The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-11-26
LUNCHEON AND GET TOGETHER
MEETING OF WORKERS AT
-a. COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL.
SPLENDID ADDRESS IS HEARD
C. s, Mason. of Fort Oglethorpe, Prom
inent Red Cross Worker, Tells Of
His Experience at Lens While
Fighting With Canadian Troops.

jDESuAy, next, were peiteclcu az q
luncheon and get together meeting
of Rcd Cross workers at the Central
High School this afternoon.
The meeting, which was presided
over 4by Chairman Gilbert M. Orr. of
tho county committee, was largely at
tended by workers from the city, very
few members. of the county commit
tees were present, however.
| After the delightful luncheon, sery-
ed BY members OF the Red Cross Can
| teen, Chairman Orr announced Mr.. G.
S. Mason, Of Fort Oglehtorpe, the
speaker of the day, who outlined in a
brief but comprehensive manner the
great work which has been done by
| the Red Cross since the end OF the
world war
Mfr. Mason told why he had entered
the Red Cross work. During the dark
days of 1915 when the relentless gray
! horde was steadily pressing the al
lies back. General headquarters gave
orders to the Canadians to stem the
advance at any cost. and it was at
/ Lens that the Canadian troops made
| such a brave stand against the Teuton.
! &c onslaughts Mr. Mason, at that time
! was i'm the Canadian army, being in
| the infantry service he had been in
/ the font line trenches for ten days,
without clean clothes, dirty and I'm.
! siiaveli and in mud nearly waist deep
THE army was seeking to adyance-~A
Bosche shell exploded and said Mr.
Mason II saw it coming, and it had
! MASON written on it i'll great big
| letters, II was thirtysix hours af-
| terward that woke up in nice clean
| bed. with clean sheets, and with one
of the most beautiful women in the
world looking down at me. | was
afraid to speak | was afraid | was
| dreaming but the sweetest voice |
! have ever heard said you're all right
now" and was for had been taken
| to American Red Cross hospital No.
in charge of which was the volnn.
teer Harvard Unit. When | fully re-
covered after having been paralyzed
| for several weeks ! determined to pay
| the debt of gratitude which owed the
Red Cross, and that isswhy | am here
today. ~
| To-day $4,000 American soldiers
sleep in foreign fields, and here Mr..
Mason recited in most touching man
ner the greatest piece of poetry which
the war contributed to English liter
ature, an Flanders Fields He de-
clared the sentiment of that poem
should reach every true American,
that the American people should not
break faith with these boys who shed
| their life blood for those who remain
ed at home. -@
the Red Cross in Europe Mr. Mason
told how the war has rendered home
less countless thousands and has left
In Poland alone more than 10,000,000
orphans. These, he said are being
cared for in measure by the Red
Cross. He told Of how the Red Cross
has relieved suffering aud battled the
conditions which caused it. In one vii
lage alone ii was estimated that 1000
people had died of typhus before a
Red Cross unit entered and cleaned
the, place up
! He said the slogan, America first"
seemed selfish one. and that it is
more often construed America only
This he sad should not be true and
that americans should continue TO
display, that spirit of unselfishness
that made them SO outstanding during
the dark days OF the greatest strug
the world has ever known. 50,
Mr. Mason declared Americas price
Of $4,000 lives was cheap for the great
lessons leafned froms.the war He
declared that it had beer found that
nearly ene-third of the first 2.000,000
men called for military service under
the first draft had been found unfit
far that sel,.ipe
He told OF the alarming rate of II
iiteracy among the men called for
service, and how the Red Cross
through q study of these two condi
tions has been able to make sugges-
lions and to assist in making material
improvements
Ia concluding his remarks Mr. Ma
son declared American people would
in time come to think OF the annual
membership roll call for the Red Cross
as they look upon life insurance poll
cies. and other necessary expenses of
life. II should not be regarded as
drive or campaign, he said, but sim
ply a renewal of faith TO those boys
who repose beneath the peoples in
Flanders fields.
After Mr. Mason had completed his
uost ENJOYABLE address. Chairman Orr