The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-12-17
RED CROSS HAS A
NOBLE TASK AHEAD
Mai Gen. Edwards Just Back From
the Front Cites Cases in Signed
Article.
BY MAI. GEN. CLARENCE r.
EDWARDS.
Commander Department Of Northeast,
U. S. A.

The Red Cross has a great work
ahead of it, very great work, no
Bile work. We don't yet realize how
great this work is to be, right here IN
New England. But we shall know
better in a. few weeks, when our
wounded boys are here, and better
still in year from now, when we
have seen them with our own eyes
and have heard their stories,
The work that the Red Cross has
done in France has been great and
useful When we arrived there we
were in terrible need OF tents and
blankets When we had done our
best there was still need. Then the
Red Cross stepped in, without any
useless red tape, and found us the
| tents and the blankets, and saw TO it
that our New England boys were kept
comfortable. That means great
| deal to a boy when he is three thou
sand miles away from home, and cold
and wet. The Red Cross will be busy
/ in France and Belgium for long time
| yet, with the people in the devastated
/ regions and with our own boys. But
! the work that l can't help thinking of
most, the work dearest to me, is that
which will be absolutely necessary for
our boys here and for their families.
right in our midst
Every day l get scores of letters
from the relatives of our boys. Some
/ of them are most pathetic-they take
hold en- my heart. They come from
the mothers of our boys, mothers who
do not know where their boys are,
and who are sick with worry, moth
ers who know that their boys have
been wounded but wish to learn more
about them, TO ease their terrible
anxiety, mothers who wish to know
when their dead boys win be sent
home.
Letters come from widows whose
only sons are in the army in France
and who ire dependent on these sons.
There mothers are sometimes in
great need of financial aid, and they
are afraid that their government al
lotments will not arrive in time They
need money for food and for rent
Here is letter from widow whose
son has been wounded and is now in
the hospital in another state. He
cannot yet be discharged. but he is
her. only support, and she writes 10
tell me her needs. because unless help
comes she is going to suffer.
ing boxes at Thanksgiving time to
, their boys This year many of them
-. are waiting. while they weep, for the
terrible box that will bring the body
of the dear son horne 10 them. These
mothers are the rigttful care of the
Red Cross. and what a work it can
do for them.
On our boat coming home were 1856
crippled men, coming back 70 make
. their way again. Another boat start
ed the same day with as many more.
some of those boys have only one
arm, some have only one leg, some
Will not see their mothers face be-
cause thoy are blind What is going
10 become of those boys who have
given all that they could? Many oil
them cannot hold their old places OF
work. Where will they find new
cnes? No nobler work can be done
than for the Red Cross to see to il
= nat they are made comfortable. tina,
. they are looked after until they are
settled again. And they must not
:, come back to homes that have beer
!, uprooted while they were away. The
:. Red Cross can make them most han
:, by by having their homes safe fol
y them. and their mothers and sister.
well.
o One of the best things about tb,
II Red Cross is that it has no red tape
II 1t gees straight to the heart of thing.
# at once, and wastes no time. II,
q help is sure and quick, and tina
q means. everything. I hope that tn,
Red Cross can see to it that no mar
r shall be found, year from now. will
an empty sleeve or on crutches. VIII,
'e Is wandering the streets looking TO
Z work. We don't yet know what i
y all means, but we are JIng TO fne
II out pretty soon when the bows ar,
here again.
The Red Cross has a great and
very noble task ahead.