The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-02


 this great service to humanity. and yet in spite of the gigantic scale upon which the relief has been carried out. the task is unfinished
 Normal. recuperation has cut the need, but unusual crops, economic and weather oiditions have resulted in scant shrink age of child Restitution during the twelvemonth just past and the cali comes again for us to take up the bur den of Restitution and save S,5OO,ooo
 The great trouble with the collector of the vast sum needed, for it runs into millions of dollars, comes from the fact that it is hard for any one to think in terms of millions. If we said that the whole population of Alabama was on the found impression and yet in eastern and central Europe there are more children in peril than if every man. woman ana child in this state was on the verge of being wiped out for the lack of food,
 The 3,5O0,000 children are located in the following countries: Poland, Hun gary, Czecho slovakia, Austria, Ger many, Baltic provinces, including Es- thonia, Lithuania and LAtvia. Some of these lands are unknown to us by their present names. and even their. where abouts are uncertain, for few of us have been enabled to get our geography .tr ,;<xt.+ tt~ alr p a their work after the settlements at Yer sailles.
 In the above count of heads, about Np,- 00o refugee Russian children are includ- ed. Feeding Germany is being conducted by the American friends service commit tee, who are working in connection with the English Quakers. I put this in for two reasons-to let the public know that even the great heart of America is not closed against the little ones in the land where the Kaiser and the militarists of WilheImstrasse brought on the conflict which threw the world into living hell. Medical service and clothing are given to more than 3oo,oOo children in Serbia and other European countries where food Is not greatly required.
 Is it not a great thing that prosperous America, with it's free institutions, has been not only able but willing to es- tablish feeding stations in the track of the war to care for the tragically under- nourished children, helpless victims in a great tragedy of which they are inno- cont. Winter with it's icy fingers is clos ing down tight Economic and crop con- ditions are deplorable The health prob- lon1 is intensified by the low vitality Of the little ones who have simply had enough food to keep them alive and wholly insufficient to give them consti- tutions to stand against the climatic con ditions
 America boasts that it takes care of it's child life, and as a people we are keenly alert to the health. morals and education of our children. hail with de- l light every forward movement that looks | to the better care of the boys and girls who are to be the men and women Of | tOIuUITOW Dul DtSl ore we t<dih 6pout morals and education we are faced in Eu- rope with the physical fact of keeping great horties of children from dying for the lack of sufficient nourishment Food. Food! Foodl in the name of the blessed Christ is the cry from frantic mothers as they see their babes and children wasting away for bread
 
 l Drives. yes! We have had them galore, but the European council of relief has the right of way freely granted by. the other great Humanitarian organizations which are ready to stand aside and wait while the paramount job of saving hu- man lives is attended to. The eight big organizations were Eenerous enough to see that the first call on the pursestringa of America should be to satisfy the hun- and fro in the maelstrom of war and thrown out on the hillsides and valleys to die unless rescued.
 have been asked as to the religious cast of the cooperating agencies within the European council of relief, and am glad to state that denominationalisnr plays absolutely no part in the coiiec- ton or distribution of the funds Pro ltestant and Catholic Gentile and Jew are working hand in hand. and the only thought is to arrive at the best way tc make finished job of the truly mann moth task of putting bread into the mouths of little ones who cry night and day for succor. It's bigger than any creed
 The distribution of medical supplies anc
 the provision of medical and nursing service is carried out in the main by lthe American Red Cross The food sup plies are handled for the children in 17,Uu
 kitchens canteens. clinics, asylums anc hospitals. Be it known that every item lhas been carefully thought out and thu Iplan of handling the funds raised vii
 insure it's proper administration, both a. to the needs and the cost The relb
 work is divided into two parts: (l) Int
 of providing food and clothing, and c
 that of providing medical supplies an
 nursing aid.
 Thirty-three million dollars is hug
 sum. but there was no guesswork h making the budget Estimates from frs 1hand investigators were submitted ans carefully revised by experts, and tn. Ionly. thing about the millions asked f that the sum, was scaled down to tn l. 1.r-x --s