The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-04-20
HOME SERVICE
WORK OF THE
RED CROSS
Caledonia COunty's Ex-
ecutive Had Her Part
In World War

tive secretary of the Red Cross
are shown in a series of instances
compiled at the request of John
T. Cushing of St. Adams, who is
writing the history of Vermont in
the world war. Miss Varney, the
secretary of the Caledonia county
chapter has been called upon to
tell Of the work of the Home Ser
vice department during the war
time period, during the days of
rehabilitation and in the care of
disabled soldiers and their fami-
lies.
The following we'll illustrates
the assistance rendered and the in
valuable service in time of war
and after war
In December 1918 the wife of
d soldier was referred to me sim
ultaneously by a Red Cross branch
who had been helping her, and by
a letter of appeal for help from
her husband, written to the Red
Cross field director at his camp.
The wife, Mrs. H., was III with
appendicitis in hospital, and the
soldier had humps at camp and
could not get to her. She had
been a hotel waitress, working 80
hours a day in order to keep her
job, and consequently was in a
run down condition which resulted
in a long illness at the time of
her operation. The r. c. branch
had not enough funds to pay her,
hospital bills, and she had been
turned over to the overseer of the
poor. This procedure worried her
so much as to retard her recovery
and her husband was nearly wild
at camp, threatening to leave
without permission unless the gov
eminent paid his wife's allowance
and allotment Immediately.
The Red Cross Chapter, coop.
Grating with a local society who
had become interested in the wom-
an, arranged to pay all of the
hospital bills, and to keep Mrs. II.
under proper care until the doctor
declared her ready to leave the
hospital. Mrs. H. had no relativ-
es and was not on good terms
with her husbands parents, but
through a Red Cross visitor a re-
Cancellation was made and she
went to their home to reeuperate.
There was there plenty of affcc-
ton for her, but no money. |
kept the soldier informed about
his wife's condition, wrote letters
10 him for her, and when he was
out Of quarantine the Red Cross
furni. he'd the funds for him to
visit his wife. 1t then developed
that there had been an estrange-
ment, but the enforced separation
made both husband and wife rea-
lie that they loved each after all.
Mrs. II. had become so discourag-,
ed with having to work beyond
her strength that her morals were
sorely tired, and Mr.. H. did not
realize the situation. From that
time until he was discharged
from service the Red Gross stood
by to follow up delayed allotments
and allowance, to keep Mr.. II. in
formed about the plans which his
wife was making for his home
coming, and to see that she was
not again forced to work beyond
her strength.
Mr.. F. had managed to keep his
home together before he went to
service, although his wife and four
children had suffered a great deal
on account of his periodic infatu-
alton for other women. He had
the ability to hold a good job, but
his temper and desire for a
"spree" got the better of him
about every six or eight weeks,
and then he dropped all response
bility and even left home for a
short time. Two years in service
gave Mr.. F. the habit of thinking
his family could get along with
out him, and it was this problem
which faced the family at his
discharge. Mrs. F. was well &C
nuainted with the Home Service
visitor who had helped her to pro-
cure proper medical care when the
children were sick, had interven-
ed when the landlord asked them
to leave the tenement, thinking
that with the man gone he would
.ose his rent money, had seen that
she had some recreation to fill in
the many hours of lonesomeness
and had won her confidence
enough to learn the domestic
problem, so it was to the Red
Cross that Mrs. F. turned for help
when the first rift came after his
eli 4ln4 e.. 4ha