The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-04-27

only activities which satSr Of pre-
paredness which have not met with
opposition by any considerable part OF
the people In any section Of the coun-
try. The reason is that the Red Cross
prepares to save and not to destroy.
For q long time the Red Cross has
maintained classes in first aid to the
injured. Thousands Of women through
out the United States have taken the
first-aid course and after passing an
examination by q competent surgeon
have been given certificates in first
aid work. There have Just been sent
to all those graduates Of the first-aid
course circulars inviting them to un-
dergo a further course which, II they
pass successfully, will cause their
names to be placed among those who
are competent to take up certain kinds
OF nursing work in case the United
States should become involved in hos
tilities
For Peace as Well az War.
The Red Cross is an absolutely neu.
trail organization. Its object is to aid
the injured whether the victim be
friend or foe. The course which the
women will take, while preparedness
course, also includes instruction which
will be of great value to the students
because 1t will enable them to do tend
ing and healing work in the home and
elsewhere in times Of peace. The
course will include one in home nurs-
ing and in the simpler forms Of hos
pital tendence.
Ernest P. Bicknell, who is the ma
tional director of the Red Cross, since
the outbreak of the war has been in
every one of the countries at present
engaged in hostilities. People do not
understand probably the dangers that
the Red Cross people undergo. 1t
happens that personally know some
thing of Mr. Bicknell's tour of Europe
and ! know the perils he met and the
courage he exhibited in the face not
only of bullets but of things worse than
bullets. The national director, al
though perhaps he never thinks of the
thing in this light, must set an ex-
ample to all who are connected with
the work of which he is the guiding
head.
BlckneII and Associates Heroic.
England, France, Belgium, Germany,
Austria, Serbia, Russia, Poland proper
and Turkey all were visited by the
Washington Red Cross man. He was
on the firing line and overlooked the
work of the immediate care of the
wounded who were falling under bull
let, bayonet, or shrapnel. He studied
all the questions concerning the feed
ing and the clothing of the destitute.
On his report concerning conditions
depended to a considerable extent the
opening of the purses of American citi-
zens in order that the money might be
poured out to aid the suffering.
The world knows comparatively lit
tie as yet of the high heroism of the
Americans and of the people of other
| neutral nations who went into Serbia
at the time of the dreadful outbreak
there of the fearful disease called
typhus. Mr.. Bicknell was in Serbia
when the disease was at its height
and as there was no known preventive,
as there is in case of typhoid fever and
smallpox, the chances that he would
take the disease certainly were nine in
ten.
1t was while Mr.. Bicknell was in
Serbia that the work of overcoming
the typhus was undertaken, work
that finally was successful The dis
ease spread through every hamlet in
the country. All the Americans in
Serbia were in hourly danger of the
disease. To be bitten by one of the
insects which already had bitten a
typhus patient meant almost certain
death. Many Americans died, among
them some of the finest young physi.
clans that this country held. For days
and days the head of the Red Cross
was in the midst of this scene of dan
ger, but somehow he came through
| unscathed,