The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1912-1921, 1918-07-11
MEMBERSHIP CLOSE TO 10000
OVER $4,000 IN CoNTRlBU-
TlONS TO ORGANIZATION
EVERY COMMUNITY USES MEANS
TO HAND FOR PROMOTING
THIS PHILANTHROPY.
ONE AUXILIARY HAS MEMBER
SHIP OF 48 IN COMMUNITY
WITH FEWER THAN 100.
(By the Associated Press J

| Of Indians who have enlisted in large
numbers in the military services are
hardly more inspiring than those of
| the women and children left behind
! This is a partial account of the an
swer made by the people of the res
ervations when the Great White Fa-
ther'' in Washington called to the
tribes and races inhabiting this land
of freedom to rise in its defense.
REPORTS received by Cato Sells,
Commissioner of Indian affairs, from
about one1third Of the Indian reser-
vations, indicate total Red Cross
membership of close to 10000, con-
tributions in money amounting to
more than $4,000 and further dona-
lions of thousands of hospital gar
ments and knitted articles. That is
not a full measure of the Red Mans
generosity, however, for the reserva-
lions do not house many Indians, in
Guiding the more wealthy, whose
charitable activities are listed with
the general population.
Resorting to methods of the white
man to raise money, the Omaha tribe
recently held an auction for the Red
Cross which netted $4,000, including |
$500 for a prize goat.
Boys Take Share.
Tho lbnyc of n cnbnoI in tho north. |
west gathered 1900 pounds of Spha-
gnum moss for surgical absorbent
pads Some 400 Christmas boxes
were reported which is incomplete, |
as nearly all of the 100 boarding |
schools have service flags with stars
ranging in number from a few to
two hundred, and the pupils of these
schools are very mindful of their sci |
dier representatives. One Of the lar
ger schools reported Students
Friendship War Fund, with $3.50 on
hand and twelve war savings socie- |
ties. This school in four weeks |
bought 1000 thrift stamps and IA
Baby Bonds.
: On small reservation far north,
where the winters are long and Sc
we're and the Indian must struggle for
the necessaries of life, more than one
dollar per capita for every adult was
paid in cash for the Red Cross md
cher war relief purposes. In the
Southwest where the parched desert
gives scant returns and sheep raising
is the chief means of support, many
of the Indians have each promised a |
fleece of wool for the Red Gross and
he Superintendent plans the expert
ment of spinning this wool and knit
ting it into socks, sweaters, ETC.. by |
the Indian women.
Give Sack of Wheat.
In a Montana district where the In I
dians are nearly all full bloods, they
voluntary held meetings and each |
one who has a growing wheat crop
promised to donate one sack OF /
wheat for war relief work. On an
other reservation where the Indians
are very poor and have little ready
money, they donated an abundance
of handsome bead work and other
curios to be sold for the Red Cross.
One of the smaller schools in Ok
lahoma reported a Junior Red Cross
membership of 176 members, being
the total enrolment of the school.
The Superintendent of one of the
boarding schools for girls of the Five
Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma declar-
ed the girls are deeply interested in
al war work and respond readily to
requests for additional garments
The very small girls knit up the
scraps Of yarn into refugee caps,
afghan squares, eac. Also they util-
ize the scraps from the hospital gar
ments making quilt blocks. Large
scraps are used for small under
skirts for the refugees. Gun wipers
have been cut by the hundred
From a northern Minnesota reSeT-
walton, where it is believed the first
Indian Red Cross auxiliary was start
ed in the spring of 1917 the presi-
dent of the auxiliary writes:
'The auxiliary numbers 4S and this
from community of less than a
hundred adults. Some OF these wo-
men have walked TO the weekly
meeting place across the ice from
Old Agency when the Temperature
was twenty degrees below zero. They
have sewed on hospital shirts and
socks and learned to knit the var
l'ious garments just as their white
sisters of the cities have done.
zone evening recently an Indian