Show how flow red cross came into being 0 by suzanne claire dean there is a story that hundreds of years ago when southern european cou countries atries were in battle one with another a compassionate queen said to her ladies in waiting our brothers are suffering and dying let ws go to them that we may assuage their agony it is one of the first recorded instances wh which ch have followed one another down the years and have lead to the work of the american red cross as well as other means of alleviation of human suffering and the building up of human existence after the devastation of wars cruelty and death the years following 1914 to 1918 in many parts of the world I 1 showed the work of restoration and rebuilding hitherto unknown and almost promised that the world would endeavor to eradicate its methods of horror and seek the pathway of peace and blessing and beneficence we bring to mind the story told by a gifted english girl who visited this country and related having seen the rebuilding of the roads in china which had been encouraged and to a degree sponsored by red cross with broad brush brush of human understanding she drew a picture from memory of the time when she lived in childhood in the english country side where she walked and played upon the roman roads the historical significance they sketched upon her mind was great and then as she watched the building of these redcross red across roads of china she hoped and believed that in another day they would have built into the mind of some child or ar of children traditions equally as in as those of the roman roads of england we look up from our work and see before us simple pictures of human life one is a colored print of a lovely chinese chines mother young and beautiful with eyes sL striving riving to be courage courageous cus and a hand exquisite and tapering shelters a little lad fro rahe e fear plainly visible in his n J 1 beneath the picture are the w words or those who pay there is one of a terror stricken face of another lad alone because both father and mother have been killed in an air taid raid and this six year od o d is left to what neither he nor anyone else can foretell we see the faces of two elderly people chinese jews they are called who face traditions and the future with almost trembling courage but one other will we describe and that of semen seven innocent victims of war refugee children in madrid cared f for or by the ever f faithful quakers who have operated distribution trib ution stations for loyalist and rebel alike we covet the power to portray with words this pi pic for your minds eye 1 the first little boy very young perplexed looking as he turns his eyes away from the strange box of a camera the next is a serious eyed little girl someone has loved 1 and cared for her she wears even after the fortunes of war a large soft bow on her dark hair gathered back from a fringe A f straight locks across the forehead the next little girl would be gay under the slightest provocation or possibility three others there are each telling a different story serious interested tragic each one of these children have soft dark velvety latin eyes we pause to breathe a prayer of protection and love for each one of these beautiful bewildered children victims of mans selfishness and greed these pictures have been clipped through the recent years none having to do with the present holc holocaust caust of europe and the medi and places further perhaps on the globe it gives one pause in whatever the line of ones thinking what is keeping a world of human beings regardless of color or texture of skin of religion or of belief ceaselessly striving for what another possesses and deluging this sad old earth with blood A gentle one taught a stra strangely angely simple doctrine had we been willing to heed one man traveling along the jericho highway fell upon danger there were those wh wb wished by any means to po posses what he carried with him for shelter and protection they overcame him took his valuables valuable and left him half dead there continued on page 13 HOW RED CROSS CAME INTO BEING 0 bame continued from page four S ame a priest a man set apart to good deeds and kindness to his fellow men according to tradition in this his fel were not expected to think exactly as he thought to believe exactly as he believed A mans need was to be the only appeal the priest walked by on the other side then came another by accepted standards of the hour one who belonged to a despised race why despised another human being and we judge from the story one who possessed a kind heart and who asked nothing as to race color or class but who saw only distress which he sought to relieve certainly a simple requirement Is it to be wondered that the 1 I merican red cross is termed the preme mother or that tha t its mission suggests the spirit of the one who sought to give only blessing only kindness only compassion we do not further mention the places of need lest we miss one even obscure and because we know the need is world wide one membership in american red cross may not be as much as you are able to do the day has passed for anyone to feel secure that their children are safe from harm or lifes vicissitudes it is is not enough that your children are secure love not your own less but love all children more |