Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-07
WHAT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS lal
DID no HELPaSAVE THE ALI SNAllO4Hl
Response "a te Prise cau--Hearnendng Conditions mnng error Stricken, Women aoS
# Babe Dnyenb by the German Invaders Toward Rpme--AmhssadrP Pages Leadership E

,ings. in the northern cities. inSyacans
villas along the seacoast,,ttn country
VILLAGES In IUmbria in ldEssconfents
and monasteriest In the south B
There was a very, genuine states.
nlanship tnt the call sent out q Tor
worker in Leghorn. and in the COCO
sense. Of the american women tn
Florence who got together and made
sanitary napkins far into the night
The sober officials Of one lElyrian
town were hopeless Of providing bed
ding for the 10000 refugees in their
prefecture, but in the midst OF eheir
quandary they sent two visiting Rec
Cross inspectors on their way tsofa
motor a the iremen in brass.bouni
helmets OH the drivers seat AMI tho
siren sounding as they scattered dogs
and children. The Red Cross men
caught the spirit Of the new d'plo-
macy when they sent the car; back
filled UP with blankets from heir
stores at Bologne from the people
Of America to the people OF italy.
America Expressing Itself.
Moreover, the president Of the
United States is the head Of the Re6
Gross; it is a semi-officialE orsanizas
ton. and it is quickly recognized In
such International work as q naturnS
channel for American resourcefulnesss
and good will. 1t is hailed not only
as a piece of American enterprise,
was in truth a cable from the Amer,
lean ambassador to Italy that brought
the first Red Cross me- to- Rome,
and it was at the American embassy
that they met with the committee or.
the American Relief Clearing House
and mapped out together the first
steps to be taken. Ss
Around Ambassador Page all tEas
early operations swung, and his pene-
cations and cities; his swift strokes
in %portraying the main elements "a
the situation-his southern talent
for establishing cordial relations for
the newcomers with the Roman
community and the foiNces of the Ia
tional government gave an unantici.
pated speed and precision to the rap
idly expanding work. And 1t wa
from the ambassadors office, at',hat'
went off to American consu,s
throughout Italy for information as
to numbers and conditions Of 1efu:
gees
Money was sent that afternoon 10
~consuls in cities known to have press
ing need. Within a week the ten
consular districts had become. IN q
sense, the natural framework for the
development Of the civilian work out
side Rome, and the consuls them
selves the pioneer American relics
workers. a
Activities Of the Consuls. -e.
Their efforts. naturally. took diff.
ferent forms in different districts.
Consul Carroll at Venice. found that
the Posto di Conforto at Mestre,
refugees and wounded soldiers. haa
reached its last day of operation due
to lack of means and, arranged for
it's continuance under the American
flag. H
Next. he opened a Red Cross can
teen at Chioggia as a first step in
cooperating in that orderly evacua.
ton of Venetian civilians. which will
be described later and into which he
threw himself with Characteristic
Texan energy. Consul Dumont had
enlisted a fellow countryman las the
representative of. the American a.
ony in Florence in collecting money
and clothing for thes refugees, the
italian Red. Cross established him as
bead of the clothing distribution
service ut the principal shelter aehr
the station and the consul next COM.
n.lssloned HIM to carry American
Red Cross moneys to other cities III
the district. r.
Consul WinshipS OF Milan lent his
experience in Petrograd in aiding
Polish refugees at the time of the
great Russian retreat Of 1915. He be-
came chairman of an active American
Red Cross committee made up OF
American business men, which has
|orened y popular kitchen near the
station (where 200 resident refugees
are fed). turned a clubhouse into an
|infirmary and rest home for women
and children. is equipping and man
iaging sdormitory for allied soldiers
and is cooperating with the central
city committee in promoting betrer
housing and employment for refh-
gees. Acting Consul Roberts at
Genoa co-operated in organizing a
similar committee there. which erect