Life, 1917-12-06 · page 50 of 92
Life — December 6, 1917 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon but a humanitarian appeal. The page describes Life magazine's "French Babies' Fund," which aids orphaned children in France during World War I. The article explains that hungry, poorly-clothed French war orphans experience little Christmas joy. Life's readers have contributed over 800,000 francs to support roughly 2,000 children through "The Fatherless Children of France," a supervisory organization that distributes quarterly payments to mothers, ensuring children remain with their families rather than being institutionalized. The photographs show specific beneficiary children (identified by number rather than name), making the appeal personal and concrete for American donors. The text emphasizes that while the fund has helped thousands, many more orphans still need assistance as the war continues. This is essentially a fundraising piece leveraging Christmas sentiment to support vulnerable civilian populations affected by WWI.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Life Then Christnas Comes to France HUNGRY child feels little of the joy of Christmas, institutions, where the cost of their support is less than it An ill-clad child can know nothing of the stimulating would be in a home with the expenditure regulated by the sparkle of Christmas cold. Thanks to the gencrosity of wonderful economy of the French housewife, The little Lire’s readers, some two thousand ; additional aid supplicd by this fund means, in many cases, the turning point between keeping the family together and breaking it The money supplied by Ltre’s readers is sent to the mothers by ‘The Fatherless Children of France in quarterly payments by a special form of money order supplied for the purpose by the French govern- The postman delivering the order is directed to withhold the quarterly payment if the child is not with its mother or natural guardian. In addition to this, the child’s welfare is looked after by one of the fifty-two French so- cieties of which The Fatherless Children of France is the super- vising body. On these pages will he found the photographs of a few of the babies who are being helped in this way. When Christmas comes to France this year it will not be a merry one nor a happy one, but many of its miseries will have been less- ened through the generosity of French children, orphaned by the war, will be saved this Christmas from hunger and cold. To every regular and occasional reader of Lire the work done by our French Babies’ Fund is fa- miliar. It has sent more than 800,000 frances to Paris to be dis- tributed, on a wise plan and under careful supervision, among the brave French mothers of the babies, to keep together their little families bereft. by war of their main support. The work- ings of the fund are described below Lire would be glad to say that this Christmas marks the end of the work and the need that creates it. Alas, this Christmas brings no “peace on earth.” The war goes on, and with it the continuous making of orphans. Although Lire's readers are giving practical and substantial aid to two thou- sand of them, there are thousands and thousands of others who still need help. Lire’s readers. The French g cnt is able OEE LEFEUYRE, Many 1351, ILLS BKOTHIER, SISTER he French government is able AND CRANDEATHER ee to make only a small allowance to Many of our contributors have the mothers and children made dependent by the war. In wished to brighten the Christmas of the French babies by many cases this allowance is insufficient for family sus- sending gifts to them. Shipping conditions make this difti- tenance, and the little children have to be sent to public cult, but to carry out the wish Lire has started a spe 5 MARIE LAPLACE, ELIZABETH AUGERY, MUBERT ANJORAN, BABY JEAN DESJARDINS, BABY 954 , Baby 585 MENKI CHAKLEMAGNE, BABY 1516 4468, AND Hs MOTHER way 1198 comicbookrem Com