The Washington herald., 1921-09-18
Junior Red Cross Mission
!. Tells of Work in Bohemia
Mothers Bring Children for Treatment From
Radius of Thirty Miles; Sing American
: Nursery Rhymes.

a. After two years Of work the
,gJunior American Red Cross. whose
membership is composed Of the
school children of the United States,
has completed Its task in Czecho-
sovakia. The great work launched
hy 1t in that country is to be con-
nnued BY the Czecho-Slovak Junior
Red Cross recently organized. The
Success Of the Americans Is at
, tested by resolutions adopted by the
czecho-S1ovak organization thank
Ing those anonymous donors, the
memory Of whose gifts will live in
the bright looks, healthy bodies,
warm hearts, quick brains and in
-dustrious hands Of our children"
- The fnal report of Miss Fanneal
. Harrison. who directed the work Of
the Junior American Red Cross In
: -czecho-Slovakia. adds another chap
ter to the story Of heroic endeavor
and achievement being written by
the men and women who represent
the American Red Cross In Europe.
Her account of the reorganization
'-of an orphanage in Ruthenia indi-
Gates the obstacles that had to be
overcome At every turn as well as
the complete triumphs won
= Looking back over our expe-
.srfence at the orphanage," says Miss
Harrison. I'VE can laugh now, but
at the time 1t was no laughing
matter. After the nrst month we
realized the unreliability Of prom
: fses, as IL was only under certain
conditions that we took over the
sorphanage- We would have been
Justined In Withdrawing them, but
our contract was for six months,
the children needed rs. and 50 We
took matters into our own hands
- Can Police.
q we called In the police and
s$sctsd the former director and his
family. Also, we evicted several
old government servants, hangers
on from ths Magyar regime Fee
Bile minded children we sent to
other institutions or back to their
dssperats over the inadequate bath
ing and toilet facilities We patched
them up to serve MS temporarily.
We had funny and bitter times, but
always hard, hard work.
IAN the time the children were
daffy becoming more alive, the
deathffks pallor was going, the
whining Of weak little animals
was giving place to lusty snrieks OF
anger or rofiicking laughter we
had swept cockroaches out literally
nv the shovelful We had burned
mattresses that were fairly alive
We had kept babies living tnrousn
desperate days and nights when the
czech doctor had abandoned nope
and during the last two months sue
eeeded In having . happy family IN
"a. clean, sweet-smelling home A
hix and mixed family 1t was-chfl-
dren. nursing mothers, servants and
trained nurses-Russian, German,
Hungarian, Slovak and American
Friendly hearts overcome the bar
t.Tiers Of language; little Magyar or
Russian voices would greet US with
a Good morning" or would ntmoly
sreel on many of cur Mother Goose
rhymes.
Mothers Bring Children
Every day from outside the four
high walls, from a radius of thirty
miles. foster mothers would come
with a sick child or to get some
warm American clothes for the child
left at home. And every day IN the
Ford camionette loaded with sup
niles the American nurse would
start forth to visit some OF the
4 200 children the government had
placed In peasant families. Every
child was visited. Often they had to
be brought back into the warm
homs to be given a new lease on
ME or to stay until a more suitable
family could be found for them. 1t
was difficult work this improving
had conditions in the peasant homes.
teaching the foster mothers the care
Of the children or removing them
when conditions were hopelessly
had. But, pegging away at 1t day
otter day did the job. and we know
that at the end of our six months
: these children had a much better
chancs than ever before. Not only
ver. the children better cared for,
but s few of the worst government
Inrpectors were removed. and, 1t
..erued to rs, We had been able to
infuss q better spirit>and under
.t.ndinx Of their work into others
we loved the children and hated
o \. lssvs them Before we told them
rood-ey vs decided to give them .
Sbrtseunas thsy would long remem-
b.r. such . beautiful tree, such q
Svarmth Of light and color, such
rood things to eat toys, real dolls,
md knives and games and books
ruch rapture- They had never seen
rueh things before. No, our chill
drsn win not forget that Christmas
and thsdr dear American friends"