The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-05-26

The meeting held at the Academy
Of music Tuesday night under the
auspices of the local Chapter of the
American Red Cross that is in process
OF organization was Of the most vital
and immediate interest to all Of the
people of Sumter, especially to those
who will stay at home in the enjoy
ment Of the blessings Of domestic
peace and safety, while the men call
ed to service in the army and navy
are enduring the hardships and per-
lis Of the battle front. But the small
audience, that did not flll one.third Of
the building. proved conclusively that
only small percentage OF our people
are awake to the situation or have
even a faint realization of the duty of
the stay at homes or have begun to-
take thought Of the coils that will be
made upon non-combatants in the
way Of service-labor, time and mon
ey-that the sick, wounded soldiers
may be cared for and their hard lot
be made less hard and their inevita-
BILE sufferings may be in some meas
ure ameliorated. It cannot be that
20 many Of the home-staying people
are careless and Indifferent to their
duty; it cannot be that they are so IN
tentionally Indifferent that they will
not grasp an opportunity to learn
what is their duty and how that duty
may be discharged. The lack Of an un-
derstanding Of duty Of the civilian
population, Of what the Red Cross is
and the great and vitality important
work 1t must perform for the COM
fort and safety Of American soldiers
on the battle front. is the only way in
which the lack OF interest can be
charitably accounted for.
The meeting Tuesday night was
held to furnish information concern
ing the Red Cross and the work It
does in peace and in war, and there
were comparatively few present to re-
ceive this information-perhap 200
all told. Perhaps later on when our
people begin to find out from personal
experience that this country is at war,
when some OF those near and dear to
them are suffering and dying on the
battle.fields and in the Red Cross
hospitals they will be more interested
in the work that the Red Cross has
been called upon by the government
to do, and they will then seek the in
formation that was offered Tuesday
night, in order that they may do their
share of the service that it is the duty
of each man, woman and child to do
as a loyal American citizen.
The meeting was opened with the
singing Of America" led by the
Philharmonic Club, then Rev. r. 8.
Truesdale offered the invocation.
Mrs. Nina Solomons delivered
brief but inspiring address on the
object Of the meeting and the purpose
and plans Of the local organization in
undertaking to place Sumter in line
with the great patriotic and humani-
tartan association-the American Red
Cross
Mr.. w. L. Melner assistant direc-
tor of the Southern division of the
American Red Cross. with headquar-
ters in Atlanta, who came to Sumter
in place Of Prof. Guy E. Snavely, the
director Of the Southern division, who
was unable to fill his engagement on
account of an important conference,
briefly told the story Of the origin and
development Of the Red Cross and
outlined in part the history of the
great work 1t has accomplished in war
and peace. He then explained the
work that tho American Red Cross is
called upon to do in this war, and
told how inadequate the preparation
heretofore made is for the tremend-
Gus responsibility. He contrasted the
organization. membership and prep
aration Of the American Red Cross
with that of Germany and Japan.
1--WE are only one-lftieth as we'll pre-
pared as Germany is now after three
years of war and the burden that the |
German Red Cross had carried !
through that period Of service; we
are only one-twentieth as we'll pre-
pared as Japan, country much |
smaller and vastly poorer than the |
United States" To do the duty that
the emergency places up>n the
American Red Cross the membership |
must be multiplied and the people
must be imbued with the spirit of de-