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

The Red Cross on its Other Side

/ Having become recognized VIII
err, one who has had 18 years expert
ence, it is but natural that / should,
now and then, express publicly, a
local interest in the affairs of the
town I have lived in for over 30
years. Having single-handed and
alone campaigned for suffrage and
prohibition doing strenuous work for
years among the people I feel that
/ know the town and it's conditions
and the people rather we'll and that /
have the moral right-that also be-
longs to all the other women as we'll
to express my opinion, and to do my
share of the public work so far as my
meagre talents and general equip
ment will permit. have no fool
notions about myself and never have
had, but very few,-I am sorry to
say-of my fellow towspeople
| (mostly women) have some very
decidedly fool notions about me and
my successful work that it would
have been much better all round
never to have entertained, but this
will do for an introduction to my sub
| JCCI1 WlllSh WILL NC lildlIlJ LIlS lOSdl
Red Cross. My criticisms will be
| both destructive and constructive,
on the principle that often we must
| tear down before we can build up.
The kindly Editor of The News, who
7 feel sure, wishes to give every one
| of his fellow townsmen and women a
square deal, has had presented to the
| hut ciIn Of tho 1I1ncfinT1
in the recent editorial on the Red
Cross.
Sentence cannot justly be pro-
nounced until all the evidence on
! both sides is in. | wish to present
the evidence in part only on the other
side. If only a tenth part of the
800 or more Red Cross members can
get inside the present Red Cross
| headquarters, then it is evident that
no one but they who are running the
Red Cross business are to blame that
only "a were present at the business
meeting, or that they have so small
Red Cross working force.
The annual business meeting
should have been held in the town
hall, after due notification had been
| given and been an open one for the
people, who support the Red Cross,
to attend and vote for such officers
as they might have really wanted.
Let us not forget that no set or
clique or group should be let to con-
troll wholly an organization that de-
ponds on the public for it's support
Our town patriotism should subor-
dinate every particle of selfish per-
sonal interest or self-exploitation to
the big general purpose of winning
the war. Mortgages on patriotism
do not make popular appeal to the
true spirit of Democracy. If patriot
ism can be cornered it is to the credit
of the majority that they have not
tried to corner it and roll it UP and
tie string around it and put it into
a private Company's safe, and by
the same token, if few Red Cross
workers have borne the heat and
burden of the day and have appeared
to be doing all the work, it has ap-
peared to the bulk of the majority
so 1 am told-that they appeared to
want to have it appear that way! and
they should remember that however
willing the other Red Cross members
might be to help, 800 or half that
number could not possibly get inside
the present headquarters. 1t would
become another Black hole of Calcut-
ia should the attempt be made.
A large commodius headquarters
should be provided by the town for
this important work of the Red Cross,
and all it's meetings of every kind
should be open to the public. Ut is
too much now, like a close CORPORA
tion,) 1t would add to the dignity
of the work, stimulate the workers,
enlarge the attendance and thus
double and treble the valuable work
| done.
The large school house, built by
the peoples taxation money, should,
during the war give up some of it's
rooms to the Red Cross. 1t should
become a community center anyhow.
l am the first and only woman who
has many times, asked the public to
consider this great need of the town
for schoolhouse community center.
The Odd Fellows might give up
their hall-during the war-to the Red
Cross. 1t should not be held in any
of the church parlors, nor anywhere
where there would be implied a
group control which has been all too
much in evidence already even from
the very beginning as was so plainly
evident as to excite unfavorable
comment at the first and only open
meeting.
Let US not finch at the truth. The
community at large can be trusted to
recognize the presence of holes in a
ladder, as we'll as the truth when one
of their number has the courage to
state it. This town should not be
bullied as it now is into going round