Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1918 — TELLS MEANING OF RED CROSS HOME SERVICE [ARTICLE]

TELLS MEANING OF RED CROSS HOME SERVICE

Civilian Relief Director Begins Series of Articles Explaining importance of Assistance to Enlisted Men’s Relatives EDll’Oß’-S NOTE: This is the first of a series of rive articles prepared by James L. Flese’-. director of civilian relief for the American Red Cross in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The subjects of the other four articles in the series are: “What Red Cross Home Service Is,” "Financial Aid in Home Service,” “What Has Been Taught Home Service Workers,” and “Organizing and Training 30,000 Home Service Committeemen.” By James 1~ Fleser, Director, Civilian Relief, Lake Division, American Red Cross. Two new words—Home Service — are taking important places in tie vocabulary and activity Of the 356 American Red Cross chapters in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. At war’s outbreak ten months ago to the few chapters then organized Red Cross work and popular knowledge of it centered only around* preparation of hospital supplies, equipment of base hospitals and supplying their personnel, and provisions of relief in times of disaster. Then came the unfolding of a multitude of other chapter obligations — solicitation of war funds, driving for Increased membership, organization of school auxiliaries, burning out huge quotas of knitted articles, surgical dressings and Christmas packets.

Among these obligations—model of 1917 —was the organization of Home Service committees, better known in some communities as civilian relief committees. Frequently the activities of the Home Service committees were belittled- by other chapter committees. This because importance of Home Service had not been clearly defined. New, through the efforts of the Bureau of Civilian Relief of the Lake Division, headquarters at Cleveland, chapters have come to a clear understanding of the vitalness of Red Cross Home Service in relation to war and complete victory. But to the general public, notably in the so-called rural communities, Home Service is little better understood than it was by the chapters a matter of five months back. So, what is Red Cross Home Service and why? Home Service must be the nation’s assurance that the enlisted and conscripted man’s family shall not suffer for want of any essential thing within the power of the nation to give. The Public's Conception. “Yes,” says Mr. Average Citizen, “but isn’t the government providing war risk insurance, and will it not provide separation allowance where necessary? Isn’t it a fact that but few men with dependents have been called to arms?” Mr. Average Citizen is correct, but he is thinking only in terms of money relief. And it is to convince him that administration of money relief is only one of many features of Home Service that this series of articles on the rudiments of Home Service have been prepared. Scan this brief summary of the opportunities confronting Home Service committees in your county and you will agree that the opportunities have become the duty and privilege of an upstanding, patriotic, American citizenship. 1. Conservation by service of human resources wherever deterioration is threatened in a soldier’s or a sailor's home.

2. Temporary relief of families in which there has been a delay in payments, or in which there is an emergency. 3. Responsibility for regular and continued assistance in cases not covered by government allowance — this includes families in need and resident in the United States of men who are in the service of our allies. 4. Personal service to tlie returned soldier or sailor, especially when he is disabled. 5. An information service which will save time, trouble and anxiety for lonely relatives of enlisted men. 6. Advancement of home standards wherever possible, but especially when the lack of help is likely to cause family disintegration. Sustains Soldiers' Morale. "Men may be the best soldiers in the world (I quote you from the Manual of Home Service Issued by American Red Cross headquarters, Washington), but if things are not well with their families at home, they lose efficiency through worry, and the morale of the army—that all important factor—begins to fait "So it is the patriotic duty as wen as the humanitarian opportunity of > Home Service workers of the American Red Cross to care for lonely families of our fighting men. It is to be remembered that they soon will be ‘fighting men’ tn real earnest Not only our enemies, but our allies, and the American people as well, will be watching them. "Every report from the training eamps and from the French fA>nt< mentions the eucellent spirit of our troops. ’ WHI they maintain this morale while thousands of miles from home, through trench life and to the victorious end? "THE ANSWER WILL BE DETERMINED LARGELY BY THE HOME SERVICE OF THE AIODU* can RED CROSS."