Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-03-05

france was Initiated by commission
OF eighteen men who landed on French
shores June IL, 1917. Since then
some e'oOO persons have been upon the
Tolls IN France, Of whom 1000 were
act1Vely engaged when the armistice
was signed. An indication of the pres
ent scale Of the work will be obtained
from the fact that the services of 5000
persons are still required.
our American Expeditionary Force
having largely evacuated England. the
activities OF the Red Cross Commits
SION tnere are naturally upon a dimin.
lsn1ng scale period. Active operations
are still In progress in Archanrel and
Siberia. >''N
Inc work in Italy has been almost
entirely on behalf Of the civilian non
olatlon OF that country In the critical
hours Of 1taly's struggle the American
people, through their Red Cross, sent
q practical message OF sympathy and
relief, for which the government and
people OF Italy have never ceased to
express their gratitude.
eupp"es and Personnel to Near East.
1.-THE occasion for such concentra-
ZION OF effort in Italy, England, Bel
gum and even in France having natur-
ally and normally diminished. it has
been possible to divert supplies and
personnel In large measure to the aid
OF those people in the Near East who
nave hitherto been inaccessible to out
side assistance, but whose sufferings
nave been upon an appalling scale,
Inc needs OF these peoples are so vast
that government alone can meet them.
but the American Red Cross il making
an effort to relieve Immediately the
more acute distress.
An extensive group Of American
workers has been dispatched to carry
vitality needed supplies, and to work
this winter In the various Balkan coun-
tries. In order to coordinate their &C
tivities, Balkan commission has been
established, with headquarters at
Rome, Italy, from which point alone
all the Balkan centers can be reached
promptly.
"A commission has Just reached Po-
land with doctors and nurses, medical
supplies. and food for sick children
and invalids. An American Red Cross
Commission has also been appointed
to aid In relieving the suffering Of Rus
sian prisoners still confined In German
prison camps.
IAN important commission is still
working In Palestine. Through the
war special cooperation has been
given to the Armenian and Syrian Re-
lief Commission, which was the only
agency able to carry relief in the in
terror Of Turkish dominions.
Red Cross Will Continue.
RED Cross effort is thus far nunR.
It will continue to be 80. But the
movement represented by this work |
has likewise assumed an intimate place |
In the daily life Of our people at home.
The army Of workers which has been |
recruited and trained during tho war
must not be demobilized. All our e.
pertence In the war shows clearly that !
there Is an unlimited field for service |
Of the kind which can be performed |
with peculiar effectiveness by the Red |
Cross What its future tasks may be
it Is yet impossible to forecast. We
know that so long as there is an Amer
lean army in the field the Red Cross
will have special function to perform,
Nothing could be of greater tmpor-
lance to the American Red Cross than
the plans just set in motion by the FIVE
pPoQf Rod CrAoc cn0intioc 80 %ho |
to develop program of extended &C.
tfvftfes in the interest Of humanity.
The conception involves not alone ef-
forts to relieve human suffering, but
to prevent it; not alone q movement
by the people Of an individual nation,
but an attempt to arouse all people to
a sense Of their responsibility for the
welfare Of their fellow beings through
out the world. 1t Is program both
Ideal and practical. Ideal in that its
supreme aim is nothing less than YER
liable peace on earth good will to
men," and practical in that 1t seeks to
take means and measures which are
actually available and make them ef-
fect1ve In meeting without delay the ID
crisis which is daily recurrent In the 81
lives of all peoples g
+For accomplishing Its mission In
the years Of peace which must lie
ahead of US the Red Cross will require
the ablest possible leadership. and
must enjoy the continued support. SYM
oathy. and participa tion IN its work I:
IT the whole American people. II N b
particularly fortunate thar s,1rh ,ra~