The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-09

| HSS 2rH
Hak1&E has arrived home after near
SSNs5| ly year in Italy with anti
tuberculosis workers Of the
American Red Cross. She was in the
educational propaganda department Of
the corps, and visited practically every
region of Italy in behalf of the pre-
vention of tuberculosis, which has be-
come veritable epidemic in Italy.
Strangely enough, America is said
to be responsible for the scourge, Miss
Morrow says. tuberculosis was prac-
tically unheard Of in Italy before ltal-
ian immigrants to the United States
contracted the disease and returned
home to die, taking it to their native
villages
These homesick. ignorant people,
sick unto DEATH thought of nothing
but to return home for the last days
of their life" said Miss Morrow.
Many of their soldiers came back
| from the front suffering from the dis
ease, having contracted it through eX-
| posture, gas and in other ways, and
these added to the civil population,
form a big problem Miss Morrow
said. She explained that the Italian
doctors are splendid and very capable,
| but that they heretofore have not at
tempted to educate the people against
| the disease, but have merely used
| their knowledge In attempting to cure
! the contracted cases.
Hospital Last Resort.
"The hospital is a last resource, and
part of our mission was to show these
wonderfully intelligent and alert medi-
cal men how the people could be vast
ly Influenced through joining organi-
cations, in which the ways Of proven
ton would ever be put before them.
/ through posters, and other forms Of
printed propa ganda, showing the
causes, effects and preventions of
! tuberculosis.
One of the most depressing aspects
| was that Italy had no nurses before
the war, said Miss Morrow Those
who had been trained were considered
! more or less as servants and besides
/ being rather ignorant, were not of
high moral standing, although many
noble and high born women entered
| the Red Cross when the war broke,
she explained.
1--WE had to start training schools
for nurses, in the first place, and then
encourage the right sort of women to
get into the work l think the work
is started on a basis which will hold
it while it progresses, but you can't
possibly understand or imagine how
hopeless it seemed to us at times.
Centuries Needed for Women.
Tradition and family laws of con-
duct are holding back the women of
Italy. according to Miss Morrow, who
said that it looks as If centuries would
be needed to bring about great
! change in the life of the we'll born
women Of that country.
Il hope, but I do not definitely see,
future for the women Of Italy" said
Miss Morraw They still have their
marriages planned for them, although
I suspect that in many cases the dis
position of the maiden is sought before
the proposal Is made to her father
A young lady is either talked about
or said to be engaged If she appears
on the street alone with young man
Young ladies must be chaperoned up
on every occasion. 1t simply can't be
done any other way.
Travelled to Battle.
Through 1t all we managed to keep
pretty cheerful. although I assure you
there were many drawbacks besides
those of discouragement," said Miss
Morrow. Northern Italy was very
cold last winter and the bathroom In
our quarters was simply impossible
aside from the fact that we would
have frozen to death had we attempted
to use it. Every week end we tried to
get away to Milan. Genoa, or Florence
to take a bath, and incidentally we
saw Italy from its most beautiful side
in taking these week ends. We saw
historical cities full to the brim with
magnificent castles. galleries. wonder
full old pictures, sites. time-honored
because Of associations with the Cae
sars. because Napoleon had occupied
such and such room during his
campaiwn and so on. I shall never
forget Italy from this side, either. Of
course.
Children Must Be Hardy
THE children in Italy are simply {
survival of the fittcst. Those who are
not fit die off. and all those you see
are plump and beautiful. We otter
wonder If the parents did not give
them the best and the most of the
food, especially during the most severe
shortages for there are no fat Italian