The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-11-04
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

runs in my mind that there is in it prayer which seeks special protection against disasters.
 In any event I am glad that plan of disaster relief is being worked out with the Surgeon Generals office, where by the fifty base hospital units equipped by the Red Cross and sent to Europe and which have now returned to the United States, shall be kept intact as reserve organizations, distributed in 50 localities throughout the country, and equipped with government stores suffi- cient each for a thousand- bed hospital.
 
 The doctors and nurses who were at tached to these units during the war will return to the practice of their professions. but their names will be kept on the rolls and they will be subject to emergency call. It is in contemplation that these units may be increased to 100 and so disposed throughout the country that any locality swept by sudden disaster will have a source of aid conveniently accessible.
 Now, this carries to much greater degree of safety in providing for sudden overwhelming catastrophes than the plan in vogue before America entered the war. Recognizing that 1t was essential to have an instant command for relief work after disasters. the service of trained workers, the American Red Cross entered into formal agreement in 1908 with certain charity organization socie- ties in the larger cities of the United States, whose standards Of work were considered sufficiently high.
 The agreement provided that Upon call from the director general of civilian relief, an institutional member, as these societies are called, to the extent of it's ability, shall send one or more emergency relief work in any part of the United States' Since that time there have been few disasters of any magnitude in which social workers drafted from institutional members have not had largo part in the tasks of emergency relief and rehabilitation. But this old arrangement in connec- tion with the one now being worked out with the Surgeon General will give one of the greatest and completest organi- zations ever worked out to meet the de- mands which at any moment may be suddenly put upon the American Red Cross in peace times. It has been en- gagged in this class of work since 1905, operations in many parts of the United States.
 It's prestige and quasi official status, it's organization reaching into every part of the country. its equipment for mobil- izing aid and skilled workers, and it's ex- tensive experience in this field have more and more caused the Red Cross to be regarded as the nations chief reliance for organizing and directing relief work following disasters to great to be han dled by city, county or state authorities During the past 15 years it has admins tered millions of dollars for the relief of hundreds of thousands of sufferers from disasters.
 Since disasters do come, it is well worth our while to give attention to his phase of Red Cross work which Is fre- quently overlooked or not properly appre- ciated. If it had no other mission 1t would demand hearty support for it's past record in relieving disasters, for they do come, but fortunately disaster rarely strikes the same community twice in a generation But no place is immune We can count with certainty that each year. whether we are at war or at peace, not less than half dozen big catas- trophes. floods. city-wide fires. mine ex- plosions. tornadoes, shipwrecks, are bound to occur
 Tn all past experience there is one thing which stands out crystal clear namely, the procedures immediately after disaster. which, if taken promptly, can greatly reduce the loss and suffering But how many know what to do before do later? Coordination of effort and standardization of responsibility and funds are the indispensable conditions of ef- fective relief. The chief repository of this knowledge is the American Red Cross which now asks your support
 I knew in general way that it was equipped for work along the lines indi- cated in this story, but until I got hold of 'Disasters," a volume in the social work series issued by the Russell Sage foundation, I had little idea as to the vast operations of the Red Cross in dis comprehensive account from the oEiginal documents of it's experience which began at San Francisco and runs to Halifax I congratulate J. Byron Deacon on his triumph in having told the story so com pactly. so convincingly, so readably. and in way to make the practical things immediately available when disasters come.
 Because of their magnitude and dra matic character, calamities like the San Francisco and Salem fires. the Ohio river and Galveston floods, and now the Cor pus Christi one. the Omaha tornado, the Cherry coal mine catastrophe, and the sinking of the steamship Titanic, are remembered by every one. But 1t is not a matter of common knowledge that,