The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-27
RED ~ NOTES


Too busy to do WHAT"
why, sewing for the Red Cross; my
home duties take all my time and
strength"
"Oh, yes! Well, you do have a good
many home cares that must tax your
strength, but, let me see, didn't you go
to that whist party that took all one
afternoons Got tired, too, didn't you?
Pretty close work, but that was fun of
course, Couldn't you have had just as
much fun if the same bunch of women
had got together, all of you working for
the afternoon on garments for those less
favored than you? You could still have
visited and had good time, the hours
would have passed pleasantly and in the
time that you spent playing whist you
could have accomplished a good deal, for
those who have made the pinafores that
are on hand now tell us two hours will
complete one. But you say Il don't play
whist; that doesn't hit me-. Perhaps not,
but let me see! How many hours have
you spent at the movies in the last
month, since the last quota of garments
came, allowing two and one-half hours
for each show? Couldn't you have worked
in some of those pinafores along during
the day before you went to the movies
And that day you just ran into neigh
boris for a minute, got to talking and be-
fore you knew it an hour or more had
passed. Wouldn't it have been fine if
you had had some article you could have
taken in and worked on while you were
there that would have helped out the To-
cal branch of the Red Gross? You
wouldn't have minded the work and
someone would have reaped a benefit,
when probably all that resulted was q
little Tor much gossip about the neigh
bors. We all think we are busy when we
are asked to do something that does not
appeal to us, but find that we have an
abundance of time when invited for
pleasure"
That is one side of the picture. Here's
the other,
There are still 200 pinafores at the Red
Cross rooms waiting to be made. This
shows a decided lack of interest in the
work Now, ladies', make a special effort
to push this work along. Don't wait for
someone else, but see that you find your
way to do your share It can be done
and certainly should be.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself
in the place of one Of the refugees for a
moment Home gone, all the male mem
bers of your family gone, many OF them
| forever, land devastated, everything OF
value stripped from the town by the
| Huns. houses destroyed, very little cloth
ing left and knowing that in your dis
tress an appeal had been made to the
| land across the seas, the great United
States. known as a friend to all and es-
pecially to the helpless. Then imagine
| that YOU learned in some way that the
women in that land, Of whom you had
heard so much while the war was being
waged, how they had worked for the
boys in the service, had become tired and
selfish, how that since it is not their boy
that is in need they are taking vaca-
ton from Red Cross work. And in the
meantime you were trying to hold to-
gether what of the family remained and
do your best to keep up your courage.
! 1t is for these people, trying to DO
their best with what they have to do
with, that the Red Cross is working since
| hostilities have ceased, but from reports
from heads Of departments, there is a
lack of interest. What can be done to
increase it,
Last week an appeal was made from
the Barre branch for each woman to take
Ejust one pinafore home and complete it
before March l. The appeal was not an
swerod Two hundred pinafores still re-
main.
| If you have fellow feeling for the un-
fortunate ones across the seas, If you are
thankful that the fighting on the battle
fronts has ceased, if you are willing to dc
your bit towards the work of reconstruc.
ton, call at the sewing room on any
Monday, Wednesday or Friday, from to
s p. m. and talk the matter over with
those in charge of the work. You will
then be joining the noble army of L. r
&C. w. loyal Red Cross workers of the
United States.
We shall look for you tomorrow,