I it m iiliiliiiiiliiitmMl }fV\c^^ ct JX)aM{^s^ i (l^Jcc^ r^^,.^-^^^ / CK^i LIBRARY THE UNIVERSITY 0¥ CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA PRESENTED BY CARROLL PURSELL THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY •Tl he^)^ THE MACMILLAN COMPANY IIXW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN & CO., Limited LONDON - BOMBAY • CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. TORONTO 'Ji 3 A PhPh i J3 ; ii rc/3 o bJO THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY/ BY CHARLES M. BAKEWELL JI3eto pork THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1920 All rights reserved COPTEIGHT, 1920, BT THE MACMILLAN COMPANY Set up and electrotyped. Fublislied, August, 1920 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this book is not to give a detailed statistical account of Eed Cross activities in Italy, — that may be found in the various Department Eeports, — but rather to tell the American people who contributed so gen- erously to the Eed Cross funds the simple tale of what their dollars did in Italy. It is a great and inspiring record and one in which Americans may well take pride. The American Eed Cross came to Italy in the hour of her greatest need, not to bring charity, but to render justice, by alleviating as far as possible the sufferings brought on by two hard years of fighting in our common cause before our own country took up arms. The ma- terial aid that it has been privileged to give, at the front, in canteens, in assistance to hospitals, and in helping refu- gees and the needy families of soldiers, stretches from one end of Italy to the other and looms large in figures. But it is not in figures that one may find the true measure of its achievement. What mattered most in winning the war, and what matters most for our future relations, is the fact that through this material aid the Eed Cross suc- ceeded in translating into deeds the soul of America, in making it plain to the Italians that we were there to work as brothers, filled with a common enthusiasm and inspired by common ideals; the fact that through it the heart of America touched the heart of Italy, strengthening the bonds of friendship that bind our nations together, by mutual understanding and mutual respect. It is the hope of the writer that this narrative of Eed Cross work may in its way contribute to a better under- standing between our two peoples, by conveying to the vi IliTTRODUCTION American reader sometliing of that finer and more dis- criminating appreciation of Italian character that our workers in the field have invariably gained. The story of the Red Cross in Italy I shall tell in a strictly impersonal way. There will be no attempt to ap- portion praise, and, indeed, as far as it is possible to do so, names will be omitted altogether. This procedure is not only in harmony with the spirit of modesty that has characterized the work of the Commission from the begin- ning; it is also dictated by necessity. Only the Keeper of all records could justly distribute credits, and there is no doubt that on His books some of our humblest work- ers will come in for the highest meed of praise. I have in mind one Red Cross worker who has been buried for ten months in what to the casual tourist would appear to be one of the most Godforsaken towms in Italy — poor, dilapi- dated, far from the railroad and out of touch with the world. Here, cut off from all communication with her kind, she has performed her modest task, taking no vacation, daily on the job from early morning until late in the evening. Happy in her work, she has come to love the simple people with whom her lot is cast, and should you commiserate her, she will reply with a smile : " Human nature is pretty much alike wherever you find it." By her tact and devotion she has won the affection of the people and filled with courage and a new loyalty hearts that were wavering and made of a disloyal town one of the most loyal. There is no glory and no fame in obscure service like this. But such a faithful servant desires no glory. She is the spirit of the Red Cross in the field, and she has many names, — many which I know, many that I could not give. Therefore I name her not. Let me simply, once for all, clean the score by paying tribute to her wherever in Italy she may be hidden, and to all the army of Red Cross workers in Rome and in the field, high and low, whose devotion has made the work in Italy a success. One exception only shall I make to this rule, and no INTKODUCTION vii Red Cross worker would forgive me if I failed to do so. For there is one thing in which there is unanimous agree- ment and that is, loyalty to and admiration for Colonel Eobert Perkins, the Italian Commissioner. It was not surprising that a successful business man should prove in a new field a leader of men, but it was indeed surprising that a man knowing little or nothing of Italy or Italians should so promptly grasp the political and economic situa- tion, understand the people, win their hearts, and then succeed in doing just the right things to make all Italy know that America was whole-heartedly with her in the fight. His spirit has permeated the entire organization and given unity and aim to its efforts. It is due to his tact and wisdom and breadth of vision that the work of the Eed Cross in Italy has been, as a prominent Italian re- cently expressed it : " Not merely a work of compassion, but also a work of large constructive statesmanship." In an undertaking of such magnitude, where much had to be entrusted to men and women chosen from all walks of life with no special equipment for their tasks save common intelligence and a spirit of devotion, some mistakes were in- evitable. It were as easy as it would be gratuitous to point them out. For in a situation that called for im- mediate and striking action the greatest of all blunders would have been to avoid all blunders. That would have meant deliberation and delay, and delay would have been an irreparable blunder. Time was the essence of the undertaking. But anyone who will make a careful in- vestigation of the work that has been done throughout Italy will be forced to the conclusion that the work of the Italian Commission is entitled to its full share in the commendation of General Pershing when, speaking of the American Red Cross in general, he said : " Since the world began there never has been a work for humanity conducted on so large a scale with such economy, efficiency, and despatch." The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to all viii INTEODUCTION members of the Commission and District Delegates and to the many other Red Cross workers who have so gen- erously aided him in his investigations and to thank them for their unfailing courtesy. He is under special obliga- tion to Major William Hereford, Director of the Public Information Department, from whose well kept records he has made large borrowings and whose advice and friendly counsel have been invaluable. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Italy's Entrance into the War — Early Gains — The American Belief Clearing House — The Baker Commission 1 n. Caporetto — Befugees — Bed Cross Emergency Commission 18 III. Arrival of Permanent Commission — Campidoglio Meeting — Plans and Ideals — Organization — Civilian Belief and the " Inner Front " . . 33 IV. Celebrating the Anniversary of America's Decla- ration OF War — Cash Distribution to Soldiers' Families — Mr. Davison's Visit — Meeting in Colosseum — Station Canteens 55 V. BoLLiNG Canteens — The June Offensive — A. B. C. Ambulance Service — The Story of Lieu- tenant McKey 72 VI. Surgical Dressings — Hospital Supplies — Hospi- tals — Dispensaries — Fighting Spanish Fever — Child Welfare Work — Summer Colonies . 86 VII. A Tour Trough Italy est the Wake of the Bed Cross — Genoa — Turin — Milan — Padua — Venice — Florence 109 Vm. Tour Trough Italy in the Wake of the Bed Cross (Contdtued) — BoME — Naples — A\^llino — — Bari — Beggio Calabru — Sicily (Taormina AND Palermo) — Sardinia 130 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGB IX. Work with American Troops in Italy — The Ac- tion AT THE Tagliamento — A Chaplain's Letteb — Delivery of Allotmen Cheques — The Home Service Department 157 X. The Battle of Vittorio Veneto — Ambulances AND KOLLING CaNTEENS — FEEDING THE EeTURNED Prisoners at Trieste — Relief in the Invaded Territory — Aiding Eepatriates in the Trentino 182 XL Getting Out — Fighting Tuberculosis — Conclu- sion 203 Appendices Total Expenditures of A. E. C. Commission to Italy, November, 1917, to June 30, 1919 — Italian version of Star Spangled Banner — American Relief Clearing House in Rome — A. R. C. Tem- porary Commission — Emergency Organization of A. R. C. in Italy — A. R. C. Commission in Italy as of December 20, 1917 — Organization as of November 1, 1918 — Representatives for Emer- gency Work in Devastated Territory — Home Service Department of A. R. C. in Italy — Am- bulance Service and Rolling Canteen Service — American Personnel — Italian Personnel — State- ment of Some of the Chief Items Other than Medical and Surgical Supplies Received and Dis- tributed by the A. R. C. in Italy 209 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Italian Commissioner, the Chairman and the Secretary of the A. R. C Frontispiece TACING PAGE At Quarto on the fifth of May, 1915 3 The King of Italy 8 The Italian Commission 33 Map showing system of transportation 39 The ouvroir at Toscania 47 Eefugee boys at Monteporzio 53 Reception to Mr. Davison in the Colosseum ..... 64 American Red Cross Canteen on Grappa 72 On a camouflaged road at the front 80 Lieutenant McKey's rolling kitchen 84 American Red Cross Hospital at Rimini 95 Map showing distribution of Red Cross work in Italy . . 109 The noonday meal at Varedo 113 Red Cross children in underground refuge at Venice . . 122 The asilo at Lucca 129 At the seaside colony at Mazzaro 146 Religious procession at Desola 155 Canteen for American Soldiers at Villa Franca . . . 162 Taking the wounded from a dressing station back of line . 184 "Home" 196 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY CHAPTER I Italy's Entrance into the War — Early Gains — The American Eelief Clearing House — The Baker Commission It was the fifth day of May, 1915. Special trains had been running into Genoa since early morning. But it was not Genoa that held the attraction that had brought this unwonted crowd of visitors. Through the city they hur- ried, and on to Quarto by the sea, some three miles to the east, on to the sacred rock where, just fifty-five years be- fore, Garibaldi had set sail with his red-shirted regiment of a thousand men, to realize the dream that had inspired him when still a poor fisherman's boy of Nice — the dream of an Italy, great, united, and free. The ostensible ob- ject of the gathering was the unveiling of a monument in honor of the " Thousand." But it was not of the past that the people were thinking as they trudged along the dusty road. They had not come to listen to praises of Italy's hero, or to hear once more the story, which reads like a Dumas romance, of the dramatic successes of his little band of intrepid men, first in Sicily, afterwards on the mainland. The present was all absorbing. There was a world war raging, and the question of Italy's part therein was hurrying to a decision. Would she, would she not, declare war? A few months before Maeterlinck had brought to Italy the story of Belgium's wrongs, and the reception every- where accorded him plainly showed where the sympathies 1 2 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY of the people lay. Before tlie war broke out, on July 25, 1914, Italy had sent word to Vienna that should war re- sult from the offensive note to Servia it would he due to this " act of provocation aud aggression on the part of Austria," and she would consider herself absolved from any obligation under the Triple Alliance. And when, in consequence of this stand, the Italian Minister was able a few days later to inform the French Ambassador that, in case of war, France had nothing to fear from Italy, it gave him as much satisfaction to deliver that message as it did the Ambassador to receive it. For whatever the disputes that France and Italy may have had, they have been of the nature of family quarrels which, however bitter they may become, vanish in the presence of an attack from without. There is a deep underlying attachment of Italy to France, due in part to ties of blood and in part to ad- miration of her democratic institutions. But to sympathize is one thing; to fight, another. And the Italians are a peace-loving people. Germany, de- spairing from the first of having Italy for an ally, had been bending all her efforts to keep her neutral. She had sent Von Biilow, her master diplomat of the old school, wily, ingratiating, and unscrupulous, to work to that end. All the dark German methods of intrigue with which we in America became familiar were in Italy intensified. And the Central Powers had Ambassadors at the Vatican as well as at the Quirinal. It is as if we had had two Bern- storffs and two Dumbas to contend with. Moreover, through the control of banks, hotels, commerce and in- dustry, German capital had already all but effected the peaceful conquest of Italy. And the opportunity given through this commercial supremacy for spying and plot- ting and making propaganda was unlimited. And Italy was poor, and struggling under a heavy debt. The odds seemed all on Germany's side. And yet, another force had been working and steadily gaining headway, — one with which the Central Powers ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 3 never properly reckoned, — the force of ideals, the force that defies the obvious, courts the impossible, and leads forlorn hopes; the force that sent Columbus over the trackless sea, and sent, Garibaldi with his " Thousand " from Quarto fifty-five years before to rescue Sicily and re- deem Italy. In the crowd gathered on the rock that day counsels of prudence would have fallen on deaf ears. ^Tiat stood out clearly was the fact that the task there so bravely begun had not been completed, for there was still a large part of Italian territory under the heel of the Aus- trian oppressor. The orator, the poet D'Annunzio, was a small insignifi- cant looking man with a thin voice. ISTot many of the crowd could hear what he said and few of these could understand all that they heard. It was a strange speech for a popular gathering, highly poetic, replete with meta- phors and recondite classical allusions, full of strange words or of familiar words given a strange and unusual meaning. It is hard for Americans, more matter-of-fact and downright, to understand the effect which this and the speeches that followed on succeeding days, as delegation after delegation waited upon the poet, had upon those who heard them, or read them afterwards, for they were at once telegraphed from one end of Italy to the other and printed in full in the leading papers. But there is some- thing of the poet and much of the hero-worshipper in all Italians ; and their love of Italy, which is almost passion- ate, comes very near to being the only vital religion that they know. They rise to their greatest heights of heroism and self sacrifice when the voice of duty is heard as the clear call of the heroes of old bidding them " Carry on." It was not a freak of fancy that led the poet-orator that day to borrow the langnage of the Bible, and adopt the tone of the prophet as he brought to life the old Garibald- ian heroes to speed the new venture that should finally realize the national aspirations of Italy. Was it by chance that this meeting, at which King and 4 THE AMERICAN BED CROSS IN ITALY Cabinet were to have been present, thougli forced at the last moment by affairs of state to remain away, fell just two days after Italy had sent the note to Austria declar- ing her intention to resume her freedom of action, since the Triple Alliance had been broken by Austria's deeds ? It was almost too well staged. On the seventh day of May the Lusitania was sunk. This unspeakable crime against humanity had the same effect in Italy that it had throughout the rest of the civil- ized world. The meaning of the world-conflict was made plain to everyone. Minds that were wavering, hesitated no longer. Everywhere throughout Italy the air was elec- tric with tension. And Parliament was to meet on the twentieth. The decisive hour was approaching. German agents, taking alarm, were busier than ever in political circles in Rome. The path from the German to the Austrian Embassy was well-worn from the frequent visits of Von Biilow in his endeavor to wrest concessions from Austria, which he immediately carried to Baron Son- nino, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the vain hope of bribing Italy to remain neutral. (Von Biilow afterward, commenting on his failure, said it was just his bad luck, on coming to a country where everybody is always ready to tell anybody everything he knows, to find himself pitted against a Minister of Foreign Affairs who was the one man in Italy who never told anybody anything.) Events were crowding fast in those fateful spring days. It was on the same seventh of May that Rome heard that Russia's line had broken and that her army was in full re- treat in the Carpathians. The German interests made much of this, and to their bribes they now added threats. Italy did not dare to fight now, they said, for the German forces released by the Russian collapse could combine with the Austrian ; and they threatened Italy with a punishment worse than that of Belgium, — showing thereby the usual German inability to understand the psychology of inde- pendent and non-cowardly peoples. ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR ^ When the tension was at its greatest Giolitti arrived in Kome. JSTow Giolitti had been Prime Minister many months before and had resigned his office in March, 1914, when still in full control of a majority in the Chamber of Deputies rather than face the responsibilities of dealing with a threatened labor crisis. And Giolitti, as was well known, was opposed to Italy's entering the war, and he still controlled a majority of the deputies. There were many gatherings of the Giolittians, "neutralists" they called themselves — the Italian disguise for pro-German — and over three hundred, or roughly three-fifths of the House, pledged their support to their old leader. On the eleventh of May the papers published the details of the concessions Austria was ready to make. Italy, as the price of her neutrality, was to receive, after the war wa3 over, all the Italian-speaking provinces of the Trentino; her eastern frontier was to reach the Isonzo and include Gorizia; she was to receive two islands of Dalmatia; Trieste was to have an independent government ; Italy was to have full liberty of action in Albania, and to receive spe- cial trade concessions from Austria. We could obtain a "good deal" (parecchio), argued the Giolittians, without war. And here it was, printed for all to read. By pub- lishing the Austrian proposals the cards had been laid on the table, and the question of their acceptance put up to the people. The answer of the people was given in pro- war demonstrations all over Italy. The poet D'Annunzio, arriving at Rome the follow- ing day, was welcomed by a crowd of more than fifty thou- sand citizens who packed the large square in front of the station and lined the streets leading to his hotel. This was not a personal tribute to the poet who, as a man, was none too popular in Italy at that time. But in some mys- terious way he had become the spokesman of the war party. In his Roman speeches, beginning with the " Harangue to the Roman people in tumult," he showed that he knew how to reach the hearts of his countrymen. 6 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Throughout them all, in the background, one continually caught glimpses of the brave deeds of the " Thousand " fifty-five years ago, and the voice of the old Hero was heard uttering the words of scorn : " Long enough has Italy been a museum, a hotel, the world's playground, a charm- ing old curiosity shop, long enough has her sky been smeared with Prussian blue for international honey- moons. . . . Our national genius bids us rise and put our stamp on the real world of to-day. . . . Treason is in the air. . . . We are on the point of being sold like a mean herd of cattle. . . . They threaten to put the brand of slave upon the brow of everyone of us. . . . The name of Italian will be a name to make us blush and hide ourselves in shame, a name to scorch the lips that utter it. . . . The time to talk has passed. It is time to act and act as Romans should." But Giolitti was still in Eome and the Giolittians in the majority in the Chamber of Deputies^ It was then that Salandra played his master stroke. Without waiting for Parliament to convene and the test vote to be taken, he placed his resignation and that of his cabinet, in the hands of the King on the thirteenth of May, the reason given being that the views of the government had not that unanimous support of the parties in Parliament which the situation required. The news of the resignation was flashed all over Italy. The people were aghast. Did this mean that the pro-Germans had won ; that " Von Billow's flunkey," as Giolitti was termed, had triumphed ? There were more war demonstrations that evening in every city of the realm — and riots in Rome, demonstrations which were repeated on succeeding days. On the fourteenth, at Milan the demonstration turned into a riot with attendant bloodshed. An American, whose curiosity had led him to follow the crowd, had more than once to dash like a criminal into a dark alley for concealment, lest, being obviously a foreigner and of blonde complexion, he be taken for a German. A mob is not discriminating. Even ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 7 Italians with light hair pulled their caps low over their heads. There were bonfires in the squares where neutral- ist papers were burned. The crowd broke into a large Ger- man-owned music store — a quite un-Italian proceeding — smashing instruments and throwing a grand piano from a second story window (the very building which by chance later became headquarters of the Eed Cross in Milan). The crowd was in an ugly mood, and there were many threats of what would happen should Salandra's resigna- tion be accepted. That same day in Kome the Giolittians were openly branded as traitors, and there were more demonstrations there. Salandra's stroke had been successful. The people had spoken and with no uncertain voice. The various po- litical parties, taking the hint, passed resolutions in favor of Salandra and his policy. And when on the sixteenth the announcement was made that the King had refused to accept Salandra's resignation, the enthusiasm of the people was unbounded. By the hundred thousand they marched to the Quirinal and called for the King, who with the Crown Prince greeted them from a balcony, and then on to the house of Salandra. Everywhere throughout Italy there was rejoicing, bells were rung, the tri-color waved and shouts of " Viva I'ltalia," " Viva la guerra " filled the air. One last effort the Austrians made to throw discord into the political situation. On the twentieth of May, the very moment that Parliament was to meet, the Austrian Embassy gave out an official statement the substance of which was that the territories she was willing to cede to Italy would be handed over immediately, instead of after the war, as previously announced. The answer was given by Parliament, now thoroughly aroused, in a vote for war by an overwhelming majority, 367 to 54 ; and at the same time full power was granted to Salandra's cabinet. The formal declaration of war was handed to Baron Burian at yienna on the twenty-third. Diplomatic relations were 8 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY at the same time broken with Germany, though war was not declared. But Von Billow's secretary, on leaving Rome, gave out the statement that " Germany and Aus- tria were one, and that a formal declaration of war be- tween Italy and Germany was superfluous. Such a dec- laration would be given by German soldiers on the battlefield." Three days later the King left for the front to take supreme command of the army and navy. His order of the day to the troops began with the words : " The solemn hour of Italy's vindication has come," and ended as follows : " Soldiers, yours will be the glory of raising the Italian tri-color on the sacred frontiers that nature it- self has set as the boundary of our country. Yours will be the glory of completing the work that your fathers with such great heroism began." It is clear that for Italy the war was a people's war. The people willed it. The cabinet may have planned and bargained behind closed doors, but, with the majority of the politicians opposed to the war, it would have been helpless without the consent and willing support of the people. In saying the people willed it, one means the people of the cities. There alone the country finds voice. The large agricultural population live for the most part out of contact with the world of affairs in ignorance of what is going on. They are patient, living by routine, and it takes a long time for ideas to penetrate and take hold. And the influence of the priests at that time was, with some notable exceptions, for the maintenance of peace. So the people in the country districts were either indifferent or opposed to the war. All this was to change in time. All credit must be given to Italy for her decision made in the face of considerations of prudence and narrower self-interest, and in spite of pressure brought to bear from influential sources, in spite of the underground plotting and open propaganda of a well organized and ably di- Italy's best-beloved citiztn, her democratic soldier kin;;. ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 9 rected host of German spies. And yet her decision was inevitable. Italy has been for the whole modern world the mainspring of those intangible values that find expres- sion in religion and art, in music and poetry, and that constitute civilization — values against whose power over the spirit of man the Huns of all ages have hurled their hordes in vain. ISTowhere has the power of ideals been better manifested than in Italy. She had to run true to form. Sympathy for France and Belgium and the ideals of freedom for which they were fighting forms the deep underlying, though at first hardly articulate, motive that determined her choice. This was re-enforced by intense hatred of Austria and the evil things for which she stood, a righteous hatred which had its origin in the bitter wrongs which Italy had suffered during the long years of Austria's domination. There was, however, another motive, on the surface more evident. Call it national self-interest if you will. It was Italy's true interest, the completion of her libera- tion, the vision of the greater Italy. This was her " sa- cred egoism " (sacro egoismo) — the phrase is Salandra's, and has been much criticised, and foolishly. It is merely honest. All depends upon where the emphasis is laid, how large or how small the national ego. To be a united people able to maintain its freedom and independence is no unworthy aim. Did any nation enter the war simply and solely from altruistic and humanitarian motives 1 We Americans should remember with humility that the moral issue was as clear when Belgium was invaded and the Lusitania sunk as it was two years later when we took up arms. Great was the anger in Berlin over Italy's decision. The German Chancellor gave vent to his wrath in a speech in the Reichstag full of vituperation of the former ally. And Salandra replied in his famous speech of June third. It was a calm and reasoned argument, whose statements were backed by documentary evidence, introduced by the 10 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY scathing words : " I am but a plain ordinary citizen, yet standing here in the capitol representing as I do the people and the government of Italy I feel myself nobler far than the head of the house of Hapsburg. ... I could not, even if I would, answer in kind the brutal words of our ac- cusers. Reversion to primitive barbarism is more diffi- cult for us who have twenty centuries of civilization to the good." Germany's anger is easily understood. There had been keen resentment over Italy's initial refusal to join the Central Powers. It was felt that her neutrality at the outbreak of war, by releasing the French forces which would otherwise have been held on the southern frontier, was no insignificant contribution to the victory on the Marne which had dashed the German hopes of speedy triumph. And now, just when it would have been pos- sible to add the weight of the Austrian troops released by the Russian collapse to the forces on the western front and deliver the crushing blow in France, Italy's declara- tion of war made it necessary to send them to defend the Italian border. On the other hand, there was no lack of appreciation on the part of the allies of the value of Italy's decisions. But no one seems to have realized her potential fighting power. She was regarded rather as a negative factor, useful chiefly in holding a large number of German and Austrian troops engaged on her front while the decisive battles were being fought in France. And this view seemed not unreasonable. At the outbreak of the war Italy's army numbered less than 300,000 men, and only a small fraction of these could have been put in the field properly equipped. Her war chest was empty, and her debt (in proportion to national wealth) more than twice that of France, more than three times that of Eng- land. She was dependent on imports for coal, iron, and grain, and was hampered by inadequate means of trans- ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 11 portation. Quietly, during the nine months of neutral- ity, the government had been busy bringing the army to the full peace footing of between 700,000 and 800,000 men, and providing it with proper equipment, and ar- ranging for the transformation of industries to meet the exigencies of war. As a result, Italy had at or near her border when she declared war a good fighting army of approximately 600,000 men. This might be adequate for defence, but all things considered, could more reason- ably be expected ? The story of how Italy, in spite of all her handicaps, mobilized her war industries and multiplied five fold their productivity — vastly more in some of the products, such as large-calibre shells and hand-grenades — and how her army steadily grew until more than five million men had been called to the colors (one-seventh of her entire popula- tion) needs to be told to give a proper understanding of the vitality of modem Italy, and the earnestness of her purpose in the war. She had no idea of remaining a negative factor. War was no sooner declared than, with a dash and daring that aroused the wonder and admiration of the world, she took the offensive and drove the war into enemy ter- ritory. Rapidly crossing the strip of lowland that sepa- rated her eastern border from the Isonzo Eiver and cap- turing and " redeeming " in the first few days of the war, Gradisca, Cormons, Aquileia and other old historic Italian towns, she began the attack on the main Austrian strong- holds along the Isonzo line. At the same time, in the mountains in the north she launched another offensive, gradually forcing the enemy back until she was within sight of Rovereto and well on the way toward the city of Trent. In the early summer of 1916 she was forced to give up some of the ground thus gained, and to retire be- hind her old lines in the region of Asiago, by a fierce counter offensive of the Austrians which cost them 100,000 12 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY men and was brought to a standstill before their objective was reached. Italy was saved from invasion from the north. It is necessary to study the map in order to under- stand the difficulties Italy had to surmount. In 1866, after the Austro-Prussian war, Prussia, wantonly break- ing faith with her Italian ally, saw to it that the bound- ary between Italy and Austria was drawn so as to give Austria all the commanding positions. The line on the long eight hundred kilometer border bends and twists and zigzags in and out with no other object in view. In par- ticular, the Trentino wedge stands out like a huge spear- head pointed at the industrial heart of Italy, giving Austria command of all the approaches to Verona, Brescia, and the rich manufacturing cities of Lombardy. It is as if everything had been planned by the Germans away back in 1866 with a view to preparing for an easy invasion of Italy from the north when the time was ripe for the Huns of to-day to imitate the Huns of old and pour down into the rich Lombard and Venetian plains, burning, raping, sacking, even as they had done. It was for Italy literally an uphill fight, for the Aus- trians were always higher up. Moreover, Italy was greatly inferior in artillery, having no large-calibre guns, and was so short in ammunition that she was compelled to use the greatest economy. Every round must count. Everyone has heard of the skill of Italy's engineers in constructing military roads and building bridges, and in devising ways of conquering the Alps, swinging cannon and supplies on steel ropes across yawning chasms and over the tops of forests to inaccessible mountain crags. But the full story of the bravery and endurance of the hardy Alpini and other troops in this incomparably diffi- cult battleground has yet to be written. The bloodiest battles of Italy's war were fought on the eastern front. There she continued to hammer the Austrian fortified positions from the outbreak of the war ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 13 until tlie fall of 1917, taking many of the enemy strong- holds and capturing the well fortified town of Gorizia and pushing on in the south on the Carso until within sight of Trieste. Did the vision of that beautiful city which, throughout all the centuries of foreign domination, has remained as thoroughly Italian in spirit and loyalty as any city of the peninsula, cast a spell on Cadorna ? Was it sentimental or political reasons that kept him strug- gling against heavy odds on the Carso, or sent his brave troops up over the table-land of the Bainsizza beyond Gorizia to a victory so dearly bought? To the north through Tarvis lay the old JSTapoleonic highway to Vienna. Between the Italian trenches on the Carso and Trieste was a succession of rugged hills strongly fortified, and strangely defended by nature, for their slopes are rocks, often large and sharp and jagged and so thickly strewn as to constitute a barrier more formidable than continu- ous barbed wire entanglements. And dominating all was the Hermada. But there ahead lay Trieste, the beauti- ful, calling for deliverance and enticing him on. There is something tragically chivalrous about the campaign on the Carso. For it was tragic in the extreme. The Ital- ians lost on the Carso and on the high table-land of the Bainsizza 200,000 killed and 500,000 wounded. The objective was not reached. Trieste was not to be set free in this way. Erom the first Italy suffered from the fact that she had long been regarded as the world's museum and pleasure-ground, a country to be seen and enjoyed, a land of color and song — instead of being taken seriously as a modem nation, prosaic, hardworking, industrial, and progressive. Even in her history it was always the pic- turesque episodes that stood out in relief. When one thought of her peasantry, one remembered the dashes of color and flashing eyes and the friendly greeting, rather than the grime and the poverty. It was the same with her soldiery. One did not think of the Bersaglieri as 14: THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY picked sharp-shooters and crack troops of assault, but rather as picturesque soldiers with great masses of iridescent black plumes dangling over the side of their helmets as they went forward, always on the run, to the tune of their stirring Bersaglieri march. The Alpini with their soft slouch hats, decorated with a single feather, suggested the glories of sunrise over the ice fields above the clouds, rather than the sober hardships of Alpine fighting. And the boyish looking Arditi with their red or black fez caps and deliberately neglige uni- forms who go into battle armed only with knife and hand grenade, are the very picture of dare-deviltry in warfare. And so from the distant shores of America Italy's part in the war was watched with admiration indeed, but always with a certain detachment. It was the picturesque features that caught the eye: teleferic transport, the bat- tles in the clouds, the blowing up of mountains, or the daring exploits of individual heroes. It was all somehow operatic — a story later to be put on the stage and sung. It did not grip us at first as did the war in France. One did not seem to realize that these episodes were the high lights and that in Italy too, war meant the grim realism of life in the trenches — dirty, uninspiring, hideously ugly and savage and bloody. Seven hundred thousand lost in dead and wounded on the Carso and Bainsizza ! That single fact tells the sobering story. Nor did we begin to realize the extent of the sacrifices that the people behind the lines were forced to make when their country, already poor, was called upon to support one-seventh of its population under arms. But Americans living in Italy were under no illusions and promptly organized for service. Our Ambassador, Mr. Thomas Nelson Page, in October, 1915, called to- gether a group of representative Americans and formed the Italian Branch of the American Relief Clearing House. For more than two years this was the only organized American relief work in Italy. Loyal Ameri- ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 15 cans resident in Rome, keenly appreciating the suffering and needs of the people and the courage with which they were supporting the heavy burdens of the war and the splendid spirit with which all classes were working for the common end, sought the privilege of cooperating with the Italians through this organization and generously gave of their time and means. Friends of Italy in America contributed money and supplies. The American Red Cross gave assistance, and designated the Clearing House as its representative in Italy. How slow America was in recognizing the extent of Italy's needs and of our obligations is shown by the fact that the total sum contributed for the work of the Clear- ing House during the first nineteen months of its activity, or up to April 30, 1917, was only $100,000. To this should be added a considerable quantity of surgical dress- ings and hospital supplies. Slender and inadequate as were the means at its disposal, their wise use made it pos- sible to relieve much distress by aiding hospitals at the front with medical supplies, helping the mutilated and the families of soldiers killed in the war, and giving financial assistance to many Italian relief organizations. In the meantime, Mrs. Page had gathered together the American women resident in Rome who, in her spacious guest room, regularly met and worked, as the women in America were working, making surgical dressings and all kinds of hospital supplies. And many wives and widows of soldiers were supplied with work through her efforts. The work of the Clearing House expanded more rapidly in 1917. When it dissolved early in the follow- ing year, its work having been taken over by the Per- manent Commission of the American Red Cross, it had distributed the sum of five hundred thousand dollars, in addition to hospital supplies of twice that value. But the true measure of the work done is not to be found in these figures, but in the spirit in which it was carried out. This was the first tangible expression Italy had received 16 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY of America's friendship and sympathy and it was ap- preciated as such by the Government and by those in charge of the Italian relief organizations, as is shown by the following testimonial from the Contessa di Robilant, wife of General di Eobilant (one of the many received) : " These Americans have had infinite tact in aiding ns. They made it appear almost as if it were not they who were conferring a favor in giving^ but we in permitting them to assist in relieving the sufferings of our wounded. I have seen them engaged in their work and I shall re- member with gratitude their way of doing things ; so quiet and courteous has it been that most people have known nothing about it." The American Relief Clearing House had succeeded, not only in establishing friendly relations with the Gov- ernment, but also in making arrangements concerning rail- way transportation, customs facilities, and methods of dis- tribution, which were to prove of value to later commis- sions. In the summer of 19 lY the American Red Cross sent a Commission to Italy under George F. Baker, Jr., to investigate conditions and report to Washington. This Commission spent the month of September in making a survey of the situation, giving special attention to the hospital needs throughout the peninsula and to the condi- tions and opportunities for assistance to the army at the front. A committee of the Clearing House had just com- pleted a thorough investigation of conditions at the front, where it had been especially impressed with the possibility of carrying the message of America's friendship directly to the soldiers themselves, upon whom the terrible strain of continuous life in the trenches was beginning to show itself in the increase of nervous diseases — and to do this by giving them extra warm clothing for the coming winter, by providing Christmas presents, and by equipping their recreation huts. This appealed favorably to the Red Cross Commission, which registered its approval by hand- ITALY'S ENTRANCE INTO THE WAR 17 ing over to the Clearing House substantial sums of money to be used for these pui-poses. On the second of October the Commission departed, leaving with Captain G. P. Stevens, as its representa- tive, a million lire to be turned over to the Sanitd Mili- tare for the purchase of supplies for the various hospitals under its direction ; — and carrying back to Washington a report that was out of date almost before their vessel landed. This is not a reflection on the Commission, but on the method of procedure. America had not yet learned the futility of sending commissions to investigate, and re- port back to a base three thousand miles away, on con- ditions that are likely to change completely over-night. Everything is fluent and new problems are constantly arising in a zone of war. But no one could have foretold at the time that this Commission sailed that it was a question of days when Italy would be overtaken by a disaster of such magnitude that all plans and calcula- tions were set at naught, and that for