The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-01-19
WORK OF THE RED CROSS

sent u FRANCE -S0N0uI0Gil men DIS d
commission, headed by Major Murphy.
These men were leaders in medicine,
surgery, bacteriology, typhus, house
] building, construction, transportation,
and in many other lines of work which
we believed we might be called upon
| to do.
We have spent thus far in France
$21;000,000, and have appropriated
within three days $21,000,000 more.
We have sent commissions to Russia,
to Rumania, to Italy and to Serbia.
We are working behind the lines in
Turkey, through the Syrian and Ar
menian relief, and we are working
behind the lines in Poland.
| But we are asked, Why does not the
government do our work? This is a
very natural question, and frequently
+ asked. There are two answers. The
| first is that this is a work of emer-
gency. No one can tell when or whence
the call will come It requires imme-
diate action, immediate response with
out red tape Governments tried for
years to do this kind of work, but
found they could not do it. Another
reason is this: That the war is not
alone a war of armies and navies, but
a war of peoples.
l want to illustrate the fact that the
government cannot do the work in
this way. If were delegated to un.
dertake to do this service of the Red
Cross with the idea of rendering the
greatest service to the greatest num-
Der of people in the world, and if /
had the alternative of choosing be-
tween check of 100000 900 from the
United States government and vol
untary contribution of $100,000,000
from the people of the United States,
plus the women, would not look at
the government check.
Now why are we doing this work?
Why are the American people doing
this? The reason the American pe0-
pie are doing this is because we are
at war. We have been at war since
August 2, 1914, though we did not
know it until April 6, 1917, and, in
saying that, do not for one moment
mean to imply that we should have
gone to war before we did. But do
say that, having gone into that war on
the same issues with no new princi.
pies involved. our very act of going
into the war was an admission on our
part that that war had been our war
for thirty-two months, during which
time those people around those 5000
miles of hellish front had been fight
ing for us as we'll as for themselves.
What Is Done.
What are we accomplishing by do
ing all this? In the first place, we are
carrying on the greatest humanitarian
work the world ever knew. In the
next place, we are directly saving the
lives of American soldiers. How are
we doing that? wish had the power
to paint the picture so that you could
see for yourselves. All / can do is to
give you few sketches and from
them you may get some idea.
On the arrival of General Pershing
we went to him and said, What can
we do for your" He said, THANK
you very much. If you really want to
do something for me, for Gods sake
buck up the French. They have been
fighting for three years and are get
| ting ready for their fourth winter,
and if they are not taken care of no
body can tell what will happen to US. =
A French soldier of the devastated
region, after being in the war zone
| for four months, comes out for his ten
with vermin and torn; his shoes are
out of repair and his spirits are low.
He came out to go to his home. But
he had no home; his home had been
| swept from the earth as clean as that
floor, and his mother or his wife or
his children had gone-he did not
know where, any more than you know.
That Frenchman comes out of that
trench and he is met by our Red Cross
representative and he is taken to a
structure you have arranged, his
clothes are taken from him and ster-
ilized and mended. A bath and a hair
cut are given to him, and a shave if
| lie uCOuS 1t, III llO Has WulShC1S duu
wants them trimmed, they are trim
med. He gets three hours, or three
days rest. Then he is taken to the
place where his home was, and there
he finds structure temporary in char
acter, which you have built for him
and within that structure he finds his
mother or his wife or children, whom
you have found for him.
/ He finds them provided with food
with clothing and with fuel. He spends
his holiday and then goes back to the
trench What effect do you suppose
that has had on that French soldier
1t has had the same effect upon tha
French soldier that it would have or
you. Frenchmen are made of exactl.
the same kind of clay as we are made
of. They are just as susceptible tt
encouragement or encouragement a!
we are. When he goes back to tht
trench he stands there a moment ant
says: THANK God the Americans
are here. They are not yet ready il
the line, but they are here to tax,
care of the members of my family
they have found me, and they viii
provide for them. I now have some
thing to live for and something t,
4 t-S~