New Britain Herald Newspaper, February 6, 1915, Page 9

Photo No. 2 copyright American Press Association; others photo by American Press Association. 1—German soldiers distributing ra- tions to starving Belgians in Brus- Jsels. 2.—Miss Anne Morgan (left) and Mrs. John Jacob Astor preparing packages for French soldiers. 3.— First batch of destitute Belgians to arrive in this country, where they will take up farming. 4.—Arrival of Christmas relicf ship Jason in Eng- land. 5—German soldier sharing meal with Belgian child. 6.—Barge set aside by French government to house homeless Belgians. HOUGH there have been and still are pressing demands upon its generous purse with- in its own borders, the United States and its posscssions have within a period of a few months contributed approximately $20,000,000 to nurse the wounded, comfort the dying, feed starving Belgium, succor widows and children—in a word, relieve distress wherever found in the warring nations of Europe—and the country is still con- tributing at the rate of $500,000 a month in cash, food, clothing, hospital ships, equipment, etc. The total does not include reports concerning individual gifts of Germans, Hungarians, Belgians, French, Aus- trians and Russians to relatives and friends. In nine out of ten reports from correspondents, especially those in far western towns, it is noted that families have drawn large sums from savings banks to provide for relatives whose breadwinners had answered the summons of their respective countries. It does include statements from cor- respondents showing that scores of cities and towns began sending gen- erous gifts to Belgium, France, Ger- many and to Jewish relief bodies throughout Europé prior to and for some time after the formation of cen- tral organizations or clearing bodies with headquarters in New York, the funds being distributed by denomina- tional missionary bodies and fraternal organizations. The total of relief in cash and other gifts from these sources seems to be close to $1,250,000. | $225,000; NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 19I5 Some of the totals by states are (in every instance the total includes all known sources, also food and cash do- natior New York, approximately, 2,225,000; Pennsylvania, $850,000; Ohio, $1,000,000; Maryland, $100,000; Missouri, $225,000; Illinois, $515,000; California, $500,000; Kansas, $750,000; North Carolina, $25,000; Tennessee, $80,000; Jowa, $200,000; Louisiana, $30, 000; North Dakota, $25,000; Minnesota, $134,000; Montana, $15,000; Missouri, West Virginia, $50,000; Con- Maine, $25,000; Wis- Delaware, $40,000; Colorado, $75,000; Utah, $10,00 Ne- braska, $100,000; Indiana, $40,000; South Carolina, $5,000; Vermont, $10 000; Idaho, $15,000; Rhode Island, $15, 000; Virginia, $50,000; Washington, necticut, $65,000; consin, $150,000; $2 sh (approximately), $7,000; Texas, $110,000; Mississippl. $3,000; South Da- kota (approximately), $8,000. Germans everywhere rallied to call of the fatherland for relief. In New York state the total raised, in- cluding the great charity bazaar, prob- ably was over a million. The bazaar brought $323,000. In cities like Cin- cinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Phila- delphia and Omaha the German fund got big contributions from veteran as- sociations and religious and social bodies. Similarly the Poles, Austrians and Hungarians in far western towns brought the national total to a re- spectable amount. The work of relief began shortly aft- SZ‘OO: Wyoming, $15,000; New Hamp- | the er the war. The national Red Cro: which 15 the omcial relief organization of the United States, was the first in the field. A meeting of the interna- tional war relief boards of the society was called at Washington shortly after the war began. Congress responded to the call of the sogiety, and soon a converted Hamburg-American liner, under the name of the Red Cross, was on its way to Europe with 156 surgeons and nur: ) large quantities of hospital supplies. As the days passed and it seemed that relief would be needed on all sides relief organizations came into be- ing. It was not long until the little kingdom of Belglum, being ripped open at all points, aroused the sympathy of | millions behind it, could hope to bring |tion the world. In New York the first to open a fund for cash subscriptions was committee, which with headquar- the Belgian relief was organized Sept. 5, ters at 10 Bridge street. While this or- | ganization was raising a cash fund it [became apparent that money was not to be the real need of the Belgians | Early in October all Belgium sent a piteous cry for food. Small ments began to pour from ( Britaln out ship- | eat th comprising the American, Spanigh and | rtaltan Belgian cominittees began a systematic effort to get food into the country. Still the cry was “Food!”™ Only a A central body known as the | Dec surgical equipments and|commission for relief in Belgium and |donated by the Belgh the Belgian fund gre Acting promptly on Ambassador Page, foundation inaugurat tical effort to carry i starving Belgium, Mr. Rockefeller, in & announced the appol mission, headed by W go to Belgium and st at first hand, supplen | by chartering the ste: | which sailed from Ne carrying 4.000 tons of cluding 28500 barrel packets (100 pounds bags (200 pounds ead 1,000 boxes (100 pound | This ship and its cm Then went out the 4, with 2,500 td committea of M on Dec. 12, with 5,800 tirely by the founda |the Ferrona. chartered | ston for reliet in [the great body, with ships and docks and [with wheat contribut ‘e\'?n temporary rellef. There seemed to be plenty of cash coming in, and " & Recall ¥ Abraham Lincoin, log cabin ITH the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, on eb. 12, there are recall- ed anecdotes of the martyr president. lnclqentally on April 14 next it w tyred president died. 5 as- fter just fifty years since Lincoln wu sassinated. He died on the day | the fatal shot was fired by John s | Booth in the ¥erd theater, Washing- ton. The president’s last days were ill be full of historic incidents. Last Days of Lincoln & where he was born, memorial at Washington aind house in Washington where mar- From Lincoln’s lips the words that ‘oran came