Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-07-12
Original Americans
Play Important Fart
in Fight For Libert,

Washington, July l2.-Ihe deeoS oI
Indians who have enlisted in large
numbers in the military services are
he s ;iy more sprii,s than those c: the
women and children left behind. This
is Il partial account of the answer
made by the people on the reservations
when the Great White Father in
Washington called to the tribes and
races inhabiting this land of freedom
10 rise in its defense.
Reports received by Cato Sells, com
missioner OF Indian affairs, from about
one-third of the Indian reservations,
indicate a total Red Cross membership
OF close to 10000. contributions in
money amounting to more than $4,000
and further donations of thousands OF
hospital garments and knitted articles,
That is not a full! measure of the red
mans generosity. however, for the
reservations do not house many In
dams. including the more wealthy,
whose charitable activities are listed
with the general population.
Resorttng to methods of the white
man TO raise money. the Omaha tribe
recently held an auction for the Red
=
$3.50 for q prize goat.
The bows Of school in the north
ives. gathered e,CGo pounds OF Sphag-
mum moss for surgical absorbent pads.
Some i0o Christmas boxes were re-
ported which is incomplete, as nearly
all of the i2G boarding schools have
service flags with stars ranging in
number from a few to zoe and the
pupils OF these schools are very mind
ful Of their snldie or representatives. One
OF the larger schools reported stu
dents friendship war fund, with S7oo
on hand and twelve war savings
societies. This school in four weeks
bought 1900 thrift stamps and four
teen baby bonds.
! on a small reservation far north,
where the winters are long and severe
and the Indian must struggle for the
| necessaries Of life, more than one
| dollar per capita for every adult was
paid in cash for the Red Cross and
other war relief purposes. In the south
west where the parched desert gives
scant returns and sheep raising is the
chief means of support, many Of the
! Indians have each promised a fleece OF
| wool for the Red Cross and the super
| intendent plans the experiment OF
| spinning this wool and knitting it into
| socks. sweaters. etc, by the Indian
| women.
In a Montana district where the In
! dams arc nearly all full-bioods they
voluntarily held meetings and each
one who has growing wheat croi
! promised to donate one sack OF whea'
! for war relief work. On another reser-
walton where the Indians are very poor
/ and have little ready money, they
donated an abundance Of handsome
bead work and other curios to be solo
! for the Red Cross.
| One Of the smaller schools in Okla
| homa reported a Junior Red Cross
membership Of 17s members. being the
total enrolment of the school.
The superintendent OF one OF the
boarding schools for girls OF the Five
| Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma declared
the girls are deeply interested ~ ~
war work and respond readily to re-
quests for additional garments. The
| very small girls knit up the scraps o.
warn into refugee caps. afghan squares
ctr. Aleo they utilize the scraps from
| the hospital garments making quilt
| blocks. Larger scraps are used TOT
small underskirts for the refugees. Gnn
wipers have been cut by the hundred.
From a northern Minnesota reserva-
ton, where it is, believed the hrs'
Indian Red Cross auxiliary was
started in the spring OF 1917. the presi-
dent of the auxiliary writes:
THE auxiliary numbers forty-eigh
and this from community OF lest
| than hundred adults. Some OF these
women have walked to the week.!
meeting place across the ice from oit
Agency when the temperature was
twenty degrees below zero. They have
sewed on hospital shirts and socks anc
learned to knit the various garments
just as their white sisters of the cities
have done.
zone evening recently an Indian am
his wife, living seventeen miles away
came to the home Of the treasurer ane
inquired about the work being done
the woman bringing her dollar Io'
membership. saying: want TO "
something for my country
Commissioner Sells believes that tn
national spirit which President WilsQi
| and other Statesmen forssee as resui
Of the var will be splendidly exempt
fed by the Indian.
Every rat eats on an avs i ass 40