The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-11-08
RED CROSS HELPS
IN INSTANCES OF
STRESS and NEED
The Romance of Home Ser
vice Is Seen in the Desert
of Damascus as Well as
in America

ing men are being cared for wherever
they may be and whatever may be the
difficulties of reaching them In this
task American Red Cross Home Serv-
ice has been of far-flung usefulness,
the record established by it proving so
gratifying that Home Service, which
has been confined to assistance of the
families of soldiers and sailors, is
being expanded to be of general use.
fulness to the people.
One of the purposes of the Third
Roll Call for members, November Q to
IL, is to enable the Red Cross to carry
out an enlarged program Of Home
Service throughout the United States.
The helping hand of Home Service
ia strikingly portrayed in scores of in
cidents reported to Red Cross head
quarters. Wherever the families of
American fighters were, Red Cross
Home Service workers nave found
them. even in the mountain Businesses
or deserts of distant countries, helping
them communicate with their loved
ones and particularly seeing to it that
funds allotted to them BY their boys
actually reached them. In innumera-
BILE instances, too, returned d~oughboys
have turned to Home Service to help
them in a wide variety of problems
Whatever the help required, Home
Service men and women, of whom
there are thousands especially trained
for the work, have found a way to
help, often under picturesque. even
romantic, circumstances.
BY Camel Across the Desert.
There was a lonely Syrian mother
living four days by camel across the
desert from Damascus. Her SON,
George Hamway, having emigrated to
America, responded to the call to the
colors in 1917 and fell fighting in the
Argonne. leaving only a vague address
of his mother. 1t was found when the
Val Risk Insurance Bureau under
$4,000 insurance.
In the uncertainty developing, the
matter was placed in the hands of the
american Red Cross Mission to Pal
estine as a routine Home Service case,
Long searching located the aged moth
er, and she was brought to Damascus
by camel, accompanied by witnesses.
Bedouins in full gala attire of the des.
ert. After much p~alaver the identity
of the was fully established
and - warded to
Washington. the old lady returning to
her lowly home to await the remit
tances that will ease her remaining
days.
Antonio and Angela del Ruppo were
fairly well-to-do folks with a little farm
in Treviso, about three miles from the
Piave. When the war came to that
part of Italy they were driven out of
their nome into A -.ory as
prisoners, while their little farm be-
came a battlefield. They were held
as farm laborers in Austria. knowing
notnlng OF the real prog 1ne
fighting. They never heard that the
United States had entered the war
and that their son in hat country.
Antonio, had enlisted and was fighting
Sor them in France.
NAANCAAOg A1NoAbAl1Cs Adu " mOuIUS
been making frantic efforts to learn
what nau become OF n.s lather and
mother. Red Cross Home Service
wo4Av4 III ILaIy an inyes-
tigaLlon, and a few weeks ago were
able to send word to Antonio, who sur
VlVeJ the fighting, .ACs
had been found, 80 released from
captivity in Austria, and that the Red
Cross woulD assist them Until his
allotment money could reach Italy.
In the rush of gettll American
soldiers home from Francesthe dough-
boy didn't have much time to wind up
his affairs there. Not long ago Home
Service received from a demobiIized
soldier in this counIy a letter and
a.ndavit showing he had 5000 francs
On deposit in France and asking the
q CfoSS u o. :. ~ aim. All the
soldier had remembered was the name
Oh the town, the name OF the bank he
Lad forgotten and MS bank book had
Leen lost in action.
BY the process of elimination Home
service workers located the bank and
the deposit, the bank officials accept
ing tie word of the neu cross mat it
Lad authority to collect the little for
tune. and they turned it over to be
forwarded to the former soldier.
But the romance of Home Service
has not been confined to work that
carried its representatives to remote
spots l n the Old World. Here il the
United States Home Service emer-
geney cases called Red Cross workers
10 many o~ut-of-the-way places on err
rands varied and sometimes romantic.
Home Service is substantial neigh
borliness without unwanted intrusion,
providing those who otherwise could
not have its assistance in meeting
the many problems confronting fam
lilies whose head or supporting SOL is
called from them.