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Show PEACE TIME RED CROSS When mothers' sons, fighting for the glory of our Flag and the preservation pre-servation of democratic principles, lay wounded and bleeding on the far flung battlefronts of the World war, hard indeed was the heart that did not sympathize with the great objectives ob-jectives of the American Red cross. The public, however, may be prone to forget the invaluable aid rendered by this organization, which is an arm of the government itself, in its less . ispectacular but equally humanitarian humanitar-ian service in times of peace. 1 Every citizen of the country should interest himself in the activities of the American Red Cross. The present pres-ent organization is a product of the International. Treaty of 1864 to which forty-eight leading nations bound themselves. Each of these has a separate organization and the several bodies are united in the federated , League of Red Cross. President Coolidge is head of the American Chapter, the War Department audits ' its accounts, and its charter granted by Congress clearly defines and makes obligatory its duties. War-time activities of this organization organi-zation are familiar to all, but doubtless doubt-less many overlook its philanthropic service rendered in normal times. Today, through its thirty-five hundred hun-dred subordinate chapters, personal assistance is being rendered disabled soldiers! and their .families. Every community faces this task. It will require a kmg time and the outlook is often discouraging, but it must be undertaken, and although the govern ment is caring for the veterans and their families in the mass, the Red Cross extends that personal sympathy, sym-pathy, that individual comfort which we as a nation owe in fullest measure meas-ure to these men who gave all they had to give for our safety and happiness. hap-piness. For its goal, the Red Cross aims at the complete re-establishment of the individual or family as a happy healthy, self-sustaining unit. Disaster relief forms a major part of the peace-time work. Ten millions of dollars was raised for the relief of the earthquake sufferers in Japan Immediate succor hurried from all parts of the country to the aid of the tornado-swept sections of the Mid West, prevented many of the horrors and suffering that usually follow such tragedies. During the terrible forest fires on the San Gabriel Gab-riel mountains in California last sum mer, the Red Cross rendered first ,aid to the fire fighters camps even in the most distant ' and difficult places. In fact, a national program of preparedness is maintained so that not an hour passes between news of any great catastrophe and and action for relief of the attendant attend-ant suffering. A national program ' of Life-saving and first-aid is also carried on to the end that the ghastly toll paid to speed mania, reckless carelessness 'and criminal lawlessness may be reduced. re-duced. Child health demonstrations are conducted, and numerous minor, but none the less worthy services rendered the public. Popular support is needed to sustain sus-tain the Red Cross. Last year there were about three million enrolled In speaking of. this phase of the organization, organi-zation, D. C. MacWalters, chairman of the Los Angeles chapter said: "That it depends on voluntary subscription sub-scription and membership is because more formal and impersonal organization organi-zation would tend to defeat its purpose. pur-pose. The alleviation of human suffering suf-fering can be accomplished only through human sympathy. Encouragement, Encour-agement, friendliness, mercy: these cannot be secured through governmental govern-mental fiat, but they must be attributes attri-butes of Red Cross Service." It is with pride that the Masonic Fraternity can point to Clara Barton one of the founders and first president presi-dent of the AmeFican body who was a member of the Order of the Eastern East-ern Star and whose fathers was a well known Masoii. |