The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-28
MONEY CREDIT, NOT CHARITY IS CRYING
 NEED OF FRANCE
Miss Anne Morgan Speaks to Civic Bodies at Civitan Luncheon on After War
 Conditions of France

abling the masses of France to re- place the farm implements and other important instruments of industry de- stroyed by the Germans, conditions will remain indefinitely in their pres ent state of chaos. and France will be unable to resume her former position as self-sustaining nation, declared Miss Anne Morgan, daughter of the late American financier, J Pierpont Morgan, and widely known for her war relief activities, In an address yesterday afternoon at the meeting of the Civitan Club at the Tutwiler hotel at which more than ROO members of the four civic eluos oi Birmingham were in attendance.
 Miss Morgan is vice president or the American Commission for Devastated France and her visit here is in in- terest of that organization. In her forceful address before the Clvltan Club. she stated emphatically that the restoring of France economically de' pended wholly on whether money car be secured for this purpose.
 "The people of France are not e&- pecting charity, they revolt at the idea What they do want and neea 's new tools for ulling the soil, repiae' ing the destroyed buildings, plants ano other industrial cites raZed by tht
 
 deed yes. but what with?
 FORCED TO LEAVE When the Germans started on then invasion of north France, as is wei known. the people of that section O the country were forced to leave fol their own safety They left behind them their lands which had been s' richly productive. their implements O cultivation and their all These i'm plements which before the war were generations old had been the chic source of income and existence or nun dreds of thousands yes millions. O ] people of that country. The German destroyed them as was the case witi everything of value that came int
 their grasp
 As a result when the refugees re
 turned to their native hearths the! found nothing but destruction. Niti no means of tilling the soil, becaus' tools cannot be obtained, caused b.
 the money situation, they have beei unable to produce their lands as befor' and are facing gaunt starvation unles ! something is accomplished
 This was set forth by Miss Morgan
 as the primary object of the American commission and she presented views O officials of the association as to tn way of relieving this shortage whicl
 now is threatening France. Othe ideals of the commission are child wei
 fare work. she stated, which is beinl
 carried on in connection with tn general task of rehabilitation. Since the armistice and the return l of men of the American eXpeditionar- <, forces. the American Commission fo 1 Devastated France has remained at tn ! post of duty and has carried on mucl work of relief and rehabilitation, Miss Morgan stated. "The American
 Red Cross has now left France be ] cause of limited means and the cal of duty elsewhere, Even the Hoove
 mission in France is no more. Tn
 American commission. however is stil
 at the task of reconstruction and vii
 remain there until the Ideals are ac complished.
 GAY CITY LIFE
 | Several Americans who have ha,
 the opportunity of visiting France dur
 ing recent months have commented il wonderment at the city life of France | They have expressed themselves a being unable to comprehend the at titude. of the Frenchman encountere there. They say they cannot under stand why it is that France Is S | sorely pressed when from all out ward evidences the French people ar 1 enjoying themselves to the best Q their ability. This condition. un fortunately. is merely the natural re
 action of minds of humans who afte | four years of intense suffering, hay now the additional worries that con l front every person of the nation-lacl
 of food and other products. even tn possibilities of starvation becaus
 financially the whole nation is at
 low ebb
 As for actual rehabilitation worl
 the American commission is progress
 ing at creditable rate. The asso i citation in whose interest I am appear l ing here today has been apportione
 exactly 100 villages in the region O i Soissons for rehabilitation and thi
 work will certainly be accomplished.
 The speaker recounted the relic
 work of the commission during tn
 conflict and told of many interestin
 experiences of workers while on mis
 sions of mercy.
 Her address yesterday was through
 out one of the most interesting eve
 delivered at a meeting of the Civita
 Club She appeared to best advantag before the gathering and her force an personal magnetism at all times at | tracted the admiration of the iutereste listeners. At the conclusion of he talk she was loudly applauded and tn
 entire audience voiced their apprecia tion in a demonstrative manner.
 Miss Morgan will leave Birmingham
 at 4:20 o'clock this afternoon for Ne'
 Orleans where she will continue work
 ing in the interest of the America committee for the devasted areas C France.