were these: “The common | People.” To those who lived with h and talked with him, especially during the civil war, it seemed as if he could never ceasa thinking of jhose who were just human beings, unlettered, unknown, inglorious. A congressman frébm a western district approached him during his term as president and apolo- gized for presenting a petition from his constituents because they were very common people. “Well,” said Lincoln pleasantly, “God must love the common people, he's made so many of 'em.” Former Senator Chauncey M. of New York relates a story President Lincoln, says Harper's Weekly. It was apropos of the demand for an immediate strengthening of the United States navy. “I remember,” said the New York millionaire on the floor of the senate, “being in the executive mansion at one time and in Mr. Lincoln’s office when a telegram was handed to him which gave the information that a brigadier general, through foolishness of an ex- treme sort, had been captured down in Virginia. In his command was a long train of pack wagons and mules. Mr. Lincoln read the dispatch; then he took up his pen and said: “‘With that pen I can make a briga- dier general in a minute, but I cannot replace those mules!' " There is a citizen of Cleveland who can add a very pleasant story to the volume of Lincolniana. He, with his four brothers, all young men, was in the Federal army during the war, and one of the brothers, nineteen years old, after a particularly fierce campaign, |found himself in a Washington mili- | tary haspital. | His mother came from Cleveland to do what she could to aid him. He passed the crisis of his illness safely, and when he was well enough to moved the mother went to the White House to ask his discharge from the (army. She had no letters of introduc- tion, but her simple story was enough. She saw the president, and in his kindly way he questioned her. She told the story of her five soldier bo: and when she had finished he stepped to his desk and wrote an order for the young man’'s discharge. “Take that, madam,” he said, get your boy. Then bring him here. want to talk with him.” B He gave an order to a secretary, the president’s carriage was brought round, and the mother rode away to the hospital. Then she and the con- valescent youth rode back to the White House, where they dined. Later on the president handed the mother two rail- road tickets to Cleveland and a docu- ment setting forth that it was his (the president’s) wish that the young man should be given a position in the gov- ernment service whenever he de- sired it. For nearly a third of a century that wartime stripling held an excellent office the treasury department at Depew “and 1 in Washington. WALTON WILLIAMS. about | be | Up to the pres expenditures of the Belgian relief have b #& St. Valentine’s Day Waning HE St. Valentine's day, Feb. 14, are waning. Only the memory of its romance remains. cording to the once popular belief. was the universal mating time, veloped. day drawing lots for valentines. as slips of paper, threw common receptacle and then from another. The drawing then went on, the one person’s valentine. Frequently imaginary engagement, thus begun in the playfulness of a holiday gathering, changed later to a real one This is not to be wondered at when it is re- membered that the knight was bound by the rules of St. Valentine's day name had been drawn by whole year, or until the following 14th of February, when a lots would and bind him to another. The custom, which extended all through the countries of Kurope, from the common people to the courtiers, broadened until the valentine game came to be played by married as well as single players, and in addition to be- ing bound to run errands for and wait on the lady whose name was written on the glip drawn from the lottery box the knight was expected to make her a present. Just when the valentine custom fell from grace is not known, but the present day practice of playing pranks with the self esteem of an ac- quaintance by sending him or her a wicked caricature of a human being with verses that are supposed to make the connection between the person re- ceiving the valentine and the picture at once apparent is of comparatively recent origiii. A percentage of the valentines sent out nowadays are of the sentimental order, but the fact cannot be gain- sald that every year sees St. Valentine retrogading further from the romantic position he once occupied. But as far as stated no saint should be in any way saddled with the re- sponsibility for all the pictorial and al- leged poetical tomfoolery that flies around on his day. It seems that an accident not kipd to the saints mixed poetry and sentiment of It was the mating time for the birds, ac- It ac- | cording to the popular idea further de- The earliest stages of the de- | velopment of this interesting coupling of Cupid’s name with the custom of the is many centuries old. The custom prevailed in various parts of Europe of A number embled,wrote one another’s names on | the slips into a drew them, the men the women's slips from one lottery box, the women the men's who drew a certain slip becoming that the to wait hand and foot on the lady whose him in the lottery and be her devoted slave for a new drawing of ree him from one service Il quickly ey them up with the valentine custom No saint had any connection with the 14th of February usage, according to those who have been anxious enough about the reputation of the church to investigate the matter closely. It is likely that the custom of send- nature that existed rope. that to us this “About legendary lore has handed passage: this time of the year the probably eame the custom of young your htart, and find whery its aid %’mufln.' men and maidens ch or special loving frie The custom is dyin toms will when they |rnman|1r to the fooli stage. The malls are the additional misst ing valentines on one day of the year |existence to the val is a queer survival of the religion of |the time honored and in primitive Bu- | It would seem 8o, from the fact |the letter carrier in down | staggering beneath i of the professional hu Toad of St longer be Val cal huge can no birds choose their mates, and thence | with absolute confided|