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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1920)
ft THE OMAHA BEE. of ie ImoeeM ma Hie "J o - . . ' "Three and a half million children call to the heart ' and resources of America for these daily supplies, not available in their own countries, that are vital to their survival and to the rebuilding of their physical well be - x in", v , 1 "Our resources will be exhausted in January. . v v "We must not step aside and permit the spectre of death, in the form of hunger and cold to haunt these help less, ones this winter, yet we can not continue without help ; 'This is a charge on the American heat, and Amer ica cannot fail in her solicitude for these little ones. ' "Twenty-three million dollars must be raised with out delay, 'and remembering the new heart you put into the Commission for Relief in Belgium in the dark hours' , of 1916, 1 come to you again." (Signed) HERBERT HOOVER From a !ttr to Tl LiUftry Digwt. ' In immediate response the following editorial was publised in The Literary Digest of Oct. 30th: WHEN JESUS CHRIST CAMfi upon the earth, nearly two thousand years aga, to I save all mankind, his mere coming seemed to interfere with the material interests of a few people of tjiat period, notably King Herod, who promptly decided to dispose of this "inter loper," and sent forth his soldiers with orders to slay all the children of two years old and under. iThus was consummated the most atrocious crime against innocent childhood ever committed up to that time. It has come down to us through all the , ages in song and story, and masted painters have pictured it on marvelous canvases. Today passing in review, as we look out through the windows of our eomfortable homes in , this great and happy land, are three and a half millions of .helpless children, the innocent victims . , of the greatest war that has ever afflicted human ity. It matters not, as we gaze in the direction Of these children, that our eyes must stretch across three thousand miles of ocean, we still can see them and we still can Hear them, if we wish to do " so; and we can not help hearing the tragic appeal in their voices and seeing their tiny arms stretched out to us, and their searching eyes looking into our souls, as they say, "Help us, or we perish." And if we fail to listen to this great call of three and a half millions of God's Jielpless children; if we close our eyes and ears to this great demand of duty, we shall be just as guilty of the "slaughter of the innocents" as was Herod, nearly two thou sand years ago. v . - In these lands, swept by death and filled with tragedies too deep for tears, a sum of human suf fering is being written greater perhaps than for 'all ages gone by.; The mind grows numb and the heart sick from a constant recital of tales of such tragedy as it is difficult to believe the twentieth century could hold. And so, when we received a letter from Mr. Hoover felling us that America must not allow death in the form of hunger and cold to come to these 3,500,000 helpless children our soul was stirred and the hot blood surged up in our heart. jWe fe.lt it was our imperative duty to use all the power God has given us to aid this noble-hearted American in continuing the work of saving human lives to which he has devoted unsparingly, and at great personal sacrifice his tremendous energy , and administrative genius during the' past six years, 'in which time he and his American col leagues have administered two billions of dollars of relief funds from all parts of the world with a total overhead expense of only three-eighths of one per cent, with no remuneration to the Ameri- can directors. . Now he asks us all to help save the ,. children who are in imminent danger of starva- ? tion this coming winter. y. o There they are, in the midst of wrecked homes, and farms, ahd factories; in cities crowded with masses of refugees without sustaining food for children,' through the destruction of live stock; seeds for planting, raw materials, tools, and ma- -chinery gone; great areas with everything burned ' or looted, or smashed; vast unemployment for workers;. no means of subsistence; a land of economic" ruin, of mutilated life, and lingering death, and in the midst of it all the little children. , ; In long lines they ,are waiting at the American food-kitchens. Will the food be there for them?j Will they be turned away? There are no happy, healthy faces in those long lines not one. You have seen rags and barefooted children, but never so many 'little boys and girls .literally drest in tatters. Soon it will be very cold, and for those bare little feet and legs and arms there is nothing ' , at home to put on. .. ; - ' J Hollow faces "and shrunken bodies are so common that their real condition does not become A evident until we inquire nrore closely, and then we find that most of them are from one to five years , back in their growth. Children of eight years old have not reached the normal size of two and a half. They are just learning to stand alone. Others almost as old can not yet stand 0 their feet. Their arms, and legs, and spines, and chests are twisted and warped. The flesh and skin are shriveled on their bones. It is surprising that life can still exist there.' If they can have food they will gradually, regain their health and strength, but with most of , ,them it is a question of now or never. Starvation i and tuberculosis will1 not wait. v . . 