The Denver Jewish news., 1924-08-21

Paris. Perhaps you know Of a room?
We can't stop here any longer. It's a
madhousc."
as it really so bad herc?" asked
her. How about food? And how do
they treat the peoplc?" "Who said
that it's bad in here" she asked.
"They treat US very well indeed. But
you see, It is very close in here, and
crowded, and everybody is angry,
everybody is full of his own worries
and troubles. Even If it were the pal
ace of the king, and you put fifty peo-
pie into one room, with children at the
breast and children of about eight
years of age and girls and young men
altogether and old men and old wom-
en-, do you think it would be very
happy sort of life, or that things
would be very clean or quiet? Take
food, for example. OF course, it isn't
as we would have it at home. But
how you expect things here to be as
they are at homer" Remember that
people come without penny in their
pockets, that they know nobody in the
whole country, and they are received
here without a word, and it doesn't
matter how big the family is. That
woman in the corner, for instance, she
has got eight children. The youngest
is eight months old. And we get n
plate of soup and a second plate if we
want it, and vegetables and a loaf of
bread. Not very dainty fare, but one
can't starve on it. And there is a
place to sit in all day long, out of the
wet and cold. Is it right to complain:
And in the morning we get tea, with
two pieces of sugar, and slice of
bread, and in the evening we get sup
per. People must be mad to say that
it isn't good. Some stop here for one
week, and two weeks, and month and
longer still. 1t is blessing. Only
you mustn't blame them, the poor peo-
PIE who came here. They have been
tossed about so much and they are
weary. You know that whatever you
do to sick man hurts him. Perhaps
you know of room to let for u.s."
i told her that did not know of any
rooms. eyes, l know it is difficult"
she said, shaking her head under
standing!y. "But things will improve.
Never mind. Meanwhile we have a
place where we can stop, haven't
WEI"
looked round at the room. 1t GER
tainly was more pleasant than the
first. But it was filthy. The floor,
ing could not be seen through the
layer of dirt. Crumbled up bits of
paper, cigarette-ends, boxes and other
litter lay about. A stove was burn
ing in the corner. Women with in
fants at their breasts were sitting
round the stove. 1t was just before
dinnertime. They were all waiting
for the bell to call them down into the
dining room. Some of the people were
sitting on the tables, because there
were not enough chairs to go round.
Two boys were sitting in corner
writing from II woman's dictation.
There was a pile of books near her.
Little children were crying, there was
buzze of talk. | went up to the
woman who was debating and list
ened.. "The children are doing their
lessons?" l asked. ayes, she replied,
81 am helping them" Doesn't the
noise affect you" l asked. "They are
used to it by now and don't mind"
she answered. 81 am glad enough to
have place in which | can work with
them. This is my youngest child" she
went on, pointing to beautiful little
girl of about four" an the morn
ings, ! take her to school. The boys,
too, go to school,"
"How did you come here?" l asked
her. "You are French?" "No," she
answered, and her eyes filled with
tears. 81 am a Jewess. | know a lit
tie French and l know Russian and
Turkish as well. / came from Smy-
rna, where lived for thirteen years.
My husband was bank manager
there. We were well-to-do. Misfor-
tune came upon US overnight when the
Turks set fire to the town and drove
the whole Greek population to the sea.
In one night we were reduced to beg
gary. All that was written in the
newspapers of what happened at
Smyrna is not fraction of the whole
truth. l lost my children several
times, lost trace of my husband. We
all went nearly mad. On all sides was
the great fire, and shooting, and mas
sacre and looting. How we managed
to get away alive l don't know to the
dnu The Er,,,I, ,.,,,ol SO 4