funds on a large scale to support the extensive work planned. It was decided to appeal at once to the people for a special war fund of $100,000,000, and President Wilson designated the week of June 18-25 as " Red Cross Week " for the collection of money. Quotas were assigned to each state and city and a vigorous nation-wide campaign was begun. The result was a popular subscription of over $114,000,000. The second great campaign undertaken by the War Council was a Christmas membership drive during the week of Dec. 17-24 1917. When the United States entered the war the Red Cross membership was about 500,000, comprised in about 500 chapters. By Nov. i 1917 the membership had increased to 5,000,000, distributed among 3,287 chapters. The first aim of the special membership drive was for 5,000,000 further memberships, but when the campaign was actually launched the goal was set at 10,000,000. At the end of the drive week over 16,000,000 new members had been added to the organization. By the spring of 1918 it was found necessary to launch a new drive for funds, so extensive had been the war undertakings of the Red Cross. Again a nation-wide appeal was made, and during the week May 20-27, approxi- mately $170,000,000 was subscribed. These two great collec- tions of 1917 and 1918, together with membership dues of about $37,500,000 and special funds and supplies from various other sources, made up a grand total of a little more than $400,000,000, of which about two-thirds was available for the needs of the national headquarters and one-third for the special needs of the 3,500 chapters. These special needs were such as purchase of materials to be made into relief articles, local canteen and home service, general operating expenses, etc. The undertakings of the American Red Cross during the war-time and armistice pe- riod can be classified under two heads: first, the relations of the Red Cross to the armed forces of the Government both at home and abroad, and, second, civilian relief abroad. With regard to the first category a paragraph in a report of the American Red Cross, prepared for the tenth International Red Cross Conference at Geneva on March 30 1921, sets out so admirably the manifold activities carried on that it may well be quoted. It is as follows: " The primary function of the Red Cross in war, of course, is to provide volunteer relief to the sick and wounded, and to serve as a medium of communication between the soldiers, sailors and marines and their families and the American people, but in the late war the American Red Cross activities for the fighting men covered a much wider field. From the time the American soldier entered the service until he had been demobilized, the Red Cross, at the request of the War Department, assisted him in many ways possible only to a large volunteer organization officially recognized. The American Red Cross recruited, organized and equipped hospitals and ambulance units, assisted in the care of the sick and wounded in emergencies, and mobilized nurses for the army and navy. The labour of volunteer Red Cross women provided the men in the service with knitted garments not a part of the army equip- ment, as well as an unlimited quantity of surgical dressings and supplemental medical supplies. Canteens established at many points in the home country and in the war zone provided the sol- dier en route with food, tobacco and other creature comforts. Home Service helped to maintain moral by rendering assist- ance in many forms to soldiers' and sailors' families. American fighters held prisoners in enemy camps, after being located through the International Red Cross, were supplied by the American Red Cross with food and other comforts. The sick and wounded behind our own lines were cheered and aided in their convalescence, the home-coming and demobilized troops were helped in readjusting themselves to civil life, and, finally, the graves of the fallen were photographed at the request of the War Department for the comfort of the home folks."
