Omaha daily bee., 1917-05-20

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THE DRIVE Of the Red Cross brigade IN ITS
L campaign for membership in Omaha this past
week must be revelation to all OF US, including
those who have been most actively enlisted in the
work Omaha has been rated as apathetic toward
the war, but, whether this is or is not true, Omaha
plainly is no Stacker" when it comes to taking
hold Of the Red Cross work and providing for the
activities on the humane side OF the firing line
Our experience with the Red Cross heretofore
has been wholly confined to calamtous vista
tions of nature like our tornado of four years ago
when the resources of the Red Cross helped for
relief and reconstruction. This movement, now
ever, we should realize, is worldwide and the Red
Cross organization permeates every civilized nook
and corner of the globe. In this country as else
where it has the official recognition of the gov
ernment and the president is the nominal head,
though, of course, not the active director.
The Red Cross in this country was originally
identified with Miss Clara Barton, who made it
her lifework and she was succeeded by Miss Ma
bel T. Boardman. During the Taft admnistra-
tion Miss Boardman, by personal association
with the president, as well as by reason OF her
position with the Red Cross was an acknowledged
power in the White House and in the government
departments. On one occasion had some busi-
ness by appointment with General Wood, then
chief Of the army staff, and word was brought to
me requesting that | wait few moments be-
cause the general was in conference with "Gen-
erar' Mabel Boardman, as she was familiarly re-
ferred to by the War department attaches. On
another occasion ! was engaged in conversation
in the White House reception room with Con-
gresham Prince of Illinois, who was, as recall
member of the house naval committee, and re-
member distinctly his declaration that if he were
interested in any measure he wanted to put
through congress or to secure executive SANCTION
he knew of no one whose aid would be more ef-
fectve and certain of success than that of Miss
Boardman. Two pretty good tributes to the rare
ability of a clever woman privileged to marshal
the tremendous force of the great Red Cross Or
ganization.
Mention has been made more than once during
this Red Cross membership campaign OF valuable
ity channels and in arousng public sentiment, and
to the appeals carried as advertisements, spech-
cally noting that they were paid for by different
friends of the cause. That the public may not
have false impression about this advertising it
should be explained that the newspapers made a
special half rate for this purpose and that the half
rate charge under present conditions of print pa
per cost hardly covers the actual outlay for paper
postage and composition to distribute the sheets
upon which they are printed So far as The Bee
is concerned it did not push solicitation of this
advertising except to the extent that it would be
helpful to the work. even though spreading" on
it might have contributed to an imitation of our
comparative showing Of advertising patronage.
Our readers will recall only short time ago
brief account in this column of the address made
by Joseph H. Choate at the luncheon held in con-
nection with the annual meeting OF the Assocl-
ated Press in New York last month. 1t is diff
cult to realize that Mr.. Choate should be sum-
moned to the Great Beyond so soon. In that
speech he himself adverted to the fact that he was
in his eighty-sixth year and had persuaded him
self that his career as an orator was ended, yet
could not resist this particular invitation. He was
in the most jovial and happy mood and made
telling patriotic speech. demonstrating robust
ness and vitality that have never seen in any
other man of his years.
Another notable whose death is announced
Mrs Belva A. Lockwood, also stirs personal
recollections. Mrs. Lockwood was one Of the
pioneers in the suffrage movement who partci-
pated in several hearings on the subject before
congressional committees that l once happened
to attend. She was matter-of-fact in speech, but
impressive. She carried the prestige of being one
of the first women lawyers successfully practicng
in the courts I have her signature in an auto.
graph album with the inscription yours for equal
civil and political rights"
While in Baltimore observed an innovation
in the running of the street cars which is called
the "skip-stop" and is being put into trial opera
tion on two of the lines. The company was en-
deavoring to educate its patrons to the point of
accepting the plan of stopping cars only at speci-
fed points and the explanation offered is inter-
eSting:
The effect of the skip-stop is to save time for
the riding public. The saving Of FIVE minutes
on trip is of great importance. Saved minutes
on each cars run enables that car in the course
of day to make other runs, so the public gets
better service as we'll as faster service. The
company asks the public to give the plan fair
and unprejudiced trial. The stopping places
have been selected with great deal Of care that
they might be those that would best cater to the
public convenience. The man who has to walk
block farther than heretofore should not lose
sight of the fact that he is even then saving
many minutes on his trip to his destination;
Poles nearest the present stopping places all
along the two lines have been marked. Those
at which the stops are retained are painted
CAR STOP" Since all stops are to be re-
tanned in the downtown district it has not been
necessary to mark any poles. Those which are
skipped are painted NO CAR STOP" Watch
for the white painted poles with the black let
terng and there need be no confusion.
If the thing works out to advantage in Balti
more it may spread, so l take it may be worth
while for other cities to watch the experiment and
take heed of its results.