Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-14
BY ROGER BATCHELDER.

WASHINGTON Pa, July IA (N.AN.A)
There is spirit in the wives of the
striking soft-coal miners of Western
Pennsylvania, those toil-hardened wom-
en- who are mothers of the children for
whom Gov. Pinchot has appealed. say
ing starvation threatens the children
unless help is given.
They back their husbands staunchly
In the demands the men have made,
even though continuance Of conditions
now existing means a prolongtng Of
their hardships and of an utter lack Of
the things most women take as matter
Of course.
A new hat? Face POWDER The
movies?
The strikers wives laugh when such
luxuries are mentioned.
But" they say some day we are
going to get the things other women
have. And our men are going to stay
on strike even If We starve."
Starvation Threatens.
But not the children. They won't be
allowed actually to Starve as long as
there is the barest scrap to eat. They
are hungry. most of them, and starva-
ton NAV threaten them. but when there
is food to eat It is the children who are
considered first
Il got piece of meat in my dinner"
exclaimed a girl of 8.
Il don't want any meat" asserted
her older brother, stoutly
That's the way 1t goes. The little
children first. Whatever food there Is
goes to them. The older boys and girls
the father and mother, see to that.
The children are tractable There
seldom come the little signs of sulky
rebellion that form part of the normal
family's difficulties Youngsters will
sit stolidly on fence, watching a COW
grazing, never saying a word. They
run only when the police are recog-
nized They have no games, no books,
no toys
Studies Ants to Forget Hunger.
George Vischner was on his knees
beside a road near Cannonsburg watch
ing something. He looked up inquir-
questions. pointed solemnly to the
ground
Ants" he said I'm studying EN-.
There's nothing else to do. and 1t makes
you forget you're hungry"
He is boy Of IL, frail, and with
sad. intelligent face. His mental ma
turity and air of f1nality are astonish-
ing.
Eyes, there's been lots of trouble
around here" he said. And I guess
there may be some killings"
He paused to look at the busy crea-
lures that were working on their ant
hill
We got put out" he resumed but
Pop tried to straighten things out.
There's a farmer down the road with a
big barn and he let us have 1t for IS
a month if nobody smoked near the
hay. Well, every time one of our
neighbor5 was thrown out of his house
by the company he came down here.
Pop is worried. though. On Mon
day the SIS rent comes due, and the men
can't scrape it together. So guess
the farmer will put us out just as the
company did. But he gave us chicken
once, so perhaps he is nd-hearted."
Soup kitchens are running in most
communities and have relieved distress
somewhat. Children line up. some
times at dawn, waiting for the doors
to open.
Relief conditions vary At Cannons-
burg, for instance, grave-faced tots
waited for the doors to open at noon.
There had been no breakfast because
the supplies had not come from Pitts
burgh until we'll into the morning, and
there was this notice chalked on a
board. mo Coffee Today-Only Soup"
Line Up for Soup.
girls Strengthened into line. Some could
not wait until they had taken the lunch
pals home; they had a bowl OF soup
Immediately, with pieces of bread.
Others scurried down the street into
the valley, their pals steaming with the
one meal of the day. that was awaited
by from to 10 persons.
1t was not the watery soup OF the
city "breadlines," for it had a sub
stantial filler of vegetables. carrots, po-
tatoes and some indistinguishable In
gradients. 1t tasted fairly good, though
It would have disappointed one accus-
toned to three good meals day.
At noon the following day would
come the next meal. it was announced
The children were told to come prompt
" at IL for coffee and whatever else
might show up.
Even babies have coffee. and the
children think it great treat. Much
of it has the chicory taste OF the old
Army mess. But it keeps one going.
Two Meals Given.
Down at Buffalo mine things are i'm
proving Two meals went out yester-
day, and the second. from personal test
ing, was a good one. In the early
morning there had been coffee and
bread. and in borrowed wash boilers on
the stove was a treat that brought
languid children, whose eyes lost their
dullness for the moment after a glance
through the kitchen door.
The news had spread. and the men
were there. too, less interested, but
ready for something to eat. A hand
some German woman in the early thir-
ties was the cook. and her cheeks were
red. both from the heat of the stove
and pride in her masterpiece.
There was real meat in the stew,
and there were also creamed potatoes,
plenty of coffee and all the bread that
might be needed by the children. The
workers in the kitchen know approx
mately the number of children in each
of the families in the patch" and
give out the portions accordingly.
The German woman told the little
girls to have their mothers strain the
SOUP for babies in arms. and to eat, the
rest themselves. but as the next nour-
ishment was 16 hours away it Is doubt
full if directions we're followed.
Food Brings Happiness.
Tim, child of 10 who looks Is. had
q full stomach today. and was as happy
as any child in the mine area could be.
I'm glad there's a strike" he said.
1--WE don't have any money. but we're
doing fine with the food. When there
wasn't a strike I only got one meal
every day. and lately that wasn't very
good. But now. look at this. Did you
ever see food like that? And they tell
me there's plenty Of coffee for tomor-
row
MY father doesn't like the strike,
and he just hangs around all the time