The Washington times., 1924-03-22
JEAN ELIOT'S GOSSIP OF SOCIETY
Welfare Worker Is
Entertained
Here

1uS COu 10 stay WITH MIS- d. bOT"
den Hartman, Is one Of the fore.
most figures in child welfare work
in France and her visit is of
special interest here as she is at
the head OF the work founded
and supported by Americans at
the birthplace Of Lafayette in
France. This includes the main.
tenance Of a, home for Frances
war orphans, started at the time
Of greatest need during the war
and perpetuated as a memorial
to Lafayette and to the American
and allied heroes who died in the
war.
1t is under the auspices Of the
Lafayette Memorial, Inc, that
Madame LIE Verrier comes Here to
tell Americans what has been
done with the money they have
given for the protection and fine
development Of Frances war or.
phan's. She is appearing in
Washington under the auspices of
O committee Of which Mrs. Harri.
man Is chairman. The story Of
their rescue and the subsequent
care; of them forms one Of the
most thrilling and romantic chap
1ters Of the war and the years
that have passed since then.
TIME birthplace Of Lafayette is
i the little village Of Chavaniac
in the Auvergne. The chateau
where he was born and grew to
manhood was purchased by. Amer
leans during the war with the
idea of making it a memorial
museum. Then the desperate
necessity Of shelter and care for
the orphans of the invaded regions
open the old chateau as haven
OF refuge for Frances little
martyrs.
Madame LeVerrier consented to
take charge Of the emergency
orphanage at the Lafayette
chateau. She was joined in the
work by Miss Clara Perry, an
American girl serving as an am
bulance driver with the French
army. They arrived at Chavaniac
to find the centuries-old chateau
not only unfit for human habita.
ton, but difficult of approach
because of over-growing weeds
and the accumulated rubbish of
years.
Together they set to work to
clean up the place, but soon
found the task beyond them. In
desperation, they appealed to Of
ficers of the A. E. F., stationed
at Clermont-Ferrand near Cha
Vaniac.
Lieut.. Col. Granville Sewer, of
the 55th Regiment United States
Coast Artillery Corps, became
their champion. He. asked for
fifty volunteers to go to Cha
vaniac and help fix up the place
. and 800 officers and men re.
sponded.
For several months these Ameri.
can soldiers worked at Chavaniac.
They dug drainage bitches, did
carpentering, plumbing, and in
able. More than this; they d.
Vided their rations with the chill
dren, for food was scarce then
and many Of the orphans ar.
rived at the place in a half
starved condition.
NEVER since its inception has
AN the work been allowed to
cease or even falter. Today this
Lafayette domain stands as one
Of the most beautiful places and
valuable institutions for child
welfare in France. It now in
cludes the chateau where La
Fayette was born, fully restored
but with it's original appearance
preserved; a school and orphanage
where the children are educated in
the best of French and American
methods, and nearby Fairgrounds
where they engage in baseball,
boxing and other sports and ath-
letics, and an efficient proven
torium where sickly, delicate chill
dren and those predisposed to
tuberculosis are taken and given
back their health and strength.
The boys at the school speak
both French and English. They
have their Boy Scout section
known as the Lafayette troop.
They follow the program Of the
Boy Scouts Of America, both for
the Scouts themselves and for the
younger boys not yet eligible to
become Scouts. Graduates from
the school later on will come to
the United States where each will
receive a three-year course Of
training in great industries, such
as steel, electricity, banking, ship
building, insurance, etc. They are
then pledged to return to their
native France, there to utilize
the benefits of the knowledge
they have acquired.
VNHE Chavaniac Chateau itself,
Il now restored and well ap-
pointed. while used at present as
a dorrnitory for the boys, will
eventually be converted into a
Memorial Museum. Already 1t 10
assuming these proportions. La
Fayette's own chamber with all
the original furniture is now
intact. Several rooms are de-
voted to relics and souvenirs of
historic interest. These include
Washington's duelling pistols
which he presented to La
Fayette: the snuff box presented
to TIA Fayette by the city of New
York; a ring worn by Benjamin
Franklin; the uniform worn by
Marshal Joffre, and numerous
other articles. A campaign is
now being conducted in France
and this country for any and all
relics of wars Of liberty in which
the two countries participated.
The plan OF acquiring, restor.
ing and developing La Fayctte's
birthplace to its present degree
of utility, was originated by Mrs.
VIM. Aston Chanler, John Moffat,
c. B. E., who was prominent in
American relief work during the
war, and Madame LeVerrier.
Prominent men and women both
Of France and America, however,
quickly became associated with
them. The Honorary President