The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-28

| Miss Jeanne Adler, vice chairman | of publicity committee, 2625 High l land avenue; telephone Main 5937. Henry P. Davison, chairman of the war council of the American Red Cross, has sent the following New Years message to the Red Cross division managers throughout the country con graduating them on the tremendous success of the Christmas drive:
 Tn congratulating you on all your efforts for the Red Cross and in ex- tending my personal wishes for happy New Year may I request that the fol- lowing message be considered as sent to you personally and officially, and through you to all the chapters ana members of the Red Cross in your ter ritory. Please also give this message to the press and such publicity as you may consider worth while: The latest reports available indicate that the Christmas drive for 10,000,000 new members for the American Red Cross has resulted in the addition Of rully 16 0O0, 900 names to it's rolls This num- Der added to the more than 6,00OOVO members before the Christmas campaign makes the total present enrolment fully 2, ,000, ,0O0 This is a magnificent fact an expression not alone of the patriot ism, but of the fine sympathy and idealism of the whole American people
 "The Red Cross war council con- gratulates and welcomes every new member of the American Red Cross, likewise it congratulates the officers and the old members of the organiza- tion who have given unstintedly of their time and effort to make the mem bership campaign success To date, however, the foreign and island divi- sion has reported it's total of the new members as N,954. This number may De materially increased.'"
 To provide the American soldiers in this country with sweaters, heavy woolen socks, helmets, woolen gloves and wristlets, the Red Cross war coun- cil has just appropriated $1,5o0,ooo. The appropriation covers the purchase of 500,00o sweaters, 250.000 pairs or socks, 250,00 helmets, 250,000 pairs of gloves and 150,000 pairs of wristlets.
 With over half her civil population gone and with 10000 more dependent upon charity for existence. Venice had a sober Christmas, contrasting strange ly with the gay scenes Of other years. Over TOO people stood in line Tor tnelr Christmas dinner at a soup kitchen taken over and operated for the Amerl- can Red Cross by Consul F. Harvey Carroll.
 Miss Fletcher tells the following story. Illustrative of why Consul Car roll puts candy packets along with bandages, surgical dressings and hypo- dermic needles. among the urgent sup plies he Is drawing upon the Red Cross for: Recently a soldier was brought in suffering from 20 shrap- nel wounds. He was absolutely help less His suffering was intensified because he could not be placed in comfortable position. After the poor fellow was bandaged up, sat beside him, not knowing what to do or say Then I found in my pocket caramel and slipped 1t into his mouth. The room was nearly dark. and he lay there with the sweet in his mouth un- til it was all gone. and then whis- pered: These other fellows don't know what good time we are having.
 WORK IN FRANCE
 Consider merely a few facts taken from a cable lately sent to MT. Henry P. Davison, chairman of the Red Cross war council by the Paris headquarters of the American Red Cross:
 "We have established 20 dispep- saries in the American army zone to care for the resident civilians.
 Our hospital distributing service sends supplies to 3425 French military hospitals-our surgical dressings service supplies 200O French hospitals and IS preparing immense stores or emergency supplies for our own army.
 "We are operating six such canteens for use of French soldiers--where we serve about S00o0 soldiers day.
 We are providing an antl1iclal ifnp factory near Paris.
 We have opened a children's refuge and hospital at point in the war zone.
 We are making arrangements on a large scale to help refugee families through the winter.
 1.-TWO hundred tons of supplies are arriving in Paris daily. But space for bids! Here is scant handful of facts snatched from a single cablegrarn. And such fundamental Red Cross activities as the establishment in France of more than a dozen large base hospitals full ly manned and equipped, are not even touched upon.
 "A recent cablegram from France brings another human interest story of tragedy and pathos in the child fife of the French and Belgian war areas. Six hundred and fifty underfed chill dren, t,avel-worn after three days in a ci3sed train coming from Belgian prov inces" says the cablegram, crossed the frontier last night and reached Evian at dawn The morning blare of French trumpets met the children, who some too young to know their age, had trav- eled motherless and unaccompanied, They poured into the street crying 'viye la France and 'Vive la Belgique,' shak- ing hands with every bystander.
 .Trumpeters, like pied pipers oi | Hamelin, led the dancing, shouting | throng to the casino-all except a few | sick children who were carried in Amer | ican Red Cross ambu,aLces. At the | casino all received food, Flags were distributed and songs were sung Vel | coming words were spoken by the l mayor. Even the small children knew | the words of the Brabonconne and the | Marseiliaise, but some of them were so l tired that they slept right through tho | music.
 | s'Next came baths. examination by an 1 American Red Cross doctor; and then l lunch and sleep. Tomorrow these chi!- l drcn start for Longlandier where the l American Red Cross will house thou | sands Of them-some orphans, others lrctubercIlar or needing better nouri.sh- ment than was possible under the Ger l man rule from winch they had come. l One little girl in the throng dsen- 1 barking tt Evian clutched four franc | pieces in ruddy fist. What are you