The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-03-08
PATRIOTIC MEETING.


Methodist church Sunday evening, but
owing to the fact that little publicity
| had been given to the proposed meet
| ing the attendance was disappointing,
although the body of the church was
comfortably filled. The services were
under the direction of H. H. Felmey,
who was instrumental in arranging for
the meeting. The music was led by a
quartet composed of the Starrett
brothers, A. P. Murray and Y. l.. Red
head. Prayers wede offered by Mr.. Fell
mey and Mr.. Bender during the even
ing. Interest especially centered
around addresses delivered by resi-
dents Of the town who had been invited
to speak on special subjects. w. E.
Grant had been slated for an address,
but owing to sickness was unable to
fill the appointment. DR.. Lewis had for
his subject the Y. M. c. A., in the war,
and j. M. Adams food conditions in
France. Both the gentlemen are ready
takers, but on no occasion have they
appeared to better advantage, spoke
more feelingly and eloquently, than
they did Sunday evening. DR.. Lewis
tribute to the work of the Y. NJ. C. A.,
the great good it is doing in camp and
cantonment, and the influence that or
ganization will have on the lives of
the soldiers after the war was most
pleasingly worded and expressed. Mr..
Adams treatment of the food situation
and the explanation of the duty OF the
American people to the allies in the
conservation of food was forceful ap-
peal to his hearers. Mrs. c. w. Smith
was called upon to tell of Red Cross
work. She read her address from man.
uscript, and it was such an able ex-
position of what the Red Cross stands
for that it is here published in full:
WHAT THE RED CROSS is DOING IN
FRANCE.
Very little can be told in ten minutes of
what the Red Cross is doing in France
The Red Cross is a CHRIST and MARY
In one. All powerful to succor strong with
the strength of u Savior. gentle and ten
der with the love of Mary.
People-when we know that this won
over there" and is doing it in the best
possible way, feeding, clothing. plying a
nation, and with their hands lifting our
where they have gone like Christ. to give
their lives for a People, can one of us fail
to do our all? If your boys are taken pris-
oner 1t Is through the Red cross we reach
them. and through it we can communi-
cate with them.
1t has been asked, why don't the gov
ernment do 1T. The answer is because the
the government could. 1t can do it more
cheaply. A large part of the personal SER
vice Q fthe Red Cross is performed by
tnat ss m,1D DaydsSn
were working for the Red Cross without
pay I he Red Cross is a much more flex-
The Red Cross can work in a way that
would be fairly impossible for the govern.
ment. For example, every officer and
ly assist the Red Cross to find and help a
mutilated French soldier or destitute
French family. The French government
might have some qualms about accept
ment. No question of national pride or
politics comes up where the Red Cross Is
con, Everywhere it is received
without reservation as a friend.
The American public subscribed $780,
100000 to the Red Cross last summer Our
government nm might easily appropriate that
lost in the mass of war appropriations.
and meant nothing to anybody. 1t would
nave been so much impersonal cold stor-
age money. But freely subscribed by the
people the money is warm with human
sympathy
The president of the United States says
the battle field relief will be effected
under the supervision of the war depart
ment. and l hope our people will realize
that there Is probably no other efficiency
which they can associate themselves with
which can allay suffering SO universally
as the Red Cross. Its president is the
president of the United States. Its Chap
bers of the governing board shall be ap-
pointed by the president. and that there
snail be one representative of the war,
navy navy It treasury 4Si department and depart,
of the Red Cross is appointed by the pres.
ident of the United States, and is a me-
dium OF communication between the peo-
pie of the United States and their armies
and navieS.
AS the soldiers give so we should give.
and by SO. doing. we shall be as near
Christ as it is possible to get
The Red Cross is not a charitable in
stitution. 1t gives freely of all it has and
when we give to 1t we should give as God
gives the rain to the earth
1t Is said that the Red Cross more near.
ly represents what Christ meant by a uni-
versal religion than any other oreaniza-
ton In the world as it touches nations
nationality. In closing II Is not inappro-
pirate to read the following poem. 1.-THE
Prayer of the Army Men," to show what
Prayer Of the Army Men.
At the going when we stumble up the
gangway to the ship.
while we wiSh and curse the WISH that
We could stay;
On the Channel. as we watch the yearnine
cliffs of England dip,
Help us, Lord. to hide our sickened hearts
away.
On the marches-oh the marches with the
blisters on our feet.
When our kits weigh not much less than
half ton
And our one idea of Heaven is a place to
sleep and eat
Give us stength. Lord till our thirty
miles are done.
Through the weary. Starlit vigils when we
guard the sleeping tents.
When they huddle gray behind us in the
gloom,
Bid us challenge every phantom that our
fear of death invents:
Keep our ears alert to hear the creeping
Doom
In the trenches, with the bullet ridden
earthworks squirting dust
And the peering rifle muzzles splitting
flame;
In the sweating bayonet charges with
the thrust and wrench and thrust.
Hear us, when we, dying, call upon Thy
name,
In the winning in the losing, in the tri-
umph, the despair
BE we victcrs or the holders OF defeat
Keep us mindful of the honors of a nation
that we bear;