The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-10-20

Tor preserving the health OF the
! and avoiding unnecessary dis
!; in other words, the rep esen
-.yes of the nations gathered in Par.
is saw the possibilities that had been
opened up by that gathering.
A Grave Situation.
When we look at the situation
here in this country, what Go We see:
We sec country far from healthy 1
1t is situation which is very grave
one. 1t is so common that we have
become accustomed to it. i need not
stand here and discuss with you the
problems that existed in military
countries and the hundreds of thou
sands of deaths that are absolutely
needless, nor do / need to go into de-
tails as to that Belgium where a mi
lion and half persisted of prevent
able diseases. l wish to speak to you
of diseases that are taking their toll
and undermining the vitality of our
people.
Now, then, what can the Red
Cross do? Even before the war. tub.
erculosis had become a problem in
this country. The health of the peo-
pie is not the problem for the physi-
cian,-it is not for the hospital nor
the sanitarium, il is for the visiting
nurse, the nurse who goes into the
home; in other words it is not the
cure, it is the prevention Of sickness,
and tho medical pnrfoee;or
realizing it, the people are still more
slowly realizing it,-that it is not the
cure but the prevention of disease
that is the vital question, and the
Red Cross had already undertaken
this vast and large problem when it
was called upon to eXpend all its
strength on the war, and it has begun
again to take up this problem.
"In the last 90 years other groups
of citizens have devoted their ener-
gies to the prevention Of this dis
ease. and there have been various
organizations formed to improve the
condition of the children in this coun-
| try. Thus far, it has not been taken
up by any one great group although
| in many cases different public Off
| Gals have taken it up, but l want to
emphasize right here that the respon-
| sibility for the health of the commun-
! ity and of the people Of the nation is
a public responsibility. 1t resi-
| sQuarely upon the shoulders of our
| public officials but our public officials
cannot do anything until they have
been authorized by adequate legi3la-
ton and have been given adequate
support by the public. This question
of the health of the nations has be-
come not only a national but an in
| ternational problem nd the Red Cross
! Of America, of England, of France, OF
Italy, and of every other coun-
where the Red Cross has an organi-
cation. is the agency in all these coun-
tries through which the work should
| be carried on.
Reflects Unified Spirit.
I'VE realize that the.R Cross, is
| the first, last, and all the time the
one great cooperating organization
that reflects the great unified spirit
OF the American people II is the
only agency in existence that can rem
der the home service that is necec.
sary to conserve the health of the
nation. and. of course, It will continue
in such activities until there is some
| other agency that can take it over
and do it better than the Red Cross.
THE Red Cross will not assume to
| do the work Of other organizations
or to assume the responsibility of pub
lie officials, but it will work with and
cooperate in the communities with
organizations already in its welfare
work in such a way that there will
be no confusion.
I'VE find that the fight against tu-
berculosis is not problem by itself
it is only one of the other great prob
lens; there is the problem of vene
real disease and of cancer, and al
those things with which the public I:
afflicted
mo other agency in the country
has the cementing tendency of al
these various movements as the Ret
Cross. It seems to me and it seem:
to many of us that there is not an,
great problem for relief that the Ref
Cross cannot take up in any commun
ity | don't care whether it is in
village of purely rural district, O.
in enc of the great cities of the frs
class. These different individual an,
independent movements fill in a plac,
in the community where this spiri
exists.
And it seems to me and to man,
of US that the best thing, the great
est contribution that the Red eros
could make would be to establis!
some center, some place which woul,
be the expression of all these effort
on the part of the public AID that tn
es ablishment of small center in
| small community and a large cente
in a large community would be tn
best method by which the Red eros