The Elbert County tribune., 1917-12-14

''s'' It's hand when there was anguish to be
soothed But In this there Is another object to
be attaned-calI 1t selfish If you Will. In backing
up France, and making her people stronger to en-
durc the Red Cross Is saving the lives of Ameri-
can soldiers This was admirably expressed In the
great Chicago Red Cross conference by Henry r
Dawson. chairman of the Red Cross war council
sYou may ask how all this work among the
French people is of any help to our boys-how II
is saving their lives said Mr. Dawson. "I'll tell
you We ask General Pershing what he wants
and he says, Il don't want anything, for our boys
but for Gods sake buck up the French Give them
courage Hearten them. They have been fighting
for three years, and If you want to do anything
for and our boys, make the people understand
that here, and are going to take our places
In the line get ready"
Then Mr.. Dawson went to show the strain
under which the French have lived FOR more thar
three years. with the German terror holding much
Of their land and hammering night and day ai
their lines to break through and take Paris.
"And IL that French line should break" he said
you know what that means. There's nobody but
those boys of Pershing's to stop the Germans
and. ready not, they'll have to I'LL the gap. II
can help the French line TO hold we save oul
own boys until they are nll ready to take theii
part"
Mr.. Dawson pictured the weary French soldier
coming out of the trenches for ten-day rest He
is tired half to DEATH covered with dirt and vermIn
his clothing worn Does he go home? He has nc
home. perhaps. His wife and children swepi
gone
He says, "I live in hell in the trenches but
don't see why my family should he In hell too"
But now the American Red Cross Is In France
1t meets the soldier when he comes from the
trenches, takes him to house prepared with youl
money, and he is made comfortable. He is gver
bath, his clothing is cleaned and sterilized, hi
hair cut his whiskers trimmed, and he sleeps fo
hour-maybe ten hours.
Then he is taken to his family, II the Red Cros.
has been able to find his family He finds hi,
bahp or htc oil yr,nt Thar tn -
shelter of some kind supplied and furnished By
the Red Cross
When the days of his leave are up that soldier
goes back to the trenches man. He knows
now that America, with her millions and millions
or lighting men, ind her billions and billions OF
money, and the tender care of her Red Cross are
behind him. And he goes back into the war with 9
new determination. and says $50 long ns live
will fight"
And so long ms he holds that line he is taking
the place of some American boy who Is not YET
trained to tnke the trenches. That line must be
made to hold for months yet for General Pershine
has said that If he help 1t. his boys shall not
go into the hard fighting before February
When they do go In, then Will the rea
test Of the American Red Cross-then will be the
days of harvest of which today is the day of sow
ing For when the wounded begin to stream from
the evacuation hospitals back to the bases. the
warehouses of bandages and pads and gauze ant
splints and hospital garments and surgical sup
plies will melt away like mist before the sun. And
in that day. If the Red Cross have not n member
ship of something the desired 100000
trained to make and ship all these supplies In q
great never-faItcring stream the American soldier
will be ashamed of the land for which he is fight
Ing. and many will lose limb life which could
have been saved
These not the opinions of novce-they
are the convictions of men who at the
front in France and Belgium, and who see. every
day. the horrors of which 1t is the work OF
the Red Cross to mitigate. 1t is only few weeks
since Maj. Grayson NJ. p. Murphy. officer OF
the regular army of wide experience and great
ability. Red Cross commissioner for France
cabled his convictions this subject. And what
he said was. in substance, that unless the Red
Cross Immediately sent vast supply of all man
ner of hospital supplies, the American army would
stand in danger of disaster and disgrace. He
used those words-"disaster and Disgrace"
Few. who have not been through a modern mill
tary hospital conceive what enormous
amount of supplies it requires French surgeons
report that 1t often requires entire box of 70O(
gauze dressings for single patient. There has
been such a scarcity of dressings In Frunce that
they have been driven to use these dressings over
and over trying to boil and clean and sterilize
them well they can. instead of throwing
them away and putting fresh ones.
There has at times been such dearth that
wounded soldiers have had their bleeding wounds
stanched with old newspapers. with the result that
they have always been infected, and gnngrene and
lockjaw have claimed many a poor fellow who
could have been saved.
Terrible as 1t Is to think of. they have at times
been driven to operate In France without choro-
form or ether-none to be had.
These. doubt, are the things which Major
Murphy had In mind when he said that disaster
and disgrace awaited America less the supply of
surgical necessities is hastened,
Even II the lads who are about to go into the