Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-04-15
Dr.. Eifie McCOllum Jones Outlines
New Work for Red Cross in
Homes Of Soldiers at the
Front in France.
CONSISTS OF SOCIAL SERVICE
TO Extend Helping Hand, Keep
Country Cheerful and Uphold
Morale OF Army.

pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this,
to visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction, #
This was the text Dr.. Ef1ie McCol-
,um Jones took for the vesper service
at the Universalist church yesterday
afternoon, when she told by request
of the Red Cross conference she at
tended in Iowa City this week, which
was the initiation in Iowa of new
branch of Red Cross aciyity-social
service.
The call was sent out to women eX-
perienced in social service work or
public speaking and more than sew
enty responded, spending the three
days of circumference in closely ap-
piled study of the lectures and les
sons prepared for them. Upon these
women lies the obligation to go when
called to carry the message of "home
service" and direct its application
throughout the state.
Prominent officials of the Central
division of the Red Cross, including
DR.. Gibbons of Chicago, and authori-
ties in social service work appeared
upon the program. Following the eX-
ample of England and Canada, as
we'll as other belligerents in the war,
some form of home service is to be
inaugurated in the United States, the
need having already become appar-
ent with the withdrawal of more
than million and a half of men from
the homes of the country.
What Move is For.
OF the many things that home SER
vice may mean, it does not mean
prayer meetings." but it is to be
recognized as of supreme importance
to keeping up the morale Of the army
Only when the soldiers mind is at
rest concerning the welfare OF the
family at home can he give his best
service to the army. Home service Is,
therefore, designed to keep up the
morale of the men at the front by
enabling the mems families to main
70; hn; CT
living while he is away.
In every community there is prob
ably at least one family which suf-
fers, despite the carefully designed
plan of the government for the home
allotment of the soldiers pay and the
equally effective plan Of insuring the
lives of the men. The Red Cross,
while doing the work it is among the
men at he front, is in position to know
the stocks Of every man in the nat
ional service who has a family at
home and can give, not only money If
it is needed, but the helping hand in
whatever way it may be required,
from looking after a hayward child
to providing neighborly service in
times of illness.
Crimes in England.
Juvenile crime in England has in
creased from sixty to sixty-fve per
cent since the beginning of the war.
This is due to taking children from
school, to engaging their mothers
services in war work and the lack
of discipline in the home. This has
now been remedied by putting the
children back in school and in giving
them needed supervision. To offset
the i'll effects of wartime, the chill
dren should in every case receive
their full rights for an education.
Another phase of war work, is the
providing of wholesome amusements
for the families Of soldiers. There
should not be less sociability but
more. "Everybody's lonely. and this
oftentimcs has disas-
trous effects. Perhaps in social SER
vice work the theme of the New Tesla
mcnt is to be worked out in a prac-
tical form and the country, which the
soldier has defended in battle, will
be returned to him a better, cleaner
and a finer place in which to live.
-W.S.S.-
Miss Ruth Shelledy of Boulder, Col,
A niece of Mrs. j. c. Robson, who has
visited here many times, will give up
her position as professor of German
in the University of Colorado at the
end of the school year. after twelve
years of service there, due to the dis
of the German language
N the school, However. Miss Shelledy
has fitted herself to do clerical work
md expects to join the forces Of train
I'd men and women who are serving