The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-11
Conference OF Knitters For Red
Cross Most Enthusiastic Meeting;
New Knitting Instructions Out

The Fargo Red Cross chapters call
for a conference of those willing to
knit for the soldiers, which meeting
was held Monday afternoon at the
| Commercial club room, met with a
splendid response, the room being
well filled, and many who could not
be present having sent word of their
Willingness to knit stated numbers
of articles required. Thirty-ore pairs
OF socks, twenty-four pairs Of wrist
let's, fifteen scarfs and three sweat
crs were promised at the meeting
yesterday, and many others who
were present will do knitting for the
Red Cross, but hesitated to promise
possibly more than they could com
plete by the end of the present
month, the time designated.
The spirit manifested at the meet
ing Monday was a very encouraging
one, but in order to turn out the
number of articles required of the
Fargo chapter alone by the end of
the month, 400 each of knitted
sleeveless jackets, wristlets, mufflers,
helmets and pairs of socks, the aid
Of many additional workers must be
enlisted at once. Instruction in the
knitting will be given at the. Red
Cross headquarters, Y. M. c. A,
Saturday morning there will be a
knitting class. AS announced else
where, a Tuesday evening knitting
class for teachers and business wo-
men Is being started at the head
quarters this week.
Committee Giving Much Time.
In addition to these opportunities
any of the members of the knitting
committee will give instruction at
their homes to anyone who cannot
go to the headquarters for the same.
The knitting committee consists OF
Mesdames p. w. Farnham, chair
man. Max Stern, J. d. Farrand, ].
w. Smith, Patty Brown, Stephen
Birch, w: $. Birch, w. B.
Hancock, R. H. Johnston. Henry
Siegel, N. o. Gard, ]. z. John
son, Jennie Carnine, olaf Sand and
Mary Teichmann, and Miss Hazel
Smith. Several of this committee
have visited schools of the city, and
are working up mothers clubs to do
knitting, with the aid of the school
principals. The knitting committee
will hold a business meeting next
Thursday afternoon.
Mrs. Farnham, as chairman of the
meeting, asked each woman present
to promise to do all the knitting pos
sible before the last of this month,
and introduced Mrs. F. C. Gardner,
who gave an explanatory and inspir-
ing talk on Knitting, in the course
Of which she corrected several false
impressions that have gone abroad.
One of these is that the men do not
need these knitted articles. Such a
statement has been proven alb
solutely false, as is also the case
with the statement that the govern
ment furnishes all these articles,
and for women to knit them is fool
ish. Mrs. Gardner gave ample au-
thority for her assertion that the
government is depending upon the
women of the country to furnish
these knitted articles for the soldiers,
without which their very health will
be impaired, and quoted Colonel
Gordon, Of Winnipeg, as saying that
the men need knitted socks worse
than anything, and that next to socks
the knitted helmets were most indis-
pensable.
Mrs. Gardner made a strong ap-
peal to all women to give up some
of the fuss, frills and frivols on their
own garments, SO as to do this work,
calling attention to the fact that we
have not yet been asked to give up
the necessaries of life, as is the case
in some of the countries of the al
lies. The men are giving their all
and more than that; let us not get
into the idea Of doing merely our
bit, but let us do all we ought to do,
she appealed. MRS. Gardner sug-
gested that each woman enlist a GER
tain number Of hours a day, each
day Of the week, and stated also that
the Red Cross sewing must not be
dropped, as 1t is just as essential as
the articles for which the present
demand Is so enormous. Let us
see that every hospital bed is equip
ped with enough articles to make 1t
and that the patients
have the necessary garments, said
Mrs Gardner.
North Dakota alone has been ask
articles as noted above, this fall,
and the need OF the men on the !
Russian front was emphasized
in Mrs. Gardner's talk. The
appalling death rate there as COM
pared with that on other battle
fronts is attributed to the lack of
hospital and other equipment very
largely. Among other suggestions
made by the speaker was that the
knitting OF washcloths now be left |
to children and beginners, as the
men can much better do without |
them than without the knitted wool
en- articles. The use of steel helmets |
makes almost imperative the sup
plying of knitted helmets to wear
under, them.
Mrs. Gardner also spoke of the
diversity there had been in knitting