The Republican journal., 1919-01-23
The Red Cross.
The Belfast Chapter has received the
following letter:

Inc Belfast Chapter has received the
following letter:
The New England Division of the Amer
lcan hed Cross is today facing the most
serious crisis since it came into existence
as war rehet agency. The women of
New England have always RESPONDED !
with extraordinary enthusiasm to everv
call put upon them and New England has |
never failed yet to accomplish all and
more than has been asked of it.
Today Northern France and Belgium.
freed from the invader, lie absolutely |
PROSTATE. million and one half refu- |
gees have returned or are returning to
the places that were their homes. Hun |
oreds OF villages and over twenty large
cltleS nave been absolutely DESTROYED. |
lhese people are living under the most
terrible conditions and these conditions
are such that considerable length of
time must elapSe before they are bettered.
IN the meantime the weather is cold and
the refugees are still wearing such clothes
5 Their recent captors have allowed them
to retain. In order to relieve these con-
dltions, the Red Cross undertook, starting
last tall, very large program of garment
making. With the signing of the Armis-
tee, conditions abroad became increas-
lngly worse, as the number of homeless
refugees Increased rather than decreased
There are no stores IN which they can buv
clothes, they have no homes in which
to make clothes and no facilities for max
ing them If the material were available
Inc only thing that stands between these
people and suffering or death from the
lack OF necessities of living, is the Ameri-
can Red Cross The Commission for Re-
lief IN Belgium is undertaking the feed
ing OF these people, but the clothing so
sorely needed, must be made quickly by
the Red Cross in order to be available
this winter.
The New England Division as it's share
OF this work has been asked to make
about 300, 900 garments Speed in the
completion of the garments is absolutely
essential II they are to be of use this
winter. The garments are being shipped
abroad as rapidly as received at the Divi-
sion Warehouse and cable requests from
abroad call for more and more By March
list, the bulk of these garments must be
either in our Division Warehouse or on
their way from Chapters. This is as i'm
portant Drive as any we have had SO
lar and every effort must be put forth by
chapters and Branches to arouse their |
present and former workers to the import
ance OF this situation and to get in all |
new workers possible. Special attention
Will be paid to this matter in the next
issue OF the Bulletin. Slides calling at
tentlon to the Importance of this work |
are being prepared for all Movie Houses
in New England Advertisements should |
be inserted in all the local papers calling
attention to the vital necessity for speed. |
Ministers should be asked to give this in
formation from the pulpits and every i
possible opportunity should be taken to
arouse the women of New England to
the need of the moment So far as we i
can see at present, this will be the last
large work of this kind asked from the
women of New England
The Red Cross has held before it as an
ideal In its War Work the aleviation>of
suffering for the people of our Allies as |
we'll as work for own Army or Navy. |
Our Army and Navy fought for an ideal
and 1T now remains for the Red Cross to
demonstrate its belief in it's ideal by
carrying on the work with the same |
magnificent spirit shown in the past and
complete this order on time.
A large portion of the garments on
this order have already been shipped out |
to Chapters. The balance is being cut
oHo Suippou do Idpiuly DIS POSSIBLE ALI |
OF the order will probably be cut, assem-
bled and shipped to the Chapters before
the goth of January All other work
should be laid aside and these orders for !
Refugee Garments should be pressed to |
completion as rapidly as possible, unless
special orders for any particular article |
are sent from Division Headquarters. All |
work on Hospital Garments must be
stopped until the KefugeeWork is finished. |
The Bureau of Supplies is today cut
ting, assembling and shipping an average
of over $4,000 garments a day. There
have, in the past, been delays in obtain
ing raw materials, but at the present
moment we have in our Warehouse suffi-
cient materials to practically complete |
all orders that will be ed-Paul w.
hlmball, Director, Department Develop
ment.