Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-12-07

DIR. Birckhead asked all to send this
channel OF the organization your
| good will. your best"
The Red Cross. he said, ministers in
| England, France, Belgium, Servia and
Italy, it represent the great. heart OF
the greatest nation of the world L.
represents You. Just at this point
in his talk the lights went out. but
this wonderful speaker. whose very
| presence inspires, had inspired his
hearers with his earnestness of pur-
pose, the deep feeling in his voice. and
they sat as quietly and listened to him
in the darkness as they had in the
light, He told how very cruel war is
to the old, how hospitals and homes
for the aged were devastated, how an
old man 9S was thrown out. Think,
| he said, of being 9S and pulled up by
The roots and thrown by the roadside
Of life. These old men are waiting to
die. life has nothing for them, yet
how horrible the war is to them He
/ told of $50 little children being cared
for by American hands and hearts OF
the Red Cross. You have sent them
faith and hope under the flag of the
Red Cross.
DR.. Birckhead said the French have
paid the uttermost price for this war
They are infinitely sad and infinitely
weary. He told of when they went
home what home it was-children
sick, wife weeping. the business they
had left gone to wreck and ruin.
Before DR.. Birckhead left for Amer
lea he asked General Pershing "Whaf
is the first thing you want the Req
Cross to do?" The General said
Strengthen the morale of the French
soldier, by helping them through the
cold and want and $3,000,000 was
given by the Red Cross to the French
General to send cheer. warmth and
hope into the little French home.
"The Red Cross is at this moment
the greatest diplomatic agency in Eu-
rope. Our Ambassadors represent
our government" said DR.. Birckhead,
''the Red Cross represents U.s. 1t
brings cheer, self-respect, and hope
back to the bent shoulders of Europe
bent low beneath the burden of
war.
The other day we gave one billion
dollars to England, nation that has
been giving so much to all others, but
no one before has thought to give
England one cent until America did
DR.. Birckhead said he wondered if
ha fxysn in, FOI
the importance of living here. An
napolis, he said, is known over the
world as the city where every naval
officer is given his imprint, where so
many thousands of Americas best are
sent forth.
1t is not enough to give them, and
then leave them over there. Every
woman should inspire every other
woman to reach out and help them
through the Red Cross.
Before leaving France for Amer
lea, DR. Birckhead said he asked Gen
eral Pershing what message he
should bring back, the General re-
piled: Tell them America has never
before undertaken so great a task as
this war, but tell them we need to feel
every hour, every day that they are
ever with us, that they believe in us,
they love us and pray for us. Only
this can help us plant the Stars and
Stripes upon the shores of Germany"
In closing this eloquent address,Dr.
Birckhead said: Il make this appeal
to you: If you love your country, if
you love your boy, send him through
the means God has given you, your
heart full of love-"
Governor Harrington made a few
remarks and read a poem You" he
found at Camp Mcclellan, Admission,
Ala, while visiting his son there.
Before the meeting closed an ap-
peal was made for more members of
the Red Cross. Annapolis District
quota being 5000 more members by
Christmas Eve.
One hundred and eighty-four names
were enrolled last night, the first
three being:
Roy Campbell Smith,
Mary Alger Smith,
Louise Taylor Smith.
three grandchildren of Mrs. Alger and
the late Prof Philip r. Alger, U. S.
Navy