Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-04
QUEEN OF BULGARIA PLEADS
WITH WOMEN OF U.S.. TO TAKE
UP RED CROSS WORK IN WAR
Disappointed That She
Was Forced. to Fore
go Trip. Planned to
America Because of
Crisis
By HENRY WOOD
Copyright, 1915; by the United Press. Copyri


Copyright 1915, by the United Press. Copyright
I'm Great Britain.
SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 27 (by mail to
Nish, to Rome. to London. TO New York;.
The woman who is Queen of Bulgaria
has an interesting message for the women
of the United States. 1t is that all who
possibly can should learn the Red Cross
work. Queen Eleonora, who by reason Of
her work as a nurse on the actual field
OF battle I'm the Russo-Japanese War and
the two Balkan wars, has been called
another Florence Nightingale, talks In
way familiar TO American readers. Her
message is such as might come from one
of the American women who have won
their place in world affairs. And this is
not strange. for Bulgaria sometimes is
called the America of the Balkans
The Queen was gracious when the re-
quest for an authorized interview was
presented Through an intermediary she
granted It.
To appreciate the authority with which
her Majesty speaks-her subject is that
of women's work In war-American read
ers should know that she spent years of
preparation in the leading hospitals of
Europe, served then for IA months at the
head of the Russian Imperial Ambulance
In Manchuria during the war with Japan,
prepared further for the work and served
her own country when the Balkan wars
began. She worked not only in the hos
pitfalls, but under the enemy's fire at the
front. The gratitude of the army and the
nation was supplemented by military dec
orations awarded solely for personal
bravery.
Since the outbreak OF the present war
and the strong prospect that Bulgaria may
be drawn into It, she has worked un-
ceasingly to perfect Bulgaria's Red Cross
and hospital facilities.
PRAISES NOBLE WORK.
Her statement follows:
after her natural role of mother, no
greater. no nobler and no more important
field of usefulness Is held out to the
woman of today than that of the Red
Cross or its auxiliary work. Only a
woman who has known personally all the
horrors of modern warfare can grasp
what this field really means. And strange
as It may seem, the field today is larger
and more pressing than ever before With
all the perfected means of wholesale de-
struction which modern warfare has at its
command, the preparations the world over
for caring for the wounded have become
very inadequate.
What nobler work can there be than
that Of saving human life? No woman
OF today who seeks life of usefulness 70
the world should have dlficulty in know
ing which way 20 turn
MY one wish is TO awaken not only in
Bulgaria, but in all other countries, a
realization on the part OF the women OF
the role which they have TO perform in
that greatest tragedy OF human existence
"a war. Wonderful as has been the
preparation of the Red Cross and auxil-
larry societies up 70 date, yet the exig-
encies of modern warfare have demon
strated that IL is quite inadequate
Here In Bulgaria we are now solving
the problem In the manner In which our
experience has taught us It can best be
met. This is by the establishment of
training schools for nurses and the or
ganizing of auxiliary societies 10 the Red
Cross. Why. indeed should not every
woman In the world have an adequate
training for this service? Is II not a duty
that woman owes to the State. Just as
much as the military service that is rem
dered by the manY But II Il is asking
too much that all women should be pre-
pared Tor this work, there are thousands
at least. OF young women In every country
who can well undertake H. For these. ali
OF the strictness and requirements Of the
run tted cross service are perhaps too
much, but there Is nothing 10 hinder a
preparation that will enable them to con-
tribute their full share toward the allevia-
tion OF the horrors Of war, should the
moment ever come when their services
may be needed.
IT was largely the desire TO study your
own American schools for the training OF
nurses that prompted my plans last year
for visiting the United States, bat which
the clouded international horizon at the
time forced me temporarily 70 abandon.
But that IL q dream which / expect yet
q realize. and IN the meantime, through
ne elo Of tue Red Cross unit. which the
proceeding rapidly NTH our reorrani1a-
tIon IN Bulgaria.
-vt course. my plans 10 study at arst
land Np4 Aucfloan hospIlala. and e1ne-