The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-12-13
"ud above all things haze eyvent charity among your,
selues: tor cha,zy shall he MHIifHde of ri
Peter 4:8
Agonized Europe cries for your aid Make Christmas
really worth while by answering generously the ap-
peal of the Red Cross Society," Read this stirring
article by Charles Lee Bryson

fighting line were not our own American boys the
Red Cross would be bound to do all 1t could for
them. But they are our own. We do not fully
realize 1t yet, but will later From every
city, every village. every farming community. from
almost every family in the whole land. or more
boys will help fill the lines In France-and 1t IL
for them, for your friends and mine for your reia-
tives and mine that the Red Cross is working.
1t Is going to take men and women by the mil
lion, working all their spare time, and good deal
of time which they do not now think they can
spare. And 1t is going to take hundreds OF MIL
lions of dollars-all spare and maybe all
we have, whether not think we can spnre
It, Belgium is crushed, Serbia is obterated Rou-
mania Is little more than memory. Russia Is Inn
potent, Italy is bearing heavy cross. France Is
Immortal in spirit but growing thin. There are
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 that civilization
is fighting for its very life. Germany has set out
to force the whole world to live under the German
fmperialistc plan. President Wilson, In his now
famous Buffalo speech, said:
"It is amazing to 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 or over
throw them by intrigue Of force. Any man
who supposes that the free Industry and enterprise
of the world can continue II the Pan-German plan
is achieved and German power fastened upon the
world. Is as fatuous as the dreamers Of Russia.
There never has been any question thar the
American soldier will fight to death. II need be.
when once he begins the job 1t Is the task Of
the American Red Cross to so supply and fortify
those boys that Just few of them possible
may be sacrificed.
That is what the Red Cross has in mind when
1t comes to your house, your office. your
kitchen door, wherever you may be found, and
asks you to be of the 15,OOQ0O0 Red Cross
members to stand back of those boys in khaki.
This is not to be n money campaign. Money is the
least important matter Of this moment. What Is
wanted is members The Red Cross wants these
15OOO,O0O 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 Mt home.
and for those suffering ones who have lost every
thing but bare life.
If the call is for warm clothing. 1t wants these
15,OOO,O0O 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 call for 6.OOOOOO
knitted articles and 1t is almost or quite filled by
now-these 15.OOOOOO must be organized to get
yarn and knit, or get others to knit, and deliver
the goods mt once. And II 1t is for bandages and
gauze dressings and other things for the wounded.
assuredly 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 II the
people have not been quick to unite with the Red
Cross and supply the things the wounded boys
when the boys come back from over there-such
of them come homeland 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
There will be another call for money before
long. When the country gave S1OOOOO.OOO to the
Red Cross war council last summer the great men
at the head of it estimated that. by careful spend
ing, they could make it last six months. The
next call probably will be for u larger sum- may
be much n quarter of n million dollars II
so, the American people must give It, Every cent
goes for relief work. In what he termed his pub
lie accounting, Henry p. Dawson, chairman of the
Red Cross war council, said in recent speech
that of every dollar given the Red Cross for relief
work. about $1O2 is spent for relief. What he
meant Is that not one cent goes for overhead
expense, which is cared for in another way but
that the whole fund. together with about 2 per
cent interest which 1t accumulated while in bank,
goes for relief.
All that will come later, when the Red Cross
needs more money to carry its work of mercy.
What it needs is MISUNDERSTOOD 900 add
should be at least of the class called Magazine
Members" 1t costs 50 year, and entities the
members to the really wonderful Red Cross Maga-
zine every month, filled with news and colored
pictures of what the great order is doing all over
the earth.
If you are n 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 unucky-who may be some of your
own family