Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-09-13
A CALL FOR HELP
Six Million Warm Knitted Wooden
Articles Needed.

Giles are needed to help them get
through the winter The appeal has
come to the American Red Cross at
Washington. and it specifies 100000
each of sweaters, muffiers, wristlets
and socks.
The call is official Major Grayson
M. P. Murphy of General Pershings
staff, the Red Cross Commissioner for
Europe, who knows better perhaps than
any other man just how badly these
things are needed, has cabled for them
Here is part of his message:
Last winter broke the record for
cold and misery among the people here.
We inexpressibly dread the coming
winter finding us without supplies to
meet the situation. We urge you, on
behalf of our soldiers and those of our
trenches, and also thousands of French
and Belgian refugees, to begin shipping
at once 100000 each of the warm,
knitted, wooden articles named. They
The entire people of the land are
called upon % render this service to the
men in khaki, and those struggling
with them. The hearts of the people
will be in the task because their own
are among those who need the service
Every country, every village, every
voting precinct, is sending of it's best to
fight for the country, and the woman
who knits one OF these garments feels,
with every stitch, that it may be her
own son, her own brother, or one of her
dearest friends, who may be kept more
comfortable by her work.
From Director John j. O'Connor of
the Central Division of the Red Cross,
with headquarters at Chicago, the call
went forth to 1881 chapters in the
Central States, urging the members to
answer the cry. The chapters called
on the Red Cross Supply Service for
yarn, knitting needles and full instruc-
tions for the knitting. In the meantime
knitting committees were formed in the
chapters, and volunteers called for
The Supply Service was forced to ask
some chapters to buy their yarn and
needles in the local markets, or from
whatever source they could most quick
ly get them. The Supply Service had
not on hand enough goods to fill such
an unprecedented demands on such
short notice. Washington could mot
even supply, as rapidly as they were
needed, the printed instructions for the
knitting, and the newspapers were
called on to print the directions so that
every knitter might have copy.
But the work must be hurried.
"They must come before cold weather.
cabled Major Murphy That means
that the entire 100000 articles must
be completed in the shortest possible
time and sent to France. The chapters
were urged to use every possible min
ute, and to call on every woman and
girl who can knit, whether or not she
is Red Cross member, and ask her to
help in the work.
We in America, who as yet can
scarcely realize that our country is at
war, have no conception of the terrible
need of the millions Of people in France
and Belgium whose lands are overrun
by the Germans. Utterly penniless,
with no possessions save the ragged
clothes on their backs, they suffered
incredibly by tens of thousands last
winter Now they face another winter,
weakened by the trials they have al
ready undergone, and it is "up to the
Red Cross to keep them from dying Of
cold. They are enduring what military
experts have. pointed out Americans
will be called on to endure if the Ger
mans ever beat the Allied armies and
navies, and attack America on her own
shores.
This call for knitted articles is but
one phase of the work of relief which
the American Red Cross must carry
on. " ashington has repeatedly warned
the chapters that the knitting must not
be permitted to stop or delay the max
ing of surgical supplies wound dress
ings. splnts, bandages, operating gar
ments and the thousands OF other
things which surgeons and nurses must
have when they wait on the wounded.
These must be kept flowing in never
ending stream, increasing in volume
as our own men near the front The
knitting is merely an extra rush or
DER in addition to everything else the
| Red Cross has undertaken to do.
The American soldiers are furnished
with uniforms and overcoats and shoes
and everything that the army regula-
tons call for The knitted articles are
| for their extra comfort-and in the
case of the refugee civilians, are abso-
| lutte necessities.
Evarv raa6ar of this article ia urged