The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-26
The Red Cross Society

The country owes debt of gratitude
society which it can only in one way
adequately repay. Let the Red Cross
society have the financial support for
the merciful work it has undertaken,
and the individual officers and ministers
will find adequate reward in the con-
sciousness of the work they have done
and are doing in Cuba. 1t is difficult
to see how the administration could
have distributed satisfactorily the nee
essary relief to the starving Cubans in
and around Santiago without the CO.
operation of the Red Cross society. A
made, of course but the effectiveness
of the work would have been hamp-
cred by official restraint We can
easily perceive how this would have
come about no less by a lack of indi-
vidual sympathy than of individual in
itiative. The members of the Red Cross
society are free from the harrassing
and disturbing conditions of relief
work undertaken by government The
resources of the organization being
limited, they know when and where
and how to ecOnomize without inflict-
ing unpreventible hardship, while they
are liberal where liberality is needed.
Every case is examined on it's merits.
The recipients are made to feel that
they are receiving succor from friends
in an hour Of extreme need, and not
forced in their own opinion to accent
eleemosynary dabs. Many of the peo-
pie who are now accepting the relief of
the Red Cross society at Santiago were
before the war in a substantial posi-
tion. They probably never dreamed that
the time would shortly come when
fortune would humble them to the ne
cessity of receiving gratefully those
aims they were accustomed to distrib-
ute as religious duty, as we'll as a
social obligation.
Immediate wants are attended to as
they occur. An average of eight hun
dred rations a day are given to the
most needy at Santiago. This is a class
that cannot be reached all at once.
Those who lived low down in the social
scale will not be backward in coming
forward to claim their share; but there
are undoubtedly others whose birth
and position heretofore placed them
above want who will have to be in
dustriously sought out. Castilian pride
is never so stubborn in it's folly as
when it has nothing but hunger and
rags to support it. The Red Cross soci-
ETY. will not take any notice of this
ridiculous aloofness. 1t is work.
ing without discrimination, bringing
food and clothing to all whom IL finds
in need of it. The most pressing ne
cessities of the people of Santiago have
already been met. The society has
pressing need of the fner sorts of pro-
visions, such as oatmeal, milk. and
canned goods. The soldiers have made
large holes in the stock OF the pro-
visions OF the Red Cross society and
this is hardly reasonable, although Il
was possible a necessary disposal of
the society's provisions. The provisions
consumed by the military, whether
Spaniards or our own troops, should
ne Immediately made good. The ad-
ministration is responsible for the care
and comfort OF both. The Red Cross
society is no part OF the military COM
missary II is a voluntary. charitable
organization for special purpose, and
the more 1t is allowed to confine its
administration to that purpose the
greater the benehcence OF it's work
win be.