Connecticut western news., 1918-05-02
Letters From the People.
THE JUNIOR RED CROSS.

fact. This is good news and as u
should be. With the local auxiliary
and all the school girls and boys or
ganized for Red Cross and other war
work under the management Of the
teachers, and their principal there will
be no need of, or necessity for, dupli.
cation Of effort on the part of extrane
Gus organizations for children Of either
the high school or other grades. This
makes for obstruction of school effort
Patriotism of the right sort easily
accommodates itself to the unsel6sh
principle of the greatest good to the
greatest number. We all have our
pet organizations and we are apt to be
especially interested in such as we our
selves have organized and brought into
town existence, but true patriotism is
willing to sacrifice the personal and
the good of the few to the greater good
of the many.
An instance of this, of which suffra.
gists may we'll be proud, was the IN
selfish patriotic action of the suffrage
league in our town. In numbers, 1t
could easily have held it's own as an
work, having sixty members and over
30 honorary members. It might have
marched in parades-carrying its own
Canaan banner which was carried by
the chairman in the great New York
suffrage parades; worked in Liberty
Bond and Red Cross drives as q stuff
rage unit distinct from all the other
towns organizations, but it did not do
this, although the largest woman's or
CARNATIONS in town and representing
q great cause of National and Inter
national Importance.
ALI suffragists hive unselfshly
merged themselves inUo the work of
the Red Cross, thus giving expression
to that principle Of 1.-THE greatest good
to the greatest number. There should
be no division of the school children
into work outside the school organiza-
ton of the Junior Red Gross. The
town org -nizatlons with almost 20 ex.
ception approved Capitalization and
coordination of effort into one unit of
big whole, the great Red Cross it.
self. Nothing, this noblest o. human
ity's work, dislikes more than petty
self-interest. and insistence on selfish
personal claims which makes for that
Red Gross bug hear, Implications of
the same work and effort, with its
attendant confusion, doubling of de.
tail materials, even expense, aud all
of which is unnecessary and extrane
Gus; so we sincerely hope that all
children's work will be carried on un.
der the banner of The Junior Red
Gross.
The high school girls and boys
should work, not under a separate or.
ganization but as Junior Red Cross
workers. The more important the or
ganization the less need there is for
daily bulletins, and insistence on pub
lie recognition, by the use of much
extraneous fuss and feathers that too
closely resembles the blatant me ga.
phone. There is a splendid quiet
dignity in the Red Cross itself. Never
does it seem to forget the nameless
things of horror and wickedness that
it so magnificently helps to alleviate
and Withstand.
One cannot long work for the Red
IL.
1t purifies as by fire. 1t needs no spot
light 1t is great light in itself. Let
none Of us claim priority as a reason
for doing Red Gross work under our
own pet organization. That is too
much like the little childs Wolff
got-here first" reasoning. The Stuff
rage League antedates several far less
important organizations, and permit
us, in the interest of the unificatlon of
Red Cross work under but two heads
to point out the needlessness of urging
work over tired and busy
women to take up the further burden
of children's or high school work, that
properly belongs to the school itself
under the management of the Junior
Red Cross.
The high school should not be split
up or drafted into any other organiza-
ton work. This is but obstruction.
The Junior Red Gross with it's able and
willing coIps of teachers, supervised
by the school management. should
have fair clear field for it's Junior
Red Cross work. 1t alone can manage
the entire school with only the local
Red Gross auxiliary with which to
collahorate if it wishes - do ~
The whole point OF this timely
article is, the w.llingne IS to sacrifice
our own preferences and desires to the
greatest gooz for all None of rs can
camou1age for very loug self-interest
or seif-exrloitations, and the awful
time of war is of all times the most
inexcusable for these unpleasant mani
festationS.
The Suffrage Lea rue set a splendid
example. 1t was game. Are there any
other organizations less 50? tiire the
Junior Red Cross fair uno5structel
field. so that Presi ,e1t Wilsol's famous
question asked o; the Strickers will
not apply to any one of rs Just tw n
Red Cross organizations in town, will
unity, simplify and cover the entir2