The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-06-12
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS

Mr. Henry p. Dawson, recently
elected chairman of the Board of Gov
ernors of the League Of Red Cross
Societies of all nations, has made the
following statement:
The League of Red Cross Socie
ties is now reality, officially recog-
nized by the principal powers, and
with its objects approved in article
25 of the covenant of the League OF
Nations. The headquarters of the
League of Red Cross Societies are
now being established at Geneva. Ar
tices of association Of the league were
signed in Paris on May 5th, by the
authorized representatives Of Red
Cross Societies of America, Great
Britain, France. Italy and Japan. and
these representatives form the present
Board of Governors. The board will
consist eventually Of not more than
fifteen members. Invitations to join
the league have been issued to Red
Cross societies of the following cOun-
tries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium
Brazil. Canada. Chilli China, Cuba
Denmark, Greece, Holland India, New
Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Rou-
mania. Serbia, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden. Switzerland, Uruguay and
Venezuela.
at is expected that eventually the
league will include the Red Cross so
cietes Of all nations Of the world.
"As set forth in the article Of as
sOciation, the objects Of the league OF
age and promote in every country in
the world the establishment and de-
yeIopment of duly authorized volun-
tary National Red Cross organizations,
h"ving as their purposes the improve
ment of health prevention Of disease
and mitigation of suffering through
out the world and to secure the coop
Grafton of such organizations for these
purposes; (2) to promote the welfare
of mankind by furnishing the medium
for bringing within reach Of all peo-
pie the benefits to be derived from
present known facts and new contri- |
buttons to science and medical knowl- |
edge and their application; CD to fur
nsh the medium for co-ordinating re-
lief work in case of great national or
international calamities.
"In article 25 of the covenant Of the
League of Nations, these objects are
approved in the following terms: Mem
bers of the league agree to encourage
and promote the establishment and CO.
operation of duly authorized voluntary |
national Red Cross organizations hav-i
ing as their purposes the Improvement
of health, prevention of disease, and
mitigation of suffering throughout the
world.
while the relation of the League
Of Red Cross Societies with the
League of Nations will be intimate,
here will be no statutory connection
as the League of Red Cross Societies
i, a voluntary organization, non-polit-
.cal, non-governmental, and non-sec-
tartan.
This movement 10 continue and
enlarge in time of peace Red Cross
activities comes at psychological
moment when the world is familiar
with the work of relief performed by
the Red Cross during the greatest war
of history and when suffering and dis
tress following in the wake OF that
war are we'll nigh universal. The need
Of that work was never greater and
the forces TO perform the services
were never so well marshalled as at
present because of the necessity due
TO war
Vast as is the scope Of the pro
gram of the League of Red Cross So
cieties, and although it is world wide
in its application, it is simple, prac-
teal and scientific. 1t received the
uanimoIs endorsement of the medical
experts who met at Cannes, France,
in April That conference, which was
presided over by Professor Roux, sue
cessor of Pasteur, and DR.. William II.
Welch, Of Johns Hopkins, is regard
ed as one OF the most remarkable