a time the very fate of the allies hung in the balance. CHAPTER II Caporetto — Eef ugees — Ked Cross Emergency Commission The blow fell from a clear sky. It is true that there had been for some days an increase of activity on the upper Isonzo, but there was nothing particularly alarm- ing in that. It was also generally known that the enemy had been concentrating its forces there in preparation for an attack and that the Austrians were reinforced by Ger- mans. But Cadoma, in his communique of October 24, speaking of the heavy bombardment on the previous day which " marked the beginning of the expected attack " could say " the onslaught of the enemy finds us prepared and unflinching." And General Giardino, head of the War Department, was equally reassuring in his speech in Parliament on the same day reviewing the military situa- tion. " The enemy," he said, " knows that we are pre- pared, but he is on the lookout to discover some gap or weak point in our front in order to put a wedge into it and break through. — Let the attack come," he exclaimed, " we are unafraid ! " And almost as he spoke the enemy had driven the wedge. The weak spot had been found. A part of the line simply caved in. It was but a small sector of the long Italian front, only a few miles in ex- tent, but it was the strategic position in the neighborhood of Caporetto. For when the line gave way at this point, it enabled the enemy to pour down the JTatisone valley to Cividale, cutting in behind the Italian Army from Caporetto to the sea and threatening its capture entire. It was later learned that this offensive had been planned to the smallest detail by the Germans and was conducted by them with the aim of massing the forces of the Central 18 RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 19 Powers in one decisive blow which, was to put Italy, once for all, out of the war. General Cadorna's promptness in grasping the significance of the break and immediately ordering a general retreat, the perfect discipline and order and forcefulness of the Third Army, and the bravery of the protective troops, and particularly the cavalry, whole regiments of which gloriously sacrificed themselves, frus- trated part of the enemy's plan. The bulk of the army was saved. But the retreat continued all along the weary miles that separate the Isonzo from the Piave River, where a stand was finally made. The army was saved for the time being. But the Italians had lost over 300,000 men taken prisoner, 4,000 large-calibre guns, vast quantities of stores and ammunition, and all their first and second line base hospitals; and the enemy had overrun Priuli, the mountain provinces of Carnia and Cadore, and all the eastern portion of the Veneto. Napoleon, long years before, had discovered the strate- gic importance of Caporetto. He wrote in 1809 to Prince Eugene, who was leading his forces on this front in his campaign against Austria, warning him of the dan- ger of a break at that point, which would let the Austrians through the valley of the ISTatisone and force a retreat to the Piave which would then be the first adequate line of defense. And shortly after this warning was sent Austria did break through at Caporetto, and everything happened exactly as Napoleon had foreseen, and exactly as it hap- pened in October, 1917, more than a hundred years later. It is safe to assume that the German strategists knew what they were about, and that it was no accident that the break occurred at Caporetto. But how it happened that just at this point should have been encountered disaffected Italian troops, ready to lay dowTi their arms and walk over to the enemy when the signal was given, and what caused the general disaffection in the Second Army, are matters which have not yet been 20 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY wholly cleared up, altliough some of the more important contributing factors are obvious, while it is equally obvious that some of the sensational stories that were bandied about in Rome at the time are without foundation. The charge of treason was freely made. It was made in the famous " suppressed communiques " of October 28 and 29. These communiques never got by the censor, al- though what purported to be typewritten copies were freely circulated among the officers at the front. They were properly suppressed, if indeed they were genuine, for the judgTQent was pronounced in anger. The matter was far from being so simple. In seeking an explanation the first thing that is apparent is that there were certain under- lying factors whose influence was by no means confined to the men at the front. The war had lasted much longer than anyone had anticipated and had been growing more and more sanguinary and no apparent progress was being made. There had been a short food crop and the activity of submarines in the Mediterranean made it almost im- possible to supplement this by importation. There had been food riots in Turin in August, led by socialists clamoring for peace. In August the Pope had addressed his peace note to the belligerent powers, inviting them to consider on what basis a peace could be signed. Prom- inent socialist members of Parliament had demanded that the Government reply. As is well known, but not always remembered, the Papal Court is as independent of the government of Italy as it is of the government of the United States, and it was maintaining a strict neutrality. The Pope was therefore no more to be criticised for the sending of this note than was our own President for addressing a similar one to the Powers. But there can be no doubt that in the simple mind of the ignorant Italian peasant it might easily appear that the note was addressed to him personally and to all the people, rather than to the belligerent governments. Peace talk was in the air, and the longing for peace in everyone's heart. RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 21 Socialists had taken as their slogan, " There shall be no third winter in the trenches." All of these influences were having their effect with the soldiers at the front. Then again there were other influences more directly affecting the soldier. His rations which in 1916 had been TOO grams of bread and 350 grams of meat had been in 191T reduced to 400 grams of bread a day and 200 grams of meat twice a week, with salt fish, sardines or vegetables on the other days. For a time coffee and sugar gave out and he had for breakfast five dried figs or five chestnuts. x\nxiety for the folks at home was certainly another in- fluence, for the Italian, though much of an individualist, is intensely devoted to his family. Besides, the Italian soldier was given but one leave a year, and that for fifteen days, most of which had to be consumed in transit. And these men of the Second Army who threw down their arms, had been kept in the front line trenches for six weeks without respite. It was almost more than human nature could endure. They were thoroughly fed up on the war and thought and dreamed of nothing but peace. And finally there was the direct Austrian propaganda, which was well planned to strengthen and reinforce these other influences. Leaflets were dropped over the trenches in which the Italians were told that the Austrians them- selves were sick of the war and longing for peace, that they were friends, and that peace would come if they only came together and threw down their arms and re- fused to fight. It was the old familiar argument for non-resistance which we used to hear in America — it takes two to make a quarrel, one nation or one man can- not fight alone. In the trenches also suddenly appeared post-cards with a picture of Christ and bearing beneath the legend : " Why so much bloodshed ? Think of your untilled fields and your desolate homes." And so the Austrians and Italians exchanged messages and frater- nized. And the day was set for the inauguration of peace. When the hour arrived and the Italians went 22 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY fortli to meet friends, they were greeted by a withering fire from German troops that had been substituted for the friendly Austrians. Thus the gap was found and through it Mackensen's troops rushed, capturing a small army of prisoners, and on tlirough the valley of the Natisone close on the heels of the fleeing remnant of the Second Army, which was now in full rout. Some of the soldiers threw away their guns as they ran, and sang and shouted " Peace ! We are going home. The war is over. One man can't fight alone." Others cursed. Here were ofiicers rallying their soldiers and bravely turning in their tracks in the vain attempt to check the oncoming forces of the enemy. Here were others, wolves in sheep's clothing, Austrians and Germans disguised in Italian uniforms, giving contrary orders. Great was the confusion. How was one to know whom to believe ? But it would be an unpardonable mistake to represent the Austrian victory as having been won without re- sistance. The official figures give the Italian losses of Caporetto as 30,000 killed and 70,000 wounded. The cave-in occurred on a small part of the line. The bulk of the army fought bravely, as these figures show, and took its heavy toll in Austrian lives. Word of the disaster flew on ahead. The great head- quarters at Udine were abandoned on the 28th. And then the greatest horrors of the retreat began. The civil population of farms and villages, seeing the retreating troops and hearing the booming of the cannon of the pur- suing enemy were thrown into a panic and, abandoning all they possessed, rushed to join the moving throng that congested the highways. Mindful perhaps of the fate of the Belgians, they fled to escape a similar rule of terror. They fled as they were. There was no time to collect household goods, clothing, food, or money. Mothers tak- ing their babes in their arms or carrying them in baskets on their backs, started on the weary journey that led they RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 93 knew not whither, — only that it was away from the dreaded invader. And many hastily snatched up a few prized possessions, only to find themselves later carefully lugging such foolish things as people seize as they run away from a house on fire. The absurd and the tragic walk ever hand in hand. Here was an old woman carrying a pet goose ; there was a mother with her eleven children roped together — a wise precaution, for many families were separated in the flight. The terrible experiences of those days and nights beggar description. Eain added to the horrors. To this day the men who went through it all cannot tell the story without being overcome with emotion. There were other tragedies of the retreat besides those affecting the civil population. Some of the soldiers had th^o^vn away their guns in the flight before the enemy, an unpardonable offense in a soldier. These were caught at the bridge crossings. And more than once, in the early dawn, regiments were drawn up on three sides of a hollow square as these unfortunates were led out before them to face the firing squad. There was nothing heroic in their last moments. They did not go to their death with head erect and defiant, but cowering and weeping and sadly be- wildered. It was too much for their simple minds to take in. It was just a horrible ending to the sweet dream of peace, which had begun with a song in the distant moun- tain valleys. In truth, they were neither traitors nor cowards — merely victims of a fair but fatal illusion. Stem measures! But, — e la guerra. Stern measures were necessary to bring order out of the chaos of those terrible days. As a result, discipline was restored, the rout became an orderly retreat before the Piave was crossed. And there the army made a stand and held. The Piave is not a formidable barrier. And that an army demoralized by a smashing defeat, and crippled by enormous losses of men and guns and ammunition, suffering from hunger and cold, and weary from many days of forced marches through mud and rain, should 24 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY have been brought to order, should have rallied and held the superior forces of an enemy flushed with victory, is little short of marvelous. One of the most glorious pages in Italy's history was written on the banks of the Piave in those early days of JSTovember. But now Italy, her resources already taxed almost to the breaking point, was called upon to bear an additional burden of colossal proportions in caring for not far from half a million old men, women and children, suddenly rendered homeless and penniless by the Caporetto de- feat.^ The plight of these refugees was pitiable in the extreme when they finally found their way to the railroad stations. And yet their trials were only beginning. Still hungry, cold, and footsore, they were crowded into cattle cars as fast as these could be found (troop trains they are called by courtesy) and started on the weary journey for unknown destinations. — For the Government took prompt measures to distribute them throughout all the provinces of Italy. — And sometimes they traveled thus for ten days or two weeks, men, women, and children, and of all classes, closely packed, scarcely setting foot to earth, endlessly side-tracked to make way for train after train of soldiers and supplies hurrying north to the battle front on the Piave. What they endured and the condition in which they arrived can better be imagined than described. And there was no welcome awaiting them. They found themselves among strangers, often speaking a different dialect, by whom they were regarded almost as foreigners, whose presence even was sometimes resented — so many more mouths to feed in a hungry land. Why couldn't they have remained at home? And then they had to be housed in whatever shelters could be found — in barracks, 1 The official figures give the total number of Caporetto refugees as 426,765 distributed as follows: From the invaded territory 208,213 From territory cleared for new fighting area 87,552 From territory brought in danger of constant air raids. . 131,000 RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 25 deserted factories or requisitioned totels or villas, always crowded, and promiscuously herded together. And worst of all, they had nothing to do. All their old ties were broken, their occupations gone. Their enforced idleness was a menace to themselves as well as to the community in which they were settled. The Government subsidy, of necessity meagre, barely sufficed to keep body and soul together. The Government, the various civil relief societies and especially the Italian Eed Cross, rose to the occasion and did great work, and the people, once they had recovered from the shock and indignation caused by the first report of the disaster, gave generously. But many of the things imperatively needed, and needed at once, could not be had in Italy for love or money. Karely has a nation been more in need or more deserving of help. Help must be given, not merely as a humanitarian measure, but also, and chiefly, as a war measure. Imagine the discouraging effect on a community, perhaps already somewhat dis- affected towards the war, of the sudden appearance in its midst of thousands of these tragic visitors, with their tales of woe and defeat, and with nothing to do but talk of their troubles. When the first news of the disaster reached Rome, our Ambassador, Mr. Page, promptly grasping its significance cabled to Washington and Paris for help. The response was immediate. The War Council of the Red Cross ^ placed at his disposal $250,000 for most pressing needs; and an Emergency Commission under Major Carl Taylor was dispatched from France. The feeling in Rome at the time is shown in the brief telegram at once sent back to Paris : " The most pressing emergency of the war is here in Italy. All forms medical and hospital supplies much needed. Refugee problem very great." On November 1 Whenever throughout this book the words " the Red Cross " ap- pear without further qualification the American Red Cross is meant, — a usage adopted for brevity's sake. 26 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY 4, the papers printed a message received from the Red Cross Headquarters at Washington announcing the inten- tion to send immediately a permanent commission, and conveying assurance to the people of Italy that nothing that could be done would be left undone to assure them " in their present sacrifice and heroism of the cordial and continued support in every possible v^ay of the American people." A telegram was sent to Paris asking for the sup- plies most urgently needed and within thirty-six hours after its receipt twenty-four cars were loaded and ready to leave, though the departure of the train was delayed a few days by the congestion of traffic. When once it left, per- sonally conducted by a Red Cross representative, it got through, in spite of all difficulties, in record time. For relief work outside of Rome the services of the American Consuls were immediately enlisted. They be- came, in fact, the pioneer relief workers of the Red Cross in their districts. The day of its arrival in Rome the Commission had telegraphed to them for information as to the number and condition of refugees, and had sent money to those in cities which were known to have pressing needs. Their prompt response and the detailed information which they sent in enabled the Commission to give efficient aid at once throughout Italy. The relief work naturally took different forms in dif- ferent districts. The Consul at Venice finding that the station canteen at Mestre, which had been giving food and help to refugees and wounded soldiers, was about to cease operations for lack of funds, arranged for its con- tinuance under the American flag. Venice had been brought, by the establishment of the new line, dangerously near the enemy guns and was exposed to constant raids. The people were leaving as fast as means of transportation could be found, and, as a first step in cooperating in an orderly evacuation, he opened a Red Cross canteen at Chioggia. The Consul at Milan reported the most urgent need to RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 27 be the housing of refugees. He organized an active Red Cross Committee, made up of prominent business men resident in that city, and a club house was promptly turned into an infirmary and home for refugee women and children. A public kitchen was opened for refugees, and plans were made for a canteen and rest house at the station. The Consul at Genoa, working with a similar committee of Americans there, erected a chalet at the station, which was used first for the service of refugees, afterwards for that of troops in transit. Other Consuls organized the distribution of clothing and food. Italian institutions for the aid of refugees were assisted with gifts of money, and the sum of a million lire was given to the Comitato Romayio Organizzazione Civile, which had been most effectively carrying on relief work for soldiers' families and was proposing to bring refugee families within the scope of its activities. During the month of l^ovember the sum of 460,835 lire was placed in the hands of Consuls, either for their direct use, or for transmission to local agencies, for relief work with refu- gees. When the first call for help had come the American Relief Clearing House had emptied its warehouse and treasury, giving all that it had. It then turned its offices over to the Emergency Commission and offered to put its organization under its direction. Many of the members assisted the Commission in its investigations and not a few from that time onward became permanently associated with the Red Cross in Italy. Meantime, the Clearing House became the agent of the Red Cross in the Roman District, much as the local committees of Americans in Milan and Genoa were in their communities, and it was given one hundred thousand lire at once for the purchase of food and blankets for refugee relief work in the stations at Rome. As an illustration of the work it did, let one instance suffice. One afternoon at four o'clock, word was 28 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY received that 12,000 refugees would pass through the Portonaccio Station, a few miles out on the Koman Campagna, the first train arriving at six. Within an hour they had the baggage car on the northbound Florence ex- press loaded with supplies, — hams, sausages, chocolate, and blankets, and thus had them at the Portonaccio Station before the arrival of the first refugee train. One of the most serious losses sustained in the retreat was that of hospitals and hospital supplies. Not antici- pating any break, the hospitals had been put well towards the front. More than one hundred were lost and, in addi- tion, two principal magazines of supplies, considerably more than one-third of the entire medical equipment of the war zone. By drawing on its warehouse in France, as well as by purchase in Italy, the Red Cross was able to deliver many thousands of articles for hospital use. There were already in existence many workrooms for the making of surgical dressings and these were given back- ing, which enabled them greatly to increase their output. Seven hundred and fifty tons of hospital supplies were ordered from America for immediate delivery, including such items as 250 pounds of quinine, 15 tons of chloro- form and 25 tons of ether, and all sorts of surgical in- struments, — all articles which were greatly needed and not to be procured in Italy. Plans were made for the gift of ten complete field hospitals of fifty beds each, with an overload capacity running as high as 350. Five weeks after the Red Cross Commission reached Rome, it was able to turn over to the Third Army, three complete ambulance sections, each section being made up of twenty ambulances, a staff car, a kitchen trailer, a motor cycle and two camions. Each section comprised thirty- three men, Americans who had seen service in France and who came as volunteers. Fifty of the ambulances of this service were given by the American Poets' Ambulance Committee, which had made a still earlier gift of the same RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 29 number to the Italian Army. In a picturesque courtyard of an old Milan palace, gaily decked with crossed Italian and American flags, the formal presentation took place in the presence of a representative group of important civil and military authorities. The cars were arranged in the shape of a horseshoe, and in front, one hundred mem- bers of the Red Cross Ambulance Corps for Italy, in khaki, stood at salute as the bugle sounded and the Gen- eral, sent to receive them in the name of the Third Army, swung into the yard with his bodyguard of Ber- saglieri. Shortly afterwards the first section left the yard with American flags flying and drew up for a few moments in front of the famous old Gothic cathedral, where the Mayor of Milan bade them farewell, and then started off for the battlefront, amidst the cheers of the people. Only a few days before, America had declared war on Austria. The enthusiasm with which that news was re- ceived in Italy was unbounded. It had come just at the opportune time, when the depressing effects of the great defeat were beginning to show most in the remoter districts, and did much to counteract them and give the people re- newed confidence in the justice of their cause and in its inevitable triumph. There was a stirring demonstration in Rome, where the crowd packed the square in front of the American Embassy and all the streets leading up to it. They had brought with them three wounded soldiers, who were lifted from their carriage to the Embassy steps, and when our Ambassador, who had endeared himself to the people by his simplicity and friendliness, appeared beside them and in a brief speech defined our common ideals and pledged America's full support, he was given a memorable ovation, which was an evidence at once of the loyalty of the people and of their belief in America. And to the crowd in Milan, following and cheering our Ambulance Section as it started for the front, these young 30 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY men in khaki, the first Americans to go into action in Italy, were the visible evidence of the reality of America's war with i\ustria. A beginning was also made by the Emergency Com- mission in the work for the comfort and recreation of the soldiers, by means of canteens for the men on the way to and from the front, and by means of gifts to the men in the trenches. But, to the three members of the Com- mission who went over Italy making a rapid survey of conditions and carrying with them half a million lire to enable them to give immediate aid whenever and wherever they discovered most crying needs, what made the deepest and most lasting impression was " the magnitude, the seriousness and the heartrending tragedy of the refugee problem." The chief efforts of the Emergency Commis- sion were directed towards giving aid in the solution of this problem. The first rush of refugees was over in early December, and the problem of aiding them in transit gave way to the more difficult problems of relief in the places of settle- ment, — helping to restore some semblance of normal con- ditions. These covered the primary necessities of clothing and food, the improvement of housing conditions and the providing of employment. Assistance was given in all of these directions. The Red Cross also made substantial contributions to Italian organizations and individuals undertaking the care of refugee children. Thus funds were given to the granddaughter of Garibaldi to open a day nursery for them in Eome, and to the daughter of Lombroso for a home for refugee orphans in Turin. Through the American Consul at Venice, the Red Cross cooperated with the local authorities in their plans for the orderly evacuation of that city. Many thousands of Venetian colonists were transferred to the towns along the Adriatic, in the neighborhood of Rimini, and housed in summer villas requisitioned for the purpose. These were kept as far as possible in industrial units and the equip- RED CROSS EMERGENCY COMMISSION 31 ment of the shops in which they had worked was fre- quently transferred with them. For the benefit of these colonists, the Red Cross established a hospital in Rimini. For carrying on the work of the Red Cross, warehouses with a total capacity of fifty thousand tons were secured in Rome, in the ports of entry, Genoa and Naples, and in certain central points of distribution. Orders were placed for three million lire worth of supplies in Italy ; shipping space for fifteen thousand tons was engaged in boats sail- ing from ISTew York prior to January first; and three hundred tons of food supplies were started on the way from Paris. The aid which the Red Cross gave during its first seven weeks in Italy was various, scattering, and immediate. It was given at a time when it was necessary to strike at once and strike hard. And that is what was done. The French and English had been able to hurry troops to Italy, which had established a second line defense, in case the Piave line should not hold. We were not in a position to assist in that way. We came through our Army of Mercy — but we came. One has nothing but admiration for the promptness and efiiciency with which Italy took hold of her refugee prob- lem, dispersing hundreds of thousands of homeless citizens throughout Italy with a minimum of delay in spite of in- adequate railroad facilities which were already congested by legitimate needs of war; for the systematic assistance given them from the beginning to the end of their long and painful journey, and for the arrangements made for incorporating them into the communities to which they were transferred. Equally deserving of admiration was the assistance given by the Italian Red Cross, the various civil welfare committees, the special committees for refugees, as well as the charitable organizations such as the UmanUaria of Milan. The American Red Cross was one agency of relief amongst others. It is hard to enumerate the things that it did without seeming to ex- 32 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY aggerate their importance. It was all little enough in comparison with what Italy herself was doing. But the moral effect of the work of the Red Cross was out of all proportion to its relative amount. It was for the people of Italy the immediate concrete evidence of the support of America. What that meant is shown by a simple little incident of the trip of our ambulance men, when, after their long journey to Italy by way of Marseilles, they first reached Italian soil. After crossing the border they stopped and the Chief of the section descended from his car. An old peasant woman rushed up to him, and, be- fore he could stop her, fell on her knees and caught his hand and kissed it, exclaiming, " Thank God, America has come ! " And that, in brief, is what the work of the Red Cross meant : it was palpable evidence of America's presence, of her friendship, and of the earnestness of her purpose in the war. The Italian people believed in America, in her sense of justice, in her strength, in her unlimited re- sources, and many there were who said in that hour of need when the Red Cross worker appeared, " Thank God, America has come ! " --■SRS??*-; CHAPTER III Arrival of Permanent Commission — Campidoglio meeting — Plans and Ideals — Organization — Civilian Relief and the " Inner Front " The Permanent Commission of the Red Cross, under Colonel Perkins, consisting of thirtj-one persons in all, arrived in Rome on the 20th of December, 1917. Making themselves familiar as rapidly as possible with what had already been done, the new men began to assume their accustomed duties as, one by one, the men from France hurried back. Major Taylor, who had been Acting Com- missioner of the temporary organization, upon whom de- volved the chief responsibility for the extensive emergency relief work which it had undertaken, and Colonel Bicknell stayed on for some weeks in order to facilitate the merg- ing of the old commission into the new, or, as it came to be officially known, the Permanent Commission, and in order to give its members time to get their bearings and make their plans. Officially the history of the Permanent Commission be- gins on the first of January, 1918, but should you ask its members when its history starts, the date that stands out vividly in their memory is the day of the inaugural cere- mony, just two weeks later, in the Senate Chamber in the ancient Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill. Here were gathered ministers of state, senators, deputies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, all conspicuous figures in the history of the day, crowding the great, high-domed Hall of Senators, to join in the official welcome of Italy to the Permanent Commission of the American Red Cross ex- tended by the Mayor of Rome, Prince Colonna, and by 33 34 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Deputy Nitti, Minister of the Treasury, and Senator Marconi of wireless fame. On a small platform in seven gilt chairs sat the men whom the others had come to see and hear, and standing behind them in their khaki uni- forms were officers of the Red Cross. High above hung many flags, banners of the Gonfalonieri, and all around, filling the amphitheatre, were distinguished men and women who responded with enthusiasm to every mention of America and every tribute to the Red Cross. The thought that runs through all these speeches, variously expressed, is the friendship of Italy for America and her strengthened confidence in the righteousness of her cause and in its ulti- mate triumph, due to America's support. With America's entrance, says the Mayor in effect, the civilized world was united in the fight for liberty and the independence of peoples. Senator Marconi, speaking from his personal ex- perience and paying a lofty tribute to the idealism and innate love of liberty and fair play which he had found in America adds, " The friendship of America in this struggle is particularly dear to Italy." And Minister Nitti sums it up in this striking phrase : " In great crises it is not mmibers only that count, nor yet mere physical bravery, but rather the confidence that comes from the knowledge that our cause is the cause of our friends, and that, in serving it, our hearts are united with theirs in de- votion to common ideals." The sincere and spontaneous demonstration in the Hall of the Senators that day was at once a tribute to the work that had been done and a challenge to the men who had come to continue it., It was a memorable and moving scene. What made it impressive was not merely the gathering of notables, nor the warm words of welcome and friendship, but the total setting in this historic spot, the Campidoglio, which in a way, epitomizes the whole story of Italy and Rome, ancient and modern — this hill that has seen Rome rise and fall and rise again, that has watched civilizations come and go. It was as if the hand ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 35 of the past were reaching out to take up the troubles of to-day and out of them fashion the glories of to-morrow; as if a new birth in friendship and good will among na- tions, based upon mutual understanding and sealed in the service of common ideals, were at hand. The representa- tives of the Eed Cross, who had received this tribute in the name of America, came away from the meeting at once in an exalted and in a chastened frame of mind, and with a clearer vision of the task before them. Ideals and plans that had slowly been taking shape, became defined, prin- ciples plain. It is in order to enumerate here some of these, for they guided the work of the Commission throughout its stay in Italy. First, the spirit in which the work was undertaken and carried out was that of modesty, one might almost say humility. America had not come through the Red Cross in a sense of superiority to " show Italy how." Nor had she come to rescue a " demoralized " nation. Admiring what Italy had accomplished, and ap- preciating what she had endured, the Red Cross had come in simple justice and in the spirit of friendship to help bear the heavy burdens of the war which Italy had been carrying for two and a half years with such courage. Moreover the individual members of the organization were simply instruments to carry out the will of the army of Red Cross subscribers and workers at home — specially privileged in having this opportunity of service. It mat- tered not at all whether Smith or Jones did the job, so it were done. Name and fame should be forgot. The second principle that governed the activity of the Com- mission throughout was belief in Italy and especially in the people of Italy. This attitude not only had its effect upon the extent of cooperation with Italians and Italian organizations, but also upon the character and spirit of the work itself and the response which it called forth. For it is as true in Italy as it is in America, that belief in the people is always justified of its fruits. Furthermore, from the first the work was consciously 36 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY and deliberately put "upon a " win the war " basis. This is, indeed, a characteristic of Red Cross work which has developed in this war and considerably changed the char- acter and significance of the Red Cross. Originally it was a non-combatant organization for the relief of suffering, treating all alike and knowing no enemies. One still thinks of the Red Cross as primarily concerned with re- lief for the wounded and the sick among the soldiers. This is, however, nowadays but a small part of its activity. There are other wounds besides those made by enemy guns, wounds that reach the entire civilian population. And every soldier at the front is linked by ties of affection to those at home, his mother, his wife, his children. Their wounds are his wounds. If they are neglected his courage is sapped. In a word, this war has brought into prom- inence the importance of what the Italians call the " inner front" (il fronte intemo). The army is the nation, not merely the men in the trenches, and the work of the Red Cross must be correspondingly extended. It is its task to heal the wounds on the " inner front." And here, as with the soldier, the wounds may be of the spirit as well as of the body. This measures the responsibility which the Com- mission undertook. It was necessary for the Red Cross to go forth to all parts of Italy with healing on its wings, relieving war suffering and strengthening the courage of the civilian population by spreading the knowledge of America's presence and determination and readiness to help to the limit of her resources, and putting new heart into them by making them realize that a friend stood ever at their side. It was a big undertaking. Obviously the first thing necessary was to recruit a force to carry it through, and that at once. The Commission set out to enlist the serv- ices of available Americans who were on the ground, artists, connoisseurs and dilettanti, and men and women of leisure who had made Italy their home, Americans mar- ried to Italians, travellers caught and held by the war, — -- ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 37 here a professor of Logic from a Western University, there a chorus girl who had sung in a popular light opera, here a well known impresario, there a singer who as Carmen or A'ida had delighted audiences at the Metropolitan, etc., etc., and large drafts were made on the students and teach- ing force of the American Academy at Rome. It was, in- deed, a motley company, but united in devotion and good will. So the organization grew by leaps and bounds, keep- ing pace with the rapidly growing work. The few rooms kindly given by the Banca C ommerciale were soon out- grown and headquarters established in a commodious building on Via Sicilia, formerly used as a pension much frequented by Americans. The Red Cross was hardly established in its new quarters before they were outgrown, and a large building next door, once a Russian Club, was annexed. The same story was repeated here. The Red Cross then took over a Hotel on Via Sardegna whose seven floors seemed ample for any contingency, but were already proving inadequate when the Armistice put an end to further expansion. In the meantime the number of Red Cross workers had grown from 32 to 949, not in- cluding the Italians enrolled, approximately 1000 more. It should be added, however, to show the difficulties which the Conunission had to face, that it was more than six months before the force of trained bookkeepers, account- ants, stenographers, etc., was adequate to needs. The work was organized with the usual triple division into Civil Affairs, Military Affairs, and Medical Affairs. Back of these was the Department of Administration. Each of these departments was under a Deputy Commis- .'oner. The Department of Administration included Stores, and Transportation, Purchasing, Accounting, and Public "nformation, each of these divisions having its separate responsible Director. In the early fall, with the arrival of the Tuberculosis Unit, a Department of Tuber- culosis was added. For convenience of administration, Italy was divided into a number of districts, corresponding 38 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY more or less roiigblj with the political divisions of the country: Avellino, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Genoa, Iglesias (Sardinia), Milan, Naples, Padua, Palermo, Eeggio Calabria, Rimini, Rome, Taormina, Turin, and Venice. This was a sort of Federal system. The Red Cross delegate in each district became the responsible head of the Red Cross in his territory, representing all depart- ments. While he was under general control of the De- partment of Administration at Rome, he was given a large amount of independence — a plan of organization which proved most effective, expediting action, minimizing red tape and encouraging initiative. One of the first problems that had to be faced was that of the storage and shipment of supplies which soon b&- gan to arrive in great quantities from America — hospital supplies of all sorts, food, clothing, and raw materials. The goods, arrived at the port of entry, were promptly distributed to warehouses and branch depositories through- out Italy, whence they could, at a moment's notice, be re- distributed to any part of the country, to meet emergency needs. The number of warehouses grew to 59 before the war was over, with a capacity ample for all requirements. Italy's transportation facilities are scarcely adequate in times of peace, and in war, in spite of all restrictions on civilian use, they were strained to the limit. Red Cross material came under the head of war necessities and the Government gave every assistance possible for facilitating transportation. It carried Red Cross supplies (and for that matter, personnel as well, when on service) free of charge. But to meet the emergency sure to arise in times of special military activity with its increased demands on transportation facilities, an automobile freight service was established, which made the Red Cross independent of the railway; a system of automatic relays from one distribut- ing center to another was worked out whereby supplies in large quantities could rapidly be concentrated in time of need in the districts near the front without interfering ,AyV\ERlCANREDCROSS;. INITALY- STORES AND ^.^ ^ > ^TRANSPORTATION An automobile freight service was established which made the Red Cross indei)tiident of the railway. The hieroglyphics in- dicate the number of warehouses, camions, service cars and motor cycles at each center. ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 39 witli tlie regular work of the Red Cross in otter parts of Italy, a system which, proved its value at the time of the great Italian Offensive in October. The accompanying map will tell the story better than any verbal description. The Temporary Commission had been chiefly concerned with the Emergency Relief of refugees. This work was continued by the Permanent Commission and gradually merged into the activities undertaken for the general re- lief of soldiers' families. For some months, however, after the Caporetto retreat the military situation remained un- certain, and the Italian government continued moving the civilian population out of the districts threatened by further enemy attacks. This was an orderly migration as compared with the early rush of refugees, but scarcely less distressing. To alleviate hardships of the journey, the Red Cross, in addition to its station canteens, estab- lished rest houses near the station at certain transfer points such as Bologna and Villa San Giovanni, where travel-worn women and children might refresh themselves before continuing their hard journey. The Red Cross also aided in many ways in making it possible for the refugees, torn from their familiar occupations and sur- roundings and transplanted in strange lands, to take up once more the thread of life in conditions as nearly like the normal as possible. It was necessary that they should be self-3upporting, not weakened and demoralized by a dangerous dependence, that their children should continue their studies that had been interrupted by the enemy cannon, and that family life should continue unshaken. And so the Red Cross established schools and workshops and sewing rooms. The clothing made in the sewing rooms was sold at nominal prices to the refugees them- selves or to the poor families of soldiers. Where the women came from Venice and were proficient in the art of lace making, lace shops were established. Those skilled in shoe making, such as the peasants from Friuli, were enabled to continue the manufacture of Friulian shoes 40 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY and slippers. The quarters to which the refugees were assigned were in many cases remodelled and equipped to make them suitable for family life. For example, at Chiaravalle an old disused paper mill was divided into apartments by means of masonry partitions, was provided with sanitary arrangements and with a community kitchen where the meals of all the refugees were cooked, each fam- ily being assigned its particular stove and floor space. In ISTaples the Hotel Victoria was equipped and arranged for the same purpose. One of the most interesting refugee colonies was that at Leghorn, known as the Spreziano colony. The entire town of Spreziano on the upper Piave, both inhabitants and industries, was transplanted bodily 300 miles across Italy and established in a group of unfinished and un- furnished villas on a hillside near Leghorn. These villas had no conveniences nor furnishings of any kind, lacking even chimneys and window sashes. They were remodelled and partly furnished by the Ked Cross. !N^ear by was a large modern chateau, requisitioned by the Government from its German owner, in which the American organ- ization established schools for the children, workshops and sewing rooms and a public soup kitchen. Besides the ele- mentary school studies, the older girls were taught sewing and lace making, and the boys were apprenticed in near by carpenter and blacksmith shops. As shoe making had been one of the principal industries in the far away village on the upper Piave, one of the first activities opened here by the Red Cross was a shoe factory, in which many women of the colony were employed during the day, while in adjoining rooms their children attended school. One of the most novel and certainly the most extensive undertaking of the Red Cross for the care of refugees was the construction of a Venetian village under the walls of old Pisa. Its story is the story of a village that failed, failed at least in its original purpose, through unforeseen and unavoidable complications. It was an undertaking ARRIYAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 41 that will appeal to Americans, not only because the idea back of it was big and generous, but also because the refugees to be helped were driven from a town which is especially dear to them. Venice, it must be remembered, had been brought within the fighting zone. She was ex- posed at all times to attack from land and sea, and every moon was a signal for a succession of bombardments from the air. Her industries were shut down, her shops closed, communication with the outside world was difficult and food exceedingly scarce. 'Now the Venetian authorities had from the beginning been transplanting the civilian population to places of safety in colonies, as far as it was possible to do so. By keeping them together and transplanting with them their industries, conditions of life in a strange land became more tolerable. This plan had been carried out quite exten- sively along the shores of the Adriatic where there were many empty villas which could be requisitioned for the purpose. And sites for additional colonies for refugees were early sought in Liguria and elsewhere. But old communities have a limited capacity to absorb unbidden guests. Also they differ much in the kind of a recep- tion which they give them. For example, a worker in the early days, writing from one of the communities where ten thousand refugees had been established, reported: " The surrounding country does not supply much and the peasants have met with a most resentful spirit the Gov- ernment's attempt to commandeer their potatoes, beans, etc. The influx of this vast number of new mouths here has caused something like panic among the peasants and working classes, who seem to fear that they will starve owing to this invasion. Any wrong move would precipi- tate grave trouble." At the same time in another town the situation was reported as most satisfactory : " There is an exceedingly patriotic spirit here among the better families, and although the town is not large nor wealthy, they have organized their relief work to meet the sudden 42 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY crisis with great efficiency. Eight hundred refugees are quartered here permanently. Their needs in clothing, blankets, and material are great. They are almost en- tirely of the peasant or lower classes. They sleep on mattresses, stuffed with straw, on hoards. The courage, patience and good will of these people is surprising. Thev have organized their establishments with rough kitchens, wash-houses, and wash-rooms. The women are making sand bags for the trenches at the front. Many of the men have found employment in the town, and the children are returning to the schools. All seems promis- ing for the future." Even the most public spirited communities, however, early reached the limit of their capacity. In the mean- time, the evacuation of Venice continued. Towards the end of February our representative, the American Consul, wrote : " It is not a question as to whether it would be best for these people to move or not. They are going. You cannot keep a population in a town a few miles from the front, where it cannot support itself, and where it is continually bombarded from the skies, and may at any moment be bombarded from land, or sea, or both, and where an enemy offensive would complicate and intensify all of the difficulties. If present conditions continue, more than fifteen thousand people, without visible means of support, will leave Venice within a short time." It was accordingly suggested that the Eed Cross should go into a new field of activity which meant nothing more nor less than the construction of a town for these refugees. It was thought that they could be housed in tents or tarred paper barracks which could have been rapidly set up. Everything must be ready before the March moon, that is, before the next bombardment from the air. The Eed Cross agreed to undertake the work. Then followed a series of delays. It was found that the plan to use tents or build flimsy temporary shelters was not feasible. It was finally decided to build more permanent shelters. ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 43 using a kind of cement brick made in the valley of Pompeii almost adjoining the city that was buried under the ashes of Vesuvius 2,000 years ago, and out of lapillo, a kind of stone erupted by that volcano. Not only the March, but also the April moon had come and gone be- fore the contract was signed. A tract of twenty-five acres was secured, requisitioned by the Italian Government for the purpose, just outside the walls of Pisa. It is picturesquely situated with the mountains rising in the near distance on one side, and on the other, the town of Pisa with its roofs showing above the famous Medicean aqueduct built four hundred years ago. The plan was to construct a village here which would accommodate two thousand refugees and could later be expanded if that proved desirable. It was to be a village of bungalows, eighty in all, sub-divided into apart- ments of varying sizes, with plenty of garden space for each family. In addition there were to be eleven other buildings for community use, a kitchen, a school, a store, a hospital, a day nursery, a laundry, public lavatories, etc. There was to be a public square and playground. In short, it was to be a model village. When the contract was signed it was hoped that the work would be completed by the first of August. There were, however, further delays, partly due to causes such as are apt to arise anywhere and any time, partly due to conditions created by the war. The Armistice found the village still uncompleted. It will never be needed for its original purpose. It has been turned over to the Italian government, which will probably use it as a home for the re-education of the mutilated victims of the war. It was a bold undertaking and appealed to the imagina- tion. There was something typically American about this plan to construct a little Venetian village, complete in every detail, which might give the refugees who were for- tunate enough to be sent there, normal conditions of liv- ing, in healthful and attractive surroundings; and after- 44 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY wards, when the war was over and they had returned, still serve some worthy Red Cross purpose in times of peace. At the time that the work was begun no one dreamed that it was only a question of months when hostilities would cease. No doubt, could the early ending of the war have been foreseen, many plans would have been different. Perhaps this village would not have been undertaken. It is barely possible that the Commission might have attempted to save time by putting up a lot of wooden shacks like those we sent in large numbers to Messina after the earthquake. But — have you seen Messina recently? Those sheds are still there. That once beautiful city is now a shanty town through our aid, an ugly blotch on the fair face of Sicily. Would you have Pisa, the beautiful old town on the banks of the Arno bristling with historic memories and rich in price- less treasures of art, similarly marred ? There stands the famous old leaning tower as it has stood for centuries, bending over the city as if with friendly eye to keep jealous guard of its honor. We can easily imagine his bending over a little farther to watch with mingled curiosity and suspicion this American experiment in town building just beyond the old city wall. But the sight of a city of wooden shacks would have given such a blow to his pride that it must surely have sent him toppling from his base. The thing could not be done in old Pisa. It is well since the after-war use must now be the justi- fication of the two million lire which the village has cost that the Red Cross has left a durable and worthy monu- ment. The workshops and sewing rooms which had been originally established to meet the refugee emergency were gradually reorganized and enlarged to meet the more gen- eral conditions of distress caused by the war. It must be borne in mind that it was at no time any part of the task of the Red Cross to attempt to cope with the problem of Italy's poor. From first to last its work was war work, ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 45 and win-the-war work, and everything that was undertaken for civilian relief had for its object healing the wounds of war on the '' inner front," and thus helping to create that serenity of mind and confidence which were essential to victory. And so no one was employed in a Eed Cross workroom who was not either a refugee or a member of a soldier's family unable to get other work and in special need because the family bread-winner was fighting for us all at the front. As has been said, workrooms for the making of lace were early established for the women proficient in that art among Venetian refugees on the shores of the Adriatic. And there were two in Sicily for the making of Cin- quecento lace, for which the people of that country are famous. Generally in connection with these workrooms there were schools where young girls might learn the art. And there were shops for woodwork, basket work and the making of mattresses from sea-weed, and one where flags were made. But by far the greatest number of work- rooms were for the making of shoes and clothing needed for the children in the care of the Red Cross. And thus the money expended was made to do double service, giving emplo;)Tnent and at the same time providing the articles which would otherwise have had to be bought. As leather was scarce and dear what might be called substitute shoes were made in most of the shops, such as the Capri type with rope soles, or the Friuli type with soles made of scraps of cloth quilted together. Then there were the native zoccoli, a kind of footwear resembling Chinese sandals except that the soles were made of hawthorn wood and had heels. It was surprising to see the way the children could run in this impossible and loosely attached footwear without shedding the shoes as they ran. Their progress was in marked contrast with the sedate shuffle and cautious dogtrot of Chinese children in their san- dals. By June the sewing rooms were all converted into shops for the making of children's garments, except 46 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY that there were certain by-products, for, it being impor- tant to economize in material, much ingenuity was shown in utilizing odds and ends. For example, in the work- room in Taormina, out of the new material the garments were cut, then the larger scraps were used in making hats, and then the next smaller in making soles for Friulian shoes, then of the narrow strips rag rugs were made, and finally the last remnants were chopped up and used for pillows and mattresses. An idea of the extent of this work is best gained by looking ahead to the final figures reported. There were in all 88 workrooms established by the Ked Cross in Italy, employing nine thousand women. The total number of articles produced was approximately a million and a half, with a consumption of two million and a quarter metres of cloth. The garments were given to the people directly under the care of the Eed Cross, in refugee homes, orphanages, and day nurseries ; or to Italian organizations caring for war children ; or to needy families whose cases had been specially investigated. But in general it was found to make for a better spirit if the distribution, outside of Ked Cross institutions and similar Italian organizations, was on a paid basis, and accordingly the surplus would be sold for a nominal figure much below the actual cost — a few cents a garment. But again, such sales were only made to refugees and soldiers' families whose needs had been investigated. To help the women whose wage earn- ing had to be done in odd moments of household duties, yarn was given out for the knitting of socks and sweaters, and the women were paid for the work according to schedules fixed by the Government. The pay in the Red Cross workrooms was always at the rate prevailing in the respective communities, as was obviously desirable, and ranged from two to three and a half lire a day. But not infrequently the women workers were given the privilege of buying the midday meal at nominal cost in one of the ^ ? V. * r, a^ '§ 00 a s ^ «^ -. o o i -^ c3 * C M3 >'-^ s C^ o 3 p o 0) ^ .■^ ^ O o ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSIOJT 47 Eed Cross economic kitchens. The workrooms were always light, airy and cheerful, and pervaded by an atmosphere of friendliness which made them more like social centers than ordinary shops. And to them could not infrequently he traced an improved tone in the general life of the communities in which they were established. It was the uniform policy of the Red Cross in its activi- ties to fall in line with Italian usage. One of the most widespread means of poor relief in Italy has long been the economic kitchen. This is a place where deserving poor can procure prepared food at or slightly below cost. Social reformers have questioned the wisdom of this method of dealing with the problem of the poor, but no one could question its value and effectiveness in times of war in an impoverished nation when abnormally high prices and reduced earning capacity meant that for a large number of people the wolf was always looking in at the door. So the Red Cross contributed to this form of re- lief so far as it affected the refugees and families of soldiers both by aiding existing Italian institutions and by starting independent kitchens where need was great- est. Every case was investigated, generally in coopera- tion with Italian authorities and a ticket (tessera) given to those entitled to receive food indicating the number of rations which the holder could procure. At the noon hour at each of these kitchens the line would form of old men, women, and children, carrying all manner of bizarre receptacles to receive the midday meal, which consisted of the thick and savory and nourishing " soup," or min- estra, concocted on scientific dietary principles, contain- ing beans or peas or rice, with tomato sauce and greens and fat and usually meat. The barreled beef and par- ticularly the lard and clear-belly bacon sent in such large quantities from America proved a godsend to the people for whom these foods had become all but unobtainable. Fifty soup kitchens in all came under the care of the Red Cross, dispensing most of the time an average of approxi- 48 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY mately thirty thousand rations a day. Two cents were paid for a generous portion. In cases of special poverty it was given free. Uncooked food was also distributed to a limited number of investigated families in certain re- gions where special conditions prevailed, but this was not done to any large extent until after the armistice, and in the liberated territories. For refugee children whose normal life had been so suddenly and harshly interrupted the Red Cross estab- lished schools, providing teachers and equipment as well as food and clothing, the older children being in many cases given industrial training in addition to the regular schooling. These schools were established where the local accommodations were inadequate to meet the increased demand due to the great influx of refugees. In some sec- tions, Genoa, Naples, and Avellino, there were day nur- series for the babies of refugee mothers who were earning a livelihood in Red Cross workrooms. But almost from the first the care of children was not confined to refugees. The Italians have long been familiar with an institution which they call asilo, a sort of combination of day-nursery and kindergarten. Here children from three to six years of age are kept during the day, provided with food and clothing and given in- struction suitable to their years, leaving their mothers free to work. But war conditions and the difficulty of getting food had forced retrenchments just at the time when need was greatest. Italy has always been rich in children, — it is her never-failing crop — and in their lives the pinch of war was most keenly felt. Here was the opportunity for the Red Cross not only to help the children, undernourished and often sickly, to get a start in life along the roadway of health, but also to cheer and encourage through its efforts the soldier father at the front, while at the same time freeing the mother to take his place as the family bread-winner. Accordingly some of the existing struggling institutions were aided, many ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 49 were taken over bodily, and more were independently es- tablished. In every case the community cooperated, sup- plying the quarters and care and sometimes the teacher. Buildings would be made over by the Ked Cross, provided with modern sanitary arrangements and the rooms made bright and cheerful and furnished with blackboards and kindergarten supplies. Here the children of soldiers in need of care were gathered together and clothed and fed and given a play-leader. After the midday meal came the inevitable nap, sometimes in cribs, sometimes in cradles supplied by the mothers, sometimes on mattresses on the floor, but most often sitting at their desks, their heads resting on folded arms. Generally in the after- noon they were given milk and a piece of white bread (" American cake " the children christened it) made with flour brought from America for the purpose. In the Pon- tine Marsh district south of Rome there were twelve of these asili for soldiers' children whose mothers worked in the fields far below the towns perched on the hill- tops where the menace of the malarial mosquito of the marshes had forced them to make their homes. The prob- lem of getting food had been particularly difficult here and the children, under-nourished and anaemic, fell easy victims to malaria and influenza. More than one marble tablet has been erected in appreciation of the work, dedi- cated (to give a sample inscription) " To the imperishable memory of the glorious deeds for human brotherhood gracefully accomplished by the American Eed Cross." Not all of the asili were run on the same plan. For example in Assisi which particularly suffered during the war from the absence of tourists, where extreme poverty had left its mark in the pinched faces and pallid cheeks of the half-clad children swarming as of yore in the nar- row streets and public squares, older children were in- cluded in the Eed Cross fold. There were three hundred in all, and every morning they were taken in groups for recreation to the hills above the town, the hills where St. 50 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Francis received his spiritual message. It seemed partic- ularly fitting that the Eed Cross should put forth its best efforts in the birthplace of that gentle-souled saint whose creed it was to minister to the poor and suffering. In some of the asili the Montessori method was used. And had you chanced to go to Genoa you might have found an asilo including children younger than usual, housed in a building that before the war had been a German club. Here babies' prattle and children's laughter filled the rooms that once had resounded to the heavy German gut- tural voices toasting, perhaps, " the Day " that forced so much suffering on the world and crowded the sunshine out of so many children's lives. A large sandpile under the shade of the cypress trees on a shelf cut into the moun- tain side overlooking the bay of Genoa was the children's special delight. But you could hardly believe that these cheerful chubby babies were the little starvelings that had come under Red Cross care only a few months before. ]^o part of the work undertaken for the civilian popu- lation in It.aly was so much appreciated by the people; and none has given so much satisfaction to the Red Cross workers, for the beneficial results were immediate and striking, and th© gratitude of mothers and of whole com- munities most touching. Besides, the children themselves, generally pretty and alert and intelligent, always well be- haved and r«eponsive, were a continual source of delight. And it is probably safe to assume that no undertaking of the Red Crosre will meet with more general approval from the millions of Americans whose contributions made it possible. The total number of children aided by the Red Cross directly or in cooperation with Italian organi- zations during its stay in Italy was 154,704 up to the time of the armistice and fully one-third of these were in schools and asili.^ 1 The A. R. C. also from time to time gave clothing and food (gen- erally milk and white flour) to more than 500 Italian organizations for the care of children. These are not included in the above figures. ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 51 By tlie time summer had come you could scarcely go to any part of Italy without stumbling across an asilo in front of whose door the Stars and Stripes and the flag of Italy were entwined. Let it be known in advance that the Red Cross representative was coming and likely as not the whole town would turn out to meet him, headed by the Mayor and other officials. Then would come the inevitable ceremony at the asilo. Little Maria, age five, would step forward and recite a patriotic poem telling of the wrongs done by Italy's enemies and ending bravely, " But we will chase them from our land," and the tiny hand would shoot out as if in banishment of the foe. And then Beppino, fat and solemn, would make a speech giving his own story as a refugee child, or perhaps proudly telling of his father at the front, never forgetting to voice the gratitude felt by them all to the American people, and always speaking with the graceful gesture and self- possession of the seasoned orator. Then there would be cheers for America and the Red Cross, and invariably, somewhere in the proceedings, the Star Spangled Banner (II Vessillo Stellate) sung with much gusto. For Cap- tain Ferret, who before the war was an expert on volcanoes, whose favorite haunt was the crater of Vesuvius, but who as a Red Cross worker had found a rival for his affec- tions in the children of our Naples schools, translated the first and last verses into singable Italian, and now our national anthem is known and sung by the children all over Italy. Of the appreciation of this work by the men at the front there have come innumerable evidences. In one asilo near Milan, the directress brought out for the Red Cross in- spectors to see a stack of over a hundred letters and post- cards which the soldier fathers had sent to their children in her care. The following is a literal translation of one of them. It is longer than most and better expressed, but similar sentiments run through them all: 52 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY " Dear Leonardino : How glad my heart is to receive your card, in which you tell me that you are happy to be at the asilo of the American Ked Cross. I know that your mother is also happy to know that you are safe, far from danger. Yes, my dearest, the news makes me very happy. N^o longer am I disturbed by the sad thought of having left my family voluntarily, in order to defend our dear fatherland, because you, my angel, my consolation, are safe, nourished by good soup and sweet milk. " Is it not enough that I am sure that you are being taught at the asilo, among other beautiful things, to pray for your father, and to be always grateful to those who give you aid, and to love your dear motherland ? My Leonardino, you must realize that the good Americans, defenders of oppressed peoples against barbarous enemies, have come from a very far country to give us every sort of help, to relieve so much suffering, and to hasten the day of victory. Our greatest thanks will always be in- ferior to their merits. And you, my baby, are enjoying the benefits of their great generosity. " When the American gentlemen come to the asilo, you my pretty little child, should clap your hands for them and shout : ' Long live America, Long live Wilson, Long live Italy.' Your father kisses you tenderly." There are many war orphans in Italy. But since the work of the Ked Cross is of a temporary and emergency character orphanages have not been established except in a few cases (Cesenatico, Aosta, Aquila) where conditions were such as to insure either their continuance after the departure of the Red Cross or the care of the children by local agencies. It has preferred, instead, to help in this direction by giving aid to already established Italian organizations. There were, however, certain groups of children that could not be cared for in any conventional type of institu- 9 n ini i ^4^.m^^^MM^ The most iuteristiiig mcIhwjI tor let'ugi e Ituy^. was tlie one at Monteporzio, just above Frascati. ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT COMMISSION 5S tion, children who, in the rush of refugees, had become separated from fathers and mothers whose fate was often unknown, and others whose mothers had died or become incapacitated while their fathers were still in military service. A home was established for fifty of these home- less boys at Trevi in a beautiful old building, formerly a school for Austrian priests, and here in addition to their regular studies, they were trained in carpentry and agri- culture. An agricultural school was planned for a similar group at Collestrada, near Perugia. Probably the most interesting school of this sort was the one at Monteporzio, just above Frascati, established by the Prefect, and later taken over and enlarged by the Red Cross. Here in a fine old seventeenth century mon- astery, on a terrace commanding a fine view of the Roman Campagna, eighty-six refugee boys between the ages of eight and fourteen were cared for, their teachers, and like- wise the nuns who did the housework, being also refugees. They were given all the advantages of the modern school and there were classes in drawing and painting, in which some showed considerable aptitude. They were also given military training and in their American Boy Scout uni- forms would drill and parade on the avenues of the monastery grounds, or, on special occasions, might be seen marching along the streets of Rome. It was hard to realize, seeing these little refugees playing happily in their new home, that they had lately witnessed scenes of death and destruction that must have left an indelible mark on their souls. Here and there, however, would be one whose laughter could not drive away the haimted look from the eyes. One of these, a boy of eight, never quite succeeded in forgetting the tragedy which had aged him beyond his years. At two o'clock one morning in the far north, at a school where he had been sent by his parents from a small neigh- boring town, he was awakened by the cries of the soldiers and the violent ringing of church bells : " The Austrians 64 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY are coming, flee for your lives ! " Little Mariano, with some sixty schoolmates, hurriedly dressed, rushed into the street and started southward in the terrible flight. Ninety kilometers they walked in a very bedlam of confusion, men and women screaming, cannon booming and shells exploding all about. Finally at the railway station they were hurried into waiting cattle cars and then, just when danger seemed past, the train itself was bombarded by the guns of the enemy, and of these sixty boys but five escaped uninjured, many being killed outright. " Only five, and I was one of them, Signore," says little Mariano, dropping his head. For some time he wandered from town to town until at length he was picked up by a priest, himself a fugitive, and finally he found his way to Monte- porzio, the school for refugee boys that had just been founded. There is one bright spot in little Mariano's story. For one day among the new boys to enter the school was a fine looking youth of fourteen, who proved to be none other than Mariano's own brother of whom he had had no word for seven months. It was a dramatic and touching reunion. Some of these little fellows have been left in complete ignorance of the whereabouts of their parents. Signora Eipostelli, who had charge of the boys before the Red Cross took over the school, tells how one day when walking with her charges she missed two of the smaller boys and finally traced them to a small roadside chapel. There from within she heard a small voice raised earnestly : " Listen, these violets are not for Signora Eipostelli. I want to leave them for the Madonna, because she might find my parents." CHAPTER IV Celebrating the Anniversary of America's Declaration of ■^ar — Cash Distributions to Soldiers' Families — Mr. Davi- son's visit — Meeting in Colosseum — Station Canteens " Italy will never get over this defeat. — Now we've got the Allies." So we are told the Kaiser exclaimed, exulting over Caporetto. No doubt he understood the psychology of his ovsn people and was misled thereby. In truth, the mettle of a nation, as of an individual, is shovm by the way it responds to defeat. The coward, the savage and the slavish cry and throw up their hands and sur- render, and then trust to tricks and wiles and crooked ways to pull a victory out of defeat. The brave and the free set their jaws, gird up their loins, and with fresh determination, return to the fray. Italy, tried by this test, had not been found wanting. Never had she been more united or more determined than she was after Cap- oretto. She had found herself through the agony of de- feat. But months have passed, the long winter months of pri- vation and hardship. December and January were un- usually cold and dry, February and March unusually wet and raw. Marking time in the trenches under these con- ditions was not inspiring, and the news from home grew more and more disquieting. The old crop was nearly exhausted and the new would not come in for some time. Food was scarcer than ever and very dear. There was a great shortage of fuel. And the soldier's pay was only 10^ a day, with a subsidy of 17^ for his wife and 9^ for each child under 12. Except in the manufacturing re- gions in the north it was difficult to find employment to 56 6« THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY supplement this meagre allowance. The burden falling on the civilian population was greater than it had ever been before. It was known that the enemy, balked of its rich prize just when it seemed within its grasp, stand- ing at the very gates of coveted Lombardy, would make every effort to break through the Italian lines as soon as the weather conditions permitted. Could this sorely tried people continue its heroic resistance ? The defeatists, pacifists, socialists and pro-Germans be- came more and more active, spreading discontent among the soldiers and the rural population. Moreover, Italy as well as France, in the spring of 1918, had its attack of Boloism. And the famous " cotton-waste scandals," in which it was shown that a number of pretended Italian corporations were in reality disguised German firms which had been steadily shipping cotton-waste to Germany through Switzerland, added to the feeling of uncertainty. There were many underground attempts of German propa- gandists to weaken the moral resistance of the people. Rumors of approaching peace mysteriously sprang up in all quarters. One form of German propaganda particu- larly menacing and widespread took the form of discredit- ing America. It was said that America had entered the war in order to prolong it for her own gain, that she was not heart and soul pledged to its prosecution, and that she could never get ready in time to have any military in- fluence on the result. There were no American troops in Italy to give the answer. But although there were no American fighting troops in Italy, there was a force of Americans wearing the United States Army uniform, members of the American Red Cross, and to them there came an exceptional opportunity of representing the American Army and the American people at a time when the situation was most critical. It was easier to meet the enemy propaganda and to counteract demoralizing tendencies in the large cities than in the remoter villages and the country districts, and here AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR ^7 lay the opportunity of the Eed Cross. There is no part of Italy that has not sent its quota of citizens to the United States. Talking one day with our delegate to Avellino, one of the poorer sections of Italy, he remarked : " You know this district sends a larger proportion of emigrants to America than any other." Shortly afterwards in Sicily on the train on my way to Palermo an Italian by my side, pointing to a town we had just passed, said : " That place has been largely re-built with American money. More peo- ple go to America from this part of Italy than from any other," and he added, rather sadly : " But you spoil them. Their love of Italy brings them back, but their love of America makes them unhappy until they return." Some weeks later in a little town at the other extreme of Italy, in the heart of the Dolomites, the Mayor said to me almost with pride : " You know we hold the record for the proportion of the population that goes to America. Sooner or later 30 per cent of them find their way there." I know not which, if any, was right, but the fact is that everywhere in Italy, America is known at first hand and admired as a land of power and plenty and loved as a land of freedom. The stage was all set in advance to make effective the work which the Red Cross undertook. The plan was simple and direct. It was to send at once to every part of Italy men in the American uniform to carry the mes- sage of American friendship and sympathy and of her de- termination to spend all of her resources in men and means in order to insure victory, and to give the people tangible evidence of her determination through a gift of money to the neediest and most deserving of the families of soldiers at the front. There was to be no limit to the number of families aided and the amount was to be meas- ured by the needs. It was not charity, but simple jus- tice, taking upon our shoulders some of the burden borne by the old men, women, and children whose sole support was serving our common cause somewhere in the trenches 58 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY — helping them, perhaps, to hny meat where the addition of meat to the family table for a few davs might mean the difference between insufficient and sufficient nutri- tion, or TO purchase milk for babies underfed, or to obtain the warm garment that would help make up for the dis- comfort caused by lack of fuel, or, possibly, to get medi- cines for the sick at home. The Premier, keenly alive to the possibilities of the un- dertaking, promptly set in motion the elaborate govern- mental and municipal machinery to determine which fam- ilies of soldiers were to be aided. Meanwhile, Eed Cross agents were dispatched to every city, town, and village. Telegrams were sent to delegates in distant iields to leave at once by the most rapid means of conveyance and travel night and day without stopping until every hamlet in their territory had received the message from America. All other work must for the time being be left to subordinates. Relief must be carried immediately to those to whom the war had brought the gi-eatest distress, and it must be sho^^^l by the actual presence of American officers in uni- form that America was at hand with aid. During the next few weeks those men of the Eed Cross sped to all parts of Italy, carrying the message. It would have been hard to go anywhere in the kingdom during that period without hearing of their work or meeting them on their mission. You might have seen them arriving at district headquarters, their automobiles covered with mud or dust, their uniforms travel stained, but their faces gleaming with enthusiasm, and they themselves never too tired to recount with interest the receptions and the many proofs of sympathy and understanding that had marked the busy day. The itineraries were carefully planned notwithstanding the haste necessary. The Government telegraphed ahead the news of the expected arrival of the delegate. At each provincial capital the Prefect would meet the American representative and at each town he was given a gratify- AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 59 ing demonstration — a spontaneous response from the people which showed their confidence and trust in their friends in the United States. Generally he was met at the city gates by the Mayor, the town doctor, the parish priest, and other dignitaries, and a large crowd of people, and escorted to the city hall, showered with flowers and notes of welcome, while the band played and barefooted children ran ahead waving American flags. Then in the public square the delegate would deliver his message, the Mayor and the Prefect respond, and the meeting turn into an enthusiastic patriotic rally. iSTot infrequently one ob- served women, overcome with emotion, silently weeping as hope sprang afresh in their hearts. For the Italians, particularly the peasants, are an emotional people and responsive and easily moved by kindliness. Everywhere our delegates went they were continually running across odd bits of American atmosphere. For example, the Mayor of a small village high up in the Apen- nines pointed with pride to a captain's commission which hung on his dining room wall. It was a commission in the Northern Army of the United States signed in 1861 by Abraham Lincoln. The Mayor's father had been a political refugee in '48 and had led a company of Italians during our Civil War. Everywhere one met the tragic evidences of war. In the little town of Fossombrone 150 children who had lost their fathers in the war presented flowers to the Ameri- cans; in Umbria two little girls walked five miles to present wild flowers to the Americans and to tell the story of a father who was a prisoner in Austria, of a brother who had been killed months before, and of two brothers at the front, and so it went, for of such experiences there was no end. All through the northern provinces just beyond the Austrian line one ran across many specially harrowing evi- dences of the havoc of war. In one village were many peasants who had refused to leave. A house to house eO THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY distribution was made in this territory, and into many of these homes the American Ked Cross was able to take a message of comfort and sympathy. In one little half wrecked house, the American Red Cross party found an aged and destitute father and mother mourning over the body of their youngest boy, only sixteen years old, killed by the same shell that had wrecked their home. The ar- rival of the Americans with their messages of comfort and assistance seemed to come as a direct answer to their prayers to heaven, and they eagerly sent tidings of it to their three sons at the front. In all, 7051 cities, towns, and villages were reached by the Red Cross representatives. In each community a list of the most needy families had been prepared in advance by a committee variously constituted but generally headed by the mayor and including the chairmen of local relief organizations and the more important civil and religious authorities. After consultation with this committee a sum of money was left sufficient to accomplish the purpose of the distribution. Receipts were taken and blanks sup- plied on which the mayor was required to make full ac- counting. The total sum distributed was 6,431,000 lire and the number of families aided 290,000. And it was all accomplished in three weeks' time. In most of the towns visited patriotic proclamations were at once posted on the walls for all to read, repeat- ing the substance of the message of the Red Cross dele- gate and rejoicing in the friendship of the two nations now bound together more securely in defense of common ideals : " For the rights of the people, for the freedom and in- dependence of nationalities " {per i diritti dei popoli, per la libertd e indipendenza delle nazionalita) . And by letter and postcard word of the American visit was sent by the families to their men at the front, and the huge stack of postcards received by the Red Cross from the soldiers themselves expressing simple and touching grati- tude is eloquent evidence of the effect of this distribution AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 61 upon the spirit of the troops and of the people; and many assurances were received from official and military sources of its immediate beneficial result. It was not the gift of money (which was little enough, the maximum to an individual family was 100 lire) so much as the sight of the Americans in uniform and the message of friendship they brought that carried conviction to the people that Italy's ally and friend, the foster-mother of so many Italians, was wholeheartedly with them and was out to win. The slander of the German propagandist simply melted away. It was of course to be expected in an undertaking of this magnitude, put through with such dispatch, that hitches would occur here and there in carrying out the program. For example, in one district the Red Cross delegates, carried away by their enthusiasm in the first few towns that they reached, distributed so lavishly that they had to retrench in other communities near by, and this gave rise to invidious comparisons. And in one part of Italy where everyone is poor, no one could be found who was willing to assume the responsibility of designating the most needy, and a general distribution was made, which resulted in the amounts being so small in each case as to destroy the effectiveness of the work. But these were the rare exceptions. The April distribution was successful beyond all expectation. It was a fitting cele- bration of the anniversary of our entrance into the war. It is hard to imagine how America's message could have been more quickly, more widely and more effectively de- livered. In fact the evidences of success were so overwhelming as to suggest the desirability of undertaking as a regular Red Cross activity a monthly distribution to soldiers' families. For some time the Commission hesitated. While the question was still undecided it happened one day that two members of the Commission were lunching with a famous baritone, well known both in America and 62 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Europe. His father was an Italian blacksmith and at the outbreak of hostilities he had returned to his native land to fight for his country. It was a part of his duty at this time to conduct sentenced soldiers to prison. He would generally ask them for their story. He told of one man whom he had recently conducted to prison sentenced for desertion. " I was married," said the soldier, " only a few months before the war. My wife is very pretty. It was a love match. And when she wrote me that she was expecting a baby, I used to worry. What could she do with 85 centimes a day, all that the Government allows, and it allows nothing for children under two years, and my wife, — she was so pretty. So I ran away. 