The Washington herald., 1917-03-11
GIRL SCOUTS Enlist
FOR RED CROSS WORK
Ready to Do Their Bit if War
Should Come.

| fhe National Girl Scouts, VINO are or
ganizing the girls and young women OF
the country for preparedness in every
state Of the Union. have had the proffer
of their services in case Of necessity ac-
| cepted by the National Red Cross. How
important their work is likely to be In
| national emergency, Is shown by state
ment issued from the National Head
quarters, ST Fifth avenue, New York
/ City. by Mrs. Juliette Low, president and
| founder Of the movement in the United
States.
Asked what would be the work the
| Girl Scouts would perform In the event
| of war with either Germany or Mexico.
Mrs. Low said:
THE Girl Guides the forerunner in
Great Britain Of the Girl Scout move
ment in this country, have answered that
question. Aside from the advantage to be
derived from the physical preparedness
of young girls. their special training in
any one Of a hundred useful activities
| and the discipline of mind and body the
Girl Scout movement provides for those
VINO enroll there are a number of spe-
/ cific services the girls can perform in
the event Of war.
THE Red Cross seems the most fmme-
date and logical organization with which
| they can cooperate. and for this reason
our services were offered to that organ
7
with Germany were broken of. The fact
| that our profer was Immediately ac-
| cepted indicates how valuable the Red
| Cross officials believe We can be to them.
We should be especially valuable In the
event of invasion of our territory from
the South or West
I'm the first place nursing and first
aid knowledge is one OF the chief princi-
pies OF Girl Scouting No girl can become
qualified Scout who has not mastered
| the fundamentals OF these. Every Girl
| Scout can prepare and roll bandages. can
make up hospital supplies, understands
how to stop the flow of blood, to resus-
citate the drowning and finally is eff
cient in ordinary nursing. More than this.
they can prepare simple foods. and can
| make garments
Many FulI-nedged Nurses.
The general training they have re-
cetved gives them the intelligence and
discretion necessary in dispatch bear
ers and in others who form the civil
ian support on which an army has
largely to rely. especially the hospital
| or Red Cross service. Many of the
older scouts are already equipped to
enter the Red Cross as full-fledged
nurses. The younger ones are rapidly
becoming trained to be equally as eff
cient.
But it is unlikely any great number
of girl scouts will enlist in the Red
Cross as individuals. for the reason
the organization we have perfected in
many States and are rapidly forming
in others is too valuable as an entity.
The members can perform more i'm
portant service Is parts OF an efficient
whole than as individuals, and the
ARA angements made with the Red Cross
officials contemplate the use of our
apI~
Specifically here are a few things
the Girl Scouts are now doing and are
ready to do at any time:
Prepare. label and pack hospital
supplies.
Knit socks for soldiers at the rate
OF completed pair an hour.
Make garments including night
shirts, caps uniforms. haversacks. belts
and other equipment and supplies.
Mend and mark linen. garments and
other hospital accessories.
Wash sheets, pillow cases. towels,
etc.
Supply flowers. collect books and
magazines. taking these cheering ar
ticles to the hospitals daily or for
warding them to the field hospitals
Serve literally as scouts, dispatch
bearers, etc
Fill places in civil occupations and
civil life generally hitherto filled by
men. thus releasing many men for war
service who otherwise would be COM
PEELED to remain at home.
Some Have Won Medals.
I'm addition TO these things it has been
shown by the organization in Great
Britain and elsewhere the Girl Guides. or
Girl Scouts. have an actual military value
aside from acting as an efficient acCes-
sorry TO the military machine proper and
many OF the members have received
special decorations from the govern
ment for heroic ir particularly useful
work.
AT the base hospitals at home the
Girl Scouts have done fine work in
finding ways to entertain and encour-
age convalescents recovering from
wounds or illness contracted at the
front. Many Of these soldiers are
taught by the girls to make various ar
ticlcs that upon their discharge have
saleable value and enable the soldiers,
many of them manned for life. to earn
a livelihood. The occupation this work
gives to the mind OF the injured SOL
dier, aside from its later economic
significance. is frequently an important
factor in assisting his complete re-
covery.
These and many other things the
Girl Scouts of the United States will
be able to do to assist their govern
ment in the case Of war ard to make
the lot of the soldier a trifle easier.
That the girls OF the country appre-
ciate the opportunity for useful service
thus afforded them is shown by the
way girls from 10 years old and up
wards are enrolling in the organiza-
tion as individuals and by the hun
dreds OF new scout troops that are
being formed all over the country since
national emergency seemed immi-
nent.
ANY group of from six to eight girls
or more, can start a troop and If they
will communicate with me at the ma
tIonal headquarters I will be glad to
show them how. The cost to the in
dividual girls need not exceed 25 cents
a year"