The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-04-27
PROMINENT RED CROSS WORKER
RELATES HISTORY Of SOCIETY
W - F-eess tEt~y~ ~ F'sops&.- SSI@',- $500
E, w. CORN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
OF ATLANTIC DIVISION, AO-
DRESSES LARGE MEETING.

I Il,
OF ATLANTIC DIVISION, AO-
! DRESSES LARGE MEETING.
Relief Work Found in eabylonian
Wars was Used Extensively in
Grecian Conflicts, He says.
The horrors of the battlefields Of
Eurore the giant howitzers almost
continually belching forth death upon
thousands of yalicnt soldiers. were
pictured and the treatment OF WouhuS
! by the use of the most scientific melh-
DDS in the base hospitals was descrlp,
! ed and the history Of the America II
Red Cross society related Al meeting
of members and friends OF the " heei-
ing chapter in the Elks' club auu'-
forum last night.
Motion pictures and stereoptlcan
slides owned BY pr. william OMEN
Sherman Of Pittsburgh. who recently
returned from Europe. were used III
!tellIng Of the work of the Red cross
societies In the brlligerent nations.
Erust w. Corn. assistant director OF
the Atlantic division. told of me
history OF relief work 10 The wounded
In the wake of armies from the hRhE,
tonian period 10 the organization anu
recognition of the American Red cross
society twelve years ago.
THE American Red Cross society Is
not man.made organization. IL ilts
The needs. II Is an answer 10 your
demands. 1t was first organized from
/ the experience OF the people. MR.:
Corn said. 1.-THE earliest bit of relief
Ito the wounded dates back 10 the
Babylonian period. Here we see the
woman and aged men following Inc
armies. attending TO the needs OF the
soldiers injured in battle. The Greek
republic made 1t an established part
! OF their armies. II became an instl-
tuition OF the Roman Catholic church.
The Geneva Compact
Representatives Of several nations
IOf Europe met in Geneva In lSG3 and
formed an agreement. In II they au-
lhorized the formation Of unit III
every country of volunteers for relief
work in time of war, and that to be
neutral. They were 10 have full pro-
itcction. could 80 from one line 10 an
other without embarrassment. this
saw the birth of the first organized Sc
cieties for rendering mercy 10 the
wounded soldier;
United States was no. represented
F, in the agreement. The country WAS
| in the midst, as you will recall, Of a
bitter struggle. Three weeks after the
war had started it WAS found that they
were unlrepared to properly render
relief work 10 the wounded An OF gun,
ization named the Sanitary Comm!s'
sion was authorized. In 1882 the gov
eminent was asked for Red Gross so
cioty and again the war with Spain
found the country without proper re-
lief. Every community had organlza'
tions, all making abdominal bandages.
All wounds were not abdominal and
nearly every soldier that died was not
killed BY bullets but by typhoid fever
At the end Of the war the president
l. put stop 10 this method or affairs
and until 1905 the country was again
without relief organization.
Authorized BY Congress
! I'm 1905 Congress authorized the or
ganizaliOn of Il Red Cross society, CIV
ling the war department full charge. II
is governed by Il central body or ia
people. w. RI. Taft was the first pres
| ident, and when Woodrow Wilson be
came President of the United States
he was elected its president. 1t is not
an honorary position as one woutc
Imagine. It's real job. The presiden;
meets the executive committee, but
much Of tho detail work is left to the
executive secretary. ,
Mr.. Corn Landed the abilities OF Mr.
Wadsworth, present secretary, Wnc
has perfected a most efficient organl
ization in the headquarters in Washing
ton. d. c.
divisions; chapter. civilian rellet, anC
military relief Z. f. Wells, director oil
the chapter divisions. has charge oil
1.-The extension and enrolment and pro
gram of work. Under his direction the
isoCiety has grown during the pas;
fourteen months, from a membership
of 1900 10 more than 100000. r.. +
Bicknell has charge Of the civilian re-
lief department. Colonel King Is III
charge of the military relief division.
Here | want you TO underStand thai
the American Red Cross society is MOI
IAN organization for war. II was organ
lied for emergency, and takes care 81
emergency business. Now il is for mil
Iilary relief. There vii. always Re emcr
gencies, great calamities will occur
disastrous fires will render many
Thousand homeless. II is 10 the dcSti
lutte by these causes that the Amcrl
can Red Cross society renders relief
| II is The only organization recognized
! BY the government for this KIND I'll
work.
The program Of the American Red
tCross society in military relief is fal
greater than most countries. 1t takes
! charge of the whole thing. from the
thine the boy leaves home to go 10 the
front, leaving his mother behind until
: he returns. The society takes care OF
her. And At the front if the boy Is
wounded he is given expert nursing
service, and if killed, his last mes
sage TO his mother and valuabies are
taken by the society. Its work IS not
finished until they are delivered 10
1.-The lonesome mother and 10 her as
sistance given.
No Romance Here.
| "The work Of the American Red
Cross society is a tremendous thing
1t must furnish supplies to all base
hospitals. | know lot Of people
think that 10 be a Red Cross nurse
is romantic. Get that idea out OF
your head The nurse may be idle
for thres or four days, and again she
may work for three or four days with
!out sleep II is drudgery. The roman
Ilic idea will be forgotten after you are
at the front day. caution YOU il
you are going to answer the appeal OF
the Red Cross for purely The spirit oil
romance, for Heavens sake, stay Al
home.
AT The battle front when a man Is
wounded he is taken 10 field hospl
;lal where first aid treatment Is given
| Lated he is conveyed TO The base hos
pital where he receives experienced
nursing service. Before being taken
to the base hospital. however. he Is
taken TO Il hangar where his wound Is
examined and classified. The ciassi
fication is marked on Il tag. ana this
pinned to the clothing Of the patient
immediately al the base hospital they
: know. the treatment to give the pa