The Elbert County tribune., 1917-12-14

fighting line not own American boys. the
Red Cross would be bound to do all it could for
them But they our own We do not fully
realize II yet, but will later on From every
city. every village. every farming community from
almost every family In the whole land. one
boys will help fill tine lines In France-and II is
for them, for your friends md mine for your reia-
uves and mine that the Red Cross Is working.
1t Is going to take men and women by the mill
lion, working all their spare time and good deal
of time which they do not think they can
spare. And 1t Is going to take hundreds of mill
lions of dollars-nll spare and maybe all
we have, whether or not think can spare
1t. Belgium Is crushed. Serbia Is obIiteraed. Rou-
mania is little more than memory. Russia Is I'M
potent Italy Is bearing n heavy cross France Is
immortal In spirit but growing thin. There
left chiefly the British lion and the American
eagle. and the English-speaking boys who bear
them aloft. If they fail. civilization is dead.
There is no longer any question thnt civilization
is fighting for Its very life. Germany has set out
to force the whole world to live under the German
imperialistic plan. President Wilson, In his
famous Buffalo speech. said:
ut is amazing TO me that any group OF people
should suppose that any reforms planned In the In
terest of the people can live In the presence of
Germany strong enough to undermine
throw them by intrigue of force. Any
who supposes that the free industry and enterprise
of the world continue II the Pan-German plan
Is achieved and German power fastened upon the
world. is fntuous as the drenmers of Russia"
There never has been any question that the
American soldier will fight to death, II need be,
when once he begins the job. II Is the tnsk Of
the American Red Cross to so supply and fortlfy
those boys that just few Of them as possible
may be sacrificed
That is what the Red Cross has In mind when
1t comes to your house, your office. or your
kitchen door. wherever you may be found and
asks you to be of the 100000 Red Cross
members to stand back of those boys jn khaki.
This is not to be a money campaign. Money Is the
fvpv,r
wanted is members. The Red Cross wants these
100000 men. women and children banded to-
gether In chapters, organized into committees, and
trained to the minute to do whatever is needed for
the boys In France and for their families at home
and for those suffering who have lost every
thing but bare life.
If the call is for warm clothing, It wants these
100000 trained to make and turn out the kind
OF garments needed so that they may go by train
load and shipload at once. II 1t Is for knitted
goods--there has already been cnlI for 8.OOOOOO
knitted articles and 1t Is almost or quite filled by
now-these 150O0.0OO must be organized to get
yarn and knit, or get others to knit. and deliver
the goods Mt once. And IL 1t is for bantages and
gauze dressings and other things for the wounded
as assuredy 1t will be many time, there must
be trained Red Cross membership to get them
made and in the hospitals In time to save life.
God help the American army In that day If the
people have not been quick to unite with the Red
Cross and supply the things the wounded boys
must have And God pity you and me in the days
when the boys come back from over there-such
of them us come home--and listen to the excuses
we will try to make If we fail to keep them sup
piled with everything they need In their fight
for us.
There will be another call for money before
long When the country gave $4,000 to the
Red Cross war council last summer, the great men
at the head of 1t estimated that by careful spend
Ing, they could make 1t last six months The
next call probably Will be for larger sum- may
be ms much as a quarter of million dollars. II
So the American people must give 1t. Every cent
goes for relief work. In what he termed his pub
lie accounting" Henry +. DAWSON chairman of the
Red Cross war council, said In recent speech
that of every dollar given the Red Cross for relief
work, about S1.02 Is spent for relief. What he
meant Is that not cent goes for overhead
expense. which Is cared for in another way but
that the whole fund, together with about Q per
cent interest which It accumulated while In bank
goes for relief
All that Will come later. when the Red Cross
needs more money to carry on Its work of mercy,
What 1t needs is members-1O 100000 add
ed to the 100000 1t has. Every member
should be at least of the class called magazine
Members" 1t costs 81 n year, and entities the
members to the really wonderful Red Cross Maya
zine every month. filled with news and colored
pictures of what the great order Is doing all over
the EARTH
III you are a member. renew; If not become one
when the Red Cross committee comes 1t is mere
ly trying to get you to help win your war and
care for the unlucky--who may be some of your
own family.