Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-24

Lord NorthcliMe. head of the Brit
fsh war mission pays tribute to the
heroic services of the American fsea
Cross on the battleaeldS or Belgium
and France. and ConEratulateS the
American people on the devotion ana
enthusiasm for the Red Cross Which
he finds sweeping this country III Il
message which will be read at the
mass meeting in Polls Theater THIS
afternoon. This statement from LORD
Northcliffe came in response to an IN
vitation from Henry b. h Marlariaho'
chairman OF the finance committee: III
charge of the Washington campaign
His dispatch, from New iorh, is as
follows:
IF. as one of the leaders of the
British Red Cross fund, ] Rave a mes
sage of any kind to the American keu
Cross. it is one of conSratuiatioh on
the devotion and enthusiasm Tor heu
Cross work l find sweeping TINS vast
continent ,,.,...
have been so amplificd by the gigantic
measure of the struggle for democracy
in which we are engaged. mat ne"
fields of work are contlhuailS open
ing. and We may say that OUTSIDE ,ht
military command itself the Red
Cross must take up the burden OF see
ing us through and alternating the
horrors ruthless foe has added TO
the usual suferingS OF war
Search for Missing" Men.
"One of the most important of the
new developments is the seafch i'i
the missing and wounded 49,,
I'm a few months will come across the
cables the sad and significant word
missing in regard! to. many OF the young
crusaders who have gone to Europe to
guard the worlds liberty. Anxious par
ents and relations will instantly start
ca bling that inquiries be made as TO
whether missing means passed away
cd living between
opposng armies or taken prisoner me
British Red Cross Society immeoia'eiE
opened a branch whose sole task IL Is 10
collect every possible item with regard
10 missing men. Some of the work is
undertaken by priests and clergymen VINO
go around the hospitals ana board the
hospital ships asking questions OF eacn
of the missing mems comrades. All TINS
Information is collected and flied sys-
remarkably. and in some scores OF thou-
sands of cases diligent inquiry mas pro-
drced the desired information. Inc mes
of the British Red Cross bureau are n,leo
Nth narratives. each one of which before
the war would have been regarded as
matters of national interest Inc Rea
Cross Society has over ana over again
discovered men reported missing VINO
have been hiding for days in deep sheh
holes between the armies, subsistlng on
rain water and the iron ration Whlch
every soldier carries ABOUT MN III case
.sYour soldiers will need books, news
papers, magazines. chewing gum; cigar
cites. gramaphones, games. All THESE
are supplied to our troops by the Reo
Cross.
Our Red Cross supports many hospitals
Of it's own, assists other hospitals. super
intends the training OF temporary nurses
and performs a thousand tasks l 90 not
enumerate here
Waste Effort at Beginning.
ha
arising from overenthusiasm at the
beginning. There was waste OF e1ort
and overlapping. Extravagant enter
tainments were arranged by willing So
cial workers who did not realize that a
Red Cross entertainment must provide
profit for the Red Cross rather than
amusement for the Red Cross workers.
The expenses of the British Red Cross
are exactly 9 cents in every IS. The
society suffered from the efforts of well
meaning folk as well as from dishonest
ones. and the government finally placed
all war charities under strict control.
"In wishing success and prosperity to
your efforts, / would, as an experienced
Red Cross worker. urge caution and
conservation of effort. You can learn
much by our mistakes. You will need
every cent you can collect and every
pair of human hands you can employ.
The war. in my personal opinion. gath
cred by much experience at the front, is
but beginning. Every ounce Of your
stores will have to be conveyed over
three thousand miles.
American Red Cross workers have
established for themselves unique repu-
tat!on on the battlefields of France and
Belgium. ] had the pleasure of seeing
their glorious achievements at the bat.
tie of Nerdun. and / am confident that
those at home by their devotion anC
generosity will make 1t possible fol
those at the front to maintain the
American reputation for valor and hu.
mainly"