Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-12-22
FRIENDS WORK IN GERMANY.

Editor Every Evening: Wishing to
correct som misunderstanding, wnicf
has already arisen from your editorial o.
Saturday, December Is, entitled FRIENDS
Feeding Germans" | would ask you &c
publish the following:
The American Friends Service Com
mittec is now feeding in Germany about
$50 600 of the most undernourished
children under Is years old in the larger
and most needy towns and cities. lhis
work was undertaken at the request ol
Mr.. Hoover and most of the funds Tor II
have come from his organization.
We feel that this Central European
Rel;ef must be carried on for the following
reasons: =,
The need among n large part of the
children is desperate. In many sections
about one half of the children OF school
are are infected with tuberculosis or
suffering from ricketts,. Who are so hard
hearted as to be deaf to such callI
Then too, it is of the greatest Importance
for the future that the next generation IN
several of these countries of Centrai
Europe shall grow up with different Ideals
and different feeling toward other ooun-
tries from those held by their parents
and grandparents. They are beng daily
gwen n practical lesson IN the greatest
course of unselfsh humanitarian service
the world has ever seen. 1t cannot but have
n considerable effect on their future out
look.
In addition to the above, is 1t not rea-
sonahle to suppose that tins extensive
relief among millions OF the world $ needi-
est may have certain stabllzing IN
f1uence on the political situations lhe
parent of the starving child may easily
become not only thief but desperate
revolutionst Possibly there may still be
revolutionary disturbances, but the
danger of a condition similar to the awful
one in Russia is probably lessened by TINS
relief given in the quarters where 1t Is
most needed, and kept under careful
American control. As Mr. Hoover said
Saturday night, there is n measure of
insurance In il. He is appealing not to
the sentiment but to the good sense OF
America.
The student feeding in the universe
ties referred TO in your editorial was orig
mated by and has almost entirely been
supported by English Friends, though
a few American workers have helped
in directing the work. Ii is carried out on
similar lines to the same work done in
Vienna by the student Christian move
ment which is supported in part by the
Y NJ G. a.
Only the poorest students are admitted
aud they pay part Of the cost Of the meals
Many Of them are almost starving, try
ing to live on q slice or two OF braed and
a cup of substitute coffee a day, with
perhaps only three or four warm meals
per week There is great need though It
Is less urgent,I think, than with younger
children. The number aided Is | am told
about $4,000.
1t is not a fact that there is plenty Of
food 10 adequately feed all the people Of
Germany or any of the other countries
receiving American relief, even Is all food
stuffs were fairly rationed and distnbut-
ed. A nation can live and maintain its
health on about IS Per cent Of its normal
food supply. 1t cannot do this on 65 per
cent which is about what the average has
been for the last three or four years, and
unfortunately the greatest suffering comes
always on the children, especially those
from two 70 fifteen years old.
OF course We must not forget that our
first responsibility is st home, but we
must also DO everything We can to help