Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1917 — NOTES FROM THE RED CROSS [ARTICLE]

NOTES FROM THE RED CROSS

-At the request of William C. Braisted, surgeon general of the United States navy, the American Red Cross has called upon ten of the larger chapters of the society nearest New York to supply at the earliest possible moment surgical dressings for each of 188 battleships and destroyers. Each ship will require thousands of compresses and bandages, the entire consignment making a total of more than 600,000 surgical dressings. The order must be filled within the next ten days and women qualified to make surgical dressings are working night and day for the rapid completion of the work. Each chapter will supply the battleship named after that particular state and others in which they might have a geographical interest. Thus the Chicago chapter will supply the “Chicago” and the “Illi-

nois. ’ New York will supply the •New York” and the “Albany.” These boxes, when completed will be shipped to New York for distribution to the ships. The making of surgical dressings is especially suitable work __ for young fingers and eyes and affords a splendid opportunity for the young girls and women of Rensselaer to prove their’’ patriotism. The number of supplies sent from our local chapter could soon be doubled and trebled if the girls would devote only a few hours of their time each week. Our women who can knit are busy with their needles every spare moment; the women who can sew are making shirts and pajamas as rapidly as is consistent with, good work and yet most of these women have the responsibility of homes and families. If the* young girls will help carry on the work of making surgical our combined efforts will bring splendid results and the women and girls of Rensselaer will have done their part in winning this war. Do we want our boys’ wounds dre-sed with newspapers and straw as ’’ they are compelled to do now some places in France?