Show Smith Serves the Red Cross CrossBy I r By T. T J. J EDMONDS EDMONOS I. I Director of Civilian Relief of the Potomac Division k kr r LWell L 1 Well said Smith as he walked Into my office Ive wound up all my business interests What for tor 1 I said as I rose to greet the man l I Thad had known In my home city years rears before So I could offer myself If It Im I'm worth having Ive I've got to get Into the game Anything useful and human Im I'm ready for marching orders Worth having I echoed Youve dropped like a God Weve We've got the biggest sized man-sized job you ever dons Youre You're going straight with the Home Service Something useful and human Why In a week this thing will be gripping you so that you you'll youl ll eat and sleep it I n. n The Home Service Section of a big Red Cross chapter was in session As Smith and I arrived they were discussing discuss discuss- ing lag the problem of a soldiers soldier's wife and i six children found living in two tenement tenement tene ment meat rooms in a 11 building that rad tad been condemned because of a leaky roof mouldy floor and lack of ot fire protection They had bad sold most of their furniture piece by piece for current living ex The children had no change o of f clothing There was waa BO no Income and because because be cause cause of the mothers mother's condition no possibility pos pos- possibility of one except the expected allotment allot ment went and allowance which even when n It III came came cam would not el entirely meet the cost coa t of living In n the city The Home Service e worker had given a generous sum of money to meet the urgent argent needs and now the committee was planning to rent better quarters move move the family family ly Ir secure lecure medical and nursing attention attention atten atten- tion for tor the woman outfit them all with clothing and furniture and keep regularly In ID touch with the family m m. In Smiths Smith's next case the Home Service Servo Sere I ice Section and the tuberculosis so society lety had arranged hospital care for a man discharged because of ot tuberculosis contracted In n the line of duty Some Seme attorney had bad told him he would woul d get let compensation for him on a fifty ty basis basks but bat the member lawyer of th the e Home Service Section helped him fill out alit the proper form which the Re Red d Grow Croes office supplied and assured hl him m that no arged soldier or soldiers soldier's should ever pa pay fox for col cot 1 t l. l M Il either compensation or wU ance 4 IV A member of the women's uniformed corps drove us In her machine out to a camp where there are men Here we met the Red Cross Home Service man We didn't take his time we we Just watched him One moment he was helping a man to to fill out duplicate cate cats allotment allotment- blanks the next he was arguing the merits of ot Insuring to the limit the next he was wiring a Home Service Section to visit a mans man family next he was going with a boy bOI who had received a tragic telegram from home to see the commanding officer about a leave of then he ha was speeding on his way a poor fellow discharged because of permanent Injury In In- jury i then we saw him talking to a soldier and a girl wife at the hostess hostess' house i and as the shadows fell he be was closeted with a worried chap who was telling him about an Impending mo moth mort gage foreclosure and an expected baby V. V Later the same evening we saw caw hint J stand up in the Liberty theater and his eyes gl glowing with the service pie pie- ture lure In his hla own mind and his voice volca ringing with the conviction of his own enthusiasm tell a thousand young tel fel ti lows what Home Bome Service is s He ed homes home made Bade happier by Home Self ice told Ice told of friends for tor fighters fighters' lies s found by the Red Bed Cross Cross devoted Home Se Service ce workers n h Ing lag the country's battles this side the tha trenches When he ended some fellow struck tip up Keep the Home Fires Burn Bant ing lag 7 We were silent nent far for a long while on OD the tha way home Smith and L I. Finally FInaU Smith broke out Can I do it The sort of ot thing thing- camp service you yon call it Why that where I want t to to beat be-at be at the point of first contact with those living lems Pershing Perbing was right when ho hG said The thing most needful to the tha American fighting forces overseas tt fe anything and everything that will contribute con con- tribute to the morale of the men 1 to i n service F 3 Home Service Service Service-I I see it now now- now now- means morale moral lhea he e CIA can I t go p is 4 r a j d t J f iii |