The details of the manner and extent of these various activities cannot be described here in detail. Place can be given to only a few special facts. Fifty Red Cross Base Hospital units, each consisting of 22 surgeons and physicians, 65 Red Cross nurses, and 152 En- listed Reserve Corps men, were sent to England and France and one to Italy for duty with the American Expeditionary Forces. Forty ambulance companies of 124 trained men each were likewise
sent abroad. Over 23,000 trained nurses were mobilized, of whom nearly 20,000 saw active service, one-half of these in Europe. Sani- tary service in America was carried on by 29 units of trained person- nel assigned to districts in 16 states. A Woman's Volunteer Motor Corps of 11,000 members organized in 300 communities covered over 3,500,000 m. in their activities. Seven hundred canteens staffed by 55,000 women workers were operated in railway stations and camps. Ninety-two convalescent homes were built in the training- and embarkation camps. One hundred and thirty canteens were established in France. Also, in France, the Red Cross maintained 24 military hospitals and 12 convalescent hospitals. Thirty-three canteens were established in Italy. Twenty-eight military hospitals and 82 canteens were established just behind the lines in that small part of Belgium never overrun by the Germans. A Home Service with 50,000 workers helped soldiers' families in many ways in America. Finally, 8,000,000 Red Cross women were engaged all through the war in producing comforts and hospital supplies for the American soldiers and sailors. Under the general category of " civil- ian relief abroad " is included the work done by the American Red Cross, from the time the United States entered the war up to 1921 when this work was still going on, in relieving the civilian populations of the war-ravaged regions of Europe. The distress during the war of the people of the Allied nations, especially in the devastated regions of Belgium, France, Italy, the Balkan States, Poland and Russia, seriously menaced the moral of those countries, so that this " civilian relief abroad " by the American Red Cross during the war period was of actual military assistance to the Allies. After the war this assistance, no less necessary, took on a more purely benevolent aspect and was extended in some measure to former enemy countries as well as to the Allies. The largest need and the largest response by the Red Cross was in France. A million and a half refugees from the 10 invaded French departments were scattered throughout other parts of the country. Besides, many Belgian refugees came into France. Disease, especially tuberculosis, threatened to become epi- demic. The Red Cross undertook the task, for a time at an ex- pense of $1,000,000 a month, of housing, clothing, feeding and extending hospital and general medical aid to these civilians. This work was constantly done in association with national and local French organizations. Over 150 such organizations were aided. Sixty-seven hospitals and dispensaries, primarily for refugees, were operated by the Red Cross. Over 30,000 tuberculosis patients were directly reached and helped. A child-welfare campaign was also undertaken, partly of educational character. Special doctors and visiting nurses not only directly helped the children but organized instructional meetings and held special child clinics where modern methods were explained to nearly 300,000 French attendants. Per- haps the second largest item in civilian relief during the war was that of aid to Russia. A special commission was sent to Petrpgrad by way of Vladivostok, arriving in 1917, while Kerensky was in power, and provided 500,000 cans of condensed milk for children. An am- bulance train of 125 cars was also sent to Russia, and $1,500,000 was devoted to the assistance of Russian soldiers who were returning from the prison camps.
During the war the Red Cross lent assistance to 75 Belgian refugee colonies in free Belgium, France, Switzerland, Holland and England. In Italy 50 kitchens were maintained for needy civilians and direct financial assistance was given to the families of 326,000 Italian soldiers. In Rumania two hospitals and an orphanage were taken over and maintained, and in three districts 40,000 persons were fed daily. Special commissions went to Serbia and Greece and aided materially in caring for refugees and poor families in those countries. In 1918, at the height of the war activities, the American Red Cross had over 20,000,000 adult and 11,000,000 child (junior Red Cross) members comprised in over 3,500 chapters. Eight million of these members were listed as " war workers." The total revenues of the national headquarters and chapters together for the 20 months ending Feb. 28 1919 were $400,178,000, of which $272,676,000 was actually expended in war relief work in America and 25 foreign countries during the 20 months' period named, which covered all the time during which the United States was in the war plus the first three and a half months of the Armistice. Of this sum $169,096,000 was expended by the national headquarters and $103,580,000 by the various chapters. The former included $28,978,000 for relief in America; $57,207,000 in France; $63,841,000 elsewhere overseas; $4,660,000 for collections, enrolments, and publications; $2,727,000 for operation of relief bureaus; 85,530,000 for operation of bureaus handling relief supplies and transportation in America of these sup- plies; and 84,360,000 for operation of administrative bureaus at national headquarters and divisional headquarters. The expendi- tures of the chapters included 860,660,000 for materials purchased ; $8,790,000 for home service; 83,070,000 for military hospitals and ambulances; $2,320,000 for canteen service; $1,680,000 for in- fluenza relief; and $7,490,000 for general operating expenses. The total resources (cash and supplies) of the national headquarters Feb. 28 1919 amounted to 8110,756,000, including unexpended appropriations of 816,714,000; in addition the chapters had in hand a balance of $33,460,000. A total of 101,000 tons of relief supplies had been sent overseas; 3,780 French and more than 1,500 Italian hospitals had been aided. The relief articles (surgical dress- ings, hospital garments and supplies, refugee garments, and various
