The American Red Cross is distributing aid in ten countries—­the United States, England, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Palestine, Greece, Russia and Siberia.  Besides it has sent representatives to Serbia, Denmark and Madeira.

Two war fund “drives” in 1918 brought money contributions to the amount of $291,000,000.  Membership dues of $24,500,000 brought the total up to $315,500,000 for the fiscal year.  All this money was expended for purposes of pure mercy.

It has been because of the spirit which has pervaded all American Red Cross effort in this war that the aged governor of one of the stricken and battered provinces of France stated not long since that, though France had long known of American’s greatness, strength and enterprise, it remained for the American Red Cross in this war to reveal America’s heart.

The home service of the Red Cross, with its now more than 40, workers, is extending its ministrations of sympathy and counsel each month to upward of 100,000 families left behind by soldiers at the front.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE

Next to the Red Cross in importance comes the Young Men’s Christian
Association, affectionately known to the army as “the Y.”  Then the Young
Women’s Christian Association; the National Catholic War Council; the
Salvation Army; the Knights of Columbus; The Jewish Welfare Board:  the
War Camp Community Service; and The American Library Association.

What might be called the field army of these seven great agencies comprises more than 15,000 uniformed workers on both sides of the Atlantic and in Siberia; and General Pershing, late in October of 1918, asked that additional workers be sent over at the rate of at least a thousand a month.

They represent every type of activity—­secretaries, athletic directors, librarians, preachers, lecturers, entertainers, motion picture operators, truck drivers, hotel managers and caterers.  Many of them pay their own expenses.  Those who cannot do that are paid their actual living expenses if they are single; and if they have families, are allowed approximately the pay of a second lieutenant.

3,000 BUILDINGS NECESSARY

More than 3,000 separate buildings have been erected (or rented) to make possible this huge work.  These are of various sorts, from the great resorts at Aix les Bains, where our soldiers can spend their furloughs, to the hostess houses at the cantonments on this side.  In addition, there are scores of warehouses and garages, and hundreds of “huts” which consist of nothing more than ruined cellars and dugouts in war-demolished towns or old-line trenches.

These figures do not include the buildings occupied by the organizations in times of peace, though all such buildings and quarters are at the disposal of soldiers and sailors.  All are supported by their regular funds, supplemented by contributions entirely apart from those funds.