The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-13

during our civil war, because their thoughtful, disinterested, self-sacrif1c- ling devotion is the spirit which should always illustrate the services of the Red Cross. "The Red Cross needs at this time more than it ever needed before, the comprehending support of the Ameri can people and all the facilities which ! could be placed at it's disposal to per form it's duties adequately and ef ficiently. SUFFERING AND SACRIFICE "I believe that the American people perhaps hardly yet realize the sacri- fees and sufferings that are before tn em. We thought the scale of our civil war was unprecedented, but in com parison with the struggle into which we have now entered the civil war seems almost insignificant in its pro- portions and in it's expenditure of treasure and of blood. And, therefore, lit is a matter of the greatest impor- tance that we should at the outset see to it that the American Red Cross lis equipped and prepared for the things lthat lie before it. It will be our in strument to the works of alleviatfon I and of mercy which will attend this struggle. Of course, the scale upon which it shall act will be greater than the scale of any other duty that 1t has ever attempted to perform
 MUST RAISE GREAT FUND l "It is in recognition of that fact that 1 the American Red Cross has Just added l to it's organization small body of men whom it has chosen to call it's war ,council-not because they are to coun- I sel war but because they are to serve 1 in this special war those purposes of l counsel which have become so impera- ltively necessary. Their first duty will be to raise a great fund out of which 1 to draw the resources for the perform ance of their duty, and l do not be- llieve that it will be necessary to appeal | to the American people to respond to l their call for funds, because the heart
 of this country Is in this war, and if
 the heart of the country is in
 the war, it's heart will express itself | in the gifts that will be poured out for 1 those humane purposes.
 NO SELFISH WAR
 | q say the heart of the country is 1 in this war because it would not have ] gone into it if it's heart had not been 1 prepared for it. It would not have gone into it if it had not first be- lieved that there was an opportunity 1 to express the character of the United l States. We have gone in with no spe | cial grievance of our own, because We 1 have always said that we were The | friends and servants of mankind We l look for no profit We look for no ad- vantage. We will accept no advantage 1 out of this war. We go because we believe that the very principles upon which the American republic were l founded are now at stake and mus l be vindicated. In such a contest. therc- 1 fore we shall not fail to respond to | the call to service that comes through l the instrumentality of this particular 1 organization
 NO TIME FOR AMATEURS "And | think it not inappropri- ate to say this: There will be many expressions of the spirit of l sympathy and mercy and phi | lanthrOpy. and I think that it Is very necessary that we should not 1 disperse our activities i'm those | lines too much; that we should 1 keep constantly in view the de- l sire to have the utmost cOncen- | tratiOn and efficiency of effort and 1 hope that most. If not all, of the philanthropic activities of this war may be exercised if not
 through the Red Cross, then l through some already constituted and experienccd organization. This is no war for amateurs. This Is no war for mere spontaneous im- l pulse. It means grim business on ] every side of 1t and it Is the mere counsel of prudence that in our | philanthropy we'll as in our | fighting we should act through | the fnstrumcntalities already pre-
 pared to our hand and already ex- perienced In the tasks which are going to be assigned to them.
 '-rhere Is another thing that Is