The Brave Women of Franco.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 309, 18 September 1918, Page 3

The Brave Women of Franco.

In the course of his reply to the many speeches which were 1 made to welcome him .by the leaders of the French community in Sydney, General I'au. the head of the French Mission, paid a fine tribute to the women of France. * "I have spoken of the bravery of the men of France," proceeded -■ Genornl' Pan. "What can I say of the women of France? (Cheers.) Their valour, their splendid spirit, have sustained our men in the darkest hours of the war. (Cheers.) The people of other nations have sometimes regarded the French women as frivolous and careless. They have sliown in this war,that they think of other things besides gaiety and song, and have displayed a side of their character that will never be forgotten. The old-impression of French women has been swept from the mind of the world —their bravery and tenacity of purpose have sustained the whole-.nation—and what is thought of the French women by the fighting men will be told to you by the noble young sons of Australia when they return victorious from the war." (Cheers.) The General, in speaking of the sacrifices of France, praised also tho part played by the poorer French classes, who had suffered so much and yet had. never lost-con-fidence in the ultimate victory of tho Allies. ■ The General's voice became very low and tense as he told what France had suffered. He spoke of the devastation wrought bv the invaders. "Think of our beautiful Northern France," he said. "Think of what those brutes have done to it. They have robbed the people', destroyed the factories, stolen the wealth, cut down the fruit trees, taken the machinery away,'to be used against us—outraged our people, carried them away into slavery. France has suffered, but the spirit of France is unconquerable." (Cheers and cries of "Vive la France.") Baby Culture in Tangiars. M. Campana, the newly-arrived Con-sul-General for France, has come from Tangiers, states the. Sydney "Sunday Times." In Tangiers the population is partly Arab, partly Jewish, and partly European. The Arabs number about SU,(XW, tho Jews 'about 15,000, and the Europeans, who are mostly Spanish, about 10,000. The conditions of family life are very bad, the.children in particular having a wretched time. The European ladies have therefore taken tho matter up, and have established French and Spanish hospitals for the pool' of all nationalities. The wife of the French Minister and my wife have started what wc call tho goutte do lait (the drop of .milk) to help to save the children. The mothers of the babies go each day to tlio depot with their little bottles, which are first thoroughly sterilised, then filled with sterilised'-' milk. Each drink for baby is put in a separate bottle, so that if a baby requires seven drinks through 'the day' seven little bottles aro placed in a basket and handed to the mother. The baby, too, must be brought every day, so that one of the ladies may bath it. 1 " Madame Campana attended at this depot almost every day. Once a week tho baby is examined by a doctor and weighed. Where necessary, tho children are sent to hospital._ Tho whole of tho treatmont, including tho milk, is absolutely free, and the depots and hospitals are crowded with children, mostly Arab, Jewish, and Spanish."'