The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-03-11


 eral hundred soldiers. There are tn, Red Cross canteen workers in tn, movable kitchens distributing sand wiches. soup and coffee.
 There is an old expression abou the "dOgs of war;" Those, ac cording to the old mythology, wer, agents of brutal destruction. But ir modern warfare dogs are agents O mercy. second only to man himself Not only do horses go to the front but hundreds of Red Cross dogs each supplied with a first-aid kit or his back, go on scouting trips tc find wounded men. Each brings back some article of clothing that the man gives him. or if he is uncon scious. the dog returns to the doc tors and attracts their attention until some one follows him to where the wounded man lies. To a desperately wounded, despairing man, lying alone and seemingly forgotten by his com rades and his country. think what ii must mean to have one of these dogs come to his rescue. The Red Cross dog is trained to stand patiently by the side of the wounded man while the soldier bandages himself from the first-aid kit. and then he runs off to tell of his discovery. A group of these dogs are being trained in America now, many of them thor. oughbred Airedales.
 But the American Red Cross in Europe works for others than the soldiers themselves. Where the Ger. man army has gone. where battles have been fought, the French fami- lies have lost their homes, they money, their furniture, their clothes, their horses, pigs and chickens. farming utensils-in fact everything, even their grape-vines and fruit trees: for the methodical German has with ruthlessness unknown in war fare since the invasions of the terri ble Huns, made one of the most fruitful and Towering spots on this earth into a desert more barren than the human mind can conceive. To the families thus bereft of their all, the Red Cross ships foods, clothes, blankets, beds, mattresses, stoves, kitchen utensils, garden tools, farm and hundreds of other articles that will enable the French nation to- start afresh to live. Not only in France have such supplies been shipped, but hundreds of Bel gian men. women and children have been cared for, and far-away Armenia whose people have suffered such un- speakable tortures and massacres from their Turkish masters, has been given thousands of dollars worth of aid.
 The Red Cross has another kind of service here in America directly con- nected with the war. Where a woman is left alone thru her husband being in the army, and has children to care for, or business cares, or troubles of any nature. the Home Service" of the Red Cross will act as a big brother, and give emergency financial aid, see that competent legal or help is secured. if necessity arises, and in fact do anything in its power to help the dependent wives and families of soldiers, and relieve the soldiers themselves of anxiety in this matter. Uncle Sam gives an all lowance to dependent wives, based on the size of the family, but this does not always solve the problem. Some times the need is for advice and rather than money. The Red Cross will try to do the work which the government cannot do for the families of our soldiers and sailors.
 The Red Cross works with the gov ernment for the disabled soldiers and sailors of America. Soldiers who come back from the war blind. wound ed. perhaps having lost an arm or a leg, not fitted to work at their old must be taught by some one to adjust themselves to their new lives. This work our govern ment has taken on itself. The blind ed are taught to read and write, to knit, to do basketry; men who have lost their right hand are taught to work with their left. and men who can no longer walk must be given some occupation that will keep them busy and make them self supporting at home. Wonderful work in this line has been done by the Canadian and we shall profit by their in re-educating our Ameri- can soldiers.
 With all the work that has been done for the grown people in the in vaded countries the Red Cross feeis that the children, especially the little children, have been neglected. So it has sent over group of doctors and nurses to look after the babies. They will teach the mothers what to feed their children, how to clothe