Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-26
DEVASTATED AREA
OF FRANCE GETS
VISIT FROM SANTA
10000 Toys and Other Arti-
cIes Collected by SOL
diers' League.
BY WILLIAM e. NASH.
Special Cablegram to The Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1919.

SpeciaI Cnblegrnm to The Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. lSlo.
! PARIS, December 23.-Santa Claus
| is going to visit the pitiable ruins
of northern France. Slxteen tnou,
| sand toys and other articles, from
oranges to teddy bears. have been
! collected by the Old Soldiers League
/ of France to distribute among the
| children in the devastated regions.
! This is the homage of the nation TO
the poor. destitute little ones OF the
north Not a single present Will De
| distributed in the cities or more for
! tunate towns All will be taken to
the miserabl villages wholly or
partly destroyed which are still scat
| tered along the front. Heretofore
| charity seems to have forgotten
them Trucks to transport the gifts
have been furnished by the Ameri-
can reconstruction committee. which
! had it's work outlined by Miss Anne
Morgan and Mrs. Dixie.
The enthusiasm with which this
act of charity has been supported by
the public is touching" said Lieut..
i Binet Nalmer. director of the Old
Soldiers League. "All classes con-
tributed. Rich people gave dolls
werth 100 francs (nominally 500.
| and the poor gave toys worth q
weeks salary or more. 1t shows that
! the French nation is generous at
| heart. I was dissatisfied with only
| one gift-that of an American
| duchess who has an income of $780,
900 francs NORMALLY $16o.0o0) a year:
| She sent me ten-franc bill ($2). ]
F.! sent it back by return mail with my
| visiting card.
VIII Take Them by Surprise.
1.-TWO Of our trucks left Yesterday
| for the Amiens region, one leaves
| today for Rheims ard one tomorrow
| for the Argonne. The villages to be
visited will not be notified in ad
vance, as that would spoil the spon-
| be chosen by the officers in charge of
| the trucks on the basis of their
| misery and distress. Unfortunately
We have not enough toys to satisfy
| the 100000 children of the north. and
| we can give only to a small per-
| centage of the most deserving. The
| mayor. priest and school teacher will
decide on their own initiative which
| of the tots are to be the lucky ones.
Expensive presents, like doll houses.
| which, cannot be subdivided. will
| where all the children of the village
| can play with them. We would have
| liked to donate Christmas trees, but
| that proved impossible. There was
| no means of transporting them. Be-
sides. they can be found readily in
| the devastated regions themselves
We have succeeded in collecting E
certain amount of tree ornaments
however"
rs this an entirely French work
of love?" 1 asked, cor have the
Americans taken part in it?'
Americans Gave Trucks.
'Tt is all French save the trucks"
| responded the director. "but they
| should not be underestimated We
| owe sincere thanks to Mrs Dixie and
| Miss Morgan. Without their aid il
would have been impossible for us
to succeed. for the transport crisis
| is very severe. They have furnish
| ed us with 500 liters (quarts) of
gasoline per truck. Considering the
fabulous price at which that com
| modify stands. it is a princeIy gift
| Likewise. they furnished three dozen
| wicker baskets to hold the toys,
| Moreover, this is not the sole
charity for which we have to thank
| Miss Morgan. She hast already sac-
complished wonderful work in the
four communes she has adopted near
Blerancourt There in each village
! a meeting hall, maternity hospital
and a school have been constructed
by American money. Materials are
being provided for reconstruction
purposes. and young men are actual
ly being taught the carpentry trade
SO that they may be able to rebuild
their parental homes more quickly.
It is a worthy example for rich
Frenchmen to follow"