The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1919-06-27
RED CROSS HOME
SERVICE ACTIVE
Reporter From The Pa
risian Office, Secretary Relates
Experiences Handled.

Though the armist;ce was signed
over seven months ago, and most Of
the boys have returned, the Home
| Service Section of the American Red
Cross is still busy rendering such as
sistance to any soldier or sailor or
their families as the case requires.
The Red Cross has pledged its SER
vice to the men and their families
for at least one year after they are
all discharged.
"Many interesting and amusing
things occur at the Home Service Of
fee, though frequently there are most
pathetic cases." said Mrs. Walter C.
Johnson, Jr., who is in charge Of the
local office. ''Not long ago." she said,
"a discharged soldier came in and
asked us to write for his $500 bonus.
We explained to him that there was
no such bonus, but he was little
doubtful as to our knowledge; for he
had heard it rumored that congress
had passed a bill to that effect. There
Immediately followed a dissertation
on the merits of the men who had
gone forth to fight and risk their
lives for those who stayed at home.
This was all good and well, but he
continued by saying that they were
not only entitled to this $500 bonus,
put lot more besides. After ques-
tioning him, we learned that he had
never made as much as $4,000 per
month at home; and the presumptious
part was he had never been overseas,
and had been in the service only u
short while before the armistice was
signed. We are thankful that there
are but few of our men that are of |
that type.
"Oftentimes we almost lose heart |
over some of our prolonged under
takings to straighten out some COM
plicated allotment and allowance
case. But 'all things come to him
who wait and recently our efforts
have been rewarded. We have been
instrumental in securing great num-
Der of awards which have been delay
ed for various reasons. A few days !
ago, a woman came in with check
for over $4,000 which was the re-
suit of much correspondence on our
part in her behalf.
One man was discharged in March !
and returned to Paris to resume his
work at the shops. His father, who
lives in an adjoining county, had not
heard from him since shortly after
he had arrived overseas, some eight
or ten months ago. The father made
inquiry through the Red Cross and
we were successful in locating him.
Neither father nor son had been able
to hear from the other, though each
had written a number of times. Thru
the medium of the Home Service,
however, matters were soon exploited
and they were once more brought in
to touch with each other.
One deplorable case is that of a
woman whose husband had not re-
covered from the flu which he had
had about two months ago, and he
was suffering from hemorrhages.
When inquiring into the details, we
found she was feeding him bread and
coffee, the coffee as she said strength
ening' him so. That is one instance
of the crying need for better train
ing of the individual in nursing-to
uplift the standards of home life
and to make a better, happier COM
munity.
Though we consider ourselves for
tunate in that so few of our boys had |.
to make the supreme sacrifice in the
still there are numbers in
our own county, who were either
wounded or discharged for other ply [
steal disability. The government Of I
fers to give these men the best SAN .
itarium treatment, and then to edu-
cate them for any business or profess
sion they may desire. All this is at
The expense of the government, and
the man is paid during his training
at least $4,000 perfinonth. We en-
leavor to get in touch with every sol
der, dischargedffor physical disabil-