Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-20


that America hns failed Europe, refused ia
ratify the peoce treaty, and withdrawn
from participation in the great work of re-
constructions other words, has prae-
tcally abandoned her former allies In
their time Of greatest need. Yet what h
the actual factp America has been doing
| more for the relief and reconstruction of
Europe than all the other powers put to-
gether This il bold statement, but from
personal experience and observation | he
lieve il To be absolutely beyond dispute,
and probably the measure of her help is
only feebly Indicated by that comparison
Since the armstice have visited m0st ol
the countries between Asia Minor and
| Denmark .and between the English Chan
mel aud the Baltic Provinces Everywhere
have found social service apencies from
| America working along nnoatentatiously,
| but very practically and efficiently, in ihr
interests Of the people suffering from the
| effects ~ the war There s no regard Tor
nationality. race, religion or politics, but
| simply the recognition of human need.
| The American is positive, practical ard
constructive. aud anything that touches
| his sympathy makes a strong appeal 10 his
| ideaism The principal agency whose
work is most far-reachinF IN the relief of
| suffering il the child welfare work, origin
! ated by Mr. Hoover IN Belgium during
/ the war This has dropped out oi public
sight but has gone OF Increasing III magnl-
tudc and far-reaehing benefit. II Is hiR
| thing to supply one good meal TO- Hay,
| 100, 900 persons, even greater when The
number has another cypher put on TO the
figures. making II n million We have got
40 used to talking in bis figures since the
war that they have lost real significance.
The mind cannot imagine the task OF
feeding "A million people as "A single volun-
tarv gift But here IL America not simply
feeding 600 600 children oncc, but SUP
plvine the food gratuitouslyi rendering
the organizing service and supervising the
feeding ~ between 5000 600 and d,5ip,-
600 children every dayday after day
week after week and month after month,
during the arInisiire and right up 10 the
preaant time. | have seen lot II actual
work being done IL would be- n long story
co describe the great kitchens and dis
tributing centres, the scores Of thousands
of tons of food tho very best obtainable In
America, transported from inland centres,
shipped across the Atlantic and taken
right tu the hungry children OF Germsny,
Austria, Serbia, CEecho-SlOyakia. Hun
gary, Poland. Lithuauia, latyia. Esthonia
and Finland Most Of this has been duo 10
american fttAhBHt4 Ett3FtbNAhf ~ tRAANtta3
tiona Ia reconstruction and reconciliation,
Some If IL has been the outcome of private
and individual sacrifice. At Christmas
time tens uf thousands OF American chill
dren sent their saf-,lenial contributions ol
little Christmas packets to hundreds of
thousands Of children ~ Central Europe.
II this Child Welfare work alone had been
tho only contribution ST America tO the
rratoratlon uf Europe, u would have been
n mighty one ard must have saved thous-
anrn upon thousands OF lives. TO say
nothing of the pangs of hunger assuaged
in little children.
cloeely sssociated with this section has
been developed another department OF
service known "a the American Relief
Administration warehouses. Formerly
persons in America having relatives or
friends IN Europe, We're IA tho habit oil
sending them money drafts, the ntmber
and total amount being enormous. The
practice was n bad one. since IL could not
provide additional food in an impoverish-
ed country, and only increased the cost TO
those who had the money as compared
with the unfortunate poor who were more
in need The Americans saw the difficulty
and set 10 work TO deal with u. They
organized the shipment of enormous guam
titles of food in bulk to different ports IN
Europe, and there made up standard
parcels of various values 10, 20, 80 and
loo dollars comprising flour, beans, milk,
bacon, lard, beef. &c. separate assort-
rnents for Christians and jews. Americans
now purchase orders for these scheduled
parcels and send them 20 their friends IN
any part of Europe, who in turn com
municate with the warehouse, and re-
ceive in exchange for the orders the actual
food at lowest cost price in America, with |
out any change for exchange, packing or
delivery. When | was in Hamburg the |
service was sending out LOO parcels a
day, and increasing It's statr TO cope with !
the work II reads like very simple
thing but in reality il is a gigantic effort i
of relief, saving the peoples money, /.
avoiding disturbance of local prices and /
supplies, and bringing additional high /
quality food direct from its source into the /
impoverished lands of Europe.
The organization that bulks next IN Inn
portance In my observation is the Ameri- !
can Red Sross Society. In America the /
Red Cross Society is q peace-time organ |
ization, extending its service sbeyond |
medical and surgical needs; so in Europe, ii /
has been carrying on general social service /
work. distributing foods, clothing, and |
rendering help In a variety OF ways, rs I
well as giving skillful medical aid have /
no figures 10 quote, but the magnitude of /
it's effort is beyond description. Away |
out In Central and in Eastern Europe large /
staffs are working continuously distribut |
ing comforts and trainloads of clothing
and food, as well as combating disease and
pestilence. We have heard very little of /
the work III the Russian refugee camps In
Poland, or of the typhus plague there;
but the American Red Cross has been at |
work there all the time One item alone in
Poland is but an illustration-ta taking s.
huge dismantled Russian army barracks
and reconstructing it on modern lines, |
with all the latest arrangements and
equipment, as an up-to-date hospital OF
900 beds, associated with the newly
founded university at Wilma, and also ss a
training school for nurses This is being
stated and carried on entirely by Ameri-
cans. Away up in Dvinsk | saw fun
train OF clothing and food being distribut-