Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1918-12-20
RED CROSS DIVE
IS AT IT'S HEIGHT
Wonderful Support Everywhere Be-
ing Accorded to Membership
Campaign.

bership campaign has been officially
termed is now at its height, not only
in our own community but in every
city and town of the New England
Division with which the local Red
Cross interests are identified but also
throughout the length and breadth OF
the land.
This campaign for members for
1s19-and because a man or woman
Joined and paid his dollar year ago
does not mean that he will not be
canvassed this time, dollar members
retaining their membership but a
single years. expected to result in
at least a doubling of last years MEM
bership of twenty two millions. Uni
versal Membership" has been made
the slogan OF this campaign by the
national leaders and while 1t is, of
course, out of the question to enroll
everybody it is hoped, and even ex-
pected that when the books close on
next Monday night, the total will foot
up close to 6o,o00Oo0 for the country
ut large.
Those who have had the active
management Of the plans for this
campaign were at first bit fearful
that with the war virtually over many
would think that the work of the Red
Cross had ended. that the Red Cross
was primarily and almost exclusively
a nursing organization. Happily, the
results to date in this and other COM
munities show conclusively that the
fears Of the leaders were ill-founded
and that the general public is even
more keenly alive to the future needs
for the Red Cross than the most en-
thusiastic had dared to hope. Solici-
tors everywhere report that there Is
q very general desire to become en-
rolled in the Red Cross for 1919 and
that those who, through some error,
have not been personally solicited
feel really insulted. If this spirit
which so very generously exists In
New England is to be found in other
sections of the country then it is rea-
sonably certain that there will be a
very close approximation to the uni
versal Membership" slogan of those in
charge.
Under the system of organization
that is being followed in most of the
New England chapters and branches,
the first portion Of this week was de-
voted to more or less of a house-tO-
house, a store to- store campaign in
order that none might escape being
asked to join, and to pay his dollar.
Just as soon as II had been felt that
the personal canvass was completed
the bars were thrown down so that
today and for the rest of the cam
paign, which ends on Monday night,
there is promiscuous and very general
solicitation for membership. There is,
however, one and one very certain
way to prevent a person from being
repeatedly asked, in his tours about
town, to Join the Red Cross And
that means is by exposing his or her
button conspicuously upon the outer
garment. The slogan of today, here
and everywhere, is "Show your Red
Cross button" The fellow who has
II on will receive a smile, but nothing
more urgent, from the canvassers.
Those who do not show their button
will be taken as still being without
the Red Cross fold and will. accord
ingly be solicited to join.
This is the last war campaign" OF
year that has been crowded with
drives Of various sorts, all OF them
important, all, of them essential to
the winning Of the war. The import
ance of the present membership cam
paign Of the Red Cross is twofeld. II
the organization is to continue, il 1t
is to keep up its grand work among
our boys, and their families, and
among the Allied soldiers and their
Allies 1t must have the support Of the
American people. The response to
the call for 1919 membership VIII be
the answer to the question as to
whether the United States people
want the work to continue. And
while this 10 distinctly a membership,
and in no sense money campaign.
the fact remains that the dollar mani
bership fee from each Is to be tho
only revenue that viii be received In
the future for Red Cross purposes.
Chairman Dawson Of the Red Cross
War Council has arthsritatixely stat
ed that there will be no more money
campaigns conducted by the Red
Cross. The revenue from member
ship, nominal as is the individual Zee.
is expected to furnish sufficient funds
in the future to defray all of the op
Grating expenses OF the great orsani-
nation of mercy.
The New England Division has Of
fsred, as a stimulus for its WORKERS,
two elegant flags. One will be given
to that city or town under 1e.e0o
population which. in the present cam,
paign, most closely reaches the Uni
versal Membership standards. The
other flag will be for cities and towns
above 10000 population showing the
highest membership 10 population IA
ito. Do your part to land flag for
this community.