. The American Red Cross in the great war . e most good; it was, without doubt, the most effectualkind of shock absorber for the Government, and by itsgood offices a silencer of the note of resentment and dis-content which echoed far in war time. There are women, as we all know, who are natural-bomdependents and whose training has added to their nativetendency; on the other hand, there are those who haveinherent resources of courage and self-help and will fight theirway through any obstacle. So, naturally, it was the formerclass who needed the nainistrations, for the most part, ofHome Service.


. The American Red Cross in the great war . e most good; it was, without doubt, the most effectualkind of shock absorber for the Government, and by itsgood offices a silencer of the note of resentment and dis-content which echoed far in war time. There are women, as we all know, who are natural-bomdependents and whose training has added to their nativetendency; on the other hand, there are those who haveinherent resources of courage and self-help and will fight theirway through any obstacle. So, naturally, it was the formerclass who needed the nainistrations, for the most part, ofHome Service. A man who left a strictly dependent wifeat-home with a few Uttle dependents looking to her as actingmanager could do very well for about three days. Then hebegan to realize, as he never did before, how helpless shewas. One wailing letter has made all the wondrous new lifeof the training camp a gray and dismal thing. The mentalpicture of an empty pocket-book, with a weasel-faced land-lord in the background insisting that leases are leases,. HOME SERVICE 71 summoned in its train visions of misery that made a mandeaf to the brisk accents of a drill sergeant and replacedmartial ardor with a longing to be back home for just halfan hour. It is a corollary of modern war that you cantmanufacture a first-class soldier out of a man who is thinkingall the time that his personal responsibiUties are going to thedogs, and whose barrack pillow is hardened by nightmaresof trouble in the home. I have been told that there were practically only twokinds of desertion from the American Army: one of men whodeserted in France from their regiments in the rear in orderto join regiments at the front; the other of men who desertedbecause of unhappy letters from home. When we went intowar it was established beyond any shadow of doubt thatthere must be intimate and direct connection between thefamily and the trenches, that the home fires as well as theflames of patriotism were essential to proper military


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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918