The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-07-16
INDIANS SHOWING
SAME SPIRIT IN
" Ar AS WHITES
Enlistments, Bonds, Stamps
And Red Cross Re-
ceive Indians Bit.

/ fT,y Associated Press to Tho BannerI
WASHINGTON July 13-The deeds
of Indians who have enlisted in large
numbers i'm the military services are
hardly more inspiring than those of
the women and children left behind.
This Is partial account of the an
swer made by the people on the res
ervations when the Great White
| Father" in Washington called TO the
tribes and races inhabiting this land
of freedom to rise in its defense.
! Reports received by Cato Sells
Commissioner Of Indian Affairs, from
about one.lhird of the Indian reserva-
| tiOns, indicate total Red Cross mem
bership of close to 10000, cOntribu.
tiOns I'm money amounting to more
than 100000 and further donations of
thousands of hospital garments and
knitted articles. That is not a full
measure of the Red Mans generosity,
however, for the reservations do not
house many Indians, including the
more wealthy, whose charitable activ-
tiles are listed with the general pop
ulation.
Resorting to methods Of the white
man to raise money, the Omaha tribe
recently held an auction for the Red
Cross which netted $4,000, including
$500 for prize goat.
The boys of school in the north
west gathered 1000 pounds of .Sphag-
nun moss for surgical absorbent pads.
Some 400 Christmas boxes were re-
ported which is incomplete, as nearly
all of the l20 boarding schools have
number from few to two hundred,
and the pupils of these schools are
very mindful OF their soldier represen-
tatives. One of the larger schools re-
ported a Students Friendship War
Fund, with $3.50 on hand and twelve
war savings societies. This school In
four weeks bought 1000 thrift stamps
and II Baby Bonds.
On a small reservation far north,
where the winters are long and severe
and the Indian must struggle for the
nCcessaries of life, more than one
dollar per capita for every adult was
paid i'm cash for the Red Cross and
other war relief purposes. In the
Southwest where the parched desert
gives scant returns and sheep raising
Is the chief means of support. many
Of the Indians have each promised n
: fleece of wool for the Red Cross and
the Superintendent plans the expert
ment of spinning this wool and knit
ting il into socks, sweaters, etc, by
the Indian women.
In Il Montana district where the In
dians are nearly all full bloods they
voluntarily held meetings and each
one who has Il growing wheat crOl
I promised to donate one sack of wheat
for war RELIEF work. On another res
ervation where the Indians are very
= poor and have little ready money
! they donated an abundance of hand
some bead work and other curios tt
D be sold for the Red Cross.
= One of the smaller schools i'm Okla
!, homa reported u Junior Red Cross
membership of l76 members, being tn,
}, total enrolment of the school
v The superintendent of one of tn,
q boarding schools for girls of the Fiv,
u Civilized Tribes In Oklahoma declare,
the girls are deeply interested In al
war work and respond readily to re
n quests for additional garments. Th
very small girls knit up the scraps o
yarn into refugee caps, afghal
@ squares etc Also they utilize tn
scraps from the hospital garment
q making quilt blocks. Larger scrap
are used for small underskirts for tn
70 refugees. Gun wipers have been Gu
10 by the hundred
From II northern Minnesota resel
O. vation, whore il is believed the frs
Indian Red Cross auxiliary was star
u Ell In the spring OF 1917 the presider
OF the auxiliary writes: