The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-27
PRIZE of 40, 900 francs for ''the

A PRIZE of 40,0O0 francs for "the "A best mother in France" recent
 Iy was awarded by popular vote. Twenty other somewhat less imposing but still substantial prizes were awarded in the same manner to 20 other mothers, representing all classes of society and all sections of France, and nearly 200 relatively slight rewards for enlightened and consecrated motherhood were dis tributed in accordance with the verdict of a committee presided over by the novelist, Rene Bazin, writes Alvan N. Sanb0rn in the Boston Transcript.
 The purpose of the novel voting con test styled "Les Mamans de France" is to reveal and recompense obscure merit and to combat race suicide by giving direct practical assistance to the moth CTS of large families.
 It illustrates the energy and resource fulness of the typical French woman, who is a particularly capable specimen of femininity and it demonstrates afresh that the rearing of children still is the raison d'etre of the normal woman. It shows further that material difficulties are not an insuperable obstacle in the way of bringing up properly family of children and that even the most un- fortunate mothers may save the little ones who would seem to be predestined to physical and moral degradation.
 The Solder Boys Mother
 The winner of the 4O,O00 franc grand prize in Mime. Paul Henry of Menil-sur- Belvitte, Vosgian village northeast of Epinal, who was devoted maman not only to her own big brood but lot of wounded French soldiers for whom, in the midst of a terrific bombardment, she impr0vised an ambulance. She proved herself capable business woman after the death of her husband from an illness contracted in his country's serv- ice.
 Furthermore, Mime Henry is as mod est as she is brave and big-hearted. Witness this extract from letter she wrote me in response to request for a family photograph:
 ''The papers have given me altogether too much praise. 1 am just the simplest sort of . woman, who loves her children with all her heart and whose affection is amply reciprocated. In 1914. I did noth- ing more than my duty. I merely tried to replace for the poor wounded soldiers the absent mamans whom they called with tender. heartrendering cries and whom many of them were never to see again" When Paul Henry was called to the colOrs in the first days of August, 1914, he heft Mime. Henry, who was then 35, with six children of ages ranging from to 13, and on the point of becoming again a mother. The husband and father was the owner of a sawmill and the superintendent of a small starch factory (three buildings on a hillside just outside the yillage) and he was the more disturbed by the separation from his family and his belongings that Menil, being close to the then German frontier, was menaced by the first shock of the invader. At the moment of his departure, sentinels were mounting guard in the thick evergreen forests in which the town nestles.
 A fortnight later, August 20, the situation became alarming. The sound of battle was distinctly audible and the signs of the advance of the enemy became more and more numerous. The majority of the inhabitants left, and Mme. Henry, had she seen her way clear to doing so, would have followed their example. As it was, sustained by a staunch belief that God would some how protect her she awaited the onset with close approach to equanimity.
 
 possible to flee. How could I with my six children? Besides, I had no money, and was dismayed at the appalling possibility of giving birth to my child on the highroad. By way of precau- tion, installed myself with my six lit- tie. ones in the cellar, and there some thirty of the inhabitants of the village joined us, feeling securer than in the village proper.
 Five days later, the Germans bom- barded the village. It was frightful. The ground was covered with bleeding soldiers, the greater part inert, and 1 overheard a captain say to his men, Its impossible to pick up the wound ed now, we'll attend to that later.' It was pitiful." .a rI went to a general standing on the roadside near cannon, which was fir ing necessarily, and asked and easily Obthined his permission to. install an ambulanee in my house. With a piece of white linen and two strips of red cloth l made a Red Cross flag and nailed it over the door, and then, with the help of some of those who had sought shelter with me gathered in the poor fellows, many of whom were moaning piteously. have the flag still and shall always keep it as a souvenir.
 Toward the end of the day, fancied myself the victim of a Authorization. The sheayes in neighboring oat field seemed Obe walking And-they really were walking. The Germans were hid den beneath them and were approach ing the village under their protection.
 When I realized what this meant, I said to my wounded boys--and there were nearly two hundred of them, for they were everywhere from cellar to garret-aThe Germans are coming. All those of you who are able to move must leave at once. will lead you by a path l know to the Saint Benoit forest and once there you can easily rejoin your own army They obeyed me to the letter. More than one hundred and fifty, whom we had bandaged and re- lieved, followed me to a point behind the slope, and have always believed that they succeeded in finding the for nations of the rear. Immediately aft CT, the Germans entered the village and occupied the first houses; but the French continued to hold the others, and for two days more the battle ragged"
 A shell demolished the door of the ambulance, and Mime. Henry, who still had fOrty-eight badly wounded men un- der her care, was wounded in the head as she stepped outside to empty a pail of water.
 The Germans remained at Menil until September 12, when the French troops returned. and Mime. Henry turned over to the sanitary service her improvised hospital and it's patients.