The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-11-05

The Fourth Roll Call is not a cam
paign.
It is merely the yearly opportunity
for American men and women to pay
lhsir annual dues and renew thei
membership in their Red Cross.
This Roll Call finds the Red Gloss
as much at any time Since it en-
erred the great war, III the midst 81
tremendous concerns.
The world is SO full of uncertainty
that which is called modern civilizas
ion is so utterly upset-that no sooner
IS one duty ended than another looms
IS large.
The present program of the Amer
can Red Cross is vastly important and
Fundamentally essential.
It's primary obligation was to ths
service men of the Army and Navy.
OF that obligation these things still
remain:
First, To stay with the Army OF Dc
suDation, comprising about 1900 Of
acers and men, and serve as their Rec
Gross.
Second, To continue in the hospitals
Of the, Army, the Navy and the Publie
Health Service where there are more
than $4,000 men, many of whom will be
retained thereto months and some q
them for years. and carry on their rec
reational and social work,
Third, To keep in touch as an adj
visory organization. with the dis
charged men of the Army and Navy
and. be ready not in the way Of
financial aid, but what is worth far
more to contribute kind advice and
friendly assistance.
Fourth, To continue the work that
has been going on in connection with
the families Of soldiers and sailors,
and as growing out Of this similar
work for the community at large,
The fact that the men have returned
does not by any means eliminate do
nestle problems III many cases il
only intensifies them q This is partic-
alarly true in the case of more than
L25,00O families whose men are in the
number of the Dead where there is a
wealth of service that the Red Cross
can still render.
Fifth, While the Government itself
Is carrying on vocational training for
manned and crippled men, it has turn
ed over to the Red Cross the care OF
those who have been blinded in the
crash OF war No more sacred serv
ice can be imagined than this.
Work in Europe:
So far as the world at large is. con
cerned the American Red Cross. must
still stand by to the limit of its pos
sibility and the measure of its ability.
On the Western Front its work is now
over. Belgium, France and Italy are
slowly but surely making progress,
with their feet firmly set upon paths
Of reconstruction.
The Eastern Belt of Horror still re
mains not only a menace to civiliza-
ton, but a challenge to the Red Cross,
The enormity of it's want is stag
gering.
The entire fabric of civilization is
tottering into ruin
PestiIence and famine are stalking
in the midst of calamity.
The Red Gross cannot carry the bur
den that only Western Civilization
united can bear, 1t cannot feed Po-
land, the Baltic States, GzechosJoSakia
and the Balkans. It cannot clothe and
shelter hundreds of millions of people,
were it SO inclined
No voluntary organization can any
longer face a task Of such dimensions.
But to the best of its ability the
American Red Cross can do what it
did during the months before Amer
ica's armies came to take their part
in the great conflict
II can, by its very presence, give
promise of assistance
1t can carry on at least hopeful
fight against pestilence and epidemic
1t kcan minister to the extreme OF
emergency.
1t can try to protect and care for the
children who are the one hope for the
future
More than this, in the present condi
ton of its funds and its personnel, it
dare not undertake.
Far more than this it is willing to
undertake, if the American people
choose again to make it the repository
of their confidence and to contribute
for the relief of suffering millions OF
fellow men.
What the American Red Cross does