'No one discovered me. I worked a whole year support- ing my wife and baby, and then v*^hen things were getting a little better, we talked it over, my wife and I, and de- cided it was best for me to go back to the army and give myself up. I did^ and now — I have been sentenced for three years in prison." Two votes were won that day for the continuance of the distribution. A little assistance from the Red Cross would in this case have meant so much. It is in fact a truth, borne out from many quarters, that the main cause for desertions from the Italian Army has been neither cowardice nor lack of patriotism, but devotion to the family, for which the Italian is noted, and worrying over conditions at home. Relief from just such anxieties is plainly Red Cross work. It was decided to continue the financial aid, and the Italian authorities gladly cooperated in working out the scheme for the selecting of the bene- ficiaries. Each of the generals commanding Italy's nine armies recommended every month a stated number of soldiers and to the family of each was given 75 lire. The official censor would generally get a line from the letters written from the front on the cases of greatest need, and the officers would recommend for assistance the families in special need whose husbands had distinguished AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 63 themselves by the excellence of their soldierly conduct at the front. The number of soldiers assisted in each army was in proportion to the fighting force. Although only 3,000 or 4,000 families a month were reached in this way, different families were reached each time and the in- fluence was out of proportion to the number. The women who received this assistance were filled with pride. The gift was a badge of distinction. Everyone in the town would soon hear about it. Also at the front the fact of the award was widely known among the soldiers. The commanding generals themselves have expressed the warm- est appreciation of this service, not only strengthening the sympathy and friendship between the American and Italian armies, but also reinforcing the soldiers' spirit and contributing substantially to the victorious results. The total amount distributed under this plan in the months that followed was 2,099,695 lire. During April, Mr. H. P. Davison, Chairman of the War Council of the American Red Cross, with the Vice Chairman, Mr. Eliot Wadsworth, and Mr. Ivy Lee, made an inspection trip through Italy which turned into a triumphal tour. There were enthusiastic demonstrations everywhere they went. Their welcome in each city was marked by circumstances that set it apart from the others. In Naples the people crowded the beautiful San Carlo Opera House, eager to see and hear the man who more than any other at that time meant America to them, be- ing the commanding general of the only army so far rep- resented in Italy. And the spontaneous enthusiasm of this reception was simply the harbinger of what was to follow everywhere he went. In Florence the great Cin- quecento Hall of the Palazzo Vecchio was filled with rep- resentatives of patriotic societies gathered to welcome him, while the Piazza outside was thronged with cheer- ing crowds. At a dinner given by the city authorities the General of the army corps with headquarters in Flor- ence announced that he was so impressed with Mr. Davi- 64 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY son's message from America that lie would have it read as an order of the day to his troops, and the Mayor de- clared that he would have it read in all the schools as a message from the 11,000,000 children, who were members ■of the Red Cross, to the children of Italy. In Bologna, in recognition of what the Red Cross had done for Italian military hospitals, the General commanding the army corps stationed there was at the station to greet the visitors with a regiment of soldiers, all of whom had been wounded in the war. Here, as in Florence, the message from America was made an order of the day to be read to the troops. But the most impressive reception was that given in the Colosseum, symbol of eternal Rome, which even in ruins is one of the grandest of the world's structures, on the anniversary of America's entrance into the war, — a day celebrated all over Italy with great popular demon- strations. Here were assembled the troops stationed in Rome, and picked soldiers who had come from the front to carry back to their comrades in arms the message from America and the inspiration of the occasion. And all around were the people of Rome packed in every avail- able corner among the ruins of the vast amphitheatre. There were soldiers with medals on their breasts stand- ing with people from the poorest quarters in what was once the space reserved for emperors : there were women in nurses' veils where once the Vestal Virgins stood: little children were perched above the pits from which wild beasts had been loosed in the days of pagan Rome to fight with gladiators or bring death to Christian martyrs. All about the arena were the flags of the Allies, the Stars and Stripes given special prominence. At one side a tribune had been arranged for the speakers. The welcome was extended by the mayor of Rome and the Minister of Education, and then our Ambassador spoke to the Italian people on behalf of the people of America. After that Mr. Davison, speaking in the name of the Red ?>.*^f. AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 65 Cross, " the collective heart of America," delivered the fol- lowing message: " It is perhaps fitting that I should be given the privi- lege of addressing you on this most historic spot — fitting because I bring a message from millions of American men and millions of American women to the idol of your country, His Majesty Your King, to his Majesty's Gov- ernment, to your valiant soldiers at the front and to your people throughout this beautiful land of sunny Italy. Immediately let me say that I come to you with feelings above all else of respect and admiration for the efforts and the sacrifices your people have so willingly made in a war into which you, like the United States, were unwillingly drawn. Like the United States you could not remain out of this war and retain your national self-respect. 'Nor could the great traditions of your country have been upheld had you aligned yourselves other than against the most dangerous foe which has ever assailed the rights of free men and free nations. No nation in this war has had a more difficult part to play than Italy, and nobly have you played it. " As Chairman of the American Eed Cross, I wish to speak of that organization, but I do so with some hesita- tion and diffidence, fearing that some of you might inter- pret any comment that I may make upon its developments and growth and the work it has accomplished as an evi- dence of pride on the part of our people. But I beg you to give no consideration to such thought, as it is neither in the hearts nor the minds of the American people, their attitude being one of complete humility in their endeavor through our organization, the American Red Cross. It is, however, necessary to give you some idea of the organi- zation in order that you may better understand the char- acter of the message which I bring from four thousand miles over the sea. " One year ago yesterday the United States declared war on Germany. The American Eed Cross at that time 66 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY had a membership of a little over 200,000 people. To- day it has a membership of over 22,000,000 people. If we include the children of the schools, who are junior members, it increases the total membership to approxi- mately 33,000,000 people. One year ago to-day the or- ganization had, throughout the country, two hundred chapters. To-day, including chapters, branches and auxil- iaries, the organization has nearly twenty-one thousand subdivisions, which means that in every city, town and hamlet in the United States there is to-day a Eed Cross organization, in which the women of America are making surgical dressings and knitting into various articles their heartfelt love and sympathy. " As soon as we were able to effect an organization, we dispatched Commissions, composed of distinguished, rep- resentative American men to France, to Italy, to England, to Kussia, to Roumania, and to Serbia. It may not be unnatural for you to ask: 'Why did the American people take this step ? ' They took this step because when the United States Government declared war upon Ger- many it, by that very act, acknowledged that the war since its beginning in August, 1914, had been for the American people as well as for the Allies which have par- ticipated. There are no new principles involved. It was the same war, with the same common enemy, and there- fore the fact was recognized that for all those many months previous you of Italy and your Allies had been fighting and bleeding and dying for us as well as for yourselves. At our entrance into the war we found ourselves totally unprepared and realized that it must of necessity be a long time before we could take a strong position in the line. But we also realized that, pending that time, _ we could, through our Commissions, express in some slight degree our appreciation for all that had been done, and our sympathy and our desire to help back of the line in such a manner as might be possible. " I come to you, the people of Italy, under the direction AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 6Y of these millions of American men, women and children, with the message that we of America know you of Italy. We know of your undaunted courage, of your valor, of your chivalry, and of your strength. We know that from your incomparable land has come to us much that is beautiful and inspiring, and that there is no land in the world more beloved and admired than Italy by those Americans who have had the fortune to be received within her hospitable borders. We ask, may we through my col- league, Colonel Perkins, and his distinguished associates, in some way express to you our sentiments ; may we do something which may hearten your soldier; may we do something which might, in some degree, hearten and en- courage his family, may we do something for those who have been ruthlessly driven away from their homes, where for all their lives they have been following their avoca- tions, with peace and good-will toward all men ? This we ask you to permit us to do, not by way of charity, but rather as a slight expression of our feeling of admiration and devotion to you. On behalf of our people I thank you for the spirit in which you have received Colonel Perkins and his Commission, and may I say that if the American Red Cross shall be permitted, within your country, to do any work which shall prove a comfort to your people we shall indeed be grateful. " I am confident in my hope that, through the agency of the American Eed Cross, there will be established a closer relationship between your people and ours, and if such an understanding could be had between all the civil- ized peoples of the world, we could never again become involved in such a tragedy as is now shaking the earth to its very foundation." There were other speeches including one in Italian by Congressman La Guardia. Even the rain which fell in quantities towards the end of the day failed to drive away the crowd or dampen its enthusiasm. It was a memor- able gathering, and everyone present came away feeling 68 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY that America and Italy, traditional friends ever since America's birth, were now more closely united than ever before. It must not be inferred from the fact that so far men- tion has been made only of the work with the civilian population that there had been any neglect of opportuni- ties for the various forms of Eed Cross activity that deal directly and personally with the soldier. As early as ISTew Year's day, 1918, gifts which had been prepared at the American Church in Rome under the auspices of the American Relief Clearing House were distributed to soldiers in the First, Third, and Fourth Armies. In January a workshop was opened in Rome which prepared in all over 100,000 packages for soldiers, each containing a cake of chocolate, a pencil, a cake of soap, an American Red Cross post card, a handkerchief and a package of ciga- rettes. These were distributed to the units of the Italian army designated by the Military authorities, the distribu- tion in each case being made the occasion of a review or of some other military ceremony. And there were many distributions to soldiers on the lower Piave, in the cold winter months, of much needed woolen articles of cloth- ing. In Venice soldiers on leave before their return to the front were regularly given warm garments, including sweaters, socks, and gloves — an average of 3,000 a month for the first six months of the year. And there were similar distributions on a smaller scale at Taormina. ISTearly two hundred gramophones were given to units of the Italian Army and Navy, which proved most welcome to the fighting men of this music-loving people. And during the first five months of the year though there was relative quiet on the Italian front, our ambulances carried over 30,000 sick and wounded, covering in all 260,000 kilometers. A chain of station canteens or rest houses (Posti di conforto militari) was established at the important rail- way junctions where large numbers of troops had to wait AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 69 or ciiange trains. These reached all over the peninsula and extended even to Sicily and Sardinia. Here hot soup, coffee, lemonade and other refreshments were given to the soldiers free or at a nominal charge of one or two cents. Generally there was a room for rest and recreation equipped with a gramophone and piano, and there were postcards and letter paper and places to write. In some instances dormitories with hunks and haths were pro- vided. Each of the station canteens had its unique features. One of the largest and most successful was at Ancona commodiously housed in a freight shed adjoining the sta- tion. It had begun operations in November, 1917, when refugees in large numbers were pouring south along the Adriatic, serving food and providing for their comfort in various ways. When the flood of refugees subsided it was remodeled and made over to serve soldiers on the transport trains passing to and from the front, and dur- ing the period of its management by the Red Cross it entertained over six hundred thousand. There was a large central mess hall so arranged with four long cement counters running down the middle that one thousand soldiers could be fed in an hour. In addition to the writ- ing and rest room for the soldiers another smaller room was reserved for the use of officers. Gay with flags and flowers, simply but cosily furnished, and provided with a buffet, it ministered to the comfort of Italian, English, and Erench ofiicers while their men were being refreshed in the adjoining hall, and proved a pleasant bond between these comrades in arms. At Milan a portion of the freight yards by the station assigned to the Red Cross for canteen use was converted into a most attractive place, with a garden bright with flowers and vines, a fountain and benches, giving an un- expected atmosphere of rest and beauty amidst sordid sur- roundings. And there was a comfortable reading, writ- ing, and lounging room, and three barracks for soldiers to 70 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY sleep in, and shower baths. Walk into this place any eve- ning during the spring or summer, say at eleven thirty, the time coffee was served to the new arrivals. Quite a num- ber of soldiers are already in line. Passing one window they get their coffee and, drinking as they go, move on to another window farther along where the cup must be left, an arrangement found desirable, for the cups, made of empty condensed milk cans, are much coveted by the soldiers and apt to find their way into their packs as souvenirs. Many soldiers are lounging in the pergola try- ing to fathom the beauties of American ragtime issuing from the ever popular gramophone. " You Americans bring us everything," remarked a peasant one day for whom this instrument was still something of a novelty, " you have brought us canned food and now you are bringing us canned happiness." Other soldiers may be found in the writing room, while another group is gathered about the piano which one of their number is playing. Two of the bunk houses are already filled and a third soon will be, for the next troop train is almost due. And so it went every day. The Milan rest house often took care of one thousand a night, some of them only staying a few hours between trains so that the same bunk was frequently occupied by two or three different soldiers during the night. At Naples four women Red Cross workers were in. charg3 of the canteen, which was in a large tile hut con- nected with the station. They worked in relays on six hour shifts, so that the " Posto " was open continuously day and night. The cheer of their presence added greatly to the popularity of this canteen. Here is an extract from a report made by one of them : " During my shifts this week the number of soldiers has been so great that it was impossible to talk individually with many of the soldiers, but all seemed happy to enjoy the soup and there were many demands for a second help- ing, one soldier saying to me : ' Sister, I told my com- AMERICA'S DECLARATION OF WAR 71 panions that wherever they saw Posto di Conforto Ameri- cano, they would always find good food, like nothing they had before,' and he added, ' We have not been disap- pointed to-day.' The postcards and writing paper are a great joy, especially those with American and Italian flags together. When I asked why they liked them better than any other kind they answered : ' You see it shows we are friends and when we send them to our relations every- one can see the flag of the American nation with ours.' " On one of the writing tables in this canteen lay a guest book, well worn from much handling in which the soldiers have expressed in many a homely phrase their enthusiasm for their American ally and their appreciation of the work of the Red Cross. Once in a while a soldier, per- haps formerly resident in America, would try his hand at English, with mixed results. The following is too good not to quote : After expressing the wish that " the Ameri- can Stars and Stripes may bring peace in the world " he adds " Hurry for Uncle Sam ! Hurry for Wilson ! Hurry for Italy and for our King Victor Emanuel III." Perhaps he wrote better than he knew. This was written at a time when hurrying for the cause of liberty was more to the point than any amount of hurrahing. CHAPTER V Kollmg Canteens — The June Offensive — A. E. C. Ambulance Service — The Story of Lieutenant McKey The Red Cross maintained a series of rolling canteens scattered along the Italian front in the mountains and on the plains. They were established either quite near the front line trenches or at strategic points a few kilometers back on highways where troops regularly passed, though rarely so far away as to be beyond the danger zone of shell fire. The officers in command of neighboring troops fre- quently permitted their men to leave the trenches in order that they might spend some time at the Red Cross can- teens, which became a sort of soldiers' club. A typical unit consisted of a small hut containing the quarters of the Red Cross Lieutenant in charge and also the store room, and a large hut adjoining which contained the kitchen and the rest room for the use of the soldiers. The walls of this room were attractively decorated with flags and posters and patriotic inscriptions. Scattered about were tables with writing materials and magazines and books. Along one side ran a counter over which the soldiers were served hot coffee, chocolate, jam, and some- times soup. The jam was spread thick on bread which the soldiers brought with them, a special treat to men so long deprived of sweets. Candy, cigarettes and cigars were given out. Each canteen had a phonograph with records of patriotic airs and popular songs, and two mandolins, a guitar and an accordion for impromptu con- certs, for in every crowd there was sure to be a goodly number who played some instrument or other. And when 72 KOLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE T3 conditions permitted provision was made for out-door games, especially hocce (Italian bowls) and football. From these canteens as bases supplies were regularly taken by camion, mule, motor-cycle or bicycle to the trenches and there distributed by the Red Cross officer in person. The appearance of the American uniforms was always the occasion of much rejoicing, not merely be- cause it meant something to eat and something to smoke, but because of the friendly companionship, the jokes, the words of cheer and encouragement, in short, the human touch that relieved the dull routine and ruthless brutal- ity of life in the trenches. The canteens were attached to specific regiments which provided the necessary soldier helpers. Each was in charge of a Red Cross Lieutenant and the duties required of him were such as to tax the resources of the most versatile and adaptable temperament. He must possess executive ability, courage and coolness under fire. He must have a gift for understanding men of another race. He must be a man's man and a knower of men and a good mixer, equally successful in establishing cordial relations with the Italian officers and in making friends and win- ning the confidence of the men in the ranks. There was one message he must always put across and that was that in contributing to the rest and comfort and recreation of the soldiers the American people through the Red Cross were trying to express their gratitude to them for all they had done and endured for our common cause during the three long years and more in which Italy had been waging war. Many ties of friendship were formed which reached beyond the individual Red Cross worker to the " gener- ous and bountiful America " (a phrase often heard) which he represented. The popularity of the rolling canteens with the men is very prettily revealed in the following word picture of one of them drawn by an Italian and published in the Corriere della Sera: " The heat is merciless. On the roadside under the T4 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY shade of a cluster of trees stands a hut with an Italian flag and a flag showing a field of blue with stars and red and white stripes. The soldiers crowd the place. This is a rest house of the American Red Cross. You can find many of these close to the lines, at points of heavy traffic and where it is most difficult to obtain cool drinks or to find anything to eat. Here our great American Ally brings a lot of good things. Here they place a table, fix an awning, spread the Stars and Stripes and the Italian flag, and here they stand themselves, smooth-shaven, khaki- clad, and with their round caps, offering every good thing in God's grace to the passing soldiers, coffee, cool drinks, bread, chocolate as we once knew it, and crackers that we no longer are accustomed to. A real providence, and the offering is made with such good, with such cordial fra- ternity. The soldiers have already baptized these Rest Houses. They call them in a jocular way American Bars and when from afar they see on the road the tri-color and the Stars and Stripes, they cry ' Let us go visit America.' " The service rendered by the rolling canteens varied ac- cording to the differing conditions determined by the loca- tion of the posts. One of these canteens was situated at an Alpine post over 5000 feet above the sea, where Italy abuts on Switzerland and Austria. Its attractive quarters in what was formerly a tourist hotel provided a most wel- come and popular club for the soldiers stationed at Santa Catarina, and for the troops continually passing to or from the mountain posts beyond. But its most distinctive serv- ice was carrying hot coffee and other comforts to the sol- diers standing guard on the Alpine frontier. Nearly every mountain peak had its quota of soldiers. Many of these posts could only be reached by teleferica, and the Red Cross officers with their supplies would be pulled up to the tops of the peaks in wire baskets suspended to a single cable, sometimes as much as 3000 feet in length and running almost straight up. At times the supplies were carried by dog teams, and occasionally ROLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 75 by packs where hand over hand work was necessary in order to reach the soldiers in their all but inaccessible heights. Never were Red Cross gifts more welcome than in these lonely snowbound posts. The following extracts from a letter written by the officer in charge of this canteen describes one of these trips : " My friend and I had the pleasure of carrying sup- plies two days ago to the highest trench held by the allied troops in all the war zone of Europe. It was on a moun- tain peak some thirty miles from our post. We were furnished experienced Alpine guides by the Colonel in charge and climbed to a ledge 11,500 feet high upon which rested the little lookout post. The trip from the foot of the mountain took four hours. We were in the snow every foot of the way. On this climb we had to creep through two ice tunnels, one being over one thousand feet in length. These tunnels are necessary for the soldiers in going to and from their posts in order that they may not be ex- posed to Austrian fire. At one point a faulty rock forma- tion necessitated our leaving the first tunnel and walking about one hundred and fifty feet before darting into an- other. We managed this in single file at intervals of about three minutes. Each of us was greeted with the Austrian fire, but while you could hear the bullets distinctly, I only saw one strike the snow and that some twenty feet below. Finally in order to reach our destination we had to climb about 400 feet up a practically perpendicular wall of ice and hard snow. Of course we were tied to our guides, eight of us strung to a single rope, and, with their as- sistance, and the aid of our ice picks we eventually landed on the ledge. . . . Perhaps you will say such a trip as this was not absolutely necessary. We might have left the supplies with the Colonel and had them sent on by a guide. But I assure you that our presence there in the distribution added much which the Red Cross could give in no other way. . . . " To-morrow morning accompanied by a guide I am 76 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY taking supplies to a mountain post never yet visited by an American and the Colonel in charge has sent me word to be sure and bring an American flag. ... I must say that in Italy, and particularly in this section, the Ameri- can nation is looked up to in a manner that makes you feel very proud of your country and your people." IsTear one of the canteens on the Asiago plateau a foot- ball field was established, protected from the view of the enemy by an ingenious camouflage arrangement, and here teams representing English and Italian troops stationed in the vicinity were able to enjoy open air sport while as- signed to front line duty. And sometimes, when the Huns were momentarily off the job, and a good game was on, several thousand soldiers would occupy the bleachers where the reserved seats were the edges of shell craters. One canteen was situated in a very busy center on Grappa. The soldiers and particularly the officers were most enthusiastic over its establishment and constructed the necessary building with great care. The Red Cross officer was anxious to have it finished in a hurry, but they insisted on making it a solid substantial structure. Its construction was under the direction of a young Italian lieutenant for whom it was a genuine labor of love. Some time later this lieutenant was killed by the explosion of a hand grenade when he was bringing in some prisoners. " He was given a military funeral." — The Red Cross lieutenant then in charge is telling the story — " All the officers attended, and as we were coming back from the funeral they all stopped at our kitchen for coffee and re- freshments. I was talking with the officers near my shack when we heard an exceptionally loud explosion and rushed forward to see what had happened. We found that a shell had fallen right by the kitchen, killing five and wounding nine of these soldiers. It was a terrible sight and it made the war seem very near, and I could not shake off the feeling of responsibility, because if I had not urged these men to stop for refreshments they would ROLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 77 have been saved. Shells fell very frequently in the neigh- borhood of that kitchen." Seventeen rolling canteens were maintained by the American Red Cross, and by the time summer had come they were serving some three quarters of a million soldiers per month. Since only a few of these canteens were reaching the same men more than once a week it is evident that the influence of this service was very widespread. Its most important work was done during the long periods of relative inaction, for that is when the war most gets on the nerves of the men. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that great activity changed the character of this service, as it changed everything else. That activity came, and with a vengeance, in the middle of June when the Austrians launched their long looked for offensive. It was the supreme effort of Austria. All of her effective fighting forces, seventy of her ninety-two mobilized divisions, were thro^vn against the Italian lines. The order issued by Field Marshal Boroevic, commanding general of the Austrian forces, reads : " Soldiers ! our Em- peror and King to-day from the Adriatic to the Alps with all his forces launches the attack upon the enemy whose treason has made the war last so long. There before you lie the positions of the adversary; and beyond, glory, honor, good food and abundant war booty." For six months Austria had been preparing for this offensive which, it was confidently expected, was to mark the end of the war against Italy. The order of the day issued by General Conrad von Hoetzendorf, in command of the Austrian troops on the mountain front, reads : " Soldiers ! for months and months resisting amidst the ice and snow of the mountains, ful- filling your duty during the terrible storms of winter, you have looked at the sunny and fertile plains of Italy. The moment has come to go down and possess them." Aus- trian soldiers taken prisoner described the battle as the " Hunger Offensive." And every battalion had a requisi- T8 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY tioning section and definite instructions how to requisition all food along the road. And the soldiers had been urged forward by the promise of booty as well as food. Four large empty trunks were captured which one Austrian officer, who had already enriched himself by spoils stolen from the Veneto after Caporetto, had sent ahead to con- tain the booty he expected to accumulate. In the early dawn of the 15th of June on a front of one hundred and fifty kilometers stretching from the Astico over the high plateau of the Asiago and Monte Grappa to the Piave and along the Piave to the sea, the attack began with a furious bombardment by the Austrian artillery, which was followed up by a rushing assault that carried the front positions of the Italians almost all along the line. On the Asiago the British promptly recovered the ground they had lost, inflicting heavy punishment on the enemy. On the Grappa the battle raged with special fury. Fourteen divisions were thrown against the Italians at this point in the determined effort to carry this height which was the one barrier that prevented the free passage of the Austrian forces down the valley of the Brenta to the plains of the western Veneto. The lower mountains of the Grappa massif more than once changed hands. The Italian position was precarious in the ex- treme. General Von Hoetzendorf thus described it in his order to his troops : " The Italians are like men hanging by their fingers to a window sill. All we have to do is to smite off their fingers and they will fall down." It was an accurate description of the Italians' predicament. But the fingers were never smitten off. The lost positions were recovered, and after two days of terrible slaughter victory rested with the Italians. Grappa once more, as in May, 1916, and in November, 1917, had saved Italy from in- vasion from the north. On the Piave line the Austrian success lasted a little longer. Rapidly carrying the front line trenches by gas attacks and liquid fire under cover of artificial fog, the KOLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 79 Austrians had pushed on and succeeded in occupying half of the Montello, a long, low, flat-topped hill that runs along the west side of the middle Piave. But they paid dearly for this slight and short-lived victory. In the fierce fight- ing that followed, the Montello became a very shambles, thickly strewn with Austrian dead. And beyond they could not go. In fact the Montello might well be called the tomb of Austrian hope. On the lower Piave the Italians were pushed back a few kilometers, and for a week the battle raged, the line swinging to and fro. Here the fighting was on the flat farm land and the leaves of the vines and trees so obscured the vision that it was hard to tell where the line was hold- ing and where giving way. Units were often surrounded, and many deeds of bravery are recorded, particularly by the intrepid Arditi and the bicycle brigades of the Ber- saglieri whose free mobility more than once saved the situation. And the infantry fought valiantly. The Italian resistance was stubborn and aggressive, often tak- ing the form of counter-attack. Here is a picture, con- densed from the statement of an Italian eye witness, of one comer of the battlefield : " It was Sunday morning and two of our brigades were marching to the attack. The machine guns of the enemy began to work. They were everywhere, by the hundreds, under every tree, hidden behind every bush. And there were a great many wounded, and no time to carry them back. Ambulances were asked for, but they had to come there under fire, into the middle of the fight. And they came; Italian am- bulances, and American ambulances. On some of the lat- ter was the legend, ' Gift of American Poets.' " And had he gone a little nearer he might have seen on one of them on a small brass plate over the driver's seat, " In memory of Edith Cavell," and on another, on a similar plate, " In honor of Theodore Roosevelt." The battle of the Piave was the ambulance boys' op- portunity, and they made the most of it. Night and 80 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY day they worked, immindful of hunger and fatigue. Sometimes the run was over steep mountain roads cut in the side of a precipice, where a slight mistake would have sent the car and its occupants over the brink to cer- tain death. And these roads were narrow and always con- gested with the grim traffic of war. Often the driver must feel his way along in the dark, for lights were forbidden. Many deeds of individual daring could be told : — how this one went beyond the barbed wire that had been thrown down by the retreating army and in the face of Austrian gun fire rescued the wounded while bullets rained around ; how another was at an advanced post which was hit by an enemy shell that demolished part of the house and covered his ambulance, and, unable to extricate it, hurried back for another and returned to the field of battle to continue his work of mercy; how others on their way to a front post where the fighting was furious were stopped by the military police who said it was fatal to go further, and, taking advantage of a moment's inattention on the part of the guard, slipped by in spite of the warning, and suc- ceeded in carrying a number of wounded to a place of safety, — with much more of the same kind. But, after all, this is simply the familiar story of our boys every- where, on every front. There were many narrow escapes from death, but fortunately the casualties were few. Only one man was wounded and that slightly, and one had to spend some time in the hospital as the result of a gas attack. Letters of appreciation were received from the different commands expressing admiration for the dash and bravery of the young Americans and for the efficiency of their work. A great many of the men were awarded the war cross and some received silver or bronze medals of valor. But, as one of them, himself twice decorated, remarked: " The difference the decorations imply was generally simply a difference of opportunity, not of bravery or zeal." The Eed Cross field inspector of the ambulance service o »«"^' OS o —"llri^^sm ROLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 81 wrote : " It is a pleasure to acknowledge the excellent spirit and quality of the men in this service, both officers and drivers. I do not believe that a finer body of men ever served in an ambulance organization. The men, most of whom reached the front for the first time just prior to the offensive, have worked with the greatest willingness, courage and efficiency." There were four American Red Cross Ambulance Sec- tions in the field during the battle of the Piave. A fifth was soon added, bringing the total number of ambulances up to one hundred and four, with twenty-five auxiliary motor vehicles, manned by an American personnel of one hundred and thirty-five men. During the entire period of active service in Italy our ambulances carried 148,224 sick and wounded, 20,014 being couches, and the aggregate runs amounted to 1,050,907 kilometers. The enlistment of the original personnel in this service, which had been recruited in France, expired in May. I^ineteen re-en- listed ; the rest left to enter other branches of service, their places being taken by volunteers recruited during the spring in America. For a week the battle raged on the Piave Sector. But the Austrians, though using all their resources, were un- able after the first rush to make further headway against the stubborn resistance they encountered. Then the rains came, and the Piave was in flood, and communication with their base was at many points interrupted. On the 22nd the Austrians began to fall back, and the following day were in full retreat, leaving behind them a trail of desola- tion, — trees broken down, vegetation burned, houses and cities nothing but heaps of stones and smoking ruins. The great offensive had ended in failure. The Italian Army, with the help of the allied divisions on the plateau of the Asiago, had defeated the entire army of Austria. Moreover, the victory of the Piave was the beginning of the end of the dual monarchy. In the opening days of July a sharp counter-offensive S2 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY was started by the Italians in the marsh land on the delta between the old and the new Piave. After five days of fierce fighting in water and mud, always advancing, the last resistance of the enemy was broken, and the entire line of the Piave was in Italian hands. Shortly after the Austrian offensive had broken out, through the prompt work of the American Ked Cross dele- gate at Venice and with the active cooperation of the American Consul, Mr. B. Harvey Carroll, Jr., seven emergency canteens were established on the lower Piave and put in charge of ambulance men as yet unassigned. Sometimes, as the fortunes of battle swayed, the position of a canteen became untenable and a new location had to be found. But throughout the fight they continued to sup- ply the long dusty lines of marching men with articles of comfort and sustenance, chocolate, coffee, cigarettes and the inevitable toscana — little things that mean so much to soldiers whose nerves are racked by the inferno of a sus- tained attack. The genuine depth of feeling with which the " Viva Americas " were given, to the accompaniment of the booming cannon, when the hot food had been consumed was at once the