1 v In Poland alone a million five hundred thou sand such children must be cared for. In Latvia' and Esthoniathe people are Hying mostly on a diet made from potato-flour, oat-flour, and saw; dust In Czecho-Slovakia, in Hungary in Aus- ' tria, and in ofher countries of central and south eastern Europe, two millions more are in dire need of food; and who stops to ask regarding creed, or race, or nationality when a little child is starv ing? Children are just children the world over, : and the great .American t heart is big enough to care for them all. . But the appeal now is not for all. The three and a half millions of children in immediate dan ger of starvation, if this organization fails, who must have food at once, are only a fraction of the total number. The hungry children of those destitute countries, have been examined by com-, petent physicians, and only those whose wasted little bodies are reduced to the minimum weight,, and whose endurance of hunger has reached the end which merges into actual starvation, are ad mitted to the American kitchens and given one. meal a day. It is hard to turn away thousands yof hungry boys and girls to hear them ask, plead ingly, "Do I weigh too niuch? "Am I not thin enough?" "Can't I come any more?" But this restricting of food to fiie extreme cases is com pulsory, because there isn't enough for all. And these neediest ones can not reach the kitchens. through the cold winds and the snow, barefooted and in the pitiful rags which form only ; a partial covering fori their bodies. They .must have clothes. Each outfitf consists of one pairjof warm woolen stockings, one pair of boots, and a little overcoat. .This one meal day, and these boots, stockings, and little coats can be supplied only, if we give them. If we do not, the slaughter . of the innocents by cold and starvation will be appalling. v v Among the more than two million men and women who will read this page there is not one there can not be a single one whose heart will 1 not respond gladly and eagerly to the challenge of this great need. We are asked, you with us, to co-operate with Mr. Hoover in raising twenty three million dollars to feed and clothe these chil- - , dren.and save them from death this winter. It canbedone.- It shall be done! THE LITERARY DIGEST knows its readers and the deep earnest ness, the quick sympathy, the great-hearted gen- ( , erosity'they always show-when any reaLhuman need calls to them. You have never been called upon in vain. We are counting on you now with a .great confidence. We know, also, how truly, you represent the American spirit, which beats in the hearts of a hundred and three millions more in this big land of plenty, a spirit which leaps -reacly at every such call, and is never weary in well-doing. We are not a hermit nation; isolated : from the world, when suffering and want cry out to us from anywhere under the sun. A greatia beautiful, and heart-sustaining hope supports ; ; these stricken people America will come to their relief. For in the far places of the earth, where famine stalks, one name and one alone is synony mous with rescue and hope and that name is America. . K The small individual unit of ten dollars will provide the coat and boots and stockings and one meal a day for one child this winter.- We urge our readers we urge every one whose eyes are on these words to give quickly as many of these units as possible, TO BUY FOR THEMSELVES THAT PRECIOUS AND PRICELESS THING, THE LtfE OF A LITTLE CHILD as many of them as they can, and every one will be a shining star in an eternal crown. It was the Divine Love of little children, wfnTcame to earth as a little v child, and who reigns now as the King of Glory, who said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one I of the least of these, ye have done it unto me." He .does not forget, nor fail to reward. v, ,So deeply do we ourselves feel the urgency of ,tnis great need, knowing alLthe facts, that we should feel a heavy, burden of guilt if we did not go beyond, anything we have felt possible hereto fore in order to save these innocent children from suffering and death. Therefore, THE LIT ERARY DIGEST will start this fund with the sum of $25,000 to feed and clothe twenty-five hundred V little boys and girls this winter; What an inspira tion it will be to all of usr-what an inspiration and example to many thousands who may be un- , certain how much to give if in the very first week there shall be a great shower of checks for $1,000, for $5,00Q, for $10,000, as well as a deluge of smaller amounts, to send the fund rolling on toward the necessary twenty-three millions. Let us all see again what the father's heart is like in this great rich land of America. Let ust have again a wondrous revelation of the heart of . American motherhood. Let us have a great out pouring of love and helpfulness in the name of Him who said, "Feed my lambs" President-Elect Harding, in a Great-Hearted Response, Sets an Example for all Americans In the midst of the flood of telegrams, telephone calls, and election returns pouring in upon him from every part of the United States, Mr. Harding turned from it alLto write and dispatch the following telegram from his home: ' :- ' , v . THE LITERARY DIGEST, NEW YORK CITY:- Marion, Ohio, November 4, 1920. I have just read your splendid appeal to the people of America in behalf of three and a.half millions of unfortunate chifdren in Central and Southeastern Europe who are the helpless victims of the Great War.- Because such a movement for relief reveals the true heart of America, because it bespeaks an American desire to play a great people's part in relieving and restoring God"s own children, I want to commend and support ydur noble undertaking. In seeking God's blessing for ourselves I am sure He will bless us the more abundantly if we share our good fortune in acts of sympathy 'and human fellowship. I wish you a success which will reveal anew the unselfishness of our great people. ' I am forwarding you my check for two thousand five hundred dollars by mail today, ' . - (Signed) .WARREN G. HARDING. V Make all checks payable to 'The Literary Digest Child-Saving Fund" and mail them direct to The Literary Digest. Every remittance will be acknowledged, and the Literary Digest will be responsible for every dollar contributed, to see that it goes, without one penny deducted, to the purpose for which it is given. . Address, Child-Feeding, THE LITERARY DIGEST, 354-360 Fourth Avenue, New York.
