The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-04-27
HOME SERVICES
PLANNED TO HELP
KEEP UP MORALE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

CONTINUED from First PaEe.)
care Of and that they are eager for
him to take that shortest cut to peace
ana home-the road that goes
straight through"
SyoOOyOOo WSnaea WorkeFa-
! Five million American women today
are engaged In production OF Red
Cross supplies, knitted articles, and
surgical dressings. And they toll
without knowing. the identity OF the
men who will be comforted by their
patriotic endeaYors, but there Is being
organized now an army OF more than
10000 workers in the Red Cross
civilian relief or home service who
will bring the Red Cross in personal
contact with the relatives OF the men
In the army and navy, and later with
the returning soldiers and sailors
themselves Is they need q helping
hand.
For money relief is not everything.
The Government through the war risk
bureaus has provided liberal allot-
ments. But there are liable TO be
delays In getting those allotmentsand
entertainments which many q proud
=
Is the kind OF thing which the Red
Cross penetrates.
Think OF social service as II Is
known in peace times In American !
communities and apply the same prfn- |
ciple to the many millions OF homes |
that are affected by the summons to |
battle. and you have an idea OF what |
the individual shortage Of the Ameri- |
can Red Cross are doing and are go
Ing to do a. the war goes on. Prac-
tically every phase OF social service |
is included-medleal, legal, eduea-
tional and financial First Of All there |
women back to live with their own /
people, watching over the interests
OF an expectant mother, reunitinR
scattered families, and writing to i
men In the service and about the sit
uation In their homes.
Recently young Italian in one OF
the environments was worried TO q
point where he was Of little use to
our army Just because he had re-
ceived no letters from his wife. He
appealed to the Red Cross. The
Home Service Committee member In
vestigated (they never embarrass By
sending the whole committeel and
found that he got no letters because
his wife could not write. He him
self bad not cared to mention the
TACT to his comrades, and only by
thoughtful and careful inquiry was
his aScertGined. Arrangements were
made for letter to be written for
The wife once . week.
Service IL Simple.
Simple service, but with wonderful
results upon the soldiers state of
mind: and, perhaps, best Of ali, the
'oung wife Is learning TO Rad and
write.
Then there Is the chlldren's side
u it-there are many men IN the
ervice who are parents despite the d
act that the public generally does c
Tot think there are many fathers in b
he ranks. Home service workers B
re explaining lessons to children c
vho fall behind in their education. Z
hey seek to give kindly advice to Z
hildren just beginning to be way 4
Tard or diSobedient
On the economic side. the work II
onsists IN fitting people TO the right h
ob and to ind out where the Job p
inches, seeing that Insurance. policies "
o not lapse, encouraging people with "
urplus funds to spend with good
ense and be thrifty. protecting the n
ecipient OF pay allowance checks "
rom the wiles OF interruptions in G
tallment men and sales aTent6, get 7
nB the best legal and business Rd- IL
Ice in the perplexing problems that pi
70 sure TO arise in war times. II
Frank W. Perkins, director general p
the home service work, IL now IA u
rance perfeeting plans, but social m
Iachinery Of any sort depsndB for
3 effectiveness on having. people un-
srstand It. When the Government ID
-afted men into the army. It drafted
many cases, the wage Garner Of
10 family. The Government reeoK-
zed this through the. allotment sys-
m Many thousands OF claims need
ijustment Many thousands Of =,
'ople do not know that the RAd n
ross Is the instrument especially n
divided to assist them in such ad- ",
stments. Every community should
low, for instance, that the RED ph
'oss homo service iB the volunteer DO
ganization which carries over the c.
mily in difficulty where delays &C. no
II in receipt OF allotments Nj
But the father or brother or son IT
attributed something else to the je'
OF the family unit be- La
les money. Most OF our soldiers At
IRE accustomed to advice their stl
YES constantly. help discipline the tia
Us, manage the leases and insur-
&c papers and mortgages and bust do
IS II there was a little shop or farm. sol
Families Lsck LeadershIp. an
Families whose men have gone 20
IT are in many cases without \ re-
onsible head or leader in q thou
nd and one domestic afrairs. All L
sse duties involve community re- T
not merely from 1 hu- CO,
standpoint, but from the cor
ID compulsion OF military ueces- ina
y. Red Cross men are sent on the cleo
.nsports, into the camps and can bv,
the trenches. They n
, the itlnerant bureaus OF informa- a. ~
n through whom the soldier can . q
with his family.
ough whom he can learn from dis
crested persons II his wife or :
Their are undergoing hardships and
lcealing the truth from him. he -
! be treasured and encouraged.
The most vulnerable part OF the A.
ny and navy IS thousands Of miles mi
m the submarine or the trenches. kstI
Is In the homes OF the soldiers and nT
lOrs. That is why the American -
4 Crnaa "a nna NJ ~ ~