The Robesonian., 1918-05-09
The RED CROSS:
INASMUCH AS
WHAT IS THE RED CROSS?
University News Letter.


The conduct of war requires three
sorts of human activity: the fighting,
the supplying of the fighters with the
thousands Of materials they must
have, and the relief of the want and
suffering that follow in the wake OF
the fighting on the part both of the
fighters and of the non-combatants.
The first of these is done by the army
and navy, the second by the various
industries, and the third by the Red
Cross.
The Red Cross is corporation
chartered by Congress "to volunteer
aid to the sick and wounded of ar
mics in time Of war, to act matters OF
voluntary relief and in accord with
the military and naval "uthorlJies as
a medium Of communication between
the people of the United States Of
America and their army and navy, and
to continue and carry on system OF
national and international relief IN
time of peace and to apply the same
in mitigating the sufferings caused
by pestilence, famine, fire.. floods,
and other great national calamlties,
and to devise and carry on meaSures
for preventing the same"
The Red Cross is a society of ner-
cy, healing, sympathy, tenderness,
and love.
The Red Cross is an agency of re-
WHAT THE RED CROSS DOEs.s
In No Mans Land it has it's stretch
er bearers going out under the nall
of shot and shell to find and to bring
IL IoI 1r,hi fhoro uQt
time to save them.
In the trenches it has it's first aid
stations. great underground dugouts
where skilled and tireless doctors ad-
minister at the first possible moment
what is essential for the saving Of
life.
Back of the lines it has its immense
base hospitals manned by expert sur
gecns and nurses working day and
night to restore, to ease pain, to re-
construct broken bodies and sEatter-
ed nerves. ..
Plying back and forth between the
trenches and hospitals it maintains
vast ambulance service more exposed
to destruction from the enemy's bat
teries than the men in the trenches
themselves.
Along the lines of march to and
from the front it has it's refreshment
stations-places Of rest for tired men,
places where the sick and exhausted
receive comfort and cure.
Back of the invaded Tertiary it has
it's headquarters for refugees fleeing
before advancing armies, where the
women and children and old men find
warm clothing and good food and dry
shelter.
In each of the countries Of our al
lies it maintains a commission of ef-
ficient business men to study the
needs at first hand and to organize
the stupendous service in all its mani
fold branches. Under their direction
are thousands of workers-doctors
nurses, orderlies, ambulance drivers,
stretcher-bearers, supply agents, dis
tributing agents, shipping agents,
clerks, stenographers, and typewri+ecs
each with exact and definite tasks
to perform.
Back home, in every State, III every
city, in every town. it has its chap
tiers of patriotic men and women en-
gagged in the manufacturing of the
vast quantities of supplies the doc
tors and nurses have such urgent
need of-things that the factories
cannot make fast enough, things that
must be made by hand and that
must be protected from dangers Of
disease-tens of thousands of surgl-
cal DRESSINGS, hospital gtLrnlents,
sheets, pillows, clothing.