AIDING FRANCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 274, 13 August 1920, Page 8

AIDING FRANCE

TOMS BEING "ADOPTED" BAPAUME SUGGESTED FOR

NEW ZEALAND

To aid Franco in restoring her devastated regions, war-shattered towns are 'being "iidopted" by cities more fortunately .circumstanced. There are 140 such towns requiring assistance, and in June only about a dozen had found godmothers. Manchester has adopted Mczicres, Melbourne has takon VillersBretanneux, and Marseilles Arras. In a letter lo TnE Dominion, written from London, under date of June 17, Miss Bttio Rout suggest? tliat New Zealand might adopt. Bapaume. Beforo tho war this was a, comfortable littlo town of about 3000 inhabitants, but the heavy lighting around it 16ft it a mere wre'sk. Miss Rout writesi To most colonials the war ended in November, 1918. Aftw that came a waiting-time—then demobilisation—and finish! Beyond (his thenwere only memories—exciting, glad, horrifying, grief-stricken: then tho minglwl hope and bewilderment of recommencing our national'life—without the war! In mind and body wo have all suffered —and developed. But the wounds ol France still bleed, whilst ours arc already healing fast. You see, when wme of your houses have been smnßhed to matchwood, none of your smooth farmlands pitted with shell-holes, none of your orchards wantonly chopped down, none of your gardens saturated with poisongas, none of youF bridges blown up. none of your faptories destroyed, none of your public sorvicesjgas, water, drainage, railways) become a lucre, waste ol broken pipes and rails—it is so very, very hard to realise just what "beginning again" means. , In France it is different/ No matter 1 how old or weak or poor jfou may be, you must struggle on. I watched tno "pioneers" at work near Villors-Breton-neiix.one. day last winter. One was an old, old man, his white locks waring in the wind, and the other a little girl of twelve. She. was gathering up broken bricks and wheeling thcni to hiin in a crazy handcart, and he was trying to build them up on the ruins of their own cottage. The rest of the family were dead. No folks have ever had to "maka a start" under those conditions— not in any .part of the New World. And it is not only individual hnma« beings who have ten orphaned—even the cities are orphans, too. Those who should be city fathers and city mothers have passed 1 on. .But wo remain, as trustees for the dead and guardians of the living at the least. Only as we fulfil these duties can we look forward to tho future clear-eyed and unashamed. All over England, America, Australia, different French towns are being "adopted." Villci's-Bretomieux is now tho special care of Melbourne, ana'.message* of gratitude and thanks have been sent, but this'private letter from'a French mother must.be quoted in full hern "Dear Miss Eoiit,—l beg you to send our thanks to the people of Melbourne-, whose gifts have overwhelmed us, and at tho same time to. tell tho dear mothers of Australia that we share in their troubles, and that our children will'always respect the graves of those heroes who came from so far to defend us! Yes, our children will thi» summer—the same as last summer—search tho forests and tho tiemVfor flowers to cover the graves of their big brothers-they look upon them as such! Accept, dear Miss Bout, our most sincere greetings and thanks. A special effort is being made in Loudon this month, and there is to' be a meeting at the Mansion House, presided over by the Lord Mayor of London, the provincial cities and boroughs have been invited to send representatives, and different speakers familiar with the devastated areas will be present. In describing the plan on Juno 9, the Loudon "Times" said:—

"What is immediately required is a reasonable sum of money to provide, it may be, a hospital or a school-house, or to remake a road, so that traffic may be restored in a district blasted .by gunfire; In some villages the most urgent need is the sinking of wells to provide a water supply 1 . "The total number of villages and towns that it is sought to help is Ufl, but fewer than a dozen places have been 'adopted' up to the present. .Marseilles is helping Arras with a contribution of a million francs. Manchester 'has agreed to act as godmother to Mezi'eres. Kojzy has been adopted by the French colony in London, and the village of Balliar is being helped by the London suburb of the same name. Albert is provided for, and so aro Seraincourt, Poilcourt, St. Keniy-le-Petit, and one or two i more hamlets. What is to 'happen to the rest?",

Tho lack, of a water supply is perhaps the greatest need of all. Recently in visiting different cemeteries I passed through scores of ruined villages, and wherever one goes there is the same pitiful sight—old women, young women, tired women, 6ick women, carrying water; hlways, carrying, carrying, carrying, This week one of the London -papers published the following letter from Comille Delacre—a priest (now Dean 'of Ypres) regardins (he 'homeless fnnwlies of Belgium :—"Their sult'erings are indeed worthy of pity. Often my powerlcssness to help them wrings my heart. Can you not do something in their behaTT, particularly for the children, the little orphans of tho Ypres salient, whom 1 have gathered together, and whom -we are feeding and teaching in our ecifooi colony of Ypres? - AVe Save so many Ypres orphans, poor little victims of. the war, in the two orphanages. . . . These have become a burden too heavy' for my poor old shoulders!" ' .

It is expected that substantial 'help for Ypres will soon be available, here. But ¥pres is not the only town needing linlp. "What is to happen to the rest?" Cannot New Zealand adopt Bapnumo. as Melbourne city has adopted Villers-Urp-tonnonx? The need of Bapaume is almost Overwhelming. Not tho only town and village with which Now Zealand will ever associate. meniorTes of grief and glory, but, a choice must Tie made i and how could a better- choice be nWe than— Bapaume!

Again to-day there are-long newspaper references lo the "British ' League of Help" for Devastated France, and a ■provisional Committee has been set up, -with Viscount Burrihaw at the head. _ "It is not suggested," says the "Moraine. Post," "that British charity shall take the responsibility of reparation winch has been accepted by the German Government, but State reparation needs time.-and meanwhile there are thousands 6f families without homes, furniture, clothing, or any of the amenities of civilised life. Tho League of Help was noble work to do: to clothe the children, to put a table and sonic chairs in (he makeshift homes, and supply a few vegetables nnd (lowers for the ruined garden* gifts to the adopted communities will bo made mainly in kind, and secoiid-hnnd and surplus goods, furniture, clothing, seeds, machinery, stock, and the like, will be most precious to the French peasant." New Zealand cannot, of courspj send large and bulky articles, but there is hardly a home in New Zealand which could not spare at least one pair of sheels and pillowcases; any household and veronal linen, any woollen stuff? for clothing nnd bedding; and, above all, anv farm and garden seeds—all thesn would lie precious gifts, and surely from our abundance we can spare for those who have suffered infinitely more than ourselves. I write this appeal especially to the women of Now Zenland. because it is from women's hearts that streams of lender, anxious, sure, nnd loving sympathy flow mast readily towards the women and children of tho war-stricken homes. Tho loss of.comfort and grace in a home means so much to most women. Won't you show the women of Bapnume, struggling to rebuild the homes our men saved for them, that the New Zealand women are just as kind in peace as the New Zealand men are brave in battle? Godmothers don't really need to be rich: so long as they arc—just kind!