The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-05-23
RED CROSS HOME
SERVICE PEACE PROGRAM

/
Miss Mary Mcleod. Home Service
Representative of the American Red
| Cross was in town last week in con-
, nection with the Peace Program
which is being considered by the
chapters of the State, many of them
wishing to begin the work right away
when they are prepared to. carry it
gram can be attempted only under
certain conditions" said Miss Nc
Leod, "for the Red Gross will not
permit community to undertake the
work unless assured that it will be
done as it should be done. that is by
people trained for the purpose and
competent to carry it on, and backed
by a community group with the vi
sion OF the needs Of that community
and Of the state.
'In consideration of whether or
not this work should be attempted
in given county, it is by no means
-----.;~-- af prhn+her there are sew
. o1 History ! that county, but
a matter of wnetner there is an or
ganization capable Of caring for the
needs the Red Cross expects to meet.
The people Of Mississippi are not
lacking in energy when they see a
work to be done for the good Of their
commonwealth. and are not slackers
ON the organization proposition if
Ahey find the thing that fills need.
In fact / find them unusually alive
when they realize the work is there
to be done. For this reason we do
not wish any one to dispose of the
peace program without understanding
it, whi>h requires some thought and
study.
''In the first place this program
is not a drive. We know the pub
lie has many demands and while the
Red Cross is the American people
perhaps in a more compelte sense
than any other organization inasmuch
as it is made UP Of all classes and
creed banded together in the COM
|Non bound of humanity, We do not
propose to ask them to raise funds
now for Home Service. Indeed. one
Of the requirements for undertaking
the program is that there must be
sufficient funds to carry on the work
until 1920. Again it will not under
take work that is being satisfactor-
lily carried on by other agencies. It's
policy is cooperation and not dupii-
cation. Usually the people with the
welfare Of the community at heart
are interested in all the welfare work
Of the place and when they feel that
the Red Cross because of its place
among the people and it's fitness to
Go this kind Of work can do it best,
they ask the Home Service to take
charge of II. The Home Demonstra-
tors have been the pioneers IN social
service work in the rural counties.
We find them most helpful, and know
ing how large the need is they are
as a rule glad to welcome an agency
willing to work with them on the
job"
Speaking of need, just what has
this fine state of Mississippi done
to caro- for its feebe-minded? Who
knows how many feebe-minded there
are in the stateY Is somebody going
to start on that problem: and let the
state figure whether it is cheaper ev
en- financially to build poor houses
and jails than to take means to pre-
vent feeble mindedness? How many
beds has the State provided for its
tuberculous people, especially for tub
erculous negroes which are such a
menace? Has Mississippi Mothers
,Pension? If not. whose is the rsspon-
sibility for families from whom the
father and bread-winner has been
taken away? How many and what
kinds Of clinics are there in Mississ
sippi? What is being done to really
prevent preventable diseases? To be
sure there has been start made on
some of these things, and it is going
to take lots of work to get the prob
ems worked out. Since the state is
made up of communities, is not the