Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-29
RED CROSS IN
HARRISBURG WAS
MOTHER TO ALL
Women of Local Chapter Worked Day and Night Patriot
ism and DeDotion to Country Marked EDery Step; Vast
SerUice Rendered Is Beyond All Description

If Harrisburg soldiers in camp
or abroad could have looked into
the offices of the Red Cross Chapter
in their home town any day during
the war they would have realized
that the woman folks back in the
sttaes were backing them to the
limit of their energies, and that the
community of home folks was back
ing them to the extent of their
abilities financially.
The Red Cross during the war
never asked for a thing it did not
get. If it wanted women workers,
they volunteered. If it desired men
to campaign for money, the men
came forward and gave whole weeks
of their time gladly and without
thought of reward. If it needed
money, everybody gave.
The contributions ran from a
penny to $4,000 or more at a clip;
everybody responded. The Red
Cross was by far the most popular
agency in war activities, as was but
natural considering the breadth of
its service.
Did a man have dependents to
leave behind? If he went to the
Red Cross these were taken under
the friendly wing of the organiza-
ton. Was wife or mother in dis
tress because a helpmeet had gone
away? She had only to go to the
Red Cross for relief. Was there
some doubt as to the whereabouts of
a soldier, or did the Government al
lotments fail to turn up on time?
Well, there was always the Red
Cross to appeal to in the hour of
distress.
But that was only one line of serv-
ice. Thousands of women worked in
the rooms of the chapter or at home
knitting sweaters and stockings and
hundreds of other garments for the
soldiers in the field or hospital and
for the suffering peoples our men
had gone to Europe to save. And
countless others prepared hospital
supplies of every kind. Nobody can
estimate the work the Red Cross
did. Nobody can tell the loving
thought and care that were put into
the work. But a few names and
figures may be of interest in giving
the returning soldier some idea of
the magnitude of the enterprise.
= History of Chapter
The Harrisburg Chapter was re-
organized, April 3, 1917. Previous to
that time, with a membership of
177, it had been an inactive organ
ization, a small part of the society
founded in Washington in 1905 and
maintained on a strictly peace pasis
for aid in voluntry relief work at
home or abroad.
The reorganization meeting of the
Harrisburg Chapter was held at
Fahnestock Hall, upon receiving a.
request from Washington that all
organizations working for war re-
lief merge with the Red Cross and
specifically in Pennsylvania that the
Pennsylvania Women's Division for
National Preparedr ess combine with
the older organization.
A temporary organization was ef-
fected, committee on bylaws be-
ing appointed. This committee re-
ported April to the executive COM
mittee and the bylaws were adopt
ed. providing for two governing
committees-a board of directors, to
include all officers. chairman and
vice-chairman of all committees, and
an executive committee of nine
members to be selected from this
board.
Under the leadership of Mrs. Lew
4
and auxiliaries was conducted with
the result that at the present time
there are thirty-four out-of-town
auxiliaries and branches and thirty
city auxiliaries. Qualified instruc-
tors went to the various workrooms
to teach new dressings, to improve
work and improve conditions in the
workrooms. From November 1, 1917,
to November 1, 1918, instructors
made 1872 visits at 2SS branch and
auxiliary meetings. The committee
in charge of the work held seven-
teen conferences with total at
tendance of S67. ...
Through the courtesy of the Har-
risburg Library Association and the
Harrisburg school district, the use
of the ground floor of the library
building and the Eager school build
ing. both in Walnut street, was
granted without rentals.
Officers of the Chapter
The chairman of the Harrisburg
Chapter Is Mrs. Lyman D. Gilbert
whose untiring devotion to the work
was so great q factor in the success
of the chapter. Other officers, all of
whom were active, were Francis ].
Hall, Mrs. William Jennings and Da-
vid Kaufman, ice-chairman; Mrs.
Walter Spofford, secretary; Robert
Mccormick, treasurer. The cooper
alton of businessmen, lawyers
clergymen, city, State and federal
officers at many times helped the