Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 197, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1917 — TO AID FAMILIES OF 0. S. FIGHTERS [ARTICLE]

TO AID FAMILIES OF 0. S. FIGHTERS

Red Cross Undertakes to Care for the Dependents of Sol- ; diers and Sailors. PREPARE FOR A URGE TASK “Not Work of Charity, but Moat Sacred Duty to See That They Lack for No Comfort," Saya Director Lies. By CHARLES LEE BRYSON. Chßago—Many an American soldier and sailor will fight with infinitely stronger spirit in this war for lite knowledge that the. American ~Bed Cross is standing firm between those he leaves, at home, and the grim specter of want. For the announcement has gone forth from Washington that the families of fighting men are to be under the protection of the great humanitarian arm of the government. The whole world knows of the work the Red Cross has done in caring for the sick and wounded in war, relieving the distress bf the victims of fire and flood, earthquake, famine and tornado in civil disaster, and organizing base hospitals for the army and navy. But few realize that while all this was being done, preparation was under way to look after the loved ones whom the fighting men will leave at home. When the United States troops were at the Mexican border the Red Cross found it necessary to make provision for the families of many Guardsmen who had left dependents at home. This made plain what must be done in case an army of a million men should be called abroad, and with characteristic Red Cross forehandedness a plan was at once formulated. So far as possible, the war department will choose men who have no dependents; but in spite of ""everything many a married man. many a son whose mother depends on him, and many others to whom relatives look for support, will go to the front. It is these who are left behind that will be watched overly the Red Cross. Department of Family Relief. To safeguard those who may need our care, the Red Cross has established, under the director general of civilian relief, a new department called that Of family relief. It has called to the head of this department Eugene T. Lies, for many years general superintendent of the United Charities of Chicago, a man of wide experience ahd ripe judgment. Mr. Lies was one of those who attended a conference of national and division officers of the Red Cross, called at Chicago by John J. O’Connor, director of the central division, and ftt this conference Ms. Lies outlined his policy. Later, at the National Conference of Charities at Pittsburgh, Mr. Lies enlarged upon this subject. He made it very plain that it is a labor of love, and in no sense of charity, that the Red Cros§ has undertaken. “We must remember,” said Mr. Ues,

“that there Is not the faintest shadow of ‘charity’ in Its usual meaning, attached to this work we are undertaking. If there is want among the families of our spldlers and sailors, it is not because they have been Idle or wasteful, or improvident, or that they have been in anywise to blame. Rather it is because they have done the finest and the noblest thing possible, and have given to their country those to whom they have looked for support and protection. “We go to them, not as doing them a chgrity, but as expressing our gatitude to them for what they have done—as a duty we owe to those whom they have given to fight our battles. Looking at it in this light, we can see how little we can afford to permit any one of these to suffer Because of the noble thing they have done.” Task a Big One. The officers of the Red Cross have shown a large grasp of the situation. They realize the task that will be theirs. This is shown in a part of Mr. Lies’ Pittsburgh talk, in which he said that very soon there Will be 300.000 .National Guardsmen in the field, and that “by January 1 pext it is altogether possible that there will be uhder arms about 2,500,006 men in all branches of the service; - ’ “We must prepare for a large task.' to be executed through the civilian relief committee of the various Red Cross chapters. These committees should have carefully chosen members, some, at least, of whom have experience In social work.” It is. qpt merely as a feeding and clothing agency that the Red Cross proposes to act toward these dependents, as Mr. Lies points out, but as a sort of “next friend” in all troubles such as wages. Insurance, difficulties with landlords, illness, accident and the moral welfare of children. “We would show ourselves unfit to enjoy the blessings of democracy,” says Mr. Lies, “if. while sending our soldiers to the front to fight the enemy, we permitted their families at home to fight want, disease, and moral dangers ishment for the sacrifices made by them. v “Only_ by getting close to them through friendly visitation, sympathetic inquiry, neighborliness and intelligent interpretation of home conditions, can untoward factors be discovered. The Red Cross is in the field to do just this kind of service in addition to supplementary relief work, and it wants to do it as thoroughly as possible.” It is in this spirit, then, that the Red Cross is approaching the task of protecting the dependents left behind by the fighting men. Backed by the American people, there is no room for doubt as to how it will perform this task.