The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-12-27
Head of Red Cross War Cour~
Gil Sends Stirring Message
to the Public.
VAST PROBLEMS ARE AHEAD
Sees No Necessity for Further Cam
palons for Funds Ii People Re.
spond Properly to Christ
mas Drive

ell Of the Red Cross, today issued to
the 1854 chapters and the 100000
members the following statement out
lining the future policy of the Ameri-
can Red Cross:
1.-THE whole American people will be
Invited In the week preceding Christ
mas to enroll as members of the Red
Cross. 1t is confidently believed there
need be no further campaigns for Red
Cross funds, but instead the annual
roll call will constitute the foundation
Of the Red Cross. The people should
therefore know as definitely as posi-
BILE thA plans of this. their national
humanitarian society.
Since the armistice was signed /
have had an opportunity to confer in
Paris with the heads of all American
Red Gross commissions In Europe, and
later In Washington with the presi-
dent 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 department at national head
quarters. l am, therefore, able to
speak now with knowledge and assur
ance In saying that the beneficent work
Of the American Red Cross is to go
as heretofore, for purposes of relief Of
war, but as an agency of peace and
permanent human service.
"Since Americas entry into the war
the purpose of our Red Cross has been
primarily to aid our army and navy in
the care of our men under arms, and
secondly, to extend relief to the SOL
diers, sailors and civilians of those ma
tons which were fighting our battles
along with their own. With the funds
which have been so generously con-
tributed by the American people this
war work Of the Red Cross will con-
tinue and be completed with all posi-
BILE sympathy and energy.
Wherever our soldiers and sailors
may be the Red Cross will stay with
Ing which we may do will be left I'M
done, either for the men in the war
zone, for those returning, for those in
the camps and hospitals or for their
families at home, to whom will con-
tnue to be devoted the ministrations
Of the Red Cross home service In
this latter effort $4,000 trained Red
Cross workers are now engaged at
1850 different places throughout the
land.
"The problems Of reconstruction, in
volving feeding and caring for the dis
tressed civilian populations of Europe,
are Of such magnitude that necessa-
rily they must be met very largely by
the governments Of our allies, with
whom our own government will coop
crate.
'The great tasks of fighting tubercu-
losis, promoting child welfare, and car
ing for refugees. with which the Amer
lean Red Gross has concerned itself so
effectively in France. Italy and Bel
g1an, will at an early date be assumed
by the governments, the Red Cross or.
ganizations, and the relief societies of
those countries, which. now that they
are released from the terrible burden
OF waging war, naturally desire to take
care, as far as they can. of their own
people.
1.-THE war problem of the American
Red Cross will thus steadily and rap
idly merge itself into a peace program
The wake Of the war will, however
%ha 80
give rise to epidemics and emergen-
cies which In all parts Of the world
Will call for unlimited voluntary eff
fort, the cutting of red tape and mani
Hesitation of those qualities Of human
sympathy which government action
cannot display. Here will be the op-
portunity for the American Red Cross.
But even our Red Cross must not act
and cannot act most effectively alone :;
we must labor in cooperation with the
National Red Cross and relief societies
of other nations, to the end that not
alone the heart of America but the
heart of all mankind may be modified
on behalf of suffering humanity.
w uIic, luSIC Tic plduS VI LAAO
American Red Cross in this direction
cannot be formulated specifically, in
advance of the general relief program
of the allied governments. the Ameri-
can Red Cross is nevertheless planning
to develop its permanent organization
In this country upon scale never be-
fore contemplated in time of peace.
The commissions which are now con-
Quoting the activities of the American
Red Cross in foreign countries. as
we'll as the temporary war organiZa-
ton in this country, will as a matter
of course ultimately merge their ener-
gies with those of the permanent or
ganization of the Red Cross.
"With the war has developed the
striking and important fact that many
men and women, some Of whom had
with great success devoted their lives
entirely to business. came into the Red
Cross organization at the outset Of the
war simply that they might serve their
country, but have realized such q sat-
isfaction to themselves in the Cppor-
tunity to serve mankind that they now
desire to become a part of the perma-
nent peace organization OF the Ameri-
can Red Cross.
'There may be, therefore, perfect
confidence that the peace activities OF