The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-11
AUSTRALIAN TELLS
Of RED CROSS AID
Signaler skeyhill, World War
Veteran, Lauds Relief
Organization.

So impressive was the picture drawn
Of what the Red Cross means in peace
and in war, by Signaler Tom Skeyhin.
Australian world war veteran, that 81
people in his audience at the Unitarian
preaching service Sunday Joined the
Red Cross for 1920. The address was
given at the Majestic theater.
Five years ago, a simple country lad
In Australia, those two words, Red
Cross, meant nothing at all 10 me,
But today after having been in my
Anzac uniform for over five years,
after having fought through some of the
~fiercest battles Of the war, and being
twice desperately wounded, l consider
those same two woTds-Red Cross-the
two most sacred words in the Anglo
Saxon language" Thus Tom Skeyhili.
Of Australia. began his address on The
Red Cross Way"
Continuing, Mr.. Skeyhill said In part:
During the war the Red Cross stood
for all that was good and comfortable
In the soldiers life, Warm clothing,
clean bandages, delicacieS of food and
drink, Injuries and comforts, reading
and writing material, arnelioration of
the unfortunate, and alienation from
suffering.
only the soldier who has been
through the mill, who has fought and
seen and suffered, can have any pos
sible conception of what the Red Cross
mas uone m the past five years. In
things were not organized, tens Of thou
sands of lives and limbs that could
have been saved were lost through in
adequate Red Cross supplies. Preva-
tence Of septic poisoning, modification
of wounds, operations without anaes-
thetics-these are only a few Of the
many sufferings occasioned by a dearth
/ of Red Cross supplies.
later on when things were organ
lied, when the public understood, APP
preciated and stood behind the Red
! Cross, these d%eplorable conditions were
lone away with and suffering was at
least minimized. Hospital wards were
changed into paradises, and comforts
and delicacies were so abundant that
It was almost a pleasure for a mar to
be wounded
Mr.. Skeyhill emphatically declared
that there had been no misapproprla-
ton of any supplies sent for the sol
diers; that the boys got everything that
was sent for them, and in his words
said: During dark days in hospital,
we learned to bless the name Of the
Red Cross, and as the war continued,
we found out that the war could not
possibly be won without this ~organiza-
ton we lovingly termed, The Great
est Mother in the World
Now hat we have entered the re-
construction period, the Red Cross has
just as important, If not a more i'm
portant part to play, than it had dur
ing the war. The backwash or the
aftermath of war Is always more dan
gerous than the fighting. At present,
the gaunt spectre OF famine Is stalking
through Europe. Great cities are rags
and ashes. Battle fields are abomina
tons of desolation, Refugees are seeth-
ing in the melting pot. The passions
Of men are still inflamed. Society is
hysterical, The law and order OF the
economic state is chaotic.
Here, in America, more attention
must be paid to the health of the com
mon people. When the flower Of Amer
ica's young manhood was examined fol
the draft, one man out of every thret
was rejected as absolutely unfit fol
active military service. This requires
I sincere, red-blooded American wht
i takes a pride in Uncle Sam to do al
in his or her power to help reclaim tht
[ physically detectives.
! 1.-THE tubercular death rate, tn,
! deaths from childbirth, the deaths !.
! infancy and from accidents are appal'
: ling and nave to be minimized. Thu
n menace OF another plague. like Spanish
! influenza, must be considered and pre-
: pared for. WI must not wait until !
/ Is upon us, All these things. are II
[ the peace program of the Red Cross
: and are sufficient reasons for you t.
: join. -,
Now that the war is won-in thi
. the rebuilding after the desolation--th
4 Red Cross Is one Of the supreme cita
4 dels, with pillars OF faith, hope ant
charity, around which civilization shal
rally and triumph"