The second Quarterly Bulletin of the American National Red Cross
contains an account of the work of raising funds for the benefit of the
Japanese famine sufferers. The Central Committee desires to call
attention to the great advantages such an organization as the Red Cross
provides at such times. Where the Society had already organized State
Branches these Branches were ready, through their officers, to notify
the public that the Red Cross would receive contributions for this
purpose and that local Red Cross treasurers would receive the same.
Moreover, all expenses for the collection of these contributions, save
those that were borne by the “Christian Herald” in the collection of its
most generous contributions, of which further mention will be made, have
been met by the funds of the Society, so that every penny contributed
has been sent directly by the State Department, through the United
States Embassy at Tokyo, to the Japanese Red Cross for use in its famine
relief work.
As the Japanese Red Cross has consented to undertake the disposition of
all famine relief funds sent through the American National Red Cross, a
brief report of some of the work lately accomplished by this remarkable
organization will be of interest and short accounts published by this
Society have been reprinted in this Bulletin.
The April Quarterly Bulletin having to go to press early in March, it is
impossible to publish the list of contributors to the Famine Fund, but
it is hoped this may be done in the following number.
The American National Red Cross should have a large sustaining
membership to enable it to create a thoroughly efficient organization
and at the same time to accumulate an Emergency Fund to meet immediately
the first relief work after any sudden disaster in any of the States or
Territories.
* * * * *
On March 7, the Red Cross received a communication from the State
Department to the effect that the Governor of the Islands of French
Oceanica, which on February 8th met with a most serious disaster from a
cyclone, had solicited subscriptions for the aid of the people there. As
the Red Cross was collecting contributions for the Japanese Famine Fund,
it most reluctantly had to decline to act in this second matter of
relief work. If the Society had a membership, as it should have in this
country, of a hundred thousand, it would receive into its Emergency Fund
fifty thousand dollars annually which would enable it to render aid at
such times of distant disaster without issuing special appeals and this
without costing its members anything in addition to their annual
membership dues of one dollar. This large membership must be obtained by
the efforts of the present members, and if each member would do whatever
he or she may be able to do towards increasing the membership, the
American National Red Cross would soon have an organization worthy of
the United States and always have in its treasury a fund that would
enable it to reply promptly to any such appeal as that forwarded to it
by the Department of State.
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