American
P r i n t e d a t C h e m a w a , O r e g o n , a n d D e v o t e d to t h e I n t e r e s t s o f I n d i a n E d u c a t i o n
Vol. X X
W ednesday, F e b ru a ry 13, 1918
ACTIVITIES OF TH E IN T E R IO R D EPA R TM EN T
W A R WORK ASSOCIATION
W e acknow ledge th e receipt of a m ost com plete ac
co u n t of th e splendid activities of th e In te rio r D ep art
m ent W ar W ork A ssociation, u n d er personal direction
of M rs. F ra n k lin K . L ane, and reg ret sincerely th a t
lack of space p revents a m ore ex ten d ed m ention of th is
g reat and noble w ar w ork th a n is possible for us to
give.
T h e re are nearly 500 w om en, m ore or less directly
connected w ith th e In te rio r D epartm ent, who are d e
v o tin g every m om ent possible to m aking and sen d in g
th in g s necessary for th e com fort and cheer of our sick
an d w ounded soldiers in F ran ce. H u n d re d s (p erh ap s
th o u san d s w ould be nearer th e tr u th ) of -sw eaters,
sh eets, tow els, p ajam as, sto ck in g s, slippers and other
a rtic e sa re being shipped reg u larly to N eu illy , F ran ce.
- T h e In te rio r D ep a rtm en t W a r W o rk A ssociation is
an au x ilia ry of th e A m erican Red Cross. It had its be
g in n in g alm ost im m ediately after^w ar w ith G erm any
w as declared, w hen the H om e C lub, w hich is a social or
ganizatio n of the D ep artm en t, began p lan n in g for re
lief w ork. In th e early days of th e m ovem ent its o u t
p u t was d istrib u te d th ro u g h th e A m erican -F ren ch
C learing H o u se. W hen its activities o utgrew the
th e q u arte rs in th e H om e Club th e w ork room s of the
A ssociation were moved to th e In te rio r B uilding.
H ere Mrs L ane, su rro u n d e d by th e wives and
d a u g h te rs of her h u sb an d ’s assistan ts, com m issioners,
directors and chiefs, m anages an organized patriotism
w hich ram ifies into the m ost rem ote d istricts of U ncle
S am ’s dom ain. T h e m en of th e service back the
w om en w ith th e ir m oney, and th o u san d s of dollars
have been pledged and paid, and M rs. Lane has enough
fun d s in h an d to endow n in eteen beds in th e In terio r
D epartm ent W a rd of the W ash in g to n H ospital in
N euilly . E very bed calls for deposit of $600, and $200
a year outfits it w ith all needed g arm en ts and linen.
All conceivable m eans have been adopted to raise
m oney legitim ately for the noble w ork w hich is headed
so ably by M rs.'L an e. S ubscriptions, don atio n s and
pledges by every class of citizen in all p arts of the
co u n try have reached M rs. L ane. T h e In d ian people
have responded m agnificently and one sale of articles
furnished by them brought $1,400—to be used for s u r
gical dressings.
T h ere is n o th in g sensational or em otional about the
w ork ofv M rs. L ane and her corps of assistan ts. On
th e co n tra ry , ev ery th in g is carried o u t in th e most b u si
No. 17
ness-like m anner. M rs. L ane has reponded in the
m ost p ractical and efficent m anner to the cry of h u m a n
ity in th e alleviation of ou r sick and w ounded soldier
and sailor boys w ho suffer in a foreign lan d . All
th a n k s to her.
T H IN K IT OVER
R esults of labor, of stu d y , of effort of any c h a r
acter, physical or m ental, often seem tard y in m aking
th e ir appearance— in realization. A nd often we seem
to feel th a t th e rew ard of th is effort is as slow of m a
terialization as were the resu lts them selves. W e are
inclined to become discouraged if th in g s do n o t come
to us, if we fail to get rew ard as soon as we had
figured we sho u ld — and some of us allow ourselves to
join the arm y of “ q u itte rs .”
In no possible way can we gain a n y th in g —-win a n y
th in g —by being q u itte rs. -Let every person— m an,
w om an, boy or g irl— th in k seriously of som ething
once in a w hile and a lot of good will result. R ecre
ation is a fine th in g and necessary, but th is is a w orld
of real th in g s and problem s and we have to look after
o u r hum an needs, both m ental and physical. Plav
will not alw ays fill th e bill— th ere is w ork required.
O u r stu d en ts, our friends, our readers, young or
old, will never g rav ita te into th e realm of g reat achieve
m ent w ith o u t they m ake great effort. A person who
is afraid to m ake effort, who is afraid of d oing too
m uch, w ho w orks by th e clock, w orks as a m achine.
A n d th e chances are th at having once allowed him self
to become a m achine a m achine he will be to th e end
of his days. Keep an eye upon yourselves and see in
w hich direction you are d riftin g .
L et every reader of th is article consider him self, or
herself, at the head of some great lab o r-h irin g concern,
h av in g in hand th e responsibility of the success of th a t
business. Is it not n atu ral to presum e th a t you
would be p artic u lar as to the kin d of help you e n
gaged? Do you im agine you could build up your
business by h irin g help th a t would sh irk on you every
tim e your back was turned? If you had to p u t some
person in a position of tru st, at fine wages, w ould you
select a sh irk o r a w ide-aw ake, energetic, conscientious
worker? Do not these questions prove to you the kind
of w orkers w ho are in dem and? As you are a w orker
instead of an em ployer are you not now convinced
as to the kind of w orker you should be? Be th a t kind of
w o rk er—sta rt rig h t now!