The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-09-13
HOME SERVICE RELIEVES
SOLDIERS HOME WORRIES
This Branch of the Red Cross Has
10000 Men and Women on it's
Committees

10 duClIO1 ACu W wal
council:
The war council of the American
Red Cross has planned to issue a
series of reports to the American
neople concerning the use of the first
Red Cross war fund of 500, 900 900
and the plans so far perfected for flu
ture work.
The first section Of these reports
issued TODAY covers the work of the
Red Cross in caring FOR the families
at home of Americans men in mill
tant service. The report on this sub
ject is as follows:
More than SOC, 900 families of Amer
lean men in service have been relieved
of money troubles, legal difficulties.
family worries or of depressing lone
illness by the home Service of the Red
Cross. This branch Of Red Cross ac-
tivity has $4,000 men and women serv-
ing on it's 10000 home service COM
mittees. It has reached into remote
communities where there had never
been organized social effort before. It
has established the closest cooperation
in the larger centers Of population
with the organized agencies of pub
lie welfare. 1t is spreading a doc
trine of intelligent substantial neigh
borliness on behalf of the fighters
families and backing it with an ex-
penditure of over $500 900 a month.
These expenditures have been made
out of money raised in the communi-
ties themselves and reserved from the
amount contributed to the national
Red Cross war fund. The direction of
each town and county's home service
work is left to local committees. Ma
%;opo1 ocJcr, ,korc ic coo1;,o a-1, l..
guide and aid in organizing the neigh
borliness of each town for it's own
men in khaki.
More than 100000 people have
been helped by these local commit
tees since the wal began. Money has
been, certainly, the least valuable con
tribution of home service to the well
fare of communities since men began
to go into training camps, but it
amounted to 81, 500 900 for the first
six months Of the present year and
will probably exceed $4,000, 900 70,
the second half of the year. By Jan.
uary l, 1919, Red Cross will have
spent in home service work a tota]
Of $6,OOO,OOO and will then be carry
ing a burden, probably, of nearl,
81 100000 a month.
More important than money are the
other kinds of help that are being
freely given. Problems in soldiers
and sailors families have arisen from
sickness, worry, backward or unrul,
children, perplexities in household
management, business and legal tan.
giles, mental depression and some.
times mere longing for the man gon,
away. These things keep soldiers
families from happiness sometime:
when there is no actual pressing nee(
for funds and home service commit
tees, by enlisting the aid of physi
clans, lawyers, business men, success
full housekeepers and teachers, hav'
successfully aided thousands of fami
lies to overcome such troubles.
Difficulties arise out of the failur
of some dependents to receive thei
allowances or allotments under tn
war risk insurance flaw. At leas'
10000 inquiries concerning such pay
ments We're received by the Red Cros
through home service committees dur
ing the month of July and more tina:
a third of those. were taken clea
through to headquarters by the in
formation service in the effort to PC
matters Strengthened out.
Men in camps in this country or O
the firing line in Europe are in touc
practically all the time with Re
Cross field workers who can, in re
Spouse to an appeal, get word to tn
home service committee in the fight
er's home town. The Importance {
this in keeping up the morale of me
abroad has been spoken of again an
again by officers in France. A wo1
rled soldier is not a good soldier, an
the Red Cross is saving soldiers frol
unhappiness by taking care of the
families and then seeing to it tn;
the soldiers are informed that thins
are right.
Twenty or more inquiries after IL
welfare of soldiers families are sci
over from the army in France evel
day by cable and 100 more come
the daily mail to national headqua
ters. If conditions are such that
satisfactory answer cannot be ser
the Red Cross home service commi
tee makes them as near right as DO
sible and then sends it's r~eassuran,
of further help and watchfulness.
The work of the home service Sc
ton as organized in France is und
the supervision of R. G.. Hutchins, j.
vice-president Of the Bank of Cor
merce of New York city. A lett,
from Mr.. Hutchins, written in Franc
and just received, contains the folloy
ing;
service that comes through my han,
in what is called home service
girl writes that her young ma
came owe a year ago from Canad
leaving with her an engagement rim
and she has not heard from him, 81
does not know the name or numb,
of his regiment. A man sends me a
the correspondence regarding a NOR
gage that is to be foreclosed on h
home in Louisville. A boy writ,
that he has had a letter from h
sister saying his father in Oklahon
cannot live three weeks, because of
cancer, and wants a cable sem to il
quire. A boy says his wife or mot
er writes him that they are need
because no money from his allotmel
and allowance has come to them sin,
last October. An officer in a no.
pital asks to have his trunk, which
lost, found. A boy is found in
hospital who will o o be able to r
turn to the front and it develops tn;
a New York newspaper reported tv
weeks ago that he was dead"
AS a further contribution to tt
morale of the American armies, hon
service workers are carrying on
nationwide campaign to encourae
Tho u,r;+;pr of cheerful 1attorc in n