World Friendship Project Scrapbook

continued from 1220

[photograph of 3 women and a man with caption]

Doris Lester Mrs. Clement Attlee Reginald Sorensen, M.P. Muriel Lester

Kingsley Hall Offers

A PLACE OF WORSHIP, WITH SERVICES, PRAYER GROUPS AND STUDY GROUPS.

YOUTH CLUBS, WITH ALL-AROUND-THE-WEEK-ACTIVITIES.

A NURSERY SCHOOL.

A GRADED SUNDAY SCHOOL, WITH PLAY HOURS, CLUBS AND CLASSES.

WOMEN'S, MEN'S, & MIXED CLUBS, PARENTS' ASSOCATION AND CRADLE ROLL.

CLASSES IN MUSICAL APPRECIATION, DRAMA, HANDICRAFTS, ETC.

DISCUSSION GROUPS.

HIKES, CAMPS, AND OUTINGS.

A BOARDING SCHOOL AT SARRAT, HERTS.

A HOLIDAY HOME AT MILL HILL.

ROBERT T. ASHMORE RHODA MCCARRELL 4TH DISTRICT, SOUTH CAROLINA SECRETARY

COMMITTEE ON WASHINGTON TELEPHONE: HOUSE ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL 8-3120 GREENVILLE TELEPHONE: 2-1141 Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. August 17, 1954

Mr. John M. Holmes White Oak Farm Lake Road Greenville, South Carolina

Dear "Uncle Johnny":

By separate cover, I am sending you the stones from Bucharest and Timisoara which have been the furnished me by the Rumanian Legation, this city. The stones are being sent registered mail to insure their delivery to you. It was a pleasure to secure them for you to be used at Camp Greenville.

Kindest regards and best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Bob Robert T. Ashmore RTA:rm

[handwdritten note]

The rocks from Bucharest, Vo. 5 page 355, and Timisoara, Rumania, Vol. 5 page 357, were never received. Congressman Ashmore kindly secured two rocks from Rumania through their legation in Washington. We are deeply grateful to him and the Rumanian legation.

ROBERT T. ASHMORE RHODA MCCARRELL 4TH DISTRICT, SOUTH CAROLINA SECRETARY

COMMITTEE ON WASHINGTON TELEPHONE: HOUSE ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL 8-3120 GREENVILLE TELEPHONE: 2-1141 Congress of the United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. Sept. 9, 1954

Mr. John M. Holmes White Oak Farm Lake Road Greenville, South Carolina

Dear "Uncle Johnny": In compliance with your recent request, I am sending you the name of the official whom secured the stones from Bucharest an Timisoara for you:

Mr. Roy Hunziker Counselor of Legition Legition of Switzerland Washington 8, D.C.

Kindest regards and best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Bob Robert T. Ashmore RTA:rm

The Story of the Lodge.

When the lodge was started, the boys and leaders at camp did all the work. It took three years to build the building and the last year the mountain people came to our rescue and finished the gables and put on the roof.

As the building progressing, it occurred to one of the camp directors when on a trip to California, that it would be a good idea to have rocks and stones from different places in North America to go in the walls. Rocks were gathered by individuals and letters were written to the Western and Canadian railroads asking them to send a rock from some place of historical interest. Many rocks were sent in response to these letters.

Then someone suggested that letters be sent to the district governors of Rotary clubs in countries outside the United States. You notice that we did not say "foreign" countries but "countries outside the United States."

It was then that the avalanche started. Rocks from 87 Rotary clubs in 24 different countries were sent for the building accompanied by pictures and cordial letters. These letters and pictures are in the lodge books.

In 1935, the camp director and his wife went to Europe. They visited come Rotary clubs who had sent rocks to the lodge and attended a Rotary convenction in Venice, Italy, of the clubs of Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor.

After World War II, Mrs. John M. Holmes suggested that letters be written to Rotarians in Yugoslavia, Germany, and other places in Europe who were known to Rotary in Greenville through the lodge.

It was found that some of these people were destitute and conditions were bad. Greenville started to send food and clothes to needy people in Europe. It began in a small way but the list grew and embraced hundreds of people "over-there" including North Africa, Palestine, Korea, and Japan. No records were kept but perhaps $60,000.00 worth of food and clothes have been sent abroad all of which began from contacts made through the lodge at Camp Greenville.

In 1949, the people of Greenville sent "Uncle Johnn" and Mrs. Holmes to Europe to visit the people who had been helped, and gave Mr. and Mrs. Holmes over $6,000.00 to be used for food and relief. As a result of this trip about $8,000.00 in cash was spent in helping the people in Europe. A lady in Vienna who was helped and who was contacted through the Rotary clube of Nurnberg said, "It is strange that a rock became a bond between two continents. Perhaps rocks are not the inanimate things we though they were."

While in Paris, France, "Uncle Johnny" met a young Canadian newspaper man who had lost 5 brothers in World War II. His father had taken the insurance on his youngest brother who died in the beaches at Dunkirk, to maintain a ward for 100 German children in a German hospital. "Uncle Johnny" gave him $100.00 in the name of the children of Greenville High School to get the German children some candy.

The young Canadian said that he would like to use the money to pay for an operation on a little German child who was blinded by a bomb.

This was done and the little child who was blinded by a bomb.

This was done and the little child, with sight restored, has been adopted, with her little brother, by a well-to-do Canadian family.

Then additional money was given to get candy for the children in the German hospital. At a dinner that evening, the young Canadian told an American newspaper man of his contact with "Uncle Johnny" and the gift of the Greenville High School children to the children in the German hospital.

The American correspondent knew about Camp Greenville and the "lodge with rocks and stones from all over the world" in its walls and he raised $1,000.00 for this work overseas.

So, the lodge has touched the world for good. Someone remarked that anything--anything--done in the spirit of Christ and according to His principles had an eternal value. The lodge proves this statement to be true.

Interlaken HEALTH AND HOLIDAY RESORT Hoheweg 3 Switzerland EXCURSION CENTRE OFFICIAL INQUIRY OFFICE SEASON: APRIL-OCTOBER Phone: (036) 23612 Telegram: INTERFORM KURSALL - SWIMMING POOL - TENNIS RECREATION - SPORTS - AMUSEMENTS

February 15th, 1955 Mr. John M. Holmes Greenville, South Carolina U.S.A.

Dear Sir:-

Though the intermediary of the Legation of Switzerland in Washington, D.C., and other channels we received a copy of the letter of Mr. Robert T. Ashmore, Member of the House of Representatives, addressed to the Swiss Legation and dated February 25th 1954, concerning a stone from Interlaken for your collection in the Lodge at Camp Greenville. The matter has been submitted to use with a certain delay, and this is the reason why we could not answer sooner.

We are pleased to inform you that we have forwarded todad to your address above 2 stones of the Interlaken Region as parcel post, and trust that these stones will enrich your collection. At the same time we are sending your some prospectuses of Interlaken and its surroundings under separate cover.

Yours very truly,

OFFICIAL INQUIRY OFFICE the Director: [signature] Ernest Hess

[handwritten note] See page 271 and next 1232