Eed Cross worker's inspiration and re- ward. The first rolling canteen that the Red Cross put in the field was taken out about the first of March by Lieutenant Edward McKey, a New York portrait painter, whose poor health had disqualified him for military service. He threw himseK into this Red Cross work with the greatest enthusiasm, and in his difficult mountain post his courage and tact and cheerful friendliness immediately won the love and respect of the soldiers and the officers with whom he worked. The original plan had been to have the rolling canteens towed along just back of the lines in order to better serve the soldiers in the trenches, and the kitchen trailers had been designed by McKey himself with this end in view. However, this plan did not prove feasible in the difficult ROLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 88 mountain roads and the canteens became more or less stationary posts from which supplies were carried forward to the trenches by whatever means were available, so McKey determined, in June, in anticipation of the Aus- trian offensive, to move his kitchen to the flatter field near the Piave in order to try out the plan as originally conceived. The young Italian lieutenant who accom- panied him to his new post tells this story of the trip: " The day was very warm, and the way was long, and the country through which we went flat and lacking in- terest, and we fell into conversation. I don't remember any conversation so interesting. He had a most pictorial style. We talked of all sorts of things, — Italian history, church painting, and the influence of religion in art, the Cappucine monks, and, somehow, that brought us to the Red Cross : ' I never carried a weapon,' he said, ' and I think that is the spirit of the Red Cross. We have lost some of the spirit that inspired the Red Cross in its in- ception. We look too much to ranks, make too much of military organization. The Red Cross was born as a protest against war and its brutalities. Our task is to wipe away the blood of the wounded and to spread the spirit of fellowship. The true symbol of the Red Cross is not the Sam Browne Belt, but the rope of the Cappucine. Yes, that should be our uniform. We should have the same spirit as those men who in the Middle Ages went out to preach to the poor ' — and so he went on talking and planning for his work on the Piave, drawing inspiration from history and art, from men and nature. Everything seemed to come to life, to take on fresh significance, through the touch of his artistic soul. . . . When we reached Pralunga he received a warm welcome at Head- quarters. He was shown to the small, broken down house that had been chosen as his headquarters. It was on the cross-roads, between Fornaci and Fossalta, not far from the Piave. ' Quite a strategic point,' said McKey ; ' I shall go to the trenches every day to make my distribution in 84 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY view of the Austrian vedette/ And there I left him bus;; making ready his canteen, and in high spirits over the op portunity for service." In a letter sent to a friend a day or two later McKe;; thus describes his new post : " Every facility is given me and in a few days my canteen will be running. I shal start before the house is quite complete, as they are anx ious for me to get under way. I am lunching and dining at the Divisione, where they are most kind and give me i horse and cart each day to go to my work. You cai imagine I make no demands or requests except those en tirely necessary for my work, and, in fact, I have rarel;; had to ask for anything as everything has been done foi me. I spent my first morning with the Colonel in the lines to see my posts and the street where I am to work There is wonderful work there and I see a great op portunity. I think, however, there is danger of losing the outfit with a shell. The street is shelled constanth and during the time, about an hour, in which we were ii the line, some fifty shells came over, striking in or neai the street. I have, however, found several spots int( which I can crawl and be quite safe." Before this letter reached its destination. Lieutenant Mc Key had made the supreme sacrifice. On June 16 in th( neighborhood of Fossalta, he was consulting with Captair Colabattisti, who was in command of a field battery, as tc where to place his canteen in order to best serve refresh ments to the men. The place was being heavily shellec by the enemy and there was little ground suitable for th( purpose. However, a place was selected and then for i few moments they discussed the progress of the battle " The fine qualities displayed by our men," to quote th( Captain, " so aroused McKey that he gave free vent to his enthusiasm: 'How splendidly the Italians are fighting! he exclaimed." Those were the last words he uttered, foi just then an Austrian shell exploded at their side, kill ing him instantly and at the same time seriously wound ROLLING CANTEENS — THE JUNE OFFENSIVE 85 ing Captain Colabattisti. He was buried the next day, his grave marked by a plain wooden cross inscribed with his name and rank, like the rows of Italian graves beside him. A small American flag was placed beside the cross, and throughout the battle his Italian friends kept fresh flowers on the grave. Scarcely had the armistice been signed, however, before the Italian authorities erected a headstone, on which are the crossed flags of Italy and America, with an inscription below in memory of the young lieutenant whose death was the blood pledge of the friendship of the two countries. This story has been told at some length because in the manner of his tragic death as in his life McKey so per- fectly represented the spirit which was the inspiration of the rolling canteen service and the secret of its success. His last words express the verdict shared by all the Red Cross men whose experiences during those stormy days in June qualified them to speak : — shared too, however reluctantly, by the enemy. An Austrian ofiicer, taken prisoner, declared : " After the first day we knew that we were beaten. We never expected to meet such spirited re- sistance." And, in fact, the Austrians had confidently ex- pected to capture Venice within forty-eight hours, and, in anticipation of this victory, had had leaden medals made representing the Austrian eagle about to pluck out the eyes of the Lion of St. Mark. Perhaps the designer had prophetic vision: the eagle looks more like an obscene vulture than like the king of birds ; and the lion is most calm and unperturbed, as if he too were observing : " How splendidly the Italians are fighting ! " CHAPTEE VI Surgical Dressings — Hospital Supplies — Hospitals — Dis- pensaries—Fighting Spanish Fever — Child Welfare Work — Summer Colonies We are justly proud of the record that America made in the great war when once she got under way. But what is unique in that record is not the tremendous energy put into our military preparations, nor even the splendid con- duct of our soldiers, clean, strong, upstanding men whose intelligence, dash^ and daring called forth universal ad- miration, but rather the way in which all America en- listed for service. We showed for the first time in history how a democracy makes war. The people willed it and the people waged it. Universal were the contributions to Liberty Loans and to the various welfare organizations; everywhere without the compulsion of law the people gladly accepted and put into force the recommendations of the Food Administration for the conservation of food; and everywhere, men whose normal occupation did not contri- bute to the war and who were ineligible for military duty, women, and even children, eagerly sought some way in which they might individually volunteer for service. No more striking illustration of this spirit can be found than in the mobilization of the women of America for Eed Cross work until an army of many millions had been mustered with chapters or auxiliary groups in every town. It is a big story, yet one that is briefly told. Describe the chap- ter in your own town and the chances are that you have described them all. The rest is figures. It is very much the same when one attempts to trace the course of their handiwork on reaching its destination. That story also 86 HOSPITALS — DISPENSARIES 87 is briefly told. The rest is figures. Chapter boxes ar- rived in Italy by the thousands.^ At first they were all sent to Kome. Later seven other warehouses were estab- lished at different points, chosen so that the largest sup- ply of dressings might be distributed with the least possible delay in the event of a crisis. Had you entered any one of these warehouses you might have seen all parts of the country represented — Seattle rubbing elbows with New Haven, Boston resting on ISTew Orleans. It almost seemed as if every box had come from a different chapter, so that in very truth it might be said that loyal and loving hands all over America were stretched out to help bind up the wounds of our soldiers and the soldiers of our valiant allies. In connection with seven of these warehouses were surgi- cal dressings bureaus. Here the boxes were opened and the dressings, white and spotless as when they left the home chapter, were sorted and piled on shelves, or stored in bins, and sometimes remodeled to meet Italian usage. From these centers they were distributed until every hos- pital was fully supplied. In one of these bureaus, in an- ticipation of the Italian offensive in October, the necessary assorted supplies sufficient to care for fifty thousand wounded were packed and ready for immediate emergency distribution. And these, when the offensive came, were hurried in camions to places of need. The sudden ending of the war left a large stock still on hand. After the needs of the redeemed districts and the devastated areas had been cared for, the surplus was sent forward to Poland and other countries farther east. The first thing to get clearly in mind is the absolute difference between the work in Italy and that in France. 1 The Chapter Boxes shipped to the American Red Cross Commis- sion in Italy durinj^ the year 1918 contained: Surgical Dressings, 66,507,536; Hospital Supplies, 2,112,609; Hospital Garments, 2,505,- 946; Refugee Garments, 273,394; Articles for Sailors and Soldiers, 452,802; with a total value of $8,212,336.26. 88 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY In Italy the need was not hospitals, but supplies. When the American Red Cross came to Italy shortly after the disaster of Caporetto, the Italians had just lost one hun- dred and fifty thousand hospital beds, with all that that implies in the way of equipment, and also two main field magazines of the Sanitary Service, which had been the source of reserve supplies for the hospitals of the war zone. While of course the Red Cross could not replace all that had been lost, it did replace a good part, especially supplying such needs as could not be met in Italy — sur- gical instruments, auto-claves, rubber goods, etc. With hospitals Italy was still plentifully supplied. These, however, had often been improvised in school build- ings or private villas, and many of the smaller military hospitals hastily constructed were in want of the most es- sential articles. In some cases the American Red Cross supplied the entire outfit, and more than once a Director has been heard to say that, thanks to it, he had been able to continue his work, as it had been all but impossible to ob- tain the necessary supplies from other sources. Inspectors were sent to the hospitals to investigate and discover their needs. Generally these visits were more than formal inspections. " I always made a point," said one, " of going through the wards and conversing with the wounded who were able to talk. They were always glad to see the American uniform and a few cheerful words about themselves and their families never failed to bring a re- sponse, and their touching gratitude for small favors and their courage in their sufferings more than once brought tears to the eyes. The blind soldiers were, as a rule, the most pathetic. Wlien they first enter the hospitals they are utterly depressed and indifferent to life, but soon they begin to learn some trade and before many months have passed become quite expert at it, producing work equal to any done by regular artisans. Then I always found them happy and contented, singing and joking with their neigh- bors while at their work in spite of their affliction." And HOSPITALS — DISPENSARIES 89 so as our inspectors went on their rounds they continually created fresh ties of friendship which will long survive the war. Sometimes the method of procedure was slightly dif- ferent. Instead of sending inspectors first, the officers in charge of the Sanitary Service would be invited to visit the warehouse at Padua or at Bologna, where in a large room might be found a complete exhibit of all the articles which the Eed Cross was ready to supply, a goodly and tempting array. They were then asked to send in their lists, which were later checked up, and the needs invariably supplied. At first there was some diffidence on the part of the authorities in making known their wants. For the Italians are proud and sensitive and scorn charity. They would even resort to window dressing in order to appear better off than they were when our inspectors arrived. But our Eed Cross workers soon made it plain that their aid was no more charity than the aid which our soldiers were giving in the line. The assistance of the Red Cross was just one of America's ways of trying to catch up, try- ing to pay some of the debt we owed to those who had already been fighting and suffering for us for three long years. And then their attitude changed and they gladly received our aid in the spirit in which it was given. In all over two thousand hospitals were aided, many of them two or three times. The range of articles furnished covered all conceivable hospital supplies — dressings, drugs, medicines, disinfectants, surgical instruments and appliances, operating room, radiographic and laboratory supplies, rubber goods, hospital furniture, kitchen and dining room utensils, hospital clothing, linen, and even food stuffs, in fact anything which goes to maintain and equip a hospital, from a towel to a complete radiographic apparatus or an ambulance, from a silver probe to a ton of ether. When the Red Cross had not the desired article in stock it was purchased. 90 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY The significance of this work is out of all proportion to the brevity of the tale. Would you have a nearer view, accompany one of our field delegates in the early part of 1918 on a trip of inspection to the mountain front. Plodding along a road continually shelled and hugging the mountain side for protection, with a heavy load of cigarettes, matches, and chocolate on his back, he stops to rest awhile with the picket. But let him tell his own story : " It is nearly midnight and the picket has had nothing to eat since ten in the morning, for it is difficult to get rations up a road that is being shelled so heavily. He does not smoke cigarettes. I must remember to bring some toscana cigars next time for these old territorials. I gave him some chocolate, but a cigar would have been the right thing. Going on, I reach the steeper part of the mountain where mules are unable to advance. Long files of soldiers are going up. Young boys are carrying heavy boxes of ammunition swung on a pole, helping themselves up on their knees. Soldiers are coming down, some carrying the dead, as in a hammock, others helping their limp and wounded companions dovni the difficult mountain path. Here are the trenches the Italians were in yesterday, right under a steep cliff. Forty feet higher the Austrians were on top. It seems impossible that the Italians could have carried the position. I help myself up with a rope ladder. On the top an action is going on one hundred yards away and it is best for me to sit down in the old Austrian trench. My Lord, how dirty it is ! The Italian trenches were not exactly American bath- rooms, but this Austrian trench is filthy. The Italians are moving forward; shells are whizzing overhead; the small trench mortars make a tremendous noise and the reports of the machine guns and mortars are continuous. In the bright moonlight I can see the soldiers run across a narrow field and throw themselves down in what would be the new Italian trench. Dead Austrians are lying all around. Daylight comes, and it seems strange to see the HOSPITALS — DISPENSARIES 91 little pink clouds sailing peacefully over such desolation. For a time the bombardment stops, and then you can hear voices floating up from below in the crisp mountain air. Two big shells strike on the mountain to the left, their smoke covering half of the peak. Evidently no harm has been done for you soon hear the clear Italian voices sing- ing out. ISTow there is nothing to do but sit in as well protected a spot as possible and wait for the night. When it is quiet, we can hear the Italians and the Austrians at the same time picking in the rocks to deepen their trenches. Some Austrian prisoners are brought in. The Viennese is surly. When he finds that I am an American he seems surprised and exclaims ' Ach! Amerikanisch. But we have whipped the Russians, and you are too late.' A young Sard is wounded. I make myself useful carrying him down to the first aid station. This is a gallery thirty feet deep cut into the mountain side. Here his wounds are dressed. The wounded in the gallery are all serious cases. They moan and cry for something to drink. It is only possible to wipe their mouths with lemon juice and water. One fine Alpino is lying on his face horribly mangled and bleeding profusely. Two young fellows have lost their minds and are tied to stretchers. One still be- lieves himself to be in battle and yells continually ' Avanti! Avanti!' Leaving this gallery of horrors I carry my wovmded Sard down a dangerous and narrow pathway, sometimes over thin boards thrown across gaps where shells have dropped, where a false step or break in the board would mean a fall of a thousand feet. At the clearing station his wounds are again carefully dressed and anti-tetanus serum is injected. Then we are packed with ten others in an ambulance and taken to the field hospital. But the hospital is full. There are wounded lying in the corridors. So we are sent on to another clear- ing hospital where my soldier has something to eat. At eight o'clock in the evening we are on a train with two hundred wounded bound for Vicenza. It takes five weary 92 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY hours to go that twenty miles, and the wounded, especially susceptible to oold from loss of blood, are without over- coats or blankets. — You may be sure I arranged to hare Ked Cross blankets on that train thereafter. — Finally I get my wounded Sardinian to bed in the hospital at Vicenza. He had never once complained, and I shall always remember his short-cropped bushy head against my cheek as I carried him down that mountain side. More and more, I visited these first aid stations, and to all of them the Red Cross was able to send quantities of articles that were needed. " Some months later, on the 29th of June, I was on the Val Bello. The Italians had retaken this mountain after losing it on the 15th. The Austrians had been surprised and not knowing what was coming were shelling the line some half a mile back of the trenches they had lost, and the stretcher bearers were having exciting runs over this shelled district. An Austrian machine gun five hundred yards to the right was taking heavy toll of the men who went through the last stretch of communicating trenches before reaching Yal Bello. Here I chanced upon an old acquaintance. Corporal M , wounded, and so covered with mud that I did not recognize him, but he knew me. There were no stretcher bearers at hand, but with my aid and the help of a stick he managed to reach the first aid station where his wounds were dressed and bandaged, I noticed with pride, wi- O 195 u2< ^♦-i ^ J CHAPTER VII A Tour through Italy in the wake of the Ked Cross — Genoa — Turin — Milan — Padua — Venice — Florence The chapters that have gone before have given a com- prehensive description of the work that the American Red Cross accomplished with and for the Italians both on the fighting front, through its ambulances and canteens and its assistance to hospitals, and on the " inner front," through its broad measures for civilian relief. The ac- companying map gives a graphic representation of the extent and distribution of that work. Its character, how- ever, differed much in different localities, and to com- plete the story it is necessary to take a rapid tour through Italy in the wake of the American Red Cross, noting the unique features that have not as yet been described. No attempt will be made to give a complete account of the ac- tivities in the different districts nor will the relative amount of space given to the different regions be any indi- cation of the relative importance of the work done there. Rome, for example, where perhaps a larger amount of work was done than anj^where else, will come in for but a few pages, since most of its activities not already described were of the normal kinds. These differences in Red Cross work were partly due to the individuality of the delegates, but chiefly to conditions determined by the nearness or remote- ness from the fighting zone, or by the divergencies in climate, prosperity and literacy, which were often very- great. In the matter of literacy alone the range was from 11 per cent of illiterates in the Provinces of Piedmont and Lombardy to nearly 70 per cent in Puglie, Calabria, and Sicily. Owing to these differences and also to the survival 109 110 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY of rivalries dating from the time when Italy had been di- vided into different political units under foreign domina- tion, the unity of Italy before the war had been in name rather than in fact. That is, while the people all over Italy were united in loyalty to the King and devotion to the country, they still cherished the old superiorities. The people of Lombardy, for example, thought themselves a little better than the Piedmontese, were on speaking terms with the Veneto, looked with contempt on southern Italy and as for Calabria and Puglie, they simply did not exist. But during the war many a brigade from the poorer and more ignorant sections acquitted itself gloriously in battle, and there were undoubtedly some from the more favored regions whose record is not above reproach. So one of the effects of the war has been to bring about a better un- derstanding and a readjustment of valuations, and in the process Italy has become united in spirit more than ever she was before. GENOA Americans who have visited Genoa will remember the beavitiful palace of the King situated on one of the steep slopes rising from the harbor. The building is beauti- fully landmarked from the waterfront by palms and a fountain in the foreground, and above the great build- ing of stone with two wings stretching out towards the sea. When King Victor Emanuel found that a large space would be needed to store the goods coming into the port of Genoa from America intended for distribution among the refugees and the wives and children of soldiers fight- ing at the front, he immediately directed that a part of this palace be turned over to the American Red Cross for warehouse purposes. Here in what were formerly the royal stables and riding school were stored the supplies used in the Genoa District. American bacon and beans and barreled beef and flour filled the stalls where once the spirited horses of the royal family lived in equine A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 111 luxury. But this was only one of many warehouses in Genoa, for almost all of the American Red Cross sup- plies that came to Italy in such generous quantities entered through this port. To handle these supplies re- quired six warehouses on the Genoa docks. Much of the material sent to Switzerland for prisoners' relief also passed through these warehouses. Incidentally the Red Cross cleared and transported all the Y.M.C.A. supplies for Italy. Often the goods were checked into the port warehouse and immediately checked out again and started for their destinations, the various Red Cross warehouses in Italy. When once the work of the Commission was fully under way, an average of from fifteen to twenty carloads of goods left the Genoa docks every day, carrying far and near the material which kept all the Red Cross activities in Italy going. TURIN" Turin, the first large city reached on entering Italy from France, was at all times ready and prepared to give the American soldiers a welcome on their arrival, but in view of the small number of Americans sent to Italy had little opportunity to show how much it could do.^ But a station canteen and rest house furnished food daily for five hundred allied soldiers and cared for three hundred at night. The city of the automobile, the home of the Fiat, the Detroit of Italy, a city of many war industries, there was always plenty of work in Turin, and the hardships of war were less in evidence here than elsewhere. Local chari- table organizations did much, especially for the children, and the American Red Cross gave its assistance largely through these institutions, supplying the things that could with difficulty be procured in Italy. It did, however, organize, equip, and operate three homes for war orphans, one of these being comfortably established in a spacious 1 See page 161. 112 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY villa that had formerly been the property of the German Consul in Turin. Its large yard with its big shade trees made a fine iihiy ground for the Red Cross youngsters who established themselves in firm possession and were a happy family. It was a special satisfaction to see this palatial German villa put to such gentle and humane use. Through the Turin center the Red Cross also provided twelve thousand Polish prisoners of war in camp at Chivasso with many comforts, such as underwear, socks, and smoking tobacco, not to mention the small item of 25,000 envelopes and paper. MILAN The city of Milan received less than its share of recogni- tion from the tourists of pre-war days. It was regarded in the main as a city that had to be passed through on the way to more picturesque and interesting cities farther east and south, deserving only a brief stop, — long enough for a view of the famous Cathedral, and the old market place, a tour of the gallery and a glimpse of the remains of Leonardo's masterpiece. But during the past few years Milan has come into its own. Capital of the rich and populous Province of Lombardy, with its many industrial centers, all working overtime to provide the sinews of war, the great military center for the armies of the allied nations, it has come to be recognized as about the most important city of the realm. N^ow the people of Lom- bardy are most loyal ; but there is no doubt that they were in a low state of mind after Caporetto, when the refugees began to pour in by the tens of thousands, and it seemed to be only a question of time when the Germans would take Milan. Lombardy was always keenly conscious of the war and its menace. For thousands of years when- ever there had been a war she had been the coveted prize. Also one must remember that the German hold upon Milan through control of its banks and industries was par- ticularly strong; and while the people hated the Austrians, Till' iioondav meal at the Red Cross asilo at \ aiedo, near Milan. A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 113 they had been made to believe that Germany was their friend and would see to it that Italy got her due from Austria. So the German propagandists had found an especially fertile field here. They worked with the anti- war socialists and after Caporetto became particularly of- fensive. The American Red Cross stepped in when the situation was at its darkest and working through the energetic American Committee for Relief in Lombardy gave prompt and lavish aid. It was necessary to show to the people that America was with them in the war and to show them at once and in a big way. That mistakes were made, that enterprises were started which had to be abandoned goes without saying, but the need was for immediate ac- tion, and the result sought was achieved. For some time it was a good part of the task of the American Red Cross representatives to go to every public function and show themselves. They wore the American uniform and were the advance guard of the American Army. The patriotic Italians not only worked with them ; they played them up. As the weeks went on and the refugees became absorbed in the life of the community, and the problem of their relief less pressing, the work of the American Red Cross branched out in every direction until it might be said without exaggeration that every phase of the work for humanity done under the Geneva flag found expression here. Extending for miles out into the country from Milan are flat green fields partly submerged in water. They are neither swamps nor marsh lands, those waving fields of tender green, bordered by rows of slender willows. They are the famous rice fields of Lombardy. Here and there scattered across them you might have seen in the month of June groups of half-crouching, half-bending women, their feet and ankles in water, their faces hidden by drooping broad-brimmed hats, patiently pulling up the weeds. It was a monotonous and back-breaking task, but 114 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY always enlivened and made endurable bj song. For as they worked they sang — a sort of chant, at once happy and plaintive, quite in keeping with the scene and the setting, and not unlike the song of the darkies in our cotton fields at home. One care at least had been lifted from the minds of these patient mothers as they worked and sang in the rice fields, leaving the younger women free to take the places of men in the industries. Their babies were being well cared for. The American Eed Cross in cooperation with the Italian authorities aided in the establishment and maintenance of day nurseries for these babies throughout the rice district. Like mushrooms they cropped up over night, — sixteen in the space of two weeks, — some established in public schools, some in convents in charge of soft-voiced, black-robed nuns, and all provided with yards in which the children played. In some of the more pretentious nurseries were rooms with rows of wooden cradles, handmade and solidly built, well worn from many rockings, that have been handed down through many generations. Mothers took pride in provid- ing their children's cribs with the necessary coverlets, some of them mangels of embroidery, done in happier days by the women themselves. Wlien the work was over they would walk in a body, sometimes several miles, to the day nursery in their district to claim their babies. It was a pretty sight to see them, the children swinging their little baskets, the smallest carried in their mothers' arms or toddling along between older brothers and sisters, as the family groups wended their way down the road towards home, chatting eagerly about the small happenings of the day. They were tired, these mothers, from their day's work wading and weeding in the rice fields, but happy in the knowledge that while the little store of money was growing that would keep them from want during the winter, their children were happy and well A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 115 cared for, getting fatter and rosier each day, thanks to the food and the sweet rich milk from America. Milan is a thoroughly modern city and incidentally one of the best governed cities in Europe. About the only good thing that it lacked that our cities in America possess was a children's playground, — not a park where they might parade, but a real playground all their own, where they might romp and play to their heart's content — a playground equipped with swings and teeter boards, fly- ing rings and a shoot-tlie-clmtes ; and with sand piles, and the toys that go with them, for children too small for the more hazardous games. The American Red Cross conceived the idea of supplying this lack. The Umani- taria, a large and well managed charitable organization of Milan, offered the ground, and the thing was done. It was the first playground of its kind in all of Italy, and it was an unqualified success from the beginning. As many as a thousand children a day enjoyed its privileges. Groups of children would gather at the gate waiting for the hour of nine to come, when the field was open, and it was hard to drive them away at dusk when the time arrived for closing. All sports had their partisans, but the one that aroused the most enthusiasm was the toboggan slide. The mats that had been provided for the children to slide down on were soon discarded as wasting time, or perhaps as taking away some of the thrill, and there was often a steady stream of humanity sliding down the boards, one child starting before his predecessor had reached the bottom. At one side a little refuge had been built where the children might come when weary of play, and there was the ever present postcard with someone always ready to assist the child who wanted to send a message to his or her father at the front, and many mis- sives were sent every day. A trained nurse was always on hand to look after the physical welfare of the children. And the games were supervised, with the aim of not 116 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY merely directing the enthusiasm and energy of youth, but also teaching the children generosity and team work, teaching them to play the game, and training them in leadership. PADUA The sub-districts of the American Red Cross with centers at Verona, Piacenza, and Vicenza, were wholly concerned with work that was done directly with the soldiers and with extending aid to front line hospitals. But the headquarters for all American Red Cross relief work in the Veneto, exclusive of the Venice District, were at Padua. Padua had always been a quiet, sleepy old town, rich in monuments of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, visited by all art lovers who were especially attracted by the frescoes of Giotto and the sculptures and great equestrian statue by Donatello. But there was no quiet in Padua after the Caporetto retreat. Filled with soldiers hurrying towards the front, officers' staff cars dashing through the narrow streets with open exhausts — there were no speed laws in the war zone — and heavy army lorries lumbering along making the very ground tremble, Padua was always the scene of feverish military activity. And night after night, whenever the moon shone clear, there were incessant air raids, one following another in quick succession, sometimes as many as one hundred bombs dropping in a single night. Houses hit fair and square simply disappeared, leaving but a heap of rub- bish. But it was not an infrequent experience in walk- ing along the streets of Padua to find oneself suddenly con- fronting a house whose outer wall had been neatly sliced off, leaving the interior exposed to full view, the beds and other furniture quite intact. Irreparable damage has been done to some of the ancient monuments of Padua.' And every raid took its tragic toll in killed and wounded. These were almost invariably civilians, mostly women and children, helpless victims of the crudest phase of the war, A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 117 whose injuries or death brought not the slightest advant- age to the enemy. As many of the population as could had left the city, but many thousands remained. And these, in large numbers, whenever the moon appeared, would seek refuge in the open fields beyond the town, there spending the night as best they could, in all sorts of weather. The life of the city was completely disorgan- ized. All the industries had either closed down or moved away. And the Eed Cross problems in Padua were de- termined by these conditions. The first step taken was the establishment of a large workroom for the making of garments, which ultimately employed three hundred women, members of soldiers' families, and served the double duty of giving employ- ment to the needy and providing in large quantities gar- ments for the poor. This workroom was run in close co- operation with a local Italian Committee, on whose ad- vice the garments were sold rather than given away, both because it was felt that giving away was demoralizing and because it was clear that the Italian authorities would be unable subsequently to continue the precedent of giv- ing, so that for the Red Cross to initiate such a program would result later in invidious comparison and invite discontent. The goods were therefore sold, at the bare cost of labor, only those citizens being privileged to buy whose cases had been investigated, and these were pro- vided with tickets according to their needs. The sales, held in the loggia of the Salone della Ragione, were a great success, and this method of distribution met with the high approval of the public authorities. Towards the middle of the year this work-room, like the rest of the Red Cross workrooms in Italy, made children's clothes only, and these were used in Red Cross institutions, the public sales being discontinued. Universal unemployment had caused an unprecedented demand upon the public kitchens that had been established by local Italian organizations, and the Red Cross, by the 118 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY generous supply of food stuffs from America, enabled them to meet tins demand and continue their good work. There were a number of asili for the children of Padua already in existence and these were all assisted by the Ked Cross with food and clothing. Outside the city of Padua, in widely scattered districts distributed through- out the whole of the Veneto, the Red Cross established its owm institutions for children, until over six thousand in all had been brought directly or indirectly under its care. Fully half of these were real waifs of the war who had lived for three years in the midst of the back-wash of the fighting armies, within the sound of the guns that had made many of them orphans. There were fourteen of these institutions in the vicinity of the war zone. The smallest of all, but in its human aspect the most appeal- ing, was an orphanage for girls which had been so battered about by the hazards of war that its original number of one hundred had been reduced to thirteen. This orphan- age had been founded in 1901 at Materello, a town that the pre-war maps place in Austria, but that in reality was in the heart of the Italian region of the Trentino. This in- stitution had been founded in order to give to " the future mothers of the Trentino a Christian education full of healthy patriotic sentiments, strictly Italian." This was not an easy matter under the eyes of the strict Austrian administration. But the Sisters in charge found many ways to express their sentiments. Their habit was white with a narrow piping of green and the device of their order displayed on a red background, thus ingeniously flaunting the Italian colors in the very face of the Austrian oppressor. At the beginning of the war the Sisters had been ordered by the Austrian authorities to remove their little charges farther back into the interior. They promptly disregarded this order and, acting quickly, sent as many of the little girls as they could to relatives of whose loyalty to Italy they were sure; and with the re- A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 119 maining thirty-eight, the eight Sisters bravely set forth, not back into Austria, as ordered, but towards Italy. They succeeded in reaching Avio, where their secret hope was realized — they were captured by the Italian Army. For some time they were cared for by the military authori- ties, but the vicissitudes of war had been many, and, out of thirty-eight children and eight devoted nuns who were the victims of that welcome capture, only thirteen children and three nuns remained in the summer of 1918, when the American Red Cross took them under its wing and continued to care for them until they were able to return under the victorious Italian Army to their old home in Materello. The Red Cross kept at all times in close touch with front dressing stations and war zone hospitals, and through its large warehouses established in Padua was able to supply field hospitals abundantly and promptly, espe- cially in times of activity. On one occasion during the October offensive the English hospitals near the Piave north of Treviso ran short of supplies and when they ap- plied to the American Red Cross, it was a particular satisfaction to be able to meet their needs. Once during the summer when malaria was at its height an urgent message was received at Padua from an Italian general, whose division was located on the lower Piave, that they were entirely out of quinine and could get none from the Italian authorities. This message was received at noon. There was no quinine at the time in Padua and a telegram was sent to Rome. And that very night a special messenger was sent with over one hundred thou- sand pills, which were delivered the next morning to the general, whose gratitude was only equalled by his sur- prise and admiration for the promptness of the response. VENICE Venice, the fair, Venice the beloved, city of romance and mystery, seemed to acquire a new, if tragic, beauty 120 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY and an added fascination under the grim shadow of the war. After the Caporetto retreat which had brought Venice within fourteen miles of the Austrian guns and made it subject to constant air raids, there was a con- tinuous exodus of her citizens. But some forty thousand were left. All the industries were shut down; even the stores, save those that provided the barest necessities, were closed ; and there were no tourists, all the hotels, save one, having been requisitioned by the Government, mainly for hospital use. The condition of the forty thousand who were left, with no means of livelihood, was pitiable in the extreme. But their fortitude in their suffering, their never-failing confidence in victory, and the fine spirit shown by all in cooperating for the common good cast an added glory on this Queen of the Adriatic. Venice was the most difficult place in Italy to visit during the war. It was more difficult in fact to pass through her sentried gates than to make a tour of the front line trenches, as if, somehow, fate were trying to shield her in her suffering from prying eyes. The simple fact is that Venice was under the Department of the Marine and guarded with that careful jealousy which the ^NTavy always affects. It was no easy matter to obtain the necessary permission from the Ministry of Marine in Rome and, that received, when once