Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1919-03-06

AS for work among the French pe0-
pie, now that hoStiiities have ceased
5he 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, bat to direct
IFS 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 asSigIIed
to a designated French relief organi-
ZatiOn
The American Red Cross work in
France was initiated by a commission
. eighteen men WIo landed on French
shores June Ii, 1917. Since then
some 5000 persons have been upon the
rolls in France. Of whom 1000 were
actively engaged when the almtStice
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 stin required
Our American ENpeditiOnary Force
having largely evacuated England. the
activities Of the Red Cross Commits
sion there are naturally upon a dimin
iShing scale period. Active operations
are still in progress in ArchangeI 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 lie American
people. through their Red Cross. sent
1 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 c0ncpntra-
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
that government alone can meet them.
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
fivities, 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
10 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 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 demObiIiZed. All our eX-
periCnce 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 rs there is an Amer
lean army in the field the Red Cross
will have Il special function to perform
Nothing could be of greater imDOr-
tanca to the American Red Cross than
the plans just set in motion by the five
| great Red Cross societies of the world
| to develop 4 program of extended ac-
| tivitieS in the interest of humanity.
| The conception involves not alone eff
| forts to relieve human suffering, but
| to prevent it; not alone a movement
| by the people of an individual nation.
| but an attempt to arouse all people to
d 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 10
! 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 its mission in
| the years of peace which must lie
| ahead of US the Red Cross will require
! the ahlest possible leadership and
! must enjoy the continued support. sym
! pathy, and participation in its work
of the whole American people 1t is
! particularly fortunate that such a man
as Dr. Livingston Farrand should have
| been selected as the permanent head
| Of the organization. The unstfnted
| fashion in which all our people gave
of themselves throughout the war is
! the best assurance that our Red Cross
| will continue to receive that co-opera-
ton which will make its work a source
| of pride and inspiration TO every Amer