Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-01

sufficient to move them to give gen.
erously for relief work.
:. Tt was not as II our own people
were involved in the strife I presume.
was the thought in the mind of Ameri-
cans. True, some funds were advanced
and we were active among the refu-
gees who crossed our border and at
Vera Cruz, but the relief expenditures
were small as compared with what the
Red Cross was able to do in disaster
relief In this and other countries.
Very much the same conditions ex-
listed with regard to the two recent Bal
kan wars. The charita BILE impulses of our
people did not seem to be stirred as
sthey were stirred by the Messina dis
aster. The public gave $1,000. 900 for
Messina and about 100000 for the
relief Of Ohio food sufferers, but for
the Balkan wars we were able to col
lect and dtsburse only about $4,000.
LAS an Offset to this we must not
lose sight of the fact that each Euro
pean country has its own national Red
Cross, similar to our own, organized
as required by the Geneva convention
Of 1854 and 1906. and those organiza-
lions have been active. Turkey and
Persia, also. have similar societies.
called by another name. ,but doing pre-
clSely the same WOrk.
Now comes the colossal European
war. with a need for relief such as the
world has never known. We have re-
ceived from the American people less
than 100000 to supply these needs. OF
this $4,000. by the terms of the dona-
tions. was given to particular organixa-
lions in Europe. In addition to our relief
funds some money has been raised in
this country by the nationals or for
mer nationals of belligerent nations
to be expended in their respective
countries, but the aggregate is not
large.
The normal impulses of humanity
are to relieve suffering wherever it ex-
lists; but curiously this war does not
seem to have aroused those impulses
to the same degree as they have been
past.
There are several possible explana-
tions. One is that a business depres-
sion exists In this country by reason OF
the war, and every one Is more or less
financially embarrassed as a result.
Another is factor what appears to
be fact-that our people have an idea
that this Is war made by govern
ments for the advancement OF their
own interests and ambitions. While
the suffering in Europe ts horrible.
Americans appear not to feel toward
it as they did to those who survived
the Messina disaster, where wholly
innocent people were overwhelmed,
through unavoidable causes. but many
Americans believe that the European
war was avoidable.
But, whatever the reasons. the facts
are that no large measure OF relief Is
flowing from this country to mitigate
the suffering of the sick and wounded
of the belligerent armies.
Men who are wounded In war. wom-
en- and children, the innocent bystand-
ers, who suffer quite as much as the
beliiFerents, need help just as much
in a had war as in a good war. Suffer-
ing Individual humanity suffers just
as keenly whether the causes which
produced the suffering were worthy or
unworthy, avoidable or unavoidable.
'"There never was a, war since wars
began where the medical help pro-
yided for the embattled armies was
half sufilcient That will, be true until
the end of time. There never was