Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-12-09

roll as Members al Xmas-There
! Will be no Further Drives
Washington, D. c., Dec. 9.-!Ienry
IP. Daviscn. Chairman Of the War
Council Of the Red Cross, today is
sued to the 3.S54 Chapters and the
% 0O0.O 900 members of the American
Red Cross. the following statement
outlining the future policy Of the
American Red Cross.
The whole American people will be
invited in the work preceding Christ
mas to. ~nroll as members of the Red
Cross. 1t is confidently believed
there need be no f:':t,,i,r campaigns
for Red Gross funds. but instead,
the annual roll call will consritlte the
foundation Of the Red Cross. The
people should, therefore, know as
definitely as possible the plans of
this their national humanitarian So
ciety.
Since the armistice was signed,
have had an opportunity to confer in
Paris with the heads of al! american
BED Cross Commissions in Europe,
and later in Washington with the
President Of the United States, the
War Council of the Red Cross. the
managers of the fourteen Red Cross
divisions of the United States, and
with the heads of our departments
at national headquarters. ] am, there
fore, able to speak now with knowl-
edge and assurance in saying that the
benefcent work of the American Red
Cross is to go forward on great
scale-not alone, as heretofore, for
purposes of relief IN war. but as an
agency of peace and permanent nu-
man service.
Since Americas entry into the war,
the purpose of Cur Red Cross has
been primarily to all our army and
navy in the care of our own men un-
der arms, and, seconly, to extend
relief to the soldiers, sailors and ci-
villains of those nations which were
fighting our battles along with their
cwr. With the funds which have been
50 generously contributed by the
American people this war work of the
Red Cross will continue and be COM
D.eted with all possible sympathy
and energy.
Wherever our soldiers and sailors
may be, the Red Cross will stay with
hem until they are demobl!lZed.
which we may do will be left
lndcne either for the men in the war
:cre. for those returning, for those
n tie camps and hospitals, or For
heir families at home to whom will
continue to be devoted the minlstra-
lions of the Red Cross Home Service.
IN this latter effort $4,000 trained
Red Cross workers are now engaged
,t $500 different places throughout
the land.
The problems of reconstruction m
feeding and caring for thc
distressed civilian populations Of tu-
rope are of such magnitude that
they must he met very
LARGELY bv the governments of our al
lies. with whom our own government
will cooperate.
The great tasks Ct fighting tuher-
"ulosis. promoting child welfare. "nd
caring for refugees. with which the
American Red Cross has concerned
itself so effectively in France, Italy
and Belgium, will at an early date
he assumed by tie governments. the
Red Cross organizations. and the re-
lief societies OF those countries,
when. now LfldI Llcs "'iS
from the terrific burden of waglng
war. materially desire to take care, as
FAR as they can, of their own people.
The war program of the American
Red Cross will thus steadily and rap
idly merge itself into peace pro-
cram. The wake of the war will, how
ever, reveal the prevalence OF d's-
ease, ard give rise to epidemic and
emergencies which in all parts OF the
world will call for unlimited votun-
tarv effort, the cutting of led tape
and the manifestation of those quail
ties of human sympathy which gov
crnment action cannot display.
Here Will be the opportunity LOT
the American Red Cross. But even
our Red Cross must not act and can
rot act most effectively alone; we
must labor in cooperation with the
National Red Cross and relief socle-
ties of other nations, to the end that
not alone the heart of America but