Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/156

 we read in the annual report of the “Czech Heart” that on a certain day a village in Moravia sent 3 loaves of bread and 6 pounds of peas, another village 20 eggs, a larger and richer town sent 60 loaves, 410 eggs, 100 pounds of potatoes and 14 pieces of clothing, another village sent 600 pounds of cherries, etc. Rich people in cities sent contributions in money and with these funds certain foodstuffs were bought which were not taken over by the state or sold only on cards. From 50,000 to 70,000 crowns a week were received for this purpose. But where public provisioning failed, it was hopeless to expect that charity on this small scale could accomplish much in combating famine. Elderly people especially were dying either directly of hunger or of diseases brought on by insufficient nutrition. And so workers of the “Czech Heart” sorrowfully concentrated their efforts on saving the children.

There was no possible way of feeding the children in the cities. The only thing that could be done for them was to send them out to the country, to farmers who would take children as free guests. This step was taken as early as December, 1917, but not until the following Spring was the principal activity of the society devoted to placing children in the country. A powerful campaign was carried on in all of the newspapers to induce the country people to take in the children of Prague and other cities as “national guests”. Soon the agrarian party was enlisted and lent its powerful political organization in all the Czechoslovak counties toward organizing district and village committees to place city children in country homes. Over 7,000 little ones were sent out to the country in the spring of last year.

At first the offices of the “Czech Heart” in Prague had considerable trouble in convincing mothers, who saw in this a new scheme of Austrian authorities, to allow their children to be taken away from them. But with the incessant newspaper campaigns the aims of the society were made clear to every one, and soon the offices were crowded with mothers bringing hungry children, bringing sick and even dying children in their arms, all actuated with the hope that the society could save them. New offices had to be opened in various quarters of the city of Praque and from 1,500 to 2,000 mothers and children applied there for help every day.

Some of the scenes taking place daily in the Prague offices of the “Czech Heart” are described in a booklet written by Rose Svoboda, the noble woman who organized the work for children of this great society. She speaks eloquently of those children with the ashen color in their faces and big eyes burning with the dying flame of life. The ideal of the Prague children is no longer home, but country and a good woman who will give them bread and milk. Hundreds of children come every day hoping that it is their turn to be sent out where there was something to eat. Some of them look pretty full in their faces, but the arm is a mere bone. “You look well”, says the worker to a little girl. And the girl answered seriously: “But we really do not have any breakfast or supper, we eat only once a day.” “And what do you eat?” “Oats.” And how poor workers in the offices feel, when invitations from the country fall off and the children are told that there is no chance for a long time of sending them out. The children won’t believe that they are doomed and the mothers beg for a chance for their children, refusing to go back home deprived of all hope.

Those that go to the country are indeed saved. A boy writes to his mother: “I eat now so much that I am fit to burst and I will be soon as fat as the viceroy.” Other children try to send something to their mothers in Prague, and if they can’t get any bread they at least pick mushrooms and send dried mushrooms to their old homes. Mrs. Svoboda tells of a small emaciated girl from a Prague suburb. Her father, an ordinary working man, was in the army and mother was dead. Five children kept house in one small room. The eldest girl was 18 and was the housekeeper, a boy of 16 was working in a munition factory and there was a smaller boy with highly developed consumption. This little girl had to sleep in one bed with the consumptive boy. She. was sent out to one of the farmer’s homes and a few weeks later her brother wrote to the society to thank them for what they did. He said: “Mrs. W. asked me to visit my sister for Easter. When I came there I could not recognize Ella, for she was dressed nicely and had full rosy cheeks. At home she would hardly say a word and now she kept telling me what a great time she had. She whispered to me that her new ‘aunt’ was like mother used to be. And then she said that she