Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 131, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 June 1918 — STRETCHING PARIS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF FRANCE [ARTICLE]

STRETCHING PARIS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF FRANCE

THE RED CROSS HAS HELPED WHERE GOVERNMENTS WERE HELPLESS.

The avalanche of refugees that swept Into Paris from the north of France had been the despair of the civil authorities. These homeless, stunned people were a new responsibility to be added to the thousands of wounded men that came steadily from the shambles of the west front Paris is an old city. It was not ready to take in its neighbors’ children. Its population was already a tight fit So It made the best of its poor by Offering up its garrets. Ndw building construction’seemed impossible. Men were scarce. The mechanic was either manning the trenches or fighting the fight in the war factories. Paris was distracted. It Is wonderful indeed how nobly Paris tried to meet this condition. And it is remarkable how Paris met it with the aid of our own Red Cross. Unhampered by red tape or precedent, our Red Cross put on overalls and jumper, carried the hod, became architect, engineer and contractor and went Into the building of homes. Here was S ctrtirch lot that lay vacant; here an unfinished hospital; there a worn out

building, all of which in a fortnight were started on their way toward new apartments, rooms and sleeping wards. We here at home who associate the great Red Cross movement with bandages and white gowned nurses must lose this old illusion in the light of a thousand other works for humanity. In this case we see the Red Cross first as diplomats convincing the civil authorities of Paris as to their ability to remedy the situatioh, then as architects remodeling buildings, changing building plans, hiring labor gathered by themselves from the ex-sol- ' dlery and the older num, all the while working under every imaginable handicap, while Father Time cried, “Get it done, get it done.” So out of the garrets came these despairing people to find new hope in clean homes, to get new cheer out of sheer bodily comfort and fresh courage to again take up the great trust that France has kept so well—“to carry on.” It is not strange that our e French brothers believe In your own Red Cross just a little more than you do. But should this be?