New-York tribune., 1921-12-13
For France S Children
The Fraternite Franco-Americain' 5
Aid to the Fatherless
To the Editor of Tho Tribune,

To the Editor Of Tho Tribune.
Sir: AS travelled through the devas-
tated regions Of France last summer I
realized as never before what it meant
to have alien armies on ones own soil.
England suffered sacrifcial and des-
perate losses, America has borne the
burden Of great sorrow, as has Italy,
but Of all the Allies France has suf-
fered most. 1t is because of this fact
that I wish to call the attention of
my fellow citizens to q special way in
which France can still be helped.
During the years of the war and in
deed until this month a great society
called the Fatherless Children of
France (of whose New York commit
tee / was fortunate enough to set the
wheels in motion) worked untiringly
for the children whose fathers had lost
their lives in patriotic service to their
country. Now that the American So
ciety has closed its Offices l want to
call special attention to the fact that
the French committee Of this same So
ciety, which is called the Fraternite
Franco-Americain and which has its
Offices at So Rue de Babylone, Paris,
France, carries on the same work and
Is under the direction Of the same won
derful French woman, who lost both
her sons in the war, with whom the
American committee Of the Father
less Children Of France co-operated in
the past. 1 had the rare privilege Of
becoming we'll acquainted with Nine.
Scligman-Lui during my visit to Paris
last summer.
I can think of no better method of
helping France to live again than by
continuing to support, in their own
homes, the children of her honored
dead. The pre-eminent idea of the
Fraternits Franco-Americain, like that
Of the Fatherless Children of France,
is to prevent France from being insti-
tutionalized through assisting the ma
tion to keep in their own homes her
fatherless children. It takes $3.50 q
year to accomplish this splendid work,
and it can be sent by money order
direct to the Soci&ts Franco-Americain,
in care Of Nine. Seligman-Lui. She con-
ceived beautiful idea just before our
Memorial Day, May 80, 1921. She wrote
to every mayor Of every town in France
and said that all over France there
were children kept in their homes by
the sympathy Of the American people
and that on that day nothing would
show more clearly the recognition of
what had been done for these children
by America than that the children OF
each individual part of France should
decorate on American Memorial Day
the graves Of the American soldiers
lying in French soil.
Nine. Seligman-Lui told me that she
had never before written letters and
received response to every letter she
wrote, but in this case not one
mayor failed to respond to the appeal.
Later she gathered in pamphlet form
some Of the beautiful letters, describ-
ing the different ceremonies performed
by the children. / am anxious that
this most interesting pamphlet should
be distributed among different So
cieties, for know that it will bring
about fresh interest in this Fraternite
Franco-Americain. Should men,
Der Of any society who reads this
article care to distribute some of these
pamphlets I should be more than glad
to be the means of making this pos
sible.
No one who has seen, rs have seen,