats. told us they were seven and eight
respectively.
The youngest child was about three
years old. One wondered how 1t man.
aged to X p alive. Its bod! wa
ar".''ar ard 'o1y thr0"gh IS RAJ !
d. yss. It put it's \, d on one side,
locked I'D IT - WI a halrtre" ding
a w. It C auetr" l! d t. 20 smile.
That smile was more terrible than any
renroach.
Yes, this case Is trife worse than
the average in Warsaw. but the condi.
tion of the best situated is SO bad that
1t would be considered a civic dis
grace in any community IN America
Yet there is bright side to this
grim picture OF the Pohsh capital In
the postwar days. You ftnd It when
you pass on down Krochmalna street
and turn into broader thoroughfare.
Quite suddenly you come face to
face with large shop, painted white
on the outside clean as wax. Flow
ing into its wide doors from two sides
ere two streams OF tiny youngsters
with here and there a mother carry
ing a baby No noise. no hours OF
delay as at the city bread lines which
you see strung out pitifully on all tn.
streets all day long. A young boy
stands at the door helping and lift
ing the youngsters, patches of q
dozen at time. Look up at the en-
trance and you see over the door o
large sign, in English: milk Sta
ton No. Z, American Joint Distribu
ton Committee"
Go inside and you find yourself In
a large, white room, as sweet, and
clean as nursery. AT lOng white
tables sit some hundred children con.
tentedly drinking milk out OF large
enamel mugs and eating pieces OF
bread. On a long bench, against the
further wall sit the mothers with
their babies. Women in white move
In and out giving each child that comes
In a mug of milk. For this charge
OF ten pfennigs-at present values
about one-half q CENTS made. A
cup Of milk like this Is worth in
regular store at least a mark Goo
pfennings). The half cent saves the
community's self-respect.
In the best Judgment of our own
experts, which has been confirmed by
the accredited agents of the Amer.
lean Relief Administration, It will be
necessary to call on American RELIEF
for this work for many months to
come Maryland will be asked to
make up her quota of the national
fund Thanksgiving Week, and the 9TH
or States in their turn.