The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-03-24
ACTIVITIES OF FRIENDS
COMMITTEEINMINEREG
Organization Contributes Relief
Work In Local Community
By Lucy Meacham Thruston,
American Friends Service Committee

Did you ever run across that poem
of John Oxenham's beginning,
The hearths are cold and the cup
boards bare
And the hearts of the old folks are
heavy with care
Down there in the grim black coal
lands?
Oxenham was writing of the coal
lands of Wales, but the words are
equally appropriate to the soft coal
regions of the United States, and the
words of the second verse seem even
more so:
And the children are scantily clothed
and fed,
They are wanting boots and wanting
bread,
Down there in the grim, black coal
lands.
Neighborhood, local and state COM
munities began relief work more than
two years ago, the Red Cross aided
districts in which mines were closing
and suffering great, but it was not
until the fall of 1881 that organized
relief work was begun among the des-
titute miners in thirty-one counties
of seven states. 1t was then under
taken by the American Friends Ser
vice Committee which was requested
to administer relief in these regions,
since its work in this line in Europe
during and Immediately after the
World War was we'll known. The A.
F. S. C. began work early in Septem-
Der. A thorough survey was the first
step. 1t was seen that quick and ac-
tual feeding must at once be started
or else thousands up in the coal val
leys and about the closed and de-
serted mines would starve. Twenty
four thousand school children are now
being fed, 1914 pre-school children
and expectant mothers, and there is
prospect of adding five more counties
in the immediate future to those now
receiving aid.
About At workers, mostly volun-
teers, are engaged in the work. One
of these was in relief work in Rus
STA and she declares she has seen no
greater want and suffering in Mos
cow than in these coal valleys. Also
she states that she has seen women
buying frocks in the exclusive shops
of Paris, but she has seen none of
them manifest more joy than over the
old clothes sent out to be distributed.
Tons of clothing have been baled and
sent out to the distributing points,
and clothes or gifts sent to the Am
erican Friends Service Committee, 20
S. Twelfth street, Philadelphia, Pa,
are promptly sent to the places where
help is most needed.
A sum from the American Relief
made the beginning of the work pos
sible. Since then sums have been re-
ceived from other sources and more,
HluCH IIlOIG-1OOu, ClOCIICo1 AlOliCJ 10
needed. But the especially encourag-
ing feature is the manner in which
firms and factories have given of their
wares. Oregon sent carload of
prunes; 200 cases of milk have been
donated by the Carnation Milk Com
pany; 100 cases from Defiance Milk
Co.; % from Nestle's Milk products;
5 carloads of milk from Pet Milk Co.;
900 pounds of crackers from Loose
Wiles Co.; 500 pounds of chocolate
from Whitman Co.; 100 gallons of cod
liver oil (much needed) from Mead
Johnson Co., while President Hoover
has recently sent his check for $1,000.
At present, state the field notes, in
every district there are many schools
closing for the year, but the children
remain just as needy as ever, so ar
engagements have to be made for