The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-06-22
PATRIOTIC LEAGUE
AIDING TIE ALLIES

Such general interest and en-
thusiasm has been created by the
admirable work of the Women's Pa
triotic Association that a brief his
tory of it's organization and state
ment of its aim seems appropriate
at this time. The association is af-
filiated With the American Fund for
the French Wounded.
This latter society was organized
shortly after the beginning of the
war for the purpose of forming an
emergency fund for the relief of
small isolated hospitals in France.
The members were American women
living abroad. They organized under
the patronage of the Marchioness
Linlithgrow the London committee
of the French Emergency Fund, and
through personal and public appeal.
secured considerable contributions of
clothing, hospital supplies and sur
gical Instruments, which were at
once distributed The headquarters
of the society were situated in
LoWndes Square, London, whence
shipments were made to France, the
first supplies going to the relief of
the base hospitals that received the
wounded from the battle of Marine.
The French Emergency Fund was
now at that time prepared to estab-
lish a Paris center, and the Amer
lean society anxious to avail itself
of the new shipping facilities, de-
bureau. This was done under the
direction of Mrs. Benjamin Lathrop
and the American committee began
its work under the title of the
American Fund for tho French
Wounded Dec. 18th, 1915
The American Fund for the French
Wounded has been officially recog-
nized by the French government as
an auxiliary agency for caring for
the wounded in military hospitals.
The work in France is directed by
tb i'bttib VI filliiliiilStLI sll lNJiI utN lIiS
its headquarters in Paris. There are
a large number of volunteer workers,
chiefly Americans. The motors are
contributed and maintained by Amer
lean doners and the Paris depot has
in its service today 12 automobiles.
There arc many times when the
demand is greater than the supply.
To be in want of tho things asked
for SO simply and yet so pitifully is
little short Of hcartbreaking. The
needs are great. and when ono is
brought face to face With them the
knowledge that the shelves have
been swept bare is dishcartoning.
This has not often happened in tho
past but with 4 prolon9ation of the
war and the constant increase of
suffering both military and civilian,
il viii require the utmost efforts of
all Of our American committees to
keep the French warehouses sup
piled.
Recently the American Fund for
the Frcnch Wounded has become af-
Gliated with the American Anlbu-
lance Field Service. The arrange
ment is Of the greatest value in for
Warding the supplies to the hospitals
at the 'front.' whore the motors
driven by women cannot go.
In the latter days Of March o. i;
year, there came a message to Butte
was dire need in France for surgical
dressings. They must be shipped at
once they said. Those were the ter
riblc days before the United States
declared war Up to that time the
American Red Cross had been send
ing surgical dressings to base hos
pitfalls in France, which relieved the
of thousands of Americans,
French and British wounded. Just at
this time, because of the uncertainty
of the ground on which our nation
stood with regard to the war, the
policy of the American Red Cross
was forced to change; and that or
ganization turned itsefforts to filling
supply hospitals in America, which
was not only natural but right. It
was this depletion of bandages and
dressings, however, caused by the
of the Red Cross ship
ments, which left the surgeons at
the front in desperate need of ma
terials to assauge the sufferings of
the many wounded consequent upon
the French and British advances of
carly 1917.
For a period of about two months
thereafter the Red Cross could not
ship to Europe and their Acting
Continued on page seven)