at the gates of Venice, one must stand and wait while officers telephoned to the Naval Base to see whether Rome had properly advised it of the name and identity of the visitor. If by chance that formality had been overlooked, the gates of Venice remained closed. Once this barrier was passed, having real business in Venice, you probably found a motor launch awaiting you. If this was not there you were lucky to find a gondola, in charge not of a gay young boatman as in former days, but of an old man with wrinkled face and shabby clothes, a gondolier emeritus, who had emerged from his retreat to take the place of his son who had been called to the colors. All was quiet and still on the Grand A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 121 Canal save for the chugging of motor boats speeding on their errands of war. You might indeed have gone the en- tire length of the Grand Canal and scarcely seen another gondola. The houses that line it seemed deserted, windows and doors all shut ; the market place was empty ; and there was no sign of life on the once busy Rialto. An occasional rent in the side of the canal or scar on the front of a building suggested the reason. Here was what once was Saint Simeon the Great, now a pillar and a pile of brick with staging to support what was left. You arrived at last at the Piazza San Marco. There was the new Campanile, looking quite natural, though its sweet chimes had not been heard for many months. And there were the familiar pigeons. But the horses were gone from the old Cathedral. They too were refugees and had been carried clear to Rome for safety. The fagade was completely hidden by sand- bags, giving the Cathedral the air of a fortress. Brick supports had been built up under the arches of the Doges' Palace, and each comer was protected by a massive block of cement. Venice at night was even stranger than by day. When darkness closed in upon palace, lagoon, canal, and bridge, the city could be felt rather than seen. One has heard much of the darkness of London and Paris in these times of war raids, but those cities were well lighted in com- parison with Venice. There were, indeed, at long inter- vals a few ghostly green lights whereby the experts could steer their course. But people stumbled against each other in the narrow streets and many who thought they knew every stone in the city lost their way and fell into the canals. Where were the children that used to be so much in evi- dence ? Most of them were refugees who had been car- ried to places of safety. But many were left and these had been gathered into children's homes for their better protection. There were some twenty-five of these homes, or asilij run by a Citizens' Committee and generously sup- 122 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY ported by the American Ked Cross. In fact it may be said without exaggeration that practically all of the chil- dren of soldiers left in Venice came under the care of the Red Cross. But Venice being subject to constant air raids day and night, it was necessary for each asilo to provide an underground refuge, a tomb-like retreat, shored with heavy timbers and protected with piles of sandbags. Whenever the siren blew its warning the children were gathered here by the kindly Sisters who, in order that terror might not be added to the sufferings of their little wards, sometimes made a sort of game of the experience, calling the children together when the warning came, say- ing : " Kow we shall go to the place where we always sing Viva il Re (Long Live the King)." Then the line would form two by two. There was no hurrying, for many of the children could hardly toddle, and hand in hand they went to the subterranean school and remained while airplanes whizzed above. In this dark refuge the children sat huddled together and sang. But often the enemy remained in the air a long time, and tired voices dropped away to silence, and small heads fell over upon shoulders of their baby comrades, sleep overcoming them before the four blasts of the siren announced that danger was over, when out they went singing once more " Viva il Be/' that somehow in their childish treble seemed a song of victory won. The problem of supplying food to the poor left behind in this stricken city was met by the maintenance of seven public soup kitchens — four in Venice, one in Burano, one in Murano, and one in Chioggia. These were all under local management, but were generously assisted by the Red Cross with supplies sufficient to provide in all about eight hundred thousand rations. A free dispensary for the families of soldiers, run by an Italian physician, was assisted by the Red Cross which gave thousands of gal- lons of fresh milk and babies' food. A great deal was done in Venice for the soldiers them- A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 123 selves, both in and out of hospitals. l^Tot only were quan- tities of packages sent from there to the front for soldiers in the trenches, but distribution was also made at the Venice warehouse, to the soldiers on leave, of packages containing, generally, underwear, socks, and cigarettes. About twenty thousand soldiers were aided in this way. Ked Cross assistance was early extended to Chioggia for the relief of refugees leaving Venice by that door. But Chioggia, a large fishing port of some thirty-five thousand inhabitants, was in dire straits when the fish- ing industry was forced to suspend on account of the ever present enemy submarines, and the American Red Cross remained, under a local delegate, to cooperate in all measures adopted for relief of the soldiers' families. And similarly Red Cross aid was extended all along the shores of the upper Adriatic, with headquarters at Rimini and Ancona. The extensive work in and about Venice was initiated through the efforts of the American Consul, Mr. B. Harvey Carroll, Jr., who had thrown himself with indefatig- able energy into the work of relief immediately after the Caporetto retreat and for many months acted as unofficial representative of the American Red Cross. By the spring of 1918 the work had grown to such magnitude as to re- quire undivided attention and he felt compelled to resign, and a special Red Cross delegate was sent to take his place, assuming charge on the first of June. Under the new delegate the work was intensified rather than ex- tended. Direct supervision of the existing activities was made possible, closer personal relations were established, and the methods of assistance were coordinated with those in use throughout Italy. A visiting assistant nurse was sent among the asili to investigate the health conditions and to assist not only by advice, but by offering her per- sonal services in caring for the health of the children and improving hygienic conditions. Manv of the children were found to be in a deplorable 124 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY condition. So the idea was conceived of establishing a home where the most sickly and under-nourished might be kept day and night and given special care and, when necessary, medical treatment. The success of the Italian counter-offensive in the early days of July removing the enemy lines several miles farther away, suggested the possibility of establishing such a place at the Lido, where the children might have the benefit of sun and sea baths. Now the Lido was militarized to the last inch of ground. There were several squadrons of air planes lo- cated on the island, which made it a favorite objective for Austrian air raids, and the hotels had either been re- quisitioned for military use or filled with the furniture taken from those that had been requisitioned. After many difiiculties and the untying of many knots, civil as well as military, the spacious ground floor of the Hotel des Bains was secured. The hotel kitchen having been burned down early in the war, a small kitchen was built in two days with the help of soldiers from the garrison at Venice. The plumbing was put in order by means of pipe taken from other buildings for there was no pipe to be bought in Venice. An interested colonel at the Lido sent fifty men to put the place in order; a little freight launch tugged one himdred and eighty beds and all the furniture of the children's hospital in Venice to the nearest landing place; Sisters appeared in their long black robes, and maids in their white caps and aprons. A Red Cross nurse arrived from Rome, bathing suits were provided, the cupboard well stocked with clothes and finally, the first week in August, the children arrived and the place was formally opened. The great ballroom on the ground floor, completely open on all sides to the broad terraces, was filled with rows of little blue and white beds, while the long vine covered terrace on the ocean side contained low tables and chairs where the children ate their meals. There they spent happy days between the sea and the pine woods, bathing A TOUR. THROUGH ITALY 126 and playing on the famous Lido sands. The children had permission to use the beach for part of each day, under certain restrictions, for every foot was patrolled and the beaches were covered with trenches and barbed wire en- tanglements. But these barriers only gave added zest to the games of the sunburned infants who, in their bright colored aprons, all initialled C. E. A. (Croce Rossa Ameri- cana) and made by the soldiers' wives in Red Cross workrooms in Venice, laughed and shouted in their play and made of this part of " the front " the most cheerful spot in the neighborhood of Venice. Three hundred chil- dren enjoyed this care and cure before this colony was closed on the first of October. Then indeed it was not really closed, for, a short time after, in the unoccupied children's hospital at Venice, one hundred of the most needy were taken again under the charge of the Bed Cross which continued to run the place as a children's home until the middle of February. FLOKENCE There are but few of the many Americans who have had the privilege of visiting Florence who have not come under its spell. There is something in its equable climate, neither too warm nor too cold, too wet nor too dry, that invites one to remain ; something in its blue Tuscan hills dotted with homelike villas that begets affection; some- thing in the atmosphere that clings to its historic monu- ments and Renaissance palaces that breathes of peace and rest, — a mysterious influence that entices one to forget- fulness of the sterner realities of life. The Florentines themselves come under this spell. They accepted the war because they had to, but without any enthusiasm. It took the hard blow of the Caporetto defeat to rouse them to a full sense of their responsibility and bring them wholeheartedly into the struggle. That blow fell upon Florence with special severity. Being the great railway terminal from the north it was like the end of a huge 126 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY funnel through which the refugees poured, and at one time it was actually housing seventy thousaad refugees, an enormous load for a city with al, normal population of about two hundred thousand. On the very first day that refugees began to arrive no less than nine thousand came and were gathered (it would be more accurate to say herded) into the cloisters and the church of Santa Maria Novella. Of course these refugees were distrib- uted southward as fast as arrangements could be made, but twenty thousand remained as a charge upon Morence. The people were thoroughly aroused. The menace of in- difference had been made plain. Governmental and local agencies rose promptly to the occasion; individuals gave generously of their time and means ; and the American Red Cross through the Emergency Commission gave lavishly. It was some time, however, before the people of the more ignorant class accepted the situation. Our Red Cross officers when first they appeared, wearing the Amer- ican uniform, were not infrequently attacked and sub- jected to abuse. America's participation was regarded as simply a prolonging of the war that had lasted too long already. How this feeling was transformed was shovm by a little incident that occurred a few months later. In the early spring the American Red Cross delegate was out one night and, returning rather late, lost his way in the darkened streets and before he knew where he was found himself in a particularly turbulent quarter of the city, where suddenly two men armed with knives fell upon him. He succeeded in getting a grip on one of them and holding him in front of him, with his back against a wall, but he was hard beset. There was no chance in a fight and no hope in the darkness in flight, so he decided to reason with them and began by explaining that he was the representative of the American Red Cross. There was no need to go further. They at once desisted from their attack and asked him why he had not said A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 127 so at once. They then insisted upon conducting him, one on either side, to within a few blocks of his hotel, say- ing that they did not dare to go farther for fear of arrest, both being in fact deserters and forced to live in hiding. But they explained that they were trying to find some way of changing their names and getting back into the service, and they besought his aid, saying that the Red Cross through its assistance to the people in Flor- ence had brought about this change of heart. The work of the American Eed Cross had in fact enormously expanded after those days early in November. Some three hundred towns in the Province of Tuscany had received in one form or another the assistance of the Red Cross. And the work in Florence itself had expanded until it reached over every part of the community. There were of course the usual Red Cross institutions — work- rooms, asili, soup kitchens, etc. There was also a certain form of relief work undertaken here that was not dupli- cated elsewhere. It began with an enormous distribu- tion of clothing. The great Cinquecento Hall of the Palazzo Vecchio was piled high with bundles of clothing, each carefully numbered so that it might reach the family for which it had been specially prepared. There were nearly seventy thousand garments given away at this time, reaching twelve thousand families of soldiers and refugees, whose needs had all been previously carefully investigated by the authorities. As a result of this dis- tribution and the enormous number of appeals that soon began to pour into Red Cross headquarters, a method was adopted whereby the American Red Cross could reach the people directly and continue its relief in a systematic manner. Taking into consideration local conditions and the special character of the people in this district, an in- dividual Relief Department was established with a staff of twenty-five investigators who followed up every appeal, visiting the families and investigating the conditions and making recommendations according to the need. There 128 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY were, in round numbers, nineteen thousand families in- vestigated through this bureau, fourteen thousand five hun- dred of these receiving some form of assistance, mainly in the form of clothing and bedding, but also including other kinds of aid. The good effects of this widespread relief were shown in many ways, but most of all in the changed attitude of the poorer class towards the war. Two small institutions established by the American Red Cross in the Florence district deserve special mention be- cause they so perfectly illustrate that fine spirit of co- operation between the Red Cross and the communities benefited, which has so universally characterized the work in Italy and has done much to establish permanent ties of friendship between Italy and America, while at the same time rendering emergency assistance to the victims of the war and strengthening the power of resistance of the poorer classes. They were both planned as permanent monuments, and in this respect were something of a de- parture from the regular practice of the Red Cross which was to do emergency work only. The first one was in Leghorn and was a sort of supplementary school for one hundred children of soldiers between the ages of six and twelve. What had been a public square with many beauti- ful old pine trees was turned over to the Red Cross and here a small building was erected to which the artist's touch had given the character of an ancient monument set in among the pines, a single-storied building of seven- teenth century Florentine architecture, the large park in which it was erected being surrounded by a wall in keep- ing with the building. Four allegorical canvasses in the little reception room, the personal gift of an Italian friend, gave a unique touch to the reception room. One, called " Courage," represents the little fleet of Columbus on its way to the New World; another, called " Loyalty," gives a representation of the cherry-tree episode; the third, called " Fraternity," represents American Red Cross nurses and officers offering presents to Italian children; O o3 ,J3 a S^- C o O « o 3 Si IS cr A TOUR THROUGH ITALY 129 and the fourth, called " Liberty," represents American, Italian and other allied children dancing together in the midst of a peaceful rural landscape. After the Armistice this educatorio was turned over to the city of Leghorn with provision for its maintenance for six months, after which time it will be continued indefinitely by the city authori- ties but always bearing the name of the " Croce Rosso. Americana." The other was a children's home, situated in Lucca. Now in Lucca antique traditions of art are deep rooted in the hearts of the people, so a little building was de- signed that would sink into its place unobtrusively. The authorities of Lucca were so pleased with the design that they at once gave the American Red Cross one of the most beautiful spots in this ancient town, on the famous Boulevard that runs around the walls that surround the underlying city. Forty-two days after the ground was broken this building was brought to completion. The gen- eral satisfaction over the result was voiced by the Presi- dent of the Association of Lucchese Artists when he said : " I like the simple and serious little construction with its painted walls and ancient tiled roofs, and with the decoration you so sparingly added to it. It is quite in harmony with these historical surroundings. It looks as if it had always existed there." There are three little buildings in this group united by porticoes, the central building containing a little day dormitory and a bath- room with showers, etc., also a small dispensary, the building on the left arranged for an asilo for children from three to six, and that on the right as a day nursery for children from one to three. The city of Lucca will make this home into an " Ente Morale Autonomo/' that is, a permanent institution, under the superintendence of the local authorities assisted by the congregation of charity. Bearing the legend of the American Red Cross, it will remain as a beautiful and fitting testimonial to the spirit of the work it carried on in Italy during the war. CHAPTEE VIII (Tour through Italy in the wake of the Red Cross, continued) — Rome — Naples — Avellino — Bari — Reggio Calabria — Sicily (Taormina and Palermo) — Sardinia ROME Rome as the General Headquarters of the American Red Cross in Italy was the scene of several unique and impressive functions that have already been described. Most friendly and cordial relations were established and maintained throughout with the Italian Government, which in every possible way cooperated with the American Red Cross and manifested its deep appreciation of the work it was accomplishing. It was in Rome especially that the Red Cross came into touch with the various Italian organizations for war relief of national scope through which it was privileged to offer various and mani- fold assistance. Besides the Italian Red Cross, these in- cluded: the Board for School Relief {Patronato Scolastico), which acts under the Department of Educa- tion and has representatives in every community, and the Committee for Refugee Relief {Patronato dei Profughi) which had the general guardianship of refugees and had representatives in every town where they were sheltered. With these organizations the Red Cross has cooperated utilizing their extensive machinery in getting its supplies into the hands of the most needy. Mention should be made too, in this connection, of the Women's Alliance {Alleanza Femminile) which also extends all over Italy. It is well to pause a moment on reaching Rome to pay a tribute to the splendid way in which the Italians them- 130 ROME — NAPLES 131 selves were grappling with the difficult problem of civilian war relief under conditions of unprecedented hardship, lest in taking this tour through Italy we seem to be unduly boasting of the part played by the American Ked Cross. Now it is an Italian trait, no doubt deserving of all com- mendation, though apt to be slightly misleading, to ex- aggerate benefits received while saying little or nothing of what Italy itself is accomplishing. It is perhaps an ex- cess of courtesy on the one hand and of modesty on the other. In fact our Red Cross delegates who saw behind the scenes the work of the Italians were often embarrassed by the warmth of appreciation with which their own ef- forts were received. Besides the national committees referred to there were, scattered throughout Italy, innumerable local organiza- tions quietly accomplishing a vast amount of good work in the face of all but insuperable obstacles. The largest and the most important of these local organizations was the Eoman Committee for Civilian War Relief (Comitato Romano per L' Organizzazione Civile durante la Guerra). This was the official body appointed for relief work in the city of Rome and its immediate environs and had been formed before Italy's entrance into the war by certain prominent Italians whose foresight recognized the value of preparedness in work of this kind. The President of this Committee, Colonel Apolloni, also served as general Liai- son Officer for the American Red Cross, which organiza- tion he served with the utmost loyalty and devotion. The efficient work of this Roman Committee from the out- break of the war covered all manner of activities such as were undertaken by the American Red Cross, including what might be called a Home Service Department with its own legal bureau ; and it also provided courses for the in- struction of mutilated soldiers and ran a successful em- ployment bureau. This work was accomplished on a very large scale and was so excellently done that the American Red Cross contributed one million two hundred thousand 132 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY lire, besides large gifts of supplies, to enable it to extend its work still further. The work which the American Eed Cross independently undertook in the Roman District, which was made to in- clude the provinces of Lazio, Umbria, and Abruzzi, was separately organized and placed under a local delegate with headquarters in the city of Rome. Some of the more unique features of this work have already been de- scribed. An idea of its extent may be gathered from the fact that in all Yl activities were maintained.^ These included 43' asili and day nurseries, 7 public kitchens, 11 workshops and shoe shops. Besides the summer colony at Monte Luco, described above, a seaside camp was installed at Nettuno and continued for the three summer months. Here soldiers' children were sent in three groups, one hun- dred and fifty each month, living in tents on the beaches. Children predisposed to tuberculosis were selected and the results were most satisfactory. Ansemic, thin, and under- fed children became robust and joyous, healthy, and ex- pansive. Two institutions for war orphans came under the care of the Red Cross for the duration of the war, and the buildings in which they were housed were recon- structed and equipped. At Anzio on the sea near Rome a large building was reconstructed and converted into a hospital, and to this was transferred the equipment of the Red Cross hospital at Genoa after that institution had been closed. There had been no public hospital at Anzio-Nettuno, with a population of some twelve thousand, poor and in great need. A special tax has been placed for its maintenance in perpetuity and this hospital will remain as one of the most appreciated memorials of the work of the American Red Cross in Italy. 1 There were besides in this district 89 Italian institutions for civilian relief which received some form of Red Cross assistance and 54 municipal organizations in small towns where there were no special Red Cross activities, which were given food and clothing for dis- tribution. ROME — NAPLES 133 A Soldiers' Club (Casa del Soldato) was established in the old Borghese Palace at ISTettuno which was remodeled for this use. It consists of an enormous hall with a great open fire place, two reading and writing rooms, a kitchen and buffet, and all the appurtenances of a club. It is pro- vided with musical instruments and games, and serves as a place of comfort and recreation for eight hundred or more Italian soldiers daily who would otherwise in this desolate village have no place to go. There is a great military training base just outside Nettuno, and inasmuch as the Princess Borghese is to continue this club, it will not cease its usefulness after the departure of the Ameri- can Red Cross. It is an indication of the success of the work in the Roman district that a strong local committee has been formed which has undertaken to continue all the Red Cross activities except those which are distinctly temporary in character. NAPLES The appearance of IN'aples in war time was not very different from that in time of peace; there was the same surface beauty, the same inward misery. Perhaps this was because in normal times poverty and wretchedness are so great that the increase of suffering due to war conditions was less in evidence. One night indeed the people were sharply reminded of the war, when the Huns sailed over the city, and, as if in pure malice, dropped a score of bombs, hitting a hospital with their usual accurate marks- manship, and taking their toll in innocent lives. With the exception of the large and successful station canteen for soldiers, and the effective emergency relief work during the influenza epidemic, the independent activ- ities of the American Red Cross in this district, thirteen in number, were mostly concerned with the care of refugees. This comprised not only emergency assistance during the early days, but also the continued care of some three hun- 134 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY dred refugees lioused in the Hotel Victoria. These re- mained throughout a special charge of the Red Cross, which provided a workroom for the women and a day nursery and school for their children. The children were given the best of care, and good schooling, and, when summer came, bi-weekly outings on the beach at Bagnoli. About seventy went at a time. They were given free trams to take them on the forty minute ride from Naples. The children would don their bathing suits under their outer garments before leaving the Hotel Victoria so that no time would be lost when the shore was reached, and the minute the train stopped they would rush off with a shout, and before you could walk from the tram to the beach, seventy red and white bathing suits would be gaily splashing about in the health-giving salt water. After- wards under the shelter of a tent flying the American and Italian flags they would rest and sleep until it was time for the homeward journey. In this way the little children from the north were safely carried through the Neapolitan summer. After the bathing season was over physical cul- ture classes were started in the American Red Cross school, which continued the good work of the summer. 'No refugees received better care in their enforced banish- ment from home than this little group which was fortunate enough to come under the protection of the American Red Cross. Assistance was also extended from the Naples center to Ischia, Sorrento and to the Island of Capri. This little island with its population of seven thousand had given one thousand soldiers to the Italian Army. Dependent upon tourists for its subsistence, conditions here were very hard, and, cooperating with an American woman long resident in Capri, the American Red Cross gave generous assistance in supplying the soldiers' wives with work and caring for their children in two asili, one at Marina Grande and the other at Capri proper. The latter was in the beautiful old monastery of Santa Teresa, formerly ROME — NAPLES 135 a convent of Franciscan nuns, a noble old seventeenth century building, with a large courtyard in the middle and broad high doorways and a grand stairway leading to the second story where in three cheerful rooms the children forgot their sorrows in song and play, and received ele- mentary instruction, which included lessons in deport- ment and cleanliness, from the quaint little mouse-like Sisters with their large starched ruffs and full skirts. In connection with these asili, run by the same kindly nuns, were two small Red Cross soup kitchens. But the main part of the work of the American Red Cross for civilian relief in the district of Naples was accomplished by giving assistance to some sixty local institutions. We must not leave Naples, however, without calling attention to the emergency dispensary established in March in the Galleria Vittorio and later continued in the same building with the other American Red Cross activities. This dispensary was run by the Red Cross, which also provided a district nurse, but the medical and surgical work was done by the ofl&cers of the United States Public Health Service, especially Dr. Carl Ramus, who, when the need was greatest, was on hand daily rendering untiring aid. After America entered the war and emigration ceased, their regular duties had been much restricted, and they volunteered for Red Cross serv- ice, and before the first of November had cared for two thousand patients and made more than three thousand visits. " It is due largely to the activities of the Ameri- can Red Cross," writes Dr. Ramus, " that America is better understood and appreciated at Naples than ever be- fore," And he adds, "We feel honored to have co- operated in that excellent work." AVELLINO A separate American Red Cross center was established at Avellino, some forty miles east of Naples as the crow flies, but with war time conditions of communication a 136 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Sabbath day's journey away. This district included all the rural towns and villages dotted over the beautiful foot- hills of the Apennines in the provinces of Salerno, Avellino, Benevento and Campobasso. The conditions in the Avellino district were particularly bad. There was universal poverty, much intensified by the presence of large numbers of refugees. The Govern- ment had found it necessary to requisition the grain pro- duced in this district and it was hard for the people, in their general ignorance, with a vivid realization of their own difficulties in securing food, to appreciate the justice or the necessity of this emergency measure. There were a great many Germans interned here, many of them well provided with money which they spent freely, and these proved a demoralizing influence. They were forever fo- menting discontent, making capital out of the ignorance of the people, and of course their propaganda included the usual arraignment of America and her motives. The American Red Cross managed to reach practically all of the widely scattered towns in this extended district with some form of war relief, and had the satisfaction of see- ing the attitude of the people change from one of in- difference or dull hostility to one of unbounded enthusiasm. The work of the Red Cross here presents a marked con- trast to that in ISTaples and indicates the differences that re- sult from the individuality of the delegates with the regional method of organization. Worthy Italian institu- tions were indeed given backing, but the chief efforts were centered in independent Red Cross enterprises, upwards of fifty in number. The activities themselves presented few new features, but they were wisely differentiated so that they formed a sort of interlocking system, one activity sup- porting another. Another characteristic of the work here was the promptness with which ideas, once clearly grasped, were put into execution. For example, one day the dele- gates were taking luncheon with the Prefect and on the ROME — NAPLES 137 table was a bottle of Telese water. This led to a dis- cussion of the wonderful benefits of the sulphur baths at Telese and it occurred to our delegates that this would be an excellent thing for the anaemic and sicklj children of soldiers. That same afternoon Telese was visited, an available farm house secured rent free; and two weeks later it was opened completely furnished, everything ex- cept a few kitchen utensils having been provided by the Red Cross shops in the Avellino district, — the beds from the carpenter shop, mattresses from the mattress shop, linens, etc., from the workrooms. Twenty-four children were taken at a time and remained for two weeks. Every day a bus took them from the farm to the baths, and the owner of the Grand Hotel gave the children the use of the Hotel Park as a playground. The mothers were at first reluctant to let their children go from home, but after the first group returned, the evidence of benefit in im- proved health was convincing and there was great competi- tion thereafter for the places available. Once when the camion arrived at the farm it was found to contain twenty- five children instead of the usual number of twenty-four. So the children were checked up by name and the stow- away proved to be a little boy of two, all smiling and happy. Of course he was kept. About a week later a woman walked into the Red Cross office at Avellino and timidly inquired how her boy was getting on at Telese. It appeared that so great had been her anxiety to have her child secure the benefit of the treatment that, taking ad- vantage of the crowd of happy mothers surrounding the camion to bid farewell to their youngsters, she had smuggled her baby in unbeknownst. On another occasion a refugee priest located at Quadrelle came to Eed Cross headquarters with the re- quest that a workroom be established there. He made a favorable impression and was immediately given some ma- terial to take back with him in order that he might show what his proteges could do. In a couple of days he was 138 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY back with the material all made up. A successful little workroom was soon going at Quadrelle. The large num- ber of workrooms established in this district had been made possible at small expense by conducting sales of the garments to the families of soldiers, whose needs had pre- viously been investigated, at what was a nominal price, but nearly sufficient to pay all costs save that of the material, which the Red Cross gave. The cost was also kept down and waste eliminated by having all of the material used throughout this district cut at the Avellino laboratory by a large electric cutting machine. Crates and boxes were turned to good use in the carpenter shop and the raw ma- terial for the tin shop consisted of empty condensed milk cans and gasoline cans. Skilled workmen from amongst the refugees were put in charge of most of the activities. An experienced upholsterer from Udine ran the mattress factory, which turned out four hundred mattresses a month stuffed with dried seaweed. A refugee baker, utilizing an old fifteenth century stone stove in the refugee home at Monteforte, made the bread for the Red Cross children at that place and also at Avellino. Having been a gardener in his former home he undertook to teach the children gardening, each child having its own individual garden. In this way vegetables were grown for the soup kitchens as well as for the families of the boys. A children's dispensary established at Avellino was a model in equipment and management. Here there were at least one hundred consultations daily and a number of operations. Incidentally all the children of refugees and soldiers were vaccinated. An American nurse in charge with her seven Italian assistant nurses averaged eight hundred home calls every month, accomplishing an im- mense amount of good and bringing the Red Cross most intimately into touch with the lives of the people. A unique feature of the work in this district was a chain of model houses. Here the children were taught the principles of housekeeping, cooking, washing and ironing, ROME — NAPLES 139 making beds, how to serve a meal properly, how to knit and to make their own clothes and to mend them. Each day a different group of children was taken into the kitchen and taught to cook. There were in each house model rooms to show how things should he done, the simple furniture being made in the Red Cross carpenter shop. There was also a bath where, under the supervision of a nurse, they were taught to bathe, — for many of these chil- dren a novel experience. When the Red Cross representatives first went to Avel- lino the streets were infested by ragamuffins, regular little bandits who, with no restraining parental hand, fathers at the front and mothers busy, were bent on mischief. In the general opinion of the town these were just hopeless outcasts. The wife of the Red Cross delegate was of a different opinion. ISTear the Red Cross office was a large unused plot of ground, uneven and stony and covered with refuse. Why not turn this unsightly spot into a playground for the Avellino street boys ? The young " bandits " seized the idea and fell upon the field, working like a busy army of ants, stopping only long enough at noon for the bowl of soup given them at the Red Cross soup kitchen. The playground was soon in order, a modest one but the boys' own. Here early every morning they were drilled by a young soldier, home on convalescent leave. They were then organized into squads and put to work in the various Red Cross shops where they learned carpentry, tin-smithing and the art of making mattresses ; and there was also a toyshop, where they made toys used in the children's playrooms all over Italy. They were paid ten cents for half a day's work, and were only allowed to be- long to the organization if they attended school the other half of the day. They learned to work remarkably well and developed a splendid spirit and could always be counted upon by the delegates for any kind of work from unloading cars to running errands. They were very proud of their brown uniforms made in the Red Cross 140 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY -workrooms and acquired quite a military bearing and saluted with great punctiliousness. They marched, these little browTiies, in the Armistice parade, carrying the American and Italian flags, and the general reviewing the parade was so much impressed with their soldierly bearing that he wrote a letter complimenting the Eed Cross on this work. The journey from N'aples south through Basilicata, Puglie, and Calabria, on through the heel and toe of the " boot," and over to eastern Sicily, takes one through scenes of ever increasing poverty and wretchedness. It is impossible to convey in words an adequate impression of the misery and desolation which more than three years of war had produced in this poorest section of Italy, where even in times of peace the struggle for existence had been fierce and unequal. With all the able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five called to the colors, the condition of the wives and children and the aged parents, deprived of their means of support, was wretched in the extreme. In view of the high cost of necessities, the meagre government allowance was hardly sufficient to stave off starvation. The people crowded more than ever into hovels, slept on bundles of corn husks, or were packed three and four in a bed; the children, and often the mothers, had only a few rags to cover their nakedness, and there was no money to buy the needed medicines for the sick. BAR! The American Eed Cross did a great work in this sec- tion of Italy. The first part of this story, however, we should gladly pass over in silence. A center was early established for the province of Puglie in the city of Bari, an important seaport on the Adriatic, with sixty thousand inhabitants, but little known to American tourists. It must frankly be confessed that the Red Cross work here was for many months a failure. Of course something was ROME — NAPLES 141 done, — some milk was distributed, and a workroom was run for a time, — but it was all so little, and was done in such a spirit as not to make the slightest impression on the life of the community. But a change of administration at Bari which took effect on the first of October remedied all this. With a small office force, but with whole-hearted backing from Rome, and with the devoted assistance of a local committee of twenty-five women of Bari, the new administration soon had in full swing all the typical Red Cross activities, and was reaching the most needy in every part of the city of Bari and in the outlying districts. Many popular demonstrations testified to the success of this work and the gratitude of the people. If there had been a bad beginning, it is a satisfaction to know that there was a brilliant, if late, recovery. KEGGIO CALABRIA It is a relief to pass on to Basilicata and Calabria where the work of the American Red Cross, with a center at Reggio Calabria, was wisely directed from the first, and made to meet the special conditions which there prevailed. The staple products of this part of Italy are chiefly oranges and lemons and olive oil, though a small amount of grain is produced on the Calabrian plateau. The staple diet of everyone consisted, prior to the war, almost ex- clusively of bread. This had become difficult to secure, and was only to be had in small quantities. The Red Cross assistance naturally took the form of the establish- ment of a number of soup kitchens, some thirteen in all, and of an exceptionally large and widespread distribution of milk and white flour. Milk had actually become so scarce that it sold as high as ten lire ($2.00) a litre, and white flour was not to be had. Several asili were estab- lished, the most interesting being at Scilla, built by old men, the only masons left in the town, with the assistance of young girls. Now Scilla is the Scylla of Homer which faced the whirlpool of Charybdis. The sirens who ac- 142 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY cording to the legend lured the mariners to destruction on this rocky promontory are gone and Charybdis has dis- appeared, but their places were taken by the more deadly submarine and the floating mine. A modern Ulysses pass- ing this way on his wanderings would see a flag with stars and stripes floating high above this menacing rock, and might, instead of the sirens' song, catch the sound of chil- dren singing and shouting at their play, and " Viva America ! Viva la Croce Eossa Americana ! " would surely be part of the burden of their cry. But while railroads skirt the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts of Calabria, the interior is all but inaccessible, reached only by poor roads that in wet weather are often impassable, for bridges are scarce and rivers must gen- erally be forded. It was impossible personally to super- vise activities in the interior, so most of the independent work of the American Red Cross was done in the coast ■towns. But all the asili throughout this region (one hun- dred and ten caring for over ten thousand children) were supplied with white bread, and colossal amounts of con- densed milk were distributed ; clothes were also given, and in many cases the Red Cross supplied funds to put strug- gling asili on their feet. Now poverty and ignorance sup- ply fertile soil for envy and jealousy, but a poor soil for cooperation and public spirit, and there were few phil- anthropic organizations in this district with which the American Red Cross could cooperate. So the following method was generally adopted : supplies were sent to the asili direct and at the same time notice of the exact amount was sent to the Mayor of the town, to the Prefect of the Province, and also to the Royal Superintendent of Schools, so that its use was checked up from different angles. Calabria is no stranger to catastrophe. The people have not yet recovered from the effects of the earthquake in 1907 when entire towns were destroyed. Ruins are in. evidence everywhere, and in numerous villages where not many houses had been left standing the inhabitants, ROME — NAPLES 143 sheltered in little frame huts, were trying to rebuild their commerce and industry, when the war came upon them with its blighting influence. ISTowhere was Red Cross as- sistance more needed or better deserved, for the Calabrian soldiers at the front were fighting as bravely as any in our common cause. Calabria, like its neighbor Sicily, in its long and varied history, has been tossed about from one master to another from the days of the early Greeks to the days of Austrian domination. Many foreign powers have planted their flags on Calabria's soil and every time this has been the signal for bloodshed and devastation, and the peasant has been the chief victim. At last a foreign flag has been set up in Calabria which the native has come to look upon with love and trust, for he knows that it stands, not for renewed exploitation, but for material and moral aid, that it is the symbol of plenty and of peace. SICILY All the soldiers on their way to and from Sicily stopped at Villa San Giovanni, on the Straits of Messina. A large kitchen was maintained here by the Red Cross where sol- diers and refugees in transit received the nourishing min- estra, which was served on the arrival of all trains. As many as twenty-six hundred have been fed here in a day before continuing on their journey to the south, or over to Messina, with which city there was ferry communication, — a short run but made dangerous by the ever present sub- marine. Let us cross with them to Messina. In spite of its unkempt appearance this city contains men of wealth and public spirit who have organized for war relief and handled the situation so well that it has not been necessary for the Red Cross to attempt much here. It did, however, establish a seaside camp at Faro, eight miles from the town, for Messina's soldiers' delicate chil- dren, especially those predisposed to tuberculosis, thereby enabling a public-spirited local doctor, who was made di- rector of the institution, to realize a long cherished dream. 