Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-03-13

inc French themselves naturally pre- Ter as far as possible to provide for their own. It has accordingly been de- tefInlned that the guiding principle of Ked Cross policy in France henceforth shall be to have punctiIious regard to its every responsibility, but to direct its 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 designated French relief organi- zation.
 1.-The American Red Cross work in France was initiated by commission or 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 armjstice was signed. An indication of the pres- ent scale of the work will be obtained from the fact that the services of 6,OOO persons are still required.
 "0ur rican~Expeditionary Force having largely evacuated England the activities of the. Red Cross Commis- sion there are naturally upon d:min- ishing scale period. Active operations are still in progress in Archangel and Siberia.
 'eThe work in Italy has been almost entirely on behalf of the civilian pop ulation of that country. In the tfitical hours of ltaly's struggle the American people, through their Red Cross, sent a 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 uHoC SOt dlOud CdH meet 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 vitally needed supplies, and to work this winter in the various Balkan coun- tries. In iorder to coordinate their ac- tivities,a Balkan commission has been established, with headquarters at Rome, Italy, from which point alone all the Balkan centers can be req che,l promptly. is
 "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. theishffering of Rus sian prisoners still, confined in German prison camps.
 "An 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- terior of Turkish dominions. ':
 Red Cross Will Continue.
 "Red Cross effort is thus far flung. It 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 recruited and trained during the war 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 it's future; tasks may be 1t is yet impossible to forecast, We know that so long as there is an Amer ican army in the field the Red Cross will have a special function to perform.
 Nothing could be of greater impor- tance to the American Red Cross than the plans just set fin motion blythe five great Red Cross societies of the world to develop program, of extended ac- tivities. in the interest of humanity The conception involves not alone ef- forts to relieve human. suffering, but to prevent:iit; not alone 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. It is a. program both ideal and practical. Ideal in that, it's supreme aim Is nothing less than yer itable 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 ef- 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 the ablest possible leadership, and must enjoy the continued support, sym pathy, and participation in its work
 iS,