The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1918-04-17
TELLS MEANING
OF RED CROSS
HOME SERVICE
Civilian Relief Director Begins
Series of Articles Explaining
Importance of Assistance to
Enlisted Mems Relatives

the American Red Cross in Ohio, Indiana
and and Kentucky; The subjects OF the & 8fhef
Red Cross Home Service Is" Financial
| Aid in Home Service" What Has Been
Taught Home Service, Workers" and
| "Organizing and Training 10000 Home
| Service Committeeman"
BY James L. Fieser,
Director, Civilian Relief, Lake Divi-
sion, American Red Cross.
Two new words-Home Service
are taking important places in the
vocabulary and activity of the 1856
American Red Cross chapters in Ohio,
Indiana and Kentucky.
At wars outbreak ten months ago
to the few chapters then organized
Red Cross work and popular knowl-
edge of it centered only around prep
aration of hospital supplies, equip
ment of base hospitals and supplying
their personnel, and provisions of re-
lief in times of disaster.
Then came the unfolding Of null
titude Of other chapter obligations
solicitation of war funds, driving for
increased membership, organization of
school auXiliaries, turning out huge
quotas of knitted articles, surgical
dressings and Christmas packets.
AmOEZ these ObligatiOns-mOdel of
1917-was the organization OF Home
Service committees, better known in
some communities as civilian relief
committees. Frequently the activi-
ties of the Home Service committees
were belittled by other chapter COM
! mittees. This because importance of
Home Service had not been clearly
. defined. Now, through the efforts of
! the Bureau of Civilian Relief of the
Lake Division, headquarters at Cleve-
land, chapters have come to a clear
understanding of the vitalness of Red
! Cross Home Service in relation to war
and complete victory.
But to the general public, notably
in the so-called rural communities,
Home Service is little better under
stood than it was by the chapters a
) matter of five months back.
] So, what is Red Cross Home Service
and why?
: Home Service must be the nations
] assurance that the enlisted land con-
] scripted mans family shall not suffer
2 for want of any essential thing within
J the power Of the nation to give.
. The PubIic's Conception.
eyes," says Mr.. Average Citizen,
"but isn't the government providing
war risk insurance, and will it not pro-
, vide separation allowance where
necessary? Isn't it a fact that but
few men with dependents have been
called to arms?"
y Mr. Average Citizen is correct, but
he is thinking only in terms of money
relief And it is to convince him that
administration Of money relief is only
one of many features of Home Serv-
ice that this series of articles on the
rudiments of Home Service have been
0 prepared.
7 Scan this brief summary of the op-
/ portunities confronting Home Service
committees in your county and you
will agree that the opportunities have
D become the duty and privilege Of an
u outstanding, patriotic, American citi-
2 zenship.
1. Conservation by service of hu.
man resources wherever deterioration
is threatened in a soldiers or a sail
} or's home.
d 2 Temporary relief of families in
which there has been a delay in pay.
ments, or in which there is an emer
gency.
8. Responsibility for regular and
u continued assistance in cases not
covered by government allowance
this includes families in need and res
ident in the United States of men who
t are in the service of our allies.
4. Personal service to the returned
soldier or sailor, especially when he
: is disabled.
c 5. An information service which
will save time, trouble and anxiety fol
lonely relatives of enlisted men.
6. Advancement of home standards
4 wherever possible, but especially
> when the lack of help is likely tt
. cause family disintegration.
d Sustains Soldiers Morale.
Is Men may be the best soldiers il
u the world q quote you from the
Manual of Home Service issued b!
II American Red Cross headquarters
II Washington, but if things are no
i, we'll with their families at home, the!
's lose efficiency through worry, and thu
morale of the army-that all i'm
r portant factor-begins to fail.
re $50 it is the patriotic duty as vel
Is as the humanitarian opportunity o
81 Home Service workers of the Ameri
IL can Red Cross to care for lonely fam
70 lilies of our fighting men. 1t is to b.
remembered that they soon will b.
W fighting men in real earnest No
ps only our enemies, but our allies, ant
OF the American people as well, will b.
DC watching them.
every report from the training
y camps and from the French from
ne mentions the excellent spirit of on
b troops. Will they maintain thi
ne morale while thousands of miles iron
b home, through trench life and battk
- to the victorious end?
n. s'THE ANSWER WILL BE DE-