Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-04-22
WAUSAU CLUB LUNCHEON
GREAT SUCCESS
Ladies to Assist In the Building Of
a Memorial Hospital In
France

MIS-. FRANK Kelly and Miss Louise
Underwood, secretary and treasurer OF
the American Fund for the French
Wounded of the branch in this CITY.
recently went to Milwaukee, to be
present at an address given by Mrs.
Benz. Lathrop, founder of the organ
ization at the City Club in that city.
Mrs. Lathrop is an American, but she
and her husband have been living in
London, for the past five years, where
the former had large business inter-
ests. When the great war broke out
in 1914, she enlisted her energies in
assisting the women of France and
England in the work of securing sup
| plies for the French wounded. Her
friends in the east sent on supplies in
abundance and this was the COM
mencement of one of the great activ-
tiles Of the war.
On Saturday, Mrs. c. G.. Yawkey.
president of the organization in Wau-
sau, invited in the members to a one
o'clock luncheon at the Wausau Club.
The event marked the closing of the
work, which was started here in
JAM, 1917, and an interesting feature
were the reports given by Mrs Kelly
and Miss Underwood of the address of
Mrs. Lathrop. Mrs. Kelly told of
that part of the address relating to
founding of the work in London by
Mrs. Lathrop in 1914, which later was
transferred to Paris, as it was more
convenient to distribute supplies from
that city, all of which came from the
United States, totaling in all $4,000
cases. These were distributed to
1000 hospitals in France and since
the armistice was signed to the de-
vastated regions of that country, all
by motor trucks driven by young
women from the United States.
Miss Underwood gave a report of the
supplies sent by the organization from
Wausau, viz:
1900 pairs of pajamas.
254 pairs of socks
25S sweaters, helmets, muff1ers. etc.
1852 handkerchiefs.
In all there were 4,676 articles sent
from here since July, 1917, and the
amount expended, about $2,700. Miss
underwood also stated that Mrs.
Lathrop's visit to this country was for
the purpose OF arousing interest in the
great memorial hospital, which is to
De tnal gift to France, by the Fund
for the French Wounded in closing
their work. 1t is to be a children's
hospital in memory of American SOL
diers. 1t is to be built in the ruined
city OF Rehms-where there are only
IA houses left-overlooking $4,000
roofess homes and in the shadow of
the battered cathedral It's cost will
be 100000, which amount has been
guaranteed by the New England. New
York and Chicago branches. A perm
anent endowment is being secured by
endowing beds at $4,000 each. 1t is
proposed to endow a bed in the name
OF Wisconsin, all of the branches of
the state joining to that end.
1t was voted by the Wausau branch
to contribute the funds now on hand
and so much as shall further be raised
towards the endowing of this bed.
At the head of each bed will be
placed bronze tablet bearing the
names of the donors, and the name
of Wausau will be on the Wisconsin
tablet with Madison, Milwaukee and
other large cities of the state.
At the close of the luncheon, a vote
OF thanks was rendered Mrs. C.. C.
Yawkey, chairman of the Wausau or
ganization, for her hospitality, liber-
ality and untiring efforts in the cause
from the time of the commencement of
the work here in 1917.