Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-04
GET OUT THE BALL
OF YARN AND KNIT
A BIT FOR SAMMY

devastated Belgium and northern
France. Six million warn. knitted
wooden articles are needed to help
them get through the winter The ap-
| peal has come to the American Red
| Cross al Washington and it specifies
I 1900. 900 each Of sweaters, muIIers,
/ wristlets and socks
, The call Is official Major Grayson
/ NJ. p. Murphy of General Perahfng's
staff, the Red Cross commissioner for
Europe, who knows better perhaps
than any other man just howr badly
these things are needed. las cabled for
them, Here is part Of bis message;
/ Last winter broke the record Tor
/ cold and misery among the people
/ here. We inexpressibly dread the COM
/ Ing winter finding US without supplies
/ 70 meet the situation We urge you.
on behalf OF our soldiers and those oil
/ cur allies, Gho viii suffer IN their
+ frozen trenches and also thousands of
French and Belgian refugees, 10 begin
/ shipping at once 1900, 900 each Of the
warm, knitted, wooden articles nam en-.
+ They must come before cold weather"
/ The entire People of the land are
called upon to render this service 20
+ the men in KHAKI. ard those struggling
nth them. The hearts Of the people
Will be in the task because their own
+ are among those who need the service
/ Every county, every village every vot-|
/ ing precinct, is sending of its best to
! fight for the country, and the woman
who knits one of these garments
/ feels with every stitch that it may be
for her own son, her own brother, or
one Of her dearest friends, who may be
/ kept more comfortable by her work.
From Director John J. O'C0naor OF
! the central division Of the Red Cross,
{ s.. a -t-.--s Ia E1
call went forth TO 1851 chapters in
/ the central states, urging the members
+ to answer the cry. The chapters
/ called on the Red Cross supply serv-
/ Ice for warn, knitting needles and full
+ instructions for the knitting In the
meantime, knitting committees were
formed in the chapters, and volunteers
/ called for.
The supply service was forced 10
/ ask some chapters to buy their yarn
and needles in the local markets or
from whatever source they could most
/ quickly get them. The supply service
+ had not on hand enough goods TO ill
such an unprecedented demand on
such short notice. Washington could
not even supply, as rapidly as they
( were needed. the printed instructions
for the knitting and the newspapers
! were called on to print the directions
50 that every knitter might have a
, copy,
But the work must be hurried
!. They must come before cold wealth
err" cabled Major Murphy. That means
that the entire 5000 900 articles must
/ be completed in the shortest possible
time, and sent TO France and to call
on every woman andEirl who can knit,
/ whether or not she's a Red Cross mem
,. Der, and ask her TO help ia the work.
We III America, who as Yet can
/ scarcely realize that our country is at
war. have no conception Of the terrible
need of the millions Of people in
France and Belgium whose lands are
0verrua by the Germans Utterly pen
I mless, with no possessions save the
ragged clothes on their backs they
suffered incredibly BIZ tens Of thou
sands last winter. Now they face
another winter. weakened by the trials
they have already undergone. and IL is
up to the Red Cross" to keep them
from dying Of cold. They are endur-
/ ing what military experts have pointed
out Americans Will be called on to en-
/ dure if the Germans ever beat the al
lied armies and navjes. and attack
/ America on her own shores.
This call for knitted articles is but
one phase of the work of relief which
The American Red Cross must carry
on Washington has repeatedly warned
the chapters that the knitting must not
be permitted 10 stop or delay the maxi
ing of surgical supplies wound dress
ings, splints, bandages. operating gar
meuts and the thousands OF other
things which surgeons and nurses
must have when they wait ON he
wounded, These must be kept flow
ing in q never-endjng stream, increas-
ing in volume as our own men near
the front The knitting IS merely an
!, extra rush order in addition TO
every thing else the Red Cross has an
idertakeu to do.
The American soldiers are fur
nished with uniforms and 0varcoats
and shoes and everything that the
! army regulations call for The knitted
articles are for their extra comfort
and in the case of the refugee civil
fans, are absolute necessities.
Every reader Of this article is urged
10 get a supply Of yarn and needles.
and knjt-0r have some one else knit
las many of these articles as possible
and as quickly as possible, The knit
ted goods should be sent by the knit
ters Of the central division to the near
est Red Cross chapter, which will
send them with all speed 10 the Red
Cross supply service. Wakem & Nc
+ Laughln warehouse, ga Fast ILLINOIS
street, Chicago. In case the knitter
cannot get in touch with a Red Cross
chapter, she may send the goods direct
TO the warehouse.
Here are the official directions for
knitting the sweater. munlers, socks
and wristlets-and remember. Major
Murphy says they must come before
cold weather"
quipment-Knitting machines may