Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1919-07-04
THE LAST APPEAL.

one OF the most appealing of the
aiter-the- war campaigns will he
launched this month, asking for fost-
or parents for 10000 little war
orphans of France. Mrs. Walter S.
brewster, wife of the Roumanian
Consul to Chicago, Chairman of the
Chicago Committee and Vice-Pcrsi-
dent of the National Committee of
The Fathcrlcss Children of France.
has charge of the promotion of this
campaign.
Mrs. Brewster has just returned
from tour of investigation through
the dcvaSted regions of Francc
The highest French officials pro-
vldcd her with military escort and
bestowed upon her every courtesy
during her visit TO the war zone. She
lived with the appalling conditions of
these Children and their mothers-shc
knows that thousands of children
over there" are undcrnourisbcd
starving, and succumbing to sickness,
In all the northern country" saws
Mrs. Brewster, "thcre is no VILLAGE
untouched, and scarcely Il house with
Il roof, There is not bridge that has
not been dynamited, a factory that
has not been runined. The tales that
are told of the boche invasion nrc
unthnkable-shocki Still the Deo-
pie of the north tell them dispass-
lonately. They have borne so much
they nave no energy to snow excite
ment over their suffering. They are
coming back into these terrible towns
as soon us they are allowed. They
bring their possessions with them in
two string bags, usually. Possibly
they have enough to fill red cotton
tablecloth knottcd at the corners To
Cambria, 1000 out Of Il prc-war
population of 10000 lave returned
They live ten and twelve i'm a room
and many of the rooms have no roofs.
For two days we motored over
tins northern country before we saw
Il cow, Il chicken or horse. The coun-
try is stripped bare of everything
that makes it livable. But to the
French it is still lovable. As you ride
through IT your pity for France is
infinite. But iii your mind are no
words TO express your feeling to-
ward Germany. There are miles and
miles of grayish-brown dust where
were fertile farms, pleasant villages,
forests and orchards. About Verdun,
rs far as you can see, are heaps of
sand, no sign of life that was, no
promise of any life 20 come.
Here and there is a cross where
some soldier, killed II the last DAYS
ofthc fighting, is buried.
Those who died in the frightful-
ness of the earlier battles lie some
where beneath that awful heap OF
dust, All along this strip of dead
country are soldiers graves, singly
in the middle of plowed fields, in
groups along the road, or row after
row in some field cemetery Tie faith
ers of many of the little children
Tor whom we are seeking to care are
buried there, and more have left no
trace"
Every day of her stay in the war
zone it was made windy clear TO
Mrs. Brewster that eve must work
harder and faster than ever before"
for thousands Of children are perish
ing in France.
Under the plan of the campaign
being undertaken, each American
foster parent pledges ten cents Il
day, which makes So q month, or
$500 year, and this added to Il
tiny allowance of the same amount
ny Ilc FtclCil government, means
saving grace to Il French child, allow
ing it not only to remain in its own
country, but with its widowed moth
er instead of in annstitution. Thus
are the broken remnants of the lit
tie war families kept together. Each
foster parent is put in direct touch
with the child for whom she has
pledged the necessary 10 cents a day,
and with its mother through CORES
pondencc. Every cent subscribed goes
to the child. The expenses of this
philanthropy are borne by generous
friends of the organization. TO adopt
a child or to make donation, large
or small, write for information to
Mrs. Walter S. Brewster, Room 634,
4lO South Michigan avenue, Chicago
I'LL, with whom all local chairman of
The Fatherlcss Children of France, in
every community, are cooperating.