144 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY And here while the bodies enjoyed the cure of sun and sea, the minds were not neglected, for in the early hours of the morning the children, seated on benches on the sand, had their daily lesson, which the maestro wrote on a four- legged blackboard that stood beside his elevated desk. TAOKMINA The work of the American Red Cross in Eastern Sicily was directed from Taonnina ; the headquarters for the work in the western half of the island were at Palermo. Most of the independent activities were carried on in or near these centers. Taormina was chosen because it seemed to be the city of greatest need, the larger towns along the shore being better able to care for themselves. The many tourists who have visited this spot in times gone by probably remember it only as a place of surpassing beauty, where care and sorrow were forgotten. Just above the town, between two rugged peaks, are the ruins of the old Greek theatre. Sitting on the upper tier one can still enjoy the splendid view which the Greeks had before the Romans put up the ugly brick wall back of the stage and turned the orchestra into an arena for gladiatorial com- bats. On the right, high up, is the old castle, said to have been the ancient acropolis of Taormina, and a little farther on one can see the town of Mola perched on another mountain. On a shelf of rock below rests the town of Taormina. On the left, seven hundred feet lower, lies the sea, and straight ahead towers Etna, magnificent in its mantle of snow, sending up clouds of steam from the top, its broad shoulder gradually descending to the left until it touches the sea. In the far distance may be seen the city of Syracuse. Never did a theatre have a more superb setting. But the Americans in Taormina in war time had no leisure to dwell on its beauty ; the human problems in the town itself were all absorbing. For them Taormina stands for sadness and sorrow. The soil of the surround- ROME — NAPLES 145 ing hills is scant and barren and, except for a few acres of vines and of almond, olive and orange trees, produces nothing. Manv of the inhabitants still follow the life of fishermen, but their livelihood has been cut off during the war on account of the submarines, which make everything but near-shore fishing impossible. Long ago the people eked out a living by silk and lace manufacture. But about twenty years ago the tourists discovered that this was one of the most beautiful spots on earth, and they have been coming ever since in increasing numbers, as many as nine hundred at a time in the height of the season before the war. Industries had died out, and the people, of whom there are about four thousand, lived on tourists- They had been in a bad way ever since the war put an end to the stream of tourists, and when, after Caporetto, twelve hundred refugees were sent here, crowding the hotels that had been requisitioned by the Government, their condition was desperate. Legend has it that Sicily was once the habitat of giants, Cyclops and lotus eaters. The Sicilians, of small stature, could only suggest giants by contrast, and it is hard to envisage a fierce cyclops in this land of universal friend- liness, although when Etna thunders, imagination can pic- ture Polyphemus buried in the crater for his sins and ex- ploding in his "WTath over the loss of Galatea. But this is still the land of lotus eaters, and of no part is this truer than of Taormina. The few well-to-do citizens and foreigners settled here were mostly indifferent to the wretched condition of the people ; their consciences asleep, they lived for sensuousness and distraction, so that before the war this town had a reputation for luxury and indul- gence that rivalled that of ancient Sybaris. One or two English and American residents came to the assistance of the Red Cross, but for the most part it played a lone hand in Taormina. Most of the work of the American Ked Cross centered in or grew out of the Home for Convalescent Children, 146 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY which was one of the earliest activities established and was a model little institution. Over three hundred chil- dren were nourished and cared for in this home, remain- ing from three to eight weeks, according to need. ISTot a few of them were passed on from here to the beautiful Red Cross seaside home at Mazzaro, just below Taormina, and all the rest, after their discharge, were provided for a time with broth and milk from the dispensary, which was, in a way, an adjunct to the convalescent home and greatly extended its usefulness, dispensing the needed nourishment to the sickly who could not be provided for in the Red Cross home. District nurses investigated all cases, and aid was given on their recommendation. These district nurses, with a corps of refugee assistants, carried the ministrations of the Red Cross into many a home in Taormina. Nearly every one of the children in the convalescent home was the central figure in a little tragic tale, and the kindly directress, who loved and mothered them all, knew to the last detail the history of each. Here for example, to take an illustration, are two little sisters, inseparable night and day. They are orphans. Their mother died of Spanish fever in the early fall, and the Red Cross took them in. The father at that time was serving his country as a sailor. He came back to visit his children and was much pleased to find that they were so well taken care of. But not long after he had left his ship struck a mine and he was killed. One day the Red Cross gave a " movie " show and all the children went. One of the films pictured Red Cross work in Taormina and had been taken some time before. Suddenly on the screen these children saw their mother, moving about and looking very real, and they clapped their hands in glee exclaiming, " See, our Mamma is not dead ! " Joy once more came into their lives. The Red Cross, though not able to produce the mother, did, through the efforts of the foster-mother, the directress, se- ROME — NAPLES 14T cure a home for these waifs when its work in Taormina was brought to a close. A large workroom was established in Taormina, in the ballroom of the Hotel San Domenico, — once a convent dating from the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, made over into a hotel and owned by an Austrian — which through a system of relays managed to give employment to more than six hundred refugees and soldiers' wives. A smaller workroom employing thirty refugees and sup- ported by the Red Cross and making garments for soldiers, was under the direction of " Mother Mary," a gentle and lovable British nun who, as Superior of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, has for many years devoted herself to work among the poor of this town. There was scarcely a home in Taormina that did not re- ceive some form of Red Cross assistance. The Italian Army doctor who took care of the Red Cross children, after the refugee doctor who had at first had charge of them had returned to his home in Udine, was most enthusiastic over the work accomplished in Taormina. He said he could not find words to express his appreciation : It had been " miraculous," — it had saved the lives of the chil- dren and kept the people from starving. He was sure that without its assistance almost fifty per cent of the population in the town would have died. This doctor who was on sick leave with a mortal illness, although never free from pain, had for two years been devoting himself to the sick of Taormina. But he could not shake off a feeling of despondency, not for himself, but for the community, whose load he seemed to have taken upon his own shoulders. " There is so much," he said, " so much that should be done. And we can do so little. The schools should teach hygiene and sanitation. But how can people keep clean when all the water in the house is carried on the head from the fountain in the square, where the only place they have to live in is frequently like this, — point- 148 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY ing to a half-cellar, " a door, no window, closed tight at night and packed fnll ? I have just been visiting a boy with tuberculosis who lives in a place like this. There are five of them, grandmother, mother, and three children, and all sleep in one bed, and the room is shared by the family goat." The people in nearby towns were aided directly from the center at Taormina, but assistance was also extended far and near especially in the form of milk, which was sent to nearly every town in Eastern Sicily. Distribu- tions of clothing too were made in many places, often in- accessible and only to be reached on foot or on mule-back. Let us go with the Eed Cross on one of these journeys: A long carriage ride, followed by a two hour climb up a rough and rugged path brings one to an upland valley where the town is situated. The view of the sea as one passes over the crest of the hill is one of remarkable beauty. But the town itself is sordid and forsaken. It has been raining lately, and the streets are muddy and swarming with pigs. While the distribution is being made in the town hall to the most needy families, accord- ing to a list prepared by the Mayor, one young fellow walks up and says in English to one of the Red Cross women in charge " Is this Miss ? " He turns out to be an old protege of hers from the east side of ISTew York. He is suffering from tuberculosis and has returned to Italy with his mother, to be near the father, who has just returned to his old home after forty months of service in the Italian Army.- The American Red Cross workers are invited to dine with this Italian-American family, which they cannot do but they agree to call after the distribution is over. Accordingly they repair to the house, which is on a dirty, damp alley. But the room to which they are taken on the second floor is immaculately clean. It is scantily furnished with a few chairs and a table, but in the corner stands a large American victrola. Here they have black bread and native cheese and wine and nuts, gener- ROME — NAPLES 149 OTisly provided from the meagre store, while Caruso sings " Aida," followed bv a medley of American ragtime, as the family sits proudly around, talking wistfully, between tunes, of happy days on the east side of 'New York. PALERMO In one respect at least the story of the work at Palermo is like the story of the American Red Cross in nearly every part of Italy. Beginning with emergency assistance in the care of refugees, it rapidly grew and extended until it taxed almost to the breaking point the strength of the small and inadequate force, which was all that Rome was able to supply, each worker being compelled to do the work of two, busy all day with the inspection and super- vision of activities, and working far into the night writing reports, balancing books, and taking care of the corres- pondence. But it had its unique features determined by local conditions. Palermo is a large seaport town and was a prosperous one, as its large business blocks, its beauti- ful villas, its ambitious theatre (one of the best in Italy) and its modern park attest. But the harbor was prac- tically closed during the long years of the war by enemy submarines, and its shipping industries, the chief source of Palermo's prosperity, had been hard hit. Every ship- ping port has its army of the poor and its slums. It would be hard to find any worse than those in Palermo. But there was a great deal of public spirit on the part of the well-to-do, and private organizations ever since the out- break of the war had been doing a vast deal of work for the needy of the soldiers' families, and especially for the children through the establishment and operation of asili; but with ever decreasing resources and ever increasing de- mands, they were unable to meet the situation. Since it was a fundamental principle governing the Italian Com- mission of the Red Cross to cooperate freely with the Italians in carrying out its purposes, obviously the first thing to do was to get behind these local organizations 150 THE AJVIERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY and assist tbem in tlieir work. This the Eed Cross did in every way possible. It also completely took over two of the larfijest of the asili which thev had established. It may fairly be said that the initiative for all of the work undertaken by the Eed Cross during the early months in Palermo was due to these local organizations, and especially to the group of patriotic women who had vol- unteered under the banner of the AUeanza Femminile. The first wholly Red Cross activity undertaken in Pal- ermo was what came to be known as the " Massimo Pood Distribution," from the fact that the distribution took place in the great Massimo Theatre. One of the chief difficulties that had been encountered in this district was that of reaching the sickly undernourished children of sol- diers whose mothers through ig-norance were unwilling to consent to their care in institutions. Por them this dis- tribution was undertaken ; and it assumed somewhat the aspect of a diet kitchen, since food was allotted according to the dietary needs of the children, whose cases had been investigated by nurses and social workers, with the active and appreciative cooperation of the AUeanza Femminile. The work steadily grew until twelve hundred children were being provided for, with most satisfactory results. A day nursery was opened for delicate babies from eighteen months to five years of age, but the need of con- stant treatment was so apparent that this was transformed into a sort of convalescent home where seventy little patients were received and cared for day and night, sixty others coming in for the day. It was situated on the sea front in an attractive building with a large sunny court, and the children were under the constant care of an Italian doctor who was a child specialist. The Red Cross also took over a pavilion in a hospital by the sea, not far from Palermo, with thirty-two beds, which were filled with children selected from the various groups under the care of the Red Cross. In general it was only the very young children who ROME — NAPLES 151 came under the special care of the American Red Cross, but the conditions at Palermo were such as clearly to in- dicate the desirability of establishing a school for older bovs. The fact is that mothers here have not much control of the boys, whose discipline is regarded as the function of the father; consequently when the war came, many mothers found themselves helpless to manage the grow- ing youths, who would come home late at night and were falling imder bad influences. Many appeals came in from distracted mothers, and from fathers on leave from the front, and the American Eed Cross, yielding to the de- mand, established a school which kept three hundred of these boys, between the ages of seven and fourteen, off the streets. The Due d'Orleans, claimant to the throne of France, and a member of the House of Bourbon that ruled over the " Two Sicilies " until its overthrow by Gari- baldi and his famous " Thousand," still owns a beautiful estate in Palermo and he gave the Red Cross permission to establish this school in his large unused stables. Xow royal stables are generally more commodious than a plain man's villa, and these were admirably adapted to their new use. Permission was also given for the use of the adjacent garden as a playground for certain hours of the day. A mobilized priest of the Salesian Brotherhood was transferred from the military to have charge of these sons of soldiers. His whole heart was wrapped up in their welfare, and his zeal and efficiency made the work a suc- cess from the start. On Saturdays and Sundays during the bathing season the boys from the Villa d'Orleans were taken in camion loads for a seaside outing at Mondello, using the American Red Cross building which on other days served as an asilo for sixty-five younger children. Some idea of the extent of the work accomplished by the Red Cross in this district may be had from the fact that between August, 1918, and February, 1019, aid was extended to ninety-two towns in Western Sicily, while sixty-three institutions in the city of Palermo itself re- 152 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY ceived assistance in one form or another. At the height of its activity the number of people benefited by the Red Cross from the Palermo center in a single week was twenty-nine thousand. SARDINIA The picturesque and sparsely inhabited island of Sar- dinia is little known. For some strange reason the tour- ists have never discovered it; consequently it is still an unspoiled land where the traveler is received as a guest instead of being regarded as legitimate prey. The scenery is beautiful and varied, sometimes presenting views of ex- ceptional grandeur, especially in the high lands on the eastern part of the island. Here one may travel for miles through a wild and rugged country, over excellent roads, seeing no sign of life save for an occasional shepherd with his herd of goats. Flowers of all sorts abound and the air is often full of fragrance from the herbs and shrubs. The women are fair, the men tall and fine looking and, except where the scourges of malaria and tuberculosis have left their mark, good health is the rule. All are poor, but their poverty is never allowed to stand in the way of their hospitality, for they are generous and hospitable al- most to excess. They are grave and dignified in their bearing, which is in marked contrast to the mercurial temperament of the Italians of the mainland. In the more inaccessible towns they still quite generally wear the picturesque native costume. Each town has its distinc- tive pattern and within that town all follow the same fashion. And the boys dress like the men, the girls like the women. The costumes of the women are very rich and brilliant and, in the case of the well-to-do, elaborately embroidered, and adorned with much gold jewelry, the costumes and the jewelry alike being generally family heirlooms. The Sards are a proud and independent people and, even in the darkest days after Caporetto, never lost their ROME — NAPLES 153 confidence in victory, but showed the same indomitable spirit on " the inner front " that their boys were showing on the front line. For there were famous brigades from Sardinia. One in particular came to be known as the " soldiers of steel." It has been a great pleasure to work with these people, and probably in no part of Italy has the work of the Red Cross been more completely satisfactory. In the general spring distribution ^ Red Cross representatives in per- son visited practically every town on the island, and as each visit was the occasion of a patriotic demonstration in which the entire town participated, the message of America reached everywhere. There was the same com- prehensiveness in the work that followed. Separate asili were indeed established and a few orphanages were sup- ported, but help was also extended, mainly clothes and white flour, to all the asili on the island, some sixty in number, caring for eight thousand children. Through the soldiers' canteens and rest houses at Terranova and Macomer, all the Sard soldiers were reached as they came or went. Hospitals were aided with supplies, and special support was given to a hospital for the care of tubercular soldiers. Forty thousand children's outfits were distributed throughout Sardinia, as a parting gift from the Red Cross, to the more needy soldiers' children. The following quota- tion from the narrative of a Red Cross ofiicer who took part in this distribution will give some idea of the ex- periences of a worker in Sardinia : " We arrived in the evening at the town of l^uoro, larger and moi-e prosperous than those we had passed during the day and were met, as usual, by the leading citizens, — particularly fine types. On the mountains near this place the Red Cross had con- ducted one of its most successful summer colonies. A number of the children from this colony came to see us, among them a funny little youngster who appeared to 1 See page 57. 154 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY be about six years old, known as the ' Captain.' He had been the leading spirit of the summer colony and had drilled the boys with great regularity and was very proud of the title that he had earned. " The following morning the distribution of garments took place, but this had to be temporarily interrupted, for the town had organized a religious procession in our honor. It was a most interesting sight. The children from the Red Cross colony with large American flags insisted on heading the procession, marching before the priests and the celebrants and the life-sized image of the Virgin, wav- ing the Stars and Stripes. It made the picture rather in- congruous, but was a pretty sight. " From here we hurried on to the town of Oliena, ar- riving a little after eleven. This town is well off the beaten track and the people have preserved their native costumes. The whole to^vn had been expecting us and everyone was on the streets, and we were given a royal welcome. All were very much disturbed, however, to dis- cover that we had to leave at one o'clock, particularly the parish priest, who had planned a religious procession for the afternoon in our honor. When they found that we could not delay, the priest insisted that he would have the procession anyway, so he proceeded to advance the clock half an hour and had the bell rung for noonday to send the people home to their dinners, and then sent out the town crier (handa) to order the inhabitants to appear at the church at one o'clock, dressed in their best, for the procession which was to be given in honor of America and the American Red Cross. Meantime we repaired to a room where a luncheon was being prepared, and had much difficulty in hurrying the proceedings, for nobody seemed to have any appreciation of the value of time and the priest did not take seriously our determination to leave sharply at one. We all fell to and helped in the preparations, to the surprise and amusement of our hosts. Finally some bread and cheese was produced, and a little later some ROME — NAPLES 155 meat, and just as we were about to leave, the soup ar- rived. It was a very friendly and good-natured picnic. While we were here the town crier appeared once more, singing his message to the people. He blew a horn and then chanted an improvised poem, of which I caught the comparison of America to a ' stella ' which was made to rh^Tiie with ' nostra sorella.' After his messaaje had been delivered to the people he came into the luncheon room and walking up to me began to chant another improvised poem. He was a queer wizened little old man, very shabby, with a short shaggy beard, half dnink and half in- spired. He would chant in a monotone one line and then hesitate a moment and look into the distance, as if trying to catch his rhyme, and follow it up by chanting another, and so he continued singing the praises of America and her part in the war and of the Red Cross and its aid to the town of Oliena. I could easily imagine that we were back several thousand years listening to an old wandering minstrel. Our bard kept up his singing until stopped by the Mayor. Evidently he could have run on indefinitely. By this time the procession was ready and we all sallied forth to see it. It was indeed a very beautiful and impressive sight, the priests and the people as they marched, accompanying the life-size image of their patron saint, sang a sort of dirge-like chant and seemed them- selves to be very much affected by the religious spirit ap- propriate to the performance, and indifferent to the special occasion " At every one of the places visited we had a splendid reception. The whole Island of Sardinia is full of en- thusiasm for America and the Red Cross. There has been great success in each community in picking the right persons to entrust with the carrying out of the Red Cross plans. The people have a fine sense of honor and are uniformly courteous and friendly. I did not see a single beggar during the entire trip. The people are very poor and live in houses built of stone, with mud plaster, mostly 156 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY one story, occasionally two, and in very rare instances, three. The families crowd into a room, damp and cold, and generally without a window, though sometimes pro- vided with a small one that is always kept closed. In spite of this impossible housing the people looked surpris- ingly clean and healthy." There is scarcely a hamlet in Sardinia where America is not known and loved because of the efforts of the Ameri- can Red Cross. It was possible to do this widely extended work with a very modest force and at small expense, once the material was provided, because of the especially fine cooperation of the people who not only supplied, free of charge, railroad transportation, as was done throughout Italy, but also most of the warehouses, and the labor neces- sary for the handling of supplies, and at the same time organized committees within the several communities for the management of the various activities. CHAPTER IX Work with American Troops in Italy — The Action at the Tagliamento — A Chaplain's Letter — Delivery of Allotment Cheques — The Home Service Department The preceding chapters have dealt wholly with the work of the American Red Cross with and for our Italian allies. The work with the American troops may seem small by comparison. Let it not be supposed that this is be- cause the Italian Commission did not thoroughly real- ize that in the hearts of those who contributed the Red Cross funds the American soldier came first, and that as he was first in their affections so he was first in his claim upon Red Cross relief. The simple explanation is that the maximum number of American troops in Italy, all told, including twelve hundred ambulance men, was in round numbers only six thousand. These American forces from the time of their arrival to the day of their departure were followed by the American Red Cross, and everything possible was done for their comfort and relief, everything that could give tangible expression of the devo- tion of the American people to their soldiers in the field. Moreover, although there were only a few Americans in service in Italy it was known that pressure had been brought to bear from various sources to induce the send- ing of large American reinforcements. There was always the expectation that at any time, without warning, this might be done, and the number of Americans in Italy be enormously increased. Accordingly the American Red Cross was always prepared for this emergency. Arrange- ments had been made for the taking over and equipping on a moment's notice of hospitals that could be used for 157 158 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY the American troops; supplies were kept in readiness at strategic points for immediate delivery, including medical and surgical material necessary for the equipment of sev- eral large hospital units as well as advance field stations; and plans were made for the rapid concentration of Amer- ican Eed Cross forces in Italy upon that service. But the looked for American reinforcements were never sent, and, as the event proved, they were not needed. The Red Cross did, however, provide several small hos- pitals for Americans. One of fifty beds was established on the outskirts of Genoa, primarily for the use of the naval forces, at the request of Admiral Sims. Three weeks after the request had been received the hospital was completely equipped and in running order, installed in a modern villa, requisitioned by the Italian government for the purpose, situated in a fine park on the hillside over- looking the bay. It was at first maintained by the Red Cross, with a physician of the United States l^avy in medical charge, but in the middle of September it was transferred outright to the navy. A small but perfectly equipped hospital was maintained in Milan to care for all American war workers stationed in that city. This hospital also served as the training and distributing center for all Red Cross nurses coming to Italy. The Permanent Commission had been but a short time in Rome when it realized the necessity of having a phy- sician to care for the health of its personnel. At first an Italian physician, who had previously practised in ISTew York, was detailed for this service, but in the spring of 1918 his place was taken by an American physician who had been practising his profession for some years in Flor- ence and had volunteered his services to the American Red Cross for the duration of the war.^ It soon became ap- parent that it was necessary to make special provision for 1 During his year of service he saw nearly fifteen hundred patients, and reported over five thousand visits or consultations. AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 159 the more serious cases which could not be satisfactorily treated in the hotels and boarding houses where proper food and nursing could not be obtained. At first an arrange- ment was made with the " Little Sisters of Mary " for the care of a limited number of cases in their " Nursing Home." With the ever increasing size of the Red Cross organization this proved inadequate and accordingly a small Red Cross hospital was established in Rome, in quarters that had formerly been used as a private sani- tarium, beautifully situated, overlooking the Borghese Gardens. This hospital was placed at the disposal of all American workers in Italy stationed at Rome, including the personnel of the American Red Cross, the members of the United States Army, United States N'avy, the Y. W. C. A., the Y. M. C. A., the Knights of Columbus, and the American Embassy.-^ The American Hospital at Padua is an illustration of the preparedness of the American Red Cross to meet any emergency demands. When the Spanish fever was at its height in the fall of 1918, and many of our soldiers were stricken, the existing army hospital facilities proved in- adequate, and the Red Cross was called upon. On a Sat- urday the request came. On the following Monday the hospital was open, with one ward in full swing. It was established in one of the modern buildings of Padua's fam- ous university, and was primarily for the use of the men of the American Aviation Corps, stationed nearby. This hospital was rapidly enlarged until it was able to care for one hundred patients, and was, to quote the Chief of Staff of the American Military Mission, " a God-sent gift to the scattered troops in this part of Italy, and so admir- ably conducted as to win praise both from the sick who patronized it and from the well who visited it." 1 During its eight montlis of operation two hundred patients were received, distributed as follows: American Red Cross, 80; Y. M. C. A., 17; American Army, 53; American Navy, 30; American Embassy, 9; U. S. Bureau of Information, 4; Knights of Columbua, 2; English Medical Service, 3; Scattering, 2. 160 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY The American Red Cross also undertook, for the use of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, the con- struction of an autochir, or surgical army ambulance, similar to those in use in the Italian Army. This was a completely equipped surgical hospital mounted on twenty camions, with a capacity of forty-eight beds. The sudden ending of the war found it still uncompleted, so it was never available for its intended use. When last heard from it was on its way to Rumania. The first representatives of America's fighting forces on Italy's soil were the Army and Navy Aviators who had been sent for training to Italian camps. Over one hundred were in camp at Foggia when the Italian Com- mission arrived in Italy. The American Red Cross gave a Christmas dinner to as many of these as were allowed to come to Rome, but when it sought to supply their needs at the camp there seemed little for it to do. They made modest requests for reading matter and better mail service. Of course books and magazines were immediately supplied, and an effort was made to accelerate the mail service. Later a club was started for them. Food supplies were given from time to time, and when the epidemic came an emergency hospital was established with American nurses in charge. The Americans in training at the hydro-avia- tion camps at Bolsena and Porto Corsini were similarly cared for. When the American Army arabulance unit from Allen- town arrived in Italy, twelve hundred strong, it was given an impressive welcome by the Italians. Within an hour of its arrival the walls were covered with placards read- ing : " Citizens, soldiers from America are today on Italian soil. Acclaim our brothers from the land of Columbus ! " ISTaturally the Red Cross was on hand when they arrived, helping them first to disembark and to assemble their cars, supplying every need from spark plugs up, and then look- ing out for the comfort and health of the boys. It fol- lowed them as they moved on towards the front, and pro- AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 161 vided them with an emergency hospital at Mantua during the influenza epidemic. And it goes without saying that the ofiicers in charge of American Base Hospital [N^o. 331 serving the American troops, and of the New Orleans Unit attached to Base Hospital ISTo. 102 at Vicenza, had only to make known a want to have it immediately met. Large quantities of medical and surgical supplies, drugs, etc., reached our soldiers in this way. Detached groups passing through Italy from time to time, sailors on shore duty, engineers, military mail clerks, were aided in every possible way. The Bed Cross extended comfort and relief to all, from the American Military Mission under General Treat, down to the scattered army mail clerks who made use of the Bed Cross canteens and rest houses at Turin and Milan. In the last days of July the first American soldiers reached Italy, — the 332d Ohio Begiment. They were given a hearty reception at the Turin Station, which was gay with the flags of the allied nations. An Italian band played the Star Spangled Banner and a detachment of Italian troops presented arms on the arrival of each train. The first class waiting room had been attractively fitted up for the entertainment of the officers, who were re- ceived by a Committee of Italian women. And the entire personnel of the Bed Cross of Turin served the soldiers at tables on the station platform with hot coffee, sand- wiches, chocolate, cigarettes, and matches. When they de- trained at Villa Franca the whole Bed Cross personnel from Vicenza, and as many Bed Cross ambulance men as could be spared, were on hand to give them a welcome, serving coffee, lemonade, chocolate, and doughnuts. There wasn't a chance for a man to get homesick or hungry. They all had their army rations in plenty, but they took pleasure none the less in filing past the Bed Cross stands, gayly decorated with flowers, and their cups and hands were well filled before they got past the American women in Bed Cross uniforms who were there to serve them. 162 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY There were Bersaglieri troops always on hand as a guard of honor, and a Bersaglieri band to play on the arrival of the trains. Italians of all ranks vied with the Ked Cross workers in the cordiality of the reception. An emergency hospital was ready to receive the few who needed medical attention, and here fourteen were cared for until they were able to rejoin their company. The historical importance of the occasion of the arrival of American troops to take their places at the Italian front was recognized by every one. General Diaz immediately announced their arrival in an order of the day to his army. It was a small force, but enough to make a fine showing as they passed in review before the King of Italy. The American Eed Cross ran a rest house for the sol- diers at Villa Franca. There were six rooms attractively furnished, and an old garden, and here our soldiers re- ceived refreshments and made themselves at home after their long, hot, and dusty tramps. As a group of these soldiers came in one day singing with much gusto " Hail ! Hail ! the gang's all here. What the " etc., an old native who stood admiringly by was heard to remark: " Here come the dear boys singing their national anthem." When the regiment was finally put under canvas at Valeggio the Red Cross followed them, setting up two de- mountable houses for their use where refreshments were served and entertainments given. Chocolate, cigarettes, hot coffee, and crackers were distributed free to the men on the march and in the trenches, and were sold to the men in the rest camps, but at a nominal price. This method was adopted at the request of the officers as it was sup- posed to make for a fairer distribution. Packages of crackers distributed in this way, ran into the tens of thou- sands, and chocolate literally was given out by the ton. When the American soldiers were sent to man the trenches at Varago the Red Cross went with them ; when they were withdrawn to quarters in Treviso it provided 3 'o 1/3 o 73 p 6 AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 163 them with a clubhouse where games and reading matter were supplied and refreshments served. But our troops were hardly settled at Treviso when the big October offen- sive began on the Italian front. A few days later the Americans were ordered to go forward. But the enemy was already in full retreat and it took forced marches day and night before they were overtaken near the Taglia- mento where the final skirmish occurred. The heavy army lorries had difficulty in crossing the light pontoon bridges which had been hurriedly thrown across the rivers and were unable to keep up with our troops. So for five days the men lived on " iron rations " (hard tack and tinned beef). Fortunately the lighter Bed Cross camion and ambulance which went forward with the troops laden with supplies had been able to make the crossings. And every day the little camion plied back and forth over the tangled, shell-torn roads, congested with the heavy traffic of war, bringing back from the Red Cross base a load of good things; and every day each man received a big cake of chocolate and a box of biscuits, and cigarettes and matches. Some days soup was added. At times the Red Cross cars were used to assist in hauling army supplies. The supplemental food and the cigarettes were, as the sol- diers called them, " life savers." " Smokes " at such times are worth their weight in gold and chocolate never tasted so good. The commanding officer of the American troops one day, when the men were well over the Piave, putting his hand on the shoulders of the Red Cross rep- resentative, said with feeling : "' All the time we have been in Italy the Red Cross has been invaluable to us. All the time we have appreciated it. But during this advance it has been just simply a Godsend." After that the hard- ships, the cold, and the sleepless nights meant nothing to the Red Cross men who were fortunate enough to be en- gaged in this service and the difficulties of connecting with the base of supplies but added zest to their labors. A final distribution was made just before the men went 164 