Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-08-01

should have had big poster IN the
most office, land if pulled down by,
let US say some catspaw or mscme-
vous little boy) another put up; and
had the hard workers wished, The
News would undoubtedly have gladly
given a front page notice In the pa
ner. The Red Gross business meet
ing surely was as deserving OF
poster, being of as much consequence
to the public and of far more interest
than are some of the posters that are
so continually being stuck up in the
post office. The hard-worked few
should not weary in we'll dong nor
begin to WEIGH. That would be to
become slackers as others are, it
seems, appearing OF be. All the more
credit is to be yours and honor and
distinction if you stick to your self
appointed job to the end. If the
crowd does not support the few
workers the evidence actually shows
that some offers of help have been
refused, with, in one instance, &C
tual insults added. And it is a fact
that many people would drop in for
an hour or more of work, If there
was room for them in a suitable place
and they felt welcome.
AS an instance; the Vacation
Matrons, who are expert Red Cross
workers in their cities would be glad
to help. In plain English the few
and not the majority should be held
responsible for conditions that make
it impossible for the efficient utili-
CATION of all the forces ready and
no doubt willing to do their share of
Red Cross work in this town.
Before we pass judgement on the
majority let us recognize the injus-
tice of blaming them for not going
to work where there isn't room for
tenth part of them! The present
quarters can hold comfortably 25 or
possibly 80 people. 40 is crowd;
How then about even half of 800
members?
Now as to the majority who are
supposed to be Red Cross slackers.
There are women with children who
cannot go, nor should they be asked
to go to the Red Cross meetings.
There are many young women men,
bers whose employers cannot spare
them from their offices. There are
women doing special lines of work
that is as important as knitting or
making bandages in the Red Cross
rooms.
That not one woman in this town
is Red Cross Stacker, is my firm be-
lief, and it must be remembered that
many women are doing now, as war
duty their own homework that never
before have done it, without help,
and to try to do more is beyond their.
strength and would result in nurse
and doctors bills, while more. than
one of the few Red Cross workers
have one and even two servants to do
the homework. Let this be remem-
bered in future judgments, and let
me record what should be a clinching
argument in favor of something
bigger than a renovated hen house,
in a back yard for Red Cross head
quarters. The owner however was
most kind to offer what he had, and
showed the true patriotic spirit. A
woman and about twenty young
women planned to work on a given
afternoon at the Red Cross rooms,
but that happened to be the crowded
day, so the plan fell through, since
the young women were only tran
sients, but the aid they could have
given was lost.
Much such work is lost in this way
no room. How about efficiency?
In many places have visited and
towns have passed through, the
most attractive buildings are those
devoted to Red Cross work Milford
has beautiful house of this sort
We cannot have such place, but
we can certainly improve matters if
we will. Another point, many people
here among the majority are the
biggest Liberty Bond buyers and are
supporting this Red Cross, by giving
generously, money in membership
dues, and all the Drives, not only in
this town but other towns as well.
The Red Cross rooms do not hold all
the patriots there is in town not by a
jugful, and in conclusion permit me
to present this food for thought be-
fore we sum up the evidence and pass
judgment.
There are kinds Of patriotic
work. The noisy and the quiet Both
are valuable in their way The noisy
work catches the public ear, gets
generally more credit than honestly
belongs to it sometimes, but this is
inevitable since noise of any kind
is an attraction. Sometimes that is
just what noise is meant to do, but
how true it is that some of the most
stupendous and powerful forces in
nature and human life are the silent
forces that eventually move the world
and so we may gather, much useful
work and even highly important war
work is being done in this TOWN ond