The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-04
MANY WOMEN HEAR
RED CROSS TALK
Brooks House Dining Room
Filled When Miss New
ell Speaks
WAR MUST BE WON
IN THIS COUNTRY
Necessity of Doubling Output of Surgi-
cal Dressings in Brftleboro Empha-
sized Sufficient Reason Back of Ev-
cry Red Cross Order.


cry Red Cross Order.
An audience of women which filled
the Brooks House dining room listened
last night to Miss Lavinia H. Newell
of Boston, who is in charge of women 5
work Of the Red Cross, New England
division. Oscar +. Benson presided at
the meeting ana introduced Miss
Newell, who spoke very convincingly.
She said the work of the women, our
work, is to win this war We must do
the fighting here. 1t has got to be done
The local Red Cross branch will be
asked to double its output. We must
work harder than we have worked be
| fore and more women must work.
Surgical dressings come first and hos
| pital garments second, not because they
are not needed but because transporta
/ tion facilities for men and munitions
must be increased For every man
who goes over five pounds of food goes
every day.
Miss Newell then spoke of the fact
/ that orders which come from the Red
Cross Headquarters must be carried out,
and always have some good reason for
/ their issuance Changes in orders
/ particular specifications as to how work
shall he done are not TO be considered
a. Red Cross fads by the women. The
| Red Cross is an arm of the govern
I - ,,p,,1hars ChpnId
obey orders as much as the soldiers in
the army Miss Newell then gave rea
sons for some of the requests which
have been made. She told, for in
stance, why double heels are not want
ed in socks Trench foot comes not
:. from freezing but from the fact that
the men have to stand in the trenches
in dirty water which often also con
tains lime. AS a result the skin cracks
away from the toe nails and between
the toes. Infection follows ant ampu-
tation IS often necessary. The double
heels i'll the socks is much more harsh
on the foot and the ridges hold the
dirt and especially the lime. Miss
Newell said we are all very much de-
voted to the Red Cross but we must
work Systematically.
When it is question of a regular
time at the Red Cross rooms and golf
or an auto ride we must learn to hold
, to our individual schedules, at least
4 this coming year.
Many false stories are afloat as to
t salaries paid by Red Cross and they
t should be nailed as German propaganda
e which they are. No salaries are paid
e except to stcnographers, telegraph
; girls and such as are dependent on
i their daily wage for their bread and
:. butter One school teacher said he
Il understood that the Red Cross was q
g big corporation with dividends de
clared The statement is absolutely
5 absurd and false.
She urges women not to talk il
surgical dressing rooms as more worl
could be accomplished with less fatigue
and much gossip would be avoided.
Miss Newell then quoted at lengtl
from an address by Major Murphy, de
:, livered at the Waldorf Astoria on hi
! return from France. The quotation
> contained some interesting figures as f
Z the growth Of the Red Cross
\ Six months ago there were 455,00
o members, now there are over > 2,000 00C
e Six months ago 200 chapters, now owe
i 10000. There were then comparative
f. IL few workers. now there are approx
f imatelv 100000 working six day
If a week The number Of workers i
France in six months has grown fror
Is to 1900 They are in all the allie
countries and at two places behind th
lines.
m The fundamental thing 20 understan
is that we must win this war; Do W
realize that up to this day the German
10 have been entirely victorious? The
ne have lost nothing up to now but bloot
y, If the war were to end today the a
J. lied countries in Europe would be pra
lp ticallv ruined and we would be he
% next victim. If we cannot beat Ge
a., many now when we are fighting t
- gether we can never beat her singlv
The Red Cross work for children
France and Belgium is striving to pl
them on their feet. The rolling cal
;. teens served hot drinks in Decemb'
to 225,000 men. They give hot mea
TO one million French soldiers ever
., month. There are for them recreati(
to halls and good barracks as they con
ar. oat of the trenches, thus keeping
on the morale of the army.
IN One thousand women are working
an these canteens. In Italy when Il
* country faced despair in the campais
le- the American Red Cross helped out
ed splendldly that courage was restor
cW and the country inspired to make
stand. As our congress was not