Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-01-28
Feeding GERMAN CHILDREN
American PhilanlhrOplSts Are Assist.
ing in ResCuing the PeffshIag.
ARE MOSTLY FED ON SOUP and RICE
Poorest Children Are Suffering Most
Care is Taken to Feed. Those Most
in Need.
BY Frederick J. Haskin.

| w dSIlHSl lOl, ~ ~ Ile COlluitAoii VI
German children, and the organized
efforts which American philanthropists
are making to help them, were vividly
described TO us by. an American who
recently left Berlin.
The children Of Germany turn out tc
have been the greatest sufferers Of all
and the greatest calamity Of the war
for Germany and for the whole world
is that millions OF European children
are being starved and stunted.
Kinderhilfsmission Of the American
Friends Service Committee, at Doro-
thecnstrasse, Berlin, which has dircc-
ton Of the child feeding work Of the
American Relief Administration in
Germany, is at present feeding 100000
children a day, and if the voluntary
contributions on which this work de-
pends permit, that number will be in
creased to 100000 this year.
In the first school visited, a parish
or government school, the children
were eating in the gymnasium. While
older boys were going through eHer-
ciscs in the back Of the room, children
selected according to their needs lined
/ un for feeding at the other end. Each
had 4 tin cup and spoon and in turn
received big portion Of rice and milk
from the two teachers who handled the
work. The children all have rood
cards, which they must show to the
| teacher, who keeps careful record OF
! every meal given. An American work.
er supervises the distribution and, sees
that the food is eaten on the premises
not wasted, and is given where the
need is greatest In this school there
were no benches, so the little girls TOOK
their bowls away. sitting in corners
under parallel bars or on horses,
while the boys grouped together and
chattered yocifcrously in intervals Oh
eating
In another block Of this huge brick
| building was a LyZcum, Schuie, or glrfs
| hHh school, where some feeding is al
so carried on Here the girls eat in a
classroom seated at their desks. Girls
in the high school ranging from 6 to Ia
IN age arc better clad and IN Slightly
better physical condition. They come
from, upper middlc-class families.
The next place visited was Cathoiic
| school, where the principal, a small
energetic man, eating his own lunch u
blaclibrcad sandwich), was supervising
the child feeding. The food had. been
given out here in The entrance hall ana
TWO little boys with long spoons were
| busy scraDin; the last vesti%" or rice
from thr biz; cont;incr, u former army
kettle. 1t vas almost rs clean as il II
had been secured with hot water. III
tEc same district is q Kinderhclm'
comfortably housed in 4 little frame
house. There the little children had
inst finished their meal and were
marching around the room in pairs
singing songs. They were from 10
| Years in age, and during the feeding
ho,1r their mothers arc invited To como
! in and share III tic not luHCil'
Poo. Suffer Most.
Another day was spent in poorer
district The poor section OF Ecrlln
could never be called s!um. Ihe
streets :,rc V idc and clean ana inc
buildings well constructed. IN no wa!
resembling the slums OF New York o:
london. But closer inspection reveals
The poverty and misery OF the German
working class today. The women arc
hntless, and with the thermometer Al
zero have only sllaw!s to wrap around
their thin dresses. The footwear Is
INADEQUATE, wnoden-s -solcd clogs anu
chcap carpet slippers being general
Tho faces seen on all sides arc pinch
I'd. worn, dull-gray or white IN color.
The schools here. too, arc housed III
I rorl buildings but the children VINO
limo ND for the daily feeding tell the
universal story of chronic underHouH-
jshmcnt. ON this day the bowls were
!'n!cd with Il hot mixture Of beans ana
,cc: and much to their delight. cacl
child was also handed Il big sweet roll
These rolls arc given four times n
week. Poverty ty-ssrcFHn as it is, The
German government has undertaken to
supnly the -four and sugn: for the rolls
d;iring the next six months.
Ncarly two rooms have hcen taken
and t;ttrl up for use rs a dining room
rn: mothers Every morning between
10 and t. o'clock 12S oc thcrl com" FOR
i l,nt meal They have the same food
;,s that given TO the children. but
larger portions. All the women arc
either Nursing yn"ng babies or arc eN-
! ncctnnt mothers. The$ arc chosen u!
! :, local committee OF doctors III the
.aroc way the schnol children are
! selected. In these rooms children UP e
six wears come in the afternoon 1ot
! food. The feeding of mothers a"d very
| Young children is more difficult on ac-
count of having no central place III
,yEjrh food cun he served and no or
| c,niZatinn to work through rs in the
sc:nols. At the kitchen for this dis
tlict. where 1000 meals !, day are pre-
raI,d, Ii another dining room lu!
mothers. aratin" 80 every afternoon.