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY into action near the Tagliamento. This was the first and only battle in which the Americans were engaged on the Italian front, and our losses were : one killed, and seven wounded. The wounded were reached on the field by the Red Cross men, one of whom had been with our soldiers ever since their arrival in Italy, helping to establish com- munication between the men and their families, straighten- ing out tangles legal and domestic. But he had also made himself generally useful as a purveyor of news, a general information bureau, a father confessor, and an errand boy, and had won the confidence and affection of the men. As he leaned over to help one of the wounded men that day the youth looked up with a smile of satisfaction. — One load at least had been lifted from his mind. — " Say, old scout," he said, " you'll be sure to have the Red Cross get word to my mother that — it isn't anything — you'll do that without fail, won't you ? You know — you know " — his voice broke just a bit, not on account of his own suffer- ing, but at the thought of his mother's suspense — " you know, old scout, I don't want — her — to worry ! " " Don't you fret, my son," was the reply, " your message will get to your mother as fast as wire and cable will take it in war time." And the Red Cross saw that it did. Some two weeks later a Red Cross man happened across a battalion of Americans headed for Montenegro. Drop- ping for the time being the business in hand, he put him- self and his supplies at the service of our soldiers, took the sick to the hospital, and arranged with the Presidio at Mestre for baths for the whole thousand men, — baths with real towels, a service much appreciated, for the men had been a month without a change of clothes and had been on long hikes daily, sleeping in pup-tents, with an uncer- tain supply of food, and they had just come in on camions from Udine, a hard sixteen-hour ride. When this bat- talion embarked from Venice the Red Cross went with it, taking an ambulance, which was to prove of much value because of its lightness on the poor Montenegrin roads, and AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 165 adding to the store of food generous supplies from the Venice warehouse, including five barrels of lard, about a ton of clear-belly bacon, and quantities of condensed milk, cheese, soup, coffee, sugar, etc., and socks and pajamas. On two other occasions supplies were sent to these men to supplement the meagi'e Italian rations on which they were living. The American destroyers in Italian waters were given large quantities of food, and also soap, which was as much appreciated as the food, for in some cases the men had been for weeks without this necessary article, and had had to resort to a lye solution for cleanliness. At all times sweaters, socks and pajamas were given to the men as needed. On Christmas every American sol- dier in Italy, and as many men of the Navy as could be reached, received a present from the Red Cross. When Italy was made a zone of leave for our men in France, and a number of our M. P.'s were sent to Eome to look after them, the Red Cross provided them with beds and bedding. Stranded soldiers whose pay-cheques had been delayed were helped with money advances, but (by army orders) only on the recommendation of the commanding officer. When finally our men went into camp at Genoa, waiting for passage home, a Red Cross representative was stationed with them to administer in every way to their comfort. What the Red Cross meant to our American troops in Italy may be read in the following letter from Chaplain Kelly of the 332d Ohio: "I have had it in mind to write you an expression of my appreciation regarding the activities of the American Red Cross as it has concerned our Regiment. In order that I may do so permit me to go back and give you a short history from the beginning of our entrance into Italy. " We had been in France long enough to enjoy and appreciate the well organized efforts of your people there, and I must con- fess that it was with a little misgiving and mingled feelings that we received our orders to come to Italy. We knew that 166 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY there were no American troops ahead of us, and could not help but wonder what, if anything, would be done for our comfort in the land that was to be our new home. But these misgivings were soon to be destroyed. We came from France, over the Alps, into Italy by the usual means of soldier transportation over here namely, the box car route, and you can scarcely realize the joy that was to be ours that day. " It does not take much of an imagination to guess a fellow's feelings as he goes into a new land, to behold new customs, to mingle with a new people, and to hear spoken a new tongue. Then, thinking of all these things, we pull into Turin. Bands of music, Italian guards of honour, cheering populace, build- ings and depot gaily decorated, all this, but best of all right in the very center of activities a huge sign AMERICAN RED CROSS. Did the painter paint this sign in any unusual way, or was it just imagination, for it seemed to us that it was a halo of glory. And then those eats, served by those American Red Cross men and women. What was true of Turin, was true of Milan, Brescia, Verona and all along the trip. Some of our train sections arrived at these various points by day and some by night, but it mattered not, the Red Cross was perpetual motion, the coffee was always hot, and eats a plenty on hand. " Our destination was Villa Franca, and the Red Cross hos- pitality reigned supreme. The section on which the writer was arrived at this point in the night, but no one was asleep on the job. We shall remember that night because, besides many other things, there were real doughnuts. Many things in war are camouilaged. They have to be. But there was no camouflage about these doughnuts. Not only were there doughnuts but plenty of them. Imagine a soldier traveling from the heart of France, on a ' soldiers' Pullman,' feeding on corned beef and hardtack, and the other usual traveling rations, and then being told to help himself to doughnuts. I don't know how many doughnuts can be made for a dollar but if those dollar investors back in the States could have secreted themselves around the Villa Franca depot and could have seen the grinning and happy faces of those soldier boys it would have been dividend enough for their money. " We found that Villa Franca was to be our home for a week or two. It is a strange but beautiful little city. There is nothing wrong with their hospitality. We were billeted among them. They did their very best for us. But as I have stated before things were different. Strolling up the street one day shortly after our arrival, thinking about home, and wife, and loved ones, quietly humming to myself, ' Where do we go from AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 167 here, boys,' which was always the question uppermost in our minds, I noticed ahead of me floating in the gentle Italian breeze Old Glory. My, what a sight ! You doubtless have had the same thrill that came over me that summer day. I quickened my pace, and as I drew near wondering what kind of a building it could be I saw the sign American Red Cross, Walk In. That was all the recommend and invitation that was necessary. In I went. The tale is soon toldi. You had rented a splendid building and made it so homelike. There were American magazines and papers, dotted around the rooms were writing tables with everything necessary for the boys to write their loved ones, over here in another corner a gramophone playing American music and songs, back in another room real ice cold lemonade, with real ice. I just don't know where you got that ice, neither do I know where you got a whole lot of the comforts that you have afforded us, but you seem to get them just the same. And as though that were not enough you had upstairs a room fully equipped for Officers for you seem to have realized that Officers get lonesome and homesick too. " After a short stay in Villa Franca we were moved out into a large camp near Vallegio. We had ceased to wonder now whether or not the Red Cross would be with us. We just seemed to know they would. We discovered that no sooner had the camp site been located than the Red Cross man was on the job. By the time our tents were nicely pitched, the first of 'your two huts that were finally erected was under construction. Very soon, we found a well built, neat, and attractive home again. I could speak of various phases of good accomplished here. There was the invaluable help aff"orded by the Home Service Department, the reading and writing facilities provided, the home-like American workers. It is hard to individualize and specialize in such a many-sided proposition as yours. How well I remember in my hospital work during those hot summer days seeing your workers pass in and out among the wards with cold lemonade, flowers, egg nogg, papers and books. It seemed as though they just touched our lives everywhere. " Then came the time when we were moved into the trenches and got in readiness for the drive. You moved with us, and by the time we were fairly located you were on the job scattering sunshine. I hardly know how to speak of those days or what especial part to mention. How well we all remember when far advanced north, the long tramping with heavy packs had been so hard, the bridges had been blown up by the Austrians, our heavy trucks, being of the heavy Riker variety, could not cross the temporary pontoon bridges that had been laid down, rations 168 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY were none too plenty or good, but you were there. Chocolate never seemed as good before, plenty of chocolate and soup, — no charges. It just seemed to me that you represented America with her mother love and liberty as never before and you rested and refreshed. I am sure you did just what America wanted you to do. " I could speak of hospital work. You remember when tired and exposed by heavy marching the dreadful scourge of influenza struck us. Hundreds of our men were sick and needed hospital care. Our hospitals were filled. Something had to be done. As though by magic you stepped in, the Padova Red Cross Hospital was placed at our disposal and from that time to this our men have been carefully and generously nursed back to health. I am sure we shall never forget Captain Oliver Kiel, M.D., the Commanding Officer, and the fine staff of that hos- pital. Then again I remember when our field hospital was filled and we had many cases of serious sickness you sent us a complement of splendid nurses to help out in the emergency. " I remember a funeral scene of which I should like to speak. One of our men had died at your hospital in Padova. On the day of the funeral it rained, it literally poured rain. A com- pany of our soldiers led by our Regimental Band paraded for the funeral. But this is not what I remember just now. There were three American Red Cross nurses marching in the pro- cession carrying flowers to place on that soldier's grave. I said to them, * You should not do this, the weather is too severe.' ' But, Chaplain, we are taking the place of the mother, sister and sweetheart.' That's it. Colonel, and that's what you have been doing all these months. That is the key note of the whole story and of your success. You have been representing our loved ones back home. " Christmas came, and because the war was over we would have liked to have been home. But that could not be. The Army issue in Italy does not make an accustomed Christmas dinner. But your delegate at Treviso and his splendid staff saw an opportunity to even things for us a little and he generously supplemented that Christmas of ours till we had a regular feed. Thanks again to the Red Cross. " I could go on and on, but you doubtless have all these reports at your disposal from your various departments and workers. But in spite of this I have heard so many expressions of delight, and have been the recipient of so many kindnesses that it seems to me I would be guilty did I not express them if only in part. " Assuring you of my deepest appreciation for all you have AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 169 done for us here in Italy as well as elsewhere, believe me to be a member for life of the American Red Cross." The chief function of the Home Service Department of the Red Cross was to relieve the American soldier of all mental anxieties such as worry over unforeseen domestic or bu<5incss complications, over failure to hear from home, or over news from home that allotment cheques were not going through, — in short, to dispel the fears so easily aroused in the mind of the soldier that his loved ones were suffering because of his inability to look after their needs. The Red Cross sought to act as far as possible in the soldier's stead. Often the worries started from the other end of the line, from the homes. Families became anxious because they had lost track of the soldier member, or had perhaps heard that he was sick or wounded but were receiving no further information. In such case the Red Cross would locate the soldier and send back reports of his condition. And through its representatives in the hospital it sought to keep the families informed about the sick and wounded without waiting for the request from home. From the time of the arrival of our troops in Italy the Red Cross representatives were with them to perform these services. It was comparatively simple to do this work when one could call upon the Red Cross organization in America with its twenty-one thousand chapters and branches scattered all over the land, and its many times twenty-one thousand workers. This was, however, but a small part of the demand made upon the Home Service De- partment in Italy, where an altogether unique condition was created by the fact that there was a very large number of American soldiers of Italian parentage with our forces in Europe. Home Service with them generally meant reaching their families still residing in Italy, and the difficulties presented were often all but insuperable. 170 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY The very first task tlirow^i upon the Department was of such magTiitude as to prove a severe strain on the small organization. In a single day the American Embassy in Rome received for distribution seventeen thousand allot- ment cheques. Nearly ninety per cent of the addresses were inaccurate, and the military attache in despair ap- pealed to the Red Cross, which in a comparatively short time succeeded in correcting ten thousand of the addresses and starting the cheques on their way. Many, however, were in such bad shape that they had to be referred back to Washington. The work on allotment cases was carried on in close cooperation with the Italian Royal Commis- sioner of Emigration and with the United States Bureau of War Risk Insurance, which in October, 1918, established a branch in Rome. The incredible amount of confusion in the names and addresses of beneficiaries in Italy was partly due to the ignorance of the soldier making the allotment, who would fail to supply full information, and partly to the ignor- ance of the army agents, or to their unfamiliarity with Italian, which led to mistakes in copying addresses that had been given correctly, or to the omission of essential details. Mistakes in spelling the names of places were generally fairly easy to remedy. For example, Lannicola Dellarto could be readily spotted as a miscopying of San Nicola Dell' Alto. But if a letter came addressed simply — to take one of many instances — to the town of Cas- tello, there was nothing to do but refer back to Washing- ton, there being over eighty towns of this name in Italy, — as many as nine in a single province. Names of bene- ficiaries caused even greater confusion. A soldier might, for example, following the Italian usage, have innocently written after his mother's name the word " Vedova," mean- ing " widow " ; and the cheque would come through ad- dressed to Mrs. Vedova. Again, Italians when they be- come American citizens generally translate their names, in some fashion or other, into English. These could gen- AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 111 erally be turned back into Italian without mucb difficulty. Thus Mrs. James Capps could be identified as Mrs. Gia- como Capoccetti. It required a good deal of ingenuity, however, to get John Bigfeet back into Giovanni Marti- nelli, nicknamed Grandepiedi, from a recognized family characteristic. The most amusing case of this sort was that of an American soldier who had been brought over to this country by friends when he was a very small boy. In his old village home he had been called Piccolo Pietro (little Peter), his father being known as Largo Pietro. He never knew any other name. In the course of time he became an American citizen under the name of Peter Pick, and as such enlisted in the United States Army. And when every one was making allotments to relatives, thinking perhaps that this was a necessary part of enlist- ment, he remembered his old father and made his allot- ment to Largo Pietro, the only name he knew him by. But he had remembered the name of his native village, and the Red Cross succeeded in running to earth Largo Pietro and making him the sharer in Uncle Sam's and his son's generosity. The most unfortunate result from this confusion of names came from the fact that thousands of cheques ar- rived made out in the name of the husband with only the prefix " Mrs." Now in many communities in Italy there seems to be a great dearth of surnames, or poverty of the imagination. It is not infrequent to find, even in a small village, as many as fifty men of the same name. It is doubtless for this reason that the women, especially of the peasant class, retain their own family name. For, while there might be a good many Giuseppi Geradis in a town, it was not likely that there would be more than one " Maria Pampino wife of Giuseppi Geradi." Until the postal authorities became cognizant of the contents of the envelopes that began to arrive from the United States Treasury Department they were likely to give the cheques to any one of the same name who called for mail, and 172 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY just as likely to cash the cheques for them. Consequently many were receiving aid who had no claim whatever, while many with the best claims were going with- out. In one place two women of the same name had sons in the United States Army and one was drawing the cheques for both. In one case the cousin was drawing the cheques and the mother of the soldier who was old and in need was grieving, not so much because of her need of the money as because of her sorrow that her son had remem- bered the young and fair cousin rather than herself. When she received a letter from her boy in which he stated that he hoped she was receiving the cheques regularly her joy in knowing that he had thought of her was so great that she forgot all about the past cheques that were due her and apparently bore no grudge against the cousin. Generally where other persons than the rightful bene- ficiaries had cashed the cheques the money had been spent. In these cases the Red Cross tried by persuasion and by threat to have the money refunded in small payments at a time, and was often successful. It never resorted to the processes of the law. If a case seemed to call for such treatment the matter was referred to the Royal Emigration Commission. As a result of all this confusion allotment cheques were delayed, or failed to arrive altogether, or, arriving, fell into the vrrong hands. This situation caused one of the most persistent and burdensome tasks of the Department. Families would write that their soldier relative had told them that they would receive a certain monthly allowance and that it had not come. Soldiers would complain that the sums allotted from their pay with the added govern- ment allowance had never been received by their families, which were consequently in great distress. Similar mes- sages kept coming from the Red Cross Headquarters at Washington or at Paris. It was the task of the Italian Commission to trace the missing cheques and, pending AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 173 their delivery, to take care of the families whenever they were found to be in destitute circumstances. Whenever it was possible the Red Cross delegates in the different parts of Italy carried on the Home Service work in their vicinity. But it was necessary to add a corps of home visitors whose time was wholly given to this work which extended to every corner of Italv. Often the places to be visited were many miles from the railroad, not infrequently perched on the tops of high mountains and to be reached only on foot or on muleback. Trains were few and conditions of travel as bad as could be. The little villages had no hotels, and sanitation was a thing unknown. Food of a sort was generally obtain- able; heating never. But one should not say never, for one of our home visitors writes : " I have sweet visions of a dear old Italian mother bent by hard labor interrupting my reading of her sol- dier son's letters to say ' My lady, your hands and feet are cold,' and bringing in her hands two little earthen jars of live coals with which to warm my hands and feet, and offering an uncooked egg in the spirit of gracious hospitality. She could neither read nor write but she could feel, and she saw in this Red Cross visitor a way to reach her boy and was full of gratitude." " One old widowed mother of seventy years [I continue to quote from this visitor's report], living all alone in one room had not seen her only child in over six years. When I told her my errand she swelled with pride and replied : ' Yes, my lady, my Amedeo is fighting for the great United States somewhere — I do not know where. It is eight months since I have heard from him, and only twice have I received my allotment cheques, — the last one five months ago. But, lady, no matter (" fa niente "), I am happy if I hear from my boy and have work. I work in the fields for 1.25 lira (about twenty-five cents) a day, when I can get work at all. But now in the 174 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY mountains — the fingers freeze. But read me, my edu- cated lady, what my Amedeo says to me in this letter, once more. Read to me what this card with the little Eed Cross upon it says about my son. — Write for me to his captain and beg him to let my boy come home once more to see me before I die, before he returns to that far-off United States. Also, write my Amedeo and tell him that in a few days I shall go up on the mountains to get some wood. Look, lady, at the " polenta " up there ' (and she pointed to the few ears of corn hanging from the ceiling) ; — 'look there' (and she pointed with her withered hand to the fireplace) — ' there I will cook him a nice dinner, and there in that corner I will build me a bed and he can have this nice one. Oh, write, my lady, I do want to hear from my Amedeo.' " Can you imagine how thankful this poor old soul was when I told her not to worry; that the Red Cross would write her son and be her friend. I wrote this sol- dier and told him how proud he should be of such a brave, courageous old mother, how she smiled as the tears stood in her eyes, and how she loved him. Poor mother ! Only a few days ago we had to write her telling her that her Amedeo had fallen in battle. And so again a small cheque was sent to this suffering old mother who gave her all." Endless were the tales the Home Service visitors brought back from their arduous journeys, most of them sad, a few more joyous, but all of them telling the same story, — that the heart of the mother of Amedeo may beat in a different language but beats with the same pride and love, the same worries and deep sorrows, and the same stout courage as the hearts of the loving mothers of Amer- ica. The work of the Home Service Department has been the hardest of all of the Red Cross activities to bring to an end in Italy. It seemed as if the termination of hostilities had but increased the demand for this kind AIMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 1T5 of service. More than a year after the signing of the armistice the Red Cross was still handling three or four thousand cases a month. On January 1, 1919, the Bureau of War Risk In- surance withheld all requests for allowances until a claim of dependency had been established. In order to estab- lish this claim it was necessary to fill out a blank printed in English sent from the Department in Washington to the claimants in Italy. Since most of these claimants could scarcely read their own tongue it is not surprising that hardly any of these so-called " mail investigation forms " had been filled in and returned to Washington. As a result, even those who had been regailarly receiving their allotments and allowances were suddenly cut off, and were much perplexed to know the reason why, but felt sure that they were in some way being defrauded. Again many soldiers who had gone through the war with a serene mind, feeling that their dependents in Italy were being well cared for in accordance with the provisions they had made for allotment, found, upon reaching home after demobilization, letters awaiting them telling of great distress, for the cheques had not come through. In gen- eral the Italian-Americans who were serving with our forces in France asked to be demobilized there in order that they might visit their native village in Italy to see their wives and children or their aged parents, and in many hundreds of cases the request was granted. They came back with a feeling of satisfaction in having been able to provide so generously for their dependents, proud of the country of their adoption that had made this possi- ble, and rather anxious to parade in the uniform of their new country. Most of them, however, were doomed to the disppointment and disillusionment so feelingly voiced in the following letter from one of them: " Carissima Red Cross " I have come all way from France for see ma wife and child and veesit ma home and I have thought evrahody would be glad 1T6 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY for see me and I would tell much bout the war and ma new country who I am giving two years for defend. My country as was promise send my wife and child $15 from my monthly paid- ment and put to it nother $15. But you dint do neither. Thirty dollars American money make so many lires as we dont much see in Silva Marina and I am thinking as I would find my family all fine. Instead Cara Signora what you theenk I find — my wife seek in bed and ma girl seek too and my friends not sooch good friends because they are thinking I am gone ofE and leave ma wife and child for them to care for me. " And now ma dear friend American Red Cross wont you please give me an information since the great American Gov- ernment is not ma friend and I know how evrabody is to busy for bother weetha me, wont you please carissima Signora help me get this money. I am earn this money honestly when I am fight in France. " If I dont get this money I dont wanta wear the uniform. Before now I am having much pride bout wearing uniform and I am theenking how ma wife would say as it was beautiful. But now our friends they laugh at me. " I am hoping I get letter from you and money too. " Giovanni Antonelli." To do the large amount of home visiting that was called for it was necessary to find men and women of tact and good judgment and much common sense, — workers who might know just when and how much and what kind of assistance should be given to these Italian families of United States soldiers in order not to encourage the spirit of dependency, and at the same time to keep them from falling below the level of decent and respectable liv- ing as measured by the standards of their several com- munities, and to know how to interpret this relief in terms of dollars and cents — or to be more exact, lire — not an easy matter in the small Sicilian hill towns where the people, like our own American Indians, are in the habit of exchanging one commodity of which they have a sur- plus for another of which they have need, and hardly know what to do with legal tender. These workers had to have a fluent knowledge of Italian in order to thread their way through the maze of the many dialects, for there is AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 177 a saying in Italy that there are two hundred and nine varieties of cheese made and two hundred and ten varie- ties of Italian spoken. And they must be humble-minded enough to endure the hospitality of a spare room fre- quently shared with the favorite pig or the family goat. Such agents were found, and they have carried on their work under the burning Sicilian sun, in the bleak and forbidding mountains of the Abruzzi, and through the desolated regions of the Piave. They have stood all night in the corridors of over-crowded trains and then worked all day in the village piazza, or in a small room where people, odoriferous and noisy, have pressed about eager for an interview with the American Red Cross. In the north where the cases were more scattered the Red Cross agent personally visited each family. In the Veneto and along the Piave, in the invaded districts, were many families who had given sons to the American army who had formerly been thrifty and used to some degree of comfort, and had lost everything through the hardships of war, including their cattle, and not infre- quently their homes. To these families, special victims of the war's hardships, relief was given more generously than elsewhere. But in a number of instances where re- lief was offered it was declined. The spirit of these people was well expressed by the Mayor of one to\vn who had thanked the Red Cross for its services in assisting the families of American soldiers in filling out the blanks which proved their claims, but when asked if the Red Cross might be of monetary assistance, replied with quiet pride : " We have suffered much in this war, but we have learned to endure. The Italian government will soon make recompense for our losses; your government will soon send what is due, and that is enough." This was not the spirit shown in Sicily and in south- ern Italy. But no one who has any knowledge of the extreme hardships which the people endured in that pov- erty-stricken portion of Italy during the war will find 178 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY fault with their eagerness to take what they could get from the bounty of their rich ally. Most of the cases dealt with were in this part of Italy, and no attempt was made to visit each one personally. The Mayor of a town would be notified that on a certain day the Red Cross representative would arrive, and he would be asked to notify all those who had claims of any kind to interview the agent. And at the same time the Red Cross sent notices direct to all persons in the neighborhood of whom it had record. Sometimes the notice was given by placards posted throughout the district, and often the town crier went forth to announce the arrival of the agent, who in one instance was referred to as " the United States of America that has arrived." Peasants rode and walked over hills, down dusty roads, to present their claims, bringing with them, by instruction, any documents they might have to establish their case, which consisted of ever}1;hing from letters written by the soldier on Y. M. C. A. paper to the various forms and instructions re- ceived from the United States War Department or the Bu- reau of War Risk Insurance, the latter printed in English and cherished as something almost sacred, and usually carried inside the corsets, which the Italian peasants wear outside their dresses. Generally the agent was able to secure the assistance of some official of the district or some member of the Italian Red Cross in filling in the various forms; and printed instructions, in Italian, were left with him that he might take care of future cases in his district. It was the plan of the Red Cross to give relief only in those cases of evident distress caused by the failure of the United States government to get its allotment cheques through, which would have taken the place of the money that formerly the soldier had been in the habit of sending to his family when he was a workman in America. This relief was, however, reduced to a minimum, and the chief efforts of the Red Cross agents were expended in assist- AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 179 ing the families to establish their claims to allowance, compensation, or insui'ance. In some cases where the families lived in altogether inaccessible communities the Red Cross has depended upon the carabinieri, Italy's in- comparable military police, who cover every part of the country on foot. More than five thousand claim blanks were filled in directly by the Red Cross agents, and ten times that number indirectly through instructions they gave to others. About a year after the armistice the Red Cross entered upon its final phase of work. There were thirty thousand men in the United States, — some were American citizens and some had taken out their first papers, — who answered the call to arms from across the water when Italy first entered the war. The Italian government agreed to pay the transportation of these men to Italy and to return them to the United States within two years after the war. There were, in l^ovember, 1919, nearly four thousand of these men, many of them with their families, gathered in Naples waiting to embark for America, and twenty thou- sand more were expected during the following six months. The American Consulate at Naples was so over-burdened by the extra work of viseing the passports for these people that they were of necessity being detained from one to five weeks at the Casa degli Emigranti. The Con- sulate had no funds with which to meet this emergency, and before it could get them the need would probably be over. Therefore it has seemed but right to regard it as a part of the task of the Red Cross to relieve this con- dition, which is in truth caused by a war emergency. Accordingly the Red Cross has been paying the salaries of extra clerks to expedite the work of viseing the pass- ports of these reservists. And it has in addition attempted to relieve the hardships of their delay in Naples by look- ing after their welfare — providing extra food, beds, etc., at the Casa degli Emigranti. It may not be strictly Home Service work, but it is a legitimate extension of 180 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Red Cross activity which can only bear good fruit The men and women who have for the past year been engaged in Home Service work have performed their tasks with devotion and enthusiasm. Had you chanced to meet one of them returning to the city after a ten days' campaign in the field, tired, with digestion upset, and sadly in need of a bath, and asked him to tell you of his experience, he would lightly pass over the discom- forts and dwell at length upon the unfailing courtesy of the people, from the officials down to the humblest widow or little child. He did not feel in the least like a martyr. He had had to ward off too much adoration and gratitude all along the line. But he would gladly tell you what the experience of being in touch with this gra- cious people has meant, what an opportunity he has had to know Italy as few Americans do, what he has learned about the sources of emigration, and most of all what pointers he could give the various organizations at home that are interesting themselves in the problems of Amer- icanization. During these latter months the relations between Italy and America have been at times rather tense. The Fiume question has been uppermost in the minds of the Italians, and has not been far in the back- ground of the consciousness of any of our representa- tives. And yet not one of them has met with the slight- est discourtesy, nor has the delay on the part of the United States government in redeeming its pledges met with any criticism other than that of natural impatience over the necessity of waiting so long. On the other hand the realization that America — and the people usually took the Red Cross agents to be representatives of the Govern- ment— ^ was sufficiently interested in their individual cases to know or care whether they received their subsidy, was almost past comprehension. Truly they had sent their own men forth to a land not only of great riches but also of great ideals. And they understood, perhaps for the first time, how the sons of Italy could go forth just AMERICAN TROOPS IN ITALY 181 as joyously to fight for their new country as their brothers went forth to fight for Italy. Who can doubt that these sons of Italy, now that the battle is over, and they are taking up the burden of their lives once more in the land of their adoption, will do so with a greater courage, a stouter faith, and deeper loyalty because of their knowl- edge that the United States was mindful of their services even to the extent of personally looking after the needs of those whom they had left behind in Italy. ^ 1 1 have drawn freely in the above narrative of Home Service work upon the excellent report which Miss Mildred Chadsey, director of this branch of the Red Cross activity in Italy after May, 1919, pre- pared for my use. CHAPTER X The Battle of Vittorio Veneto — Ambulances and Eolling Canteens — Feeding the Eeturned Prisoners at Trieste — Eelief in the Invaded Territory — Aiding Kepatriates in the Trentino In- the summer and early fall of 1918 the quiet on the Italian front was broken only by occasional skir- mishes, or by isolated efforts on either side to wrest some minor strategic position from the opposed forces. Ever since the battle of the Piave in June had shown that in an open fight the Austrians were no match for the Italians, the Italian soldiers had acquired renewed confidence in themselves. They had taken once more to singing as they marched, and, instead of looking ahead with appre- hension to the time when Austria should launch her blow, began to grow restive waiting for Italy to assume the of- fensive. Nor was the impatience confined to the men at the front. There were many who were asking : " Why doesn't the army move ? " It should be borne in mind that the armies of Italy, with its population of less than forty million, were standing practically alone against the armies of Austria, with its population of fifty-seven million. It is true that there were on the Italian front three divisions of French, two of English, one Czecho-Slovak division, and one regiment of Americans; but these were more than out-numbered by the Italians fighting on the Serbian and French fronts. In all, the enemy had a preponderance of some twenty divisions. Moreover, on the mountain front in the north the Italians might still be said to be " like men hanging by their fingers to a window sill." And the Austrians 182 THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 183 were higher up, entrenched in apparently impregnable positions. An advance to the east over the Piave could not be undertaken with safety if there were any uncertainty of the situation in the north. Meanwhile economic condi- tions and food conditions had become so bad that a pre- mature offensive ending in defeat, or even in a draw, would have made it exceedingly difficult for Italy to hold out through the coming winter. Patiently and thoroughly General Diaz had been making his preparations, and on the 24th of October, precisely one year after the disaster of Caporetto, the attack was launched simultaneously on both fronts. It is a mystery to a layman how an army can remain intact while the country that supports it is politically dis- integrating. Austria ever since the defeat in June had been going to pieces. But her army was still a powerful and well organized fighting machine, and gave a good ac- count of itself, taking heavy toll of the Italians, partic- ularly on the mountain front, where heights were often captured, lost, and recaptured more than once. On the plain the difficulties of the attack were increased by the fact that rain had come and the Piave was in flood, rushing madly over its gravel bed at the rate of eight feet a second. Throwing pontoon bridges across this river would have been no easy matter had there been no enemy fire to face. Perhaps nowhere did the spirit of the Italian army show to better advantage than here where the shells were falling fast, and promptly, as one group of workers was wiped out, another would move forward to take its place with perfect order and discipline. At six different points the bridges were laid, and over them the Armies crowded after the way had been prepared by a heavy barrage, all the Allies finely cooperating. Though the enemy resistance for the first few days had been stubborn, when the line once broke the army collapsed and the retreat fast became a rout. The allied armies followed close on the heels of the re- treating enemy. There was some rear-guard fighting, and 184 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY a brief stand was made at Vittorio, and on the lower Tagliamento. But these efforts were ineffectual. The Italians pushed on through Vittorio, up the valle}' of the Meschio, took the lower Alps of Belluno, at about the same time that the forces further west were entering Feltre, thus effectively cutting off the line of supplies from the troops still holding their own on the Grappa massif, which were forced to surrender. The enemy had been driven back more rapidly than the Italians had been forced back over the same ground the year before. It was a complete military victory. And the army of Austria was a thing of the past. Caporetto was avenged. The armistice was signed on the third of November amid wild enthusiasm.^ When the first news of the coming offensive reached our Red Cross ambulance sections it found the men ready and eager. Section Four, situated at Schio and serving in the Asiago sector, had had an eventful month in September. But less activity was expected on this part of the front in the coming battle and consequently five of its ambulances were assigned to Section One, at Bassano, which was serv- ing the army on the Grappa and was therefore expected to be in the center of greatest activity. There was keen rivalry for the posts of danger. No one wanted the tame but safe job of evacuation work at the rear, or posts on what promised to be a quiet part of the line. Our men were eager, almost too eager, to push forward, and many a " Bravo Americano ! " greeted the ears of a driver as his car would slip across some shell-ripped road to the dressing post just behind the line. Bassano was heavily bombarded in the early days of the battle. On the 26th of October a shell exploding in the Brenta just beside our 1 The Italians lost during the war half a million dead, and a mil- lion wounded. Her national debt at the beginning of the