The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1919-03-14

the French themselves naturally pre-.
fer as far as possible to provide for
their own. 1t has accordingly been de-
termined that the guiding principle OF
Red Cross policy in France hencefOrth
shall be to have punctiliOus regard to
Its every responsibility, but to direct
It's efforts primarily to assisting
French relief societies. The liberated
and devastated regions of France have
been divided by the government into
small districts each officially assigned
to a designated French relief Organi-
zati0n
THE American Red Cross work in
France was initiated by-a commission
Of eighteen men who landed on French
shores June 13, 1917. Since then
some 5000 persons have been upon the
| rolls in France, OF whom 1000 were
actively 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 there are naturally upon dimin-
ishing scale period. Active operations
are still in progress In Archangel and
Siberia.
THE work in Italy has been almost
entirely on behalf Of the civilian pop
ulatiOn of that country. In the critical
hours Of ltaly'S struggle the American
people, through their Red Cross, sent
practical message of sympathy and
relief. for which the government and
people of Italy have never ceased to
express their gratitude
Supplies and Personnel to Near East
'The occasion for such concentra-
ton Of effort in Italy, England, Bel
gium 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
have hitherto been inaccessible to out
! side assistance, but whose sufferings
have been upon an appalling scale.
| The needs Of these peoples are so vast
| but the American Red Cross Is 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 ac-
! tivitioc a Raikop communication hos hoor
| 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
! terrier Of Turkish dominlOns.
Red Cross Will Continue.
RED Cross effort Is thus far fung.
| 1t will continue to be so. 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
] pnNrt1ifnH
must not be demObiliZed All our ex-
perience 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
1t 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 a special function to perform
Nothing could be of greater imDOr-
lance to the American Red Cross than
the plans just set In motion by the five
great Red Cross societies Of the world
TO develop a program OF extended ac-
tivities in the interest of humanity
The conception involves not alone eff
LDA - ~ icIis>Fc Hullldu SuiIcElGR. out
to prevent it; not alone a movement
by the people Of an individual nation,
but an attempt to arouse all people to
sense Of their responsibility for the
welfare Of their fellow beings through
out the world. 1t is a 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 it seeks to
take means and measures which are
actually available and make them eff
fective in meeting without delay the
crisis which is daily recurrent in the
lives of all peoples.
For accomplishing It's mission in
the years of peace which must lie
ahead Of us the Red Cross will require