The sun. [volume], February 24, 1918, Section 5 Magazine Section, Page 5, Image 53

About The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920

Image provided by: The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation

                
THE SUN, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1918.
Keeping Pershing's Army in Good Spirits
Henry P. Davison, Chairman of the Red Cross War Council, Explains the Way Our Soldiers
Are Informed Truthfully of Home Conditions
i
P u cross section photograph could be
taken to-day o the activities of tno
American lied Cross, both at home and
abroad, the resultant picture would be
a great comfort to every woman who has
a husband or brother, father or son, en
listed in Amerira's fighting forces. Por
it would show a scope of endeavor far
greater than the original function of the
lied Cross, which was merely to care for
the wounded. The wounded still get at
tention, all that the best doctors ani
nurses can give them; hut that is only one
phase of the work that the American Red
Cross now 83-mbolizes. The rest of the
picture is new.
In this new picture, which has been en
larged to meet the demands of modern
warfare, the flag of the American Red
Cross Hies over every camp and canton
ment "where American men nro being
trained for battle, symbolizing a protec
tion to their morale as well as thrir crea
ture comforts. It flies beside canteens
and rest houses, hospitals and prison
camps. And to each of these places it
brings the assurance that the American
people stand behind their lighting men.
Hut that is not all.
The Red Crou Flag.
The same flag with the Stars anrt
Stupes floating beside it waves over huge
warehouses in France and Italy, visual
izing the American spirit that Oiled those
warehouses with food, clothing and meu
ical supplies for the French and Italians.
It flies over similar warehouses in the war
torn countries of our smaller Allies. It
hangs from the windows of the new liitls
homes that are springing up in the re
claimed sections of France and Belgium.
'To understand the significance of this
combination campaign which the Amer
ican Red Cross is waging both at home and
abroad." said Henry P. Davison, chair
man of the American Red Cross "War
Council, in an interview with a represen
tative of Tub Sunday Sun, "one has
merely to glance back at one of the earli
est lessons learned by our Al
lies. The first year of the war
rught them that it takes some
thing more than guns and military train
ing to mako a good fighter. The 'some-,
thing more' needed was morale, and mo
rale disappeared when worry over home
troubles appeared in the trenches.
Giving the New of Home.
"The American Red Cross representa
tives abroad provide homes tor the home
less, food for the hungry, care and medi
cine for the sick, of France and Belgium.
Coincident almost with the start of this
work the morale of the Frcueh and Bel
gian armies improved, for good news
leaches the men at the front almost as
rapidly us the bad.
"With this first hand evidence before
them of the value of keeping a soldiers
mind free from the care uud worry inci
dent to bail news from home, both the Red
Cro. and the War Department of this
eouutry agreed that similar care should
be taken of American soldiers, only they
decided to start it earlier.
"As a result, in every training camp
and cantonment in this country to-day as
well as in the American camps abroad,
the American Red Cross has established
a bureau of camp service comprising an
associate director, a director of hospital
service and as many assistants as are
necessary. These men are authorized to
do everything possible for the comfort
and welfare of the soldiers and to respond
to all requests for that service Unit are
approved by the commanding officers of
the camp in which they are stationed.
An Example of the Work.
"It is the task of the camp director of
home service when requested to do bo to
look after the men who are worrying over
real or fancied troubles at home. Perhaps
the best way to illustrate his work is to
take a concrete case that occurred re
eently in one of the Southern camps.
"A young soldier had received word
that bis mother was critically ill. He wor
ried for several days and was totally un
fit for duty. Finally he came to (he camp
director of home service and told his
story.
'The Litter immediately wired the di
vision director of the Red Cris depart
ment of civilian relief in New York, who
promptly investigated the matter and
wired back thatf the mother was out of
danger and convalescing satisfactorily.
Henry P.
This message was at one: communicated
to the young soldier, ridding him of the
grief und worry that had been eating into
him for days.
"The director of hospital service is an
other man who looks after the comfort
and welfare of the soldiers. He gives his
entire time to visiting the reginipnlal
infirmaries and base hospitals with a vtevr
to rendering nny assistance needed in tliu
way of supplies to take care of an emer
gency. He is also instructed to render
such comfort and assistance as he can to
siek soldiers.
"He is in position to assist them in com
municating with their families and in
keeping their families advised in reference
to their condition. In connection with
this work the Red Cross has been author
ized by the Secretary of War to erect
convalescent houses at the base hospitals
and alio the general hospitals in all the
large camps and naval stations.
"These convalescent houses, which are
cow being built, will have a large room
and auditorium with a bright sun parlor
at one end of the building and rooms for
the accommodation of the relatives of any
soldier who is critically ill if the rela
tives desire to stay near him.
"The work of the Red Cross in the hos
pitals at the camps and cantonments is
altogether supplementary to that of the
army, whose officers are in full charge and
Davison.
command and who arc responsible for the
care and treatment of the sick.
"The. task of keeping up the morale of
both the FoMiers and their relatives by
providing a medium through which they
can be assured of the comfort and welfare
of each other docs not stop with the work
in the training romps cithfcr here or
abroad. The long arm of the American
Red Cross follows the soldiers right into
the trenches and beyond when it is
necessary.
"Let us suppose, for instance, that an
American soldier is reported missing after
an engagement with the enemy. When his
n.'.me appears in that saddest of all news
bulletins that the War Department sends
out representatives of the Red Cross set
out at once to get definite information
concerning his fate.
"Frequently those who are reported
missing turn up in German prison camps.
In these cases the Red Cross loeates them
either through the lists of prisoners'
names sent by the German Government to
the International Red Cross headquarters
at Geneva or through the reports made
by the help committees of the prisoners
themselves,- which are forwarded to
American Red Cross headquarters at
Berne. In either case the family of the
missing one is notified at once, and the
notification is always accompanied by a
letter informing his folks that the Red
The Story of a Man Who Came Back
"consequence of bis devotion to duty and
gallantry in the field while in the ranks of
the Devonshire Regiment."
The story that was crowded into those
four years lias only been equalled on one
previous occasion in the records of the
British army. Edward England came of
a fighting stock. Three of his brothers
were soldiers, and all three laid down their
lives for their country. The only authen
tic record of the affair is given by a sur
viving brother, who is the rector of the
church in a small village in Sussex.
During the retreat from Hons, when
Col. England was in command of a muni
tion column, a staff officer galloped up
with the information that the column was
in danger of being surrounded. Col. Eng
land's chief thought was for the safety of
his men and it was with this object in
view that he ordered certain portions of
the transport to be abandoned. In the
confusion more was cast astray than he
knew of and, thongh the column won
through, retribution was demanded when
the los was counted.
Phy.-ically for the time being Col. Eng
land was a broken man, and for weeks he
was in hospitul, but as soon as he was
tit he joined the Army Service Corps a3
an ordinary private, giving his age as 40,
although he was then over 50. Transferred
to the South African Horse, he fought in
Africa and later went to France with the
Devons. Here he took part in many
lights, bearing himself like the brave man
Jhe King lndeejarcd chifl. to, Jfe,d,
1 J quLhes his commission, the King
having no further uso for his services,"
was the curt announcement that ap
peared in the London Gazette of Decem
ber 11, 1914.
Xo greater disgrace than that involved
in such an announcement can befall a sol
dier in war lime. At this point in the
Austrian or the German army the dis
graced officer would have a revolver
thrust into his hand und would be con
ducted to some secluded spot, there to
shoot himself.
In England they have a more vindic
tive method. The London Gazette, the
daily official list that circulates in every
division, brigade, battalion and company
of the British army and is printed in all
the leading newspapers, may be read by
the whole world. The disgrace is publie
property.
But, fortunately, the scandal is short
lived. The story of Col. England passed
rapidly into the limbo of the forgotten.
Nearly four years elapse!. Then, early
in January of the present year, the Lon
don Gazette printed the announcement
that "Edward Pa&cr England has been
reinstated to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel
in the Royal Artillery."
The restoration to honor was pnblicly
announced on the very day that Col. Eng
land was discharged from the army a dis
abled private. His reinstatement, in the
cold phraseology of the Gazctlt, .wad, in
Cross has already begun to send food and
clothing to him and that this service will
be maintained as long as be remains a
prisoner of war.
"Right here it may be stated for the
benefit of these mothcra and fathers and
wives whose minds have been seared by
the stories of German prison camps that
the American Red (ro8s, profiting by the
experience of the British, has taken every
precaution to see that those American
boys whom the fortunes of war deliver
into the hands of the enemy arc given
every comfort that it is possible to pro
vide. Prisoners Cared For.
"From the headquarters at Berne tw
ten pound packages of food go each week
to every American located in a Gcrmcn
prison camp. These packages contain
sufficient food, to enable him to live with
out being dependent in any way upon the
food supplied him by his captors.
"Moreover, every parcel is personally
receipted, for by the prisoner and the
postcard receipt sent back to the Red
Cross. Paat experience has proved that
05 per cent, of these packages arc re
ceipted for and that the soldier actually
receives the food and is not coerced into
signing for it.
"While it is not a cheerful thing for a
family to know that its soldier represen
tative has been made a prisoner, every
father and mother and wife in this ,comv
try may rest assured that if their loved
one meets with that misfortune the Amer
ican Red Cross will do everything that is
possible to aid and comfort him. For ia
addition to the food and clothing supplies
that will be sent to him arrangements
have been made by the Red Cross to send
Lim soap, pipes, tobacco, sweets, combs,
toothbrushes and every other thing that is
essential to his norma! needs.
Keep Families Informed.
"In the case of those reported missing;
who do not materialize in prison camps
the Red Cross has a more difficult duty.
Its representatives interview every man
who survived the engagement in whiek
they took part, and from the evidence
thus acquired are frequently able to let
the family of the missing one knew if he
was killed. It is a tragic task to commu
nicate sueh new3 to a family, but it is
kinder to those who are left to know
definitely that the missing one is dead
than to be tortured by uncertainty and its
accompanying horrors.
"In addition to the work which the
American Red Cross is doing for 'the
direct benefit of American soldiers and
their families it is conducting campaigns
abroad which, in the opinion of the allied
military staffs, arc of indirect but certain
benefit to the people in all of the allied
countries. For these campaigns, which
cover every form of relief work in France,
Belgium, Italy, Serbia and Rumania, art
helping to shorten the war and every
day that can be cut from the fighters'
calendar will save thousand' of useful
lives and millions of dollars to the nations
engaged.
The Men "Over There" Know.
"There may be those who will wonder
how the building of a new home for s
French repatrle in the reclaimed portion
of the invaded district of France U going
to help to shorten the war. There may be
those who will question the military im
portance of caring for a Belgian orphjffc
or of finding work and homes for the
600,000 Italian refugee who fled before
Von Mackensen's troops.
"What have these things to do with
either winning or shortening the warT
"It isn't easy to read the answer across
3,000 miles of ocean. But those who are
'over there' know. They know that the
flag of the American Red Cross has be
come more than a symbol of humanitari
anism to our allie3. It stands before them
to-day as the symbol of America and nil
her ideals and power. And behind it they
sec an army of 100,000,000 people who
have already built a oridge across the
Atlantic to bring aid and comfort to them
and who stand ready to give the last
drop of their blood te the cause which
they have joined.
"This is the message which the Amer
ican Red Cross has carried to Europe and
which it will continue to deliver there so
long as there are hungry Allies to be fed,
homeless ones to be boused and broken