Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-16
BENEFIT DINNER
FOR RED CROSS

a dinner for the benefit of the Ma
tional Red Cross Society was held at
the Nankin Garden last night. Her
bert D. Minor. resident partner of the
Nankin Restaurant Company. ar
ranged the affair and will turn over
the proceeds to the society. Covers
were laid for nearly three hundred
persons.
American flags and bunting formed
the decorations in the banquet hall
and on the stage, where a large Red
Cross tent was pitched. After the
dinner number of talks on Red Cross
work were made by persons identified
with the society.
Miss Helen Darcy Stephen, of East
Orange, chairman of the New Jersey
State committee on nursing, in her
address said:
Tn order to realize just what the
Red Cross means | cannot do bet
ter than to give the official designa-
lion, which is this:
The Official Volunteer Aid Society
OF the United States, chartered by
the Congress of the United States, TO
furnish volunteer aid to the sick and
wounded in time of war and to carly
on a system of national and nterna-
ton relief in time of peace and to
apply the same in mitigating the
sufferings caused by pestilence, ia
mine, fire. floods and other grea
calamities.
Right we'll does the Red Cross live
up to this, through the International
Relief Board she has given substan-
tial aid to the Balkan States, to the
sufferers from the earthquake in
Italy, to Japan and China in the time
of famine and flood. through the Ma
tional Relief Board, at the time of
the Ohio flood and Omaha disaster;
to the survivors of the Volturno dis
aster and Newfoundland sealing dis
aster; to sufferers from tuberculosis
by sale of the Christmas stamps;
through the War Relief Board, in or
ganizing units for service with army
and navy at the Mexican crisis, eX-
tending aid to Mexican refugees;
through the first aid of the depart
ment, in giving instruction to miners,
trainmen and industrial employees.
also organizing life saving corps
among the dockmen Of the sea coast
and river cities; through the nurs-
ing department, which has enrolled
over 5000 of the best trained nurses
in the country, for war and relief
work, also for visiting work in rural
districts and for giving instructions
to women in home hygiene and care
of the sick.
During the Mexican crisis the Red |
Cross was prepared to provide large |
number of persons for service in va
rious capacities, and large quanti- |
ties of supplies which could not be |
provided by the army and navy 1t |
stands just as ready now to give a |
helping hand to the sick and wound |
ed of other countries involved in war |
fare and so a ship has been chartered |
for European service, rechristened ,
the Red Cross true ship of mercy |
and fitted out with many supplies |
needed abroad.
Perhaps it will give some idea to |
the expense of the undertaking If / |
quote some figures: Three hundred
and twenty-five bales (about $500 |
pounds) of ordinary cotton are being |
shipped to France, Germany and
England, 200 to Belgium and Austria
and 100 to Russia; $4,000 yards of
gauze, bandages, vaseline adhesive
plaster and iodine in similar quanti- |
ties to each country involved, besides
many miscellaneous supplies.
1.-The Red Cross ship also carries
with her 1873 nurses and thirty doctors, |
who will go in units to the various |
ports. New Jersey mas the honor OF |
sending six nurses from her Red |
Cross division, who are bound to Rot
terdam. Each city or division was
asked for a certain number of
nurses, New Jersey being the first
to respond with her quota ready for
service.
1.-The nurses while abroad receive
$50 per month instead of 500, and
their stay is to be at least six months.
In the meantime a second call for
volunteers has been issued from
Washington and we now have more
nurses eager for the opportunity to
leave their country for the Red Cross.
Let u.s. therefore, who have the op-
portunity, do what we can to aid the
Red Cross in this work which she has
undertaken, and be proud that our
State is so well represented on the
Red Cross ship of mercy"
The other speakers were DR.. c. De
Garmo Gray, prominent Red Cross
worker and DR.. John r. Taylor, a
member of the executive committee
of the Chinese Fete. which will be
held in New York in aid of the Ameri-
can Red Cross.