Read Ebook: The American National Red Cross Bulletin Vol. I No. 2 April 1906 by American National Red Cross

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Our sister-societies have earnestly and practically extended their sympathy and kindness to us by offering gifts in various forms, which we have gratefully accepted. The following are the details of gifts we have received since last October up to this date. .

The Central Office of the Franc 1,000 International Red Cross Society

The Red Cross Society of Medical materials, Germany &c.

The Red Cross Society of Woolen caps, &c. Germany

The Relief Society for Wounded Medicines, bandages Soldiers of France and other materials.

The Ladies' Association of Franc 5,000 France

The British Red Cross Society Yen 10,000

or ? 1,000

The Red Cross Society of Krone 50,000 Austria

The Red Cross Society of Krone 10,000 Hungary

Golniezbanya Branch of the Red Krone 50,000 Cross Society of Hungary

The Red Cross Society of Germany, with the permission of our Government, has kindly sent out Professor Dr. Adolph Henle and Dr. Otto Fittig accompanied by a nurse, Miss Margarethe von Sommogy, to our country to render assistance towards relieving the sufferings of the sick and wounded. Since last March, they have been working at a military branch hospital in Sendagaya, Tokyo, in co-operation with our own surgeons and nurses.

A party of American nurses under Mrs. McGee mentioned briefly in our last report, sailing from Seattle, Washington, U.S.A., on the 3d of March, arrived in Yokohama on the 22d of April, 1904. They commenced work on May 31st in the Hiroshima Reserve hospital where they remained till October 10th, 1904. During that time, they were in turn placed on board hospital ships that had been running between Japan and Manchuria.

In compliance with Mrs. McGee's request, we sent her out to the Matsuyama Hospital, in which Russian prisoners had been placed and to a naval hospital at Kure; and to some districts in Korea where there were field hospitals.

She then returned to America together with the other nurses, who sailed from Nagasaki on the 21st of October, 1904. We offered to Mrs. McGee and to each one of the nurses the sum of Yen 200.00 as a token of our appreciation of their services.

The following nurses:

Miss Minnie Cooke, Miss Mary Gladwin, Miss Ella King, Miss Elizabeth Kratz, Miss Adelaide Mackereth, Miss Adele Neeb, Miss Sophia Newell, Miss Genevieve Russell,

returned the money to the Society saying that they could not bear to carry any of the Red Cross money with them back to their homes.

As a further mark of our appreciation of their devotedness and earnestness in caring for the sick and wounded on land and sea, we invited the nurses to join the Society as Special Members.

Miss Cooke, Miss King, Miss Mackereth and Miss Russell have made a subscription towards the Relief Funds of this Society since they returned home.

Mrs. Richardson, an English lady, worked in the hospitals in Tokyo and Hiroshima for about one year and half, arriving in Japan in April, 1904, and leaving Yokohama for England on the 15th of July, 1905. During this time she worked entirely at her own expense.

She made visits to the military hospitals in Nagoya, Osaka, Kokura, Kumamoto, Matsuyama, Kure and Sasebo and also to those in Dalny and Port Arthur. In April of this year, she was placed on board hospital ships carrying the sick and wounded from the front to Japan. Her sympathy and kindness had been shown, not only by her actually nursing the war-victims but also by her giving them such things as might interest and comfort them and by more than once making subscriptions towards the Relief Funds of the Society.

Upon her departure from Japan, the Empress received her at the palace. Prince Kan-in, Honorary President of the Red Cross Society of Japan, and Princess Kan-in, Honorary President of the Ladies' Volunteer Nursing Association, gave her a farewell dinner at their residence.

As the fall of Port Arthur had been expected by all the people, we had sent previously 3,000 suits of patients' dresses, together with a proper number of blankets and kept them at the nearest possible place to the fort so that we could be ready to provide the Russian wounded with such things when needed. These things, as we thought, have been of a great use. When Baron Ozawa took the opportunity of paying a visit to General Walaschof, the President of the Russian Red Cross Hospital at Port Arthur, the latter not merely expressed his high appreciation of what had been done by our Society , but also asked him if the Red Cross Society of Japan would take over the hospital from the Russian Red Cross Society. Baron Ozawa, however, refused the offer only accepting the medal conferred upon him.

At the close of this account, we take great pleasure in adding that donations, in various shapes from every part of the world and from rich and poor, annual subscriptions and the number of members have ever been increasing. The members of the Society numbering in all 1,035,000, include Japanese and foreigners in China, Korea, Hawaii, and in other foreign countries. Nevertheless, the expenditure we have had to defray for the Relief work increases to an amount those outside can hardly imagine. We have been trying to the utmost of our power to perform our duty of caring for the helpless patients of both belligerents ever since the war broke out, only remembering the principles of Humanity and Brotherhood and we will do so more and more hereafter under the guidance of Providence and through the assistance of friends.

NOTES FROM BRANCH SOCIETIES

The Connecticut Branch is organizing a subdivision in New Haven and expects to complete the organization in a few days with a membership of 150 or more. A large subdivision is also being formed at Norwich. The Bristol subdivision, which is the only one of its kind in the country, being composed entirely of boys, has sent a generous contribution to the Japanese famine fund. The "Hartford Courant" has been most energetic and successful in its collections for the famine fund and the National Treasurer has received a number of contributions from that paper.

General Charles Bird, U.S.A., President of the Delaware Branch, writes:

"The Delaware Branch of the American National Red Cross has effected a complete organization with a strong membership committee and a sub-committee to act with the Executive Committee in arranging for the enrollment of surgeons, physicians and trained nurses to be ready to respond to a call for any emergency. The work of these committees is hampered somewhat on account of a lack of public interest, growing out of the fact that there does not seem to be any active work for the Red Cross at present. Efforts are being made to increase the interest on the ground of being prepared for the emergency when it comes. The subdivisions in the lower part of the State are well organized and ready to work when calls are made upon them."

The District of Columbia Branch is preparing to hold a mass meeting on March 30th at the Belasco Theatre in Washington, at which Secretary of War Taft and several other prominent speakers will deliver addresses on the subject of the Red Cross. It is also expected that two Army Surgeons who were present with the Russian and Japanese Armies in Manchuria will speak of what they saw of Red Cross work during the late war in the Far East.

Subdivisions of the Illinois Branch have recently been organized at Danville, Aurora and Rock Island, with a membership of over one hundred at Danville. Since the publication of the Annual Report of the Red Cross, Illinois has reported the enrollment of a number of doctors and nurses.

The Secretary of the Maine Branch reports that that Society is "slowly but surely improving and getting ready to do good work." Earnest efforts are being made to increase the membership.

The Maryland Branch, like the District of Columbia Branch, contemplates holding a mass meeting on the 5th of April. These meetings are expected to arouse much interest and assist considerably in enlarging the membership.

The Massachusetts Branch "is too busily engaged with the famine fund to write much for the Bulletin." The Bulletin is glad of this opportunity to congratulate the Massachusetts Branch upon its successful efforts in behalf of the Japanese famine sufferers. Massachusetts ranks first among the Branch Societies in amount contributed for this fund.

The New York State Branch has appointed Mr. William Chauncy Langdon, Secretary of the Executive Committee, and Mr. Langdon is actively engaged in organizing subdivisions throughout the State. Subdivisions have already been formed in Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, and Brooklyn, in Oneida and Westchester Counties, and in Islip Township of Long Island. The Oneida County Subdivision has the largest membership, 155, 12 of whom are life members. The total membership in New York State is 790.

The Cleveland Subdivision of the Ohio Branch reports the enrollment of a number of doctors and nurses.

On March 14th "The Pennsylvania Branch of the American National Red Cross" was organized, with headquarters in Philadelphia. The following officers were elected: President, Talcott Williams; treasurer, Mrs. A. J. Cassatt; vice-presidents, Captain John S. Muckle, Miss Anne Thompson, Hon. H. Kirke Porter, of Pittsburg; Hon. Vance McCormick, of Harrisburg; Bishop Alexander Mackay-Smith and George H. Frazier; secretary, Joseph Allison Steinmetz.

Money sent by the American National Red Cross to the Philippine Branch for the typhoon sufferers has been gratefully acknowledged by that Society. The practical sympathy thus shown for the unfortunate sufferers from that disaster conclusively and promptly proved the value of the Red Cross organization. The Philippine Branch has reported recently over one hundred members.

The Secretary of the Rhode Island Branch writes:

"The Rhode Island Branch is receiving cordial support from the community. The number of annual members is increasing, as is also the number of life members. The subscriptions for the relief of the Japanese sufferers have been liberal and gifts are still coming into the fund for that purpose."

From letters and newspaper reports received from South Carolina, it is evident that the officers are actively engaged in building up the Society. We have also been informed that a considerable sum has been collected for the Japanese Famine Fund.

The Central Committee hopes soon to be able to report the formation of a State Branch in New Jersey and several other States.

The Executive Committee of the American National Red Cross some time ago appointed a sub-committee to select a design and material for a new form of Life Membership Certificate. These will be ready for issue soon, and life members who have received the old form of certificate will be furnished with the new certificate upon application.

A design of Red Cross pin to be worn by the members has been adopted, and arrangements will soon be completed whereby all members desiring pins or buttons will be able to procure them.

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

Persons desiring to become members of the American National Red Cross should fill out, as indicated, the blank forms on last page of this Bulletin and mail to the Secretary of the Branch Society in the State where they reside, whose address is given below.

Persons residing in States or Territories where no Branch Societies have as yet been formed should send their applications to the Secretary of the American National Red Cross, Room 826, Colorado Building, Washington, D.C. These applications will be given prompt consideration as soon as such Branch Societies are organized.

Life membership dues, .00. Annual membership dues, 1.00.

CALIFORNIA BRANCH: Mrs. Thurlow McMullin, 2200 California Street, San Francisco, Cal.

CONNECTICUT BRANCH: Mrs. Sara T. Kinney, P.O. Box 726, New Haven, Conn.

DELAWARE BRANCH: Miss Emily P. Bissell, 1404 Franklin Street, Wilmington, Del.

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