Evening star., 1928-11-13

children, and made it possible for our
soldiers to fight on by reassuring them
about their families at home"
X X X y
eyes. everybody knew how efficient
the Red Cross was during the war, but
the war is over" Is it, indeed, over?
That seemed to be the popular no
ton when the millions who had sup
ported it during the war neglected to
renew after the A. E. F. had come back
from France. for had not the soldiers
sung, 1--WE won't come back till it's
over, over there" They are back!
If the war is over, how comes 1t that
all the Veterans Bureau hoSpitals-50
of themi-are overcrowded and the
number of veterans breaking down
under their struggles with wounds and
other war disabilities is increasing?
Whence comes this overmanned di-
vision of lame and blind and gasSed
and diseased in many ways? Why are
more than half of that miserable parade
of wars horrors mentally crippled?
Doctors give their trouble a new name,
'pneuropsychiatric," but 1t leaves the
victims lives Just as sad as If the old
name were used still. There are more
than 1880 mentally broken now in the
Veterans Bureau hospitals; thousands
of others at home.
X X X y
In every Veterans Bureau hospital
the Red Cross has welfare worker, q
liaison officer and a nucleus of home
relief. The families of the hospital
patients, as we'll as the patients. are
comforted and helped by the Red Cross,
the local chapter, of course, and 1t Is
of oh
the people are asked to join. They
don't join the National Red Cross ex-
cept through some local chapter, and
there are $500 such chapters covering
the whole United States. Some of
these are county chapters, with is or
20 branches covering the county,
working under a local head in the
county seat.
In the decade since the armistice the
American Red Cross has expended $685.
100000 in veteran relief and S307,458
for the welfare of the men now serving
in the Army. Navy and Marines. Its
349 trained workers in liaison work in
the field or camps and hospitals cost
last year. ending June 80, 1923, $1.169,-
1875. All that came from the national
headquarters treasury, while in addition,
through the $500 chapters, $1,732. 900
Much of this work consists in helping
the veteran prepare his claim for legal
compensation" through the Veterans
Bureau; much more in the human
touch" so needed by the discouraged
and seemingly friendless, deserted, lone
some patient lying month after month
upon a hospital ed-diScouraging no
matter how good may be the hospital
service. Last year there were in Vet
erans' Bureau hospitals 32,025 patients
who had never been hospitalized before.
Some there are who have never risen
from bed since the battles. Even
good reading pals and entertainments
must be provided; the Red Cross does
that.
x X
Public interest in the Red Cross has
partly come back in the recent wears,
aroused by such calamitieS as the japan
earthquake and the Mississippi flood
snip last year ran up to 4,O53.94o II
IS the hope Of the American officials to
'urpass that four millions this year
perhaps to double it.
Y X
In close harmony with the Red Cross
work comes that of the relief COM
nlttee OF the District American Legion
n giving financial aid-especially cloth
ng-to stranded veterans who have
,ome to the Capital hoping to expedite
heir claims. Washington is a focus
or the great army of the disappointed
The chairman of that COMMITTEES
charles Cohen. 511 Twelfth street
northwest, is worried. for the District
Legion has been obliged to limit his
lnanceS so that already the November
appropriation was within $40 of being
by Armistice day, and the
contributions of old clothes are tagging
terribly" he reports.
In the six years of his distribution
Comrade Cohen has disbursed 467S
)vercoats, 5,98l suits of clothes and
',2l1 pairs of shoes-practically ali
'iven. to patients discharged from mill
ary hospitals.
When convict is released from the
he is given a new suit of
clothes and $5: when a war hero"
caves Veterans Bureau Hospital. If
le has not been granted compensate
'ating,", he usually goes out ION his
,wn" with not cent nor q new sock.
hough his feet may touch the snow.
80 Chairman Cohen tries to help his
'uddies, so far as the public contrib
ties clothes. He is greatly worried
his year.
tcODyriEht. 19ss. by Paul v. Coluns.l