The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-06-25
RED CROSS FUND
A DEBT OF HONOR
(By Mrs. Belont Tiffany.)

Editors Nofe-As chairman of the
Workshop Committee of the New
York County Chapter of the Red
Cross and as a speaker on hundreds
of platforms on Red Cross work, Mrs.
Tiffany is particularly qualified to dis
cuss.t the needs and ideals of Americas
great humanitarian organization.)
One black chapter of want, neglect.
and suffering written in the story OF
this war will not be repeated when the
history of Americas part in the world
war comes to be written. The people
of America iwi4l not let their soldiers
and sailors suffer the hardships and
the unnecessary deprivations and be
subject to the diseases that overlook
the French and the English in the
first months of the war.
No fund in the history of the world
has ever been subscribed to as will
be the $10o,000.000 Red Cross Fund.
The people, of America will not stop
at 800, 900, 900. This is a fund for
the protection and defense of our own
sons and husbands, of the young man
hood of our nation. 1t is a humans
tartan fund with which We seek to
pay, in some small degree, the debt
of honor we owe those countries who
have spilled their blood and their
treasure on the battlefelds of Europe
that we might enjoy safety. When we
realize this we will subscribe to this
fund with gratitude in our hearts:
America is not selfish. She has
proved herself utterly unselfish in all
recent developments. But supposing
that we were animated only by purely
selfish motives of protection for our
own soldiers and sailors, we would
still have to subscribe to this Red
Cross Fund to the utmost extent of
our ability It is no time now to- dis
crinninate between the armies who are
fighting for the cause of freedom.
To the extent that we pour our
help our money, our supplies, our
surgical aid, and our skilled physicians
and nurses, into the lap of the Allies
will we be making the trenches and
the camps of Europe a safer place for
our own men.
In bare Justice to the manhood of
our own country, which is now enter
ing the struggle, we must wipe out the
menace of tuberculosis as it exists in
the French camps today. Suppose the
suffering Of the stricken armies of
France did not move US to compass
sion. we should still have to rescue
them from the ravages of tuberculosis
to check the disease for our own men
who will perforce have to live in the
closest contact with the men who
are now open to infection.
| We cannot differentiate between the
needs of those who are fighting for
| the common cause. We have Joined
| hands with the Allies. Our American
| Red Cross long before this country en-
tered into the war was standing sol1dly
| behind them and supplying as fast as
1t could the needs of the sick, the
| wounded, the dying and the impover
ished civilians. How much more
heavily now must the burden of this
support fall upon US, now that ouI
own soldiers and sailors have beer
| added to the lists of those who are
and who will be in need of help!
The American Red Cross is the',gift
of God for all those who because Of
age, sex, disability, or responsibility
are unable to engage in the actual en-
kcounter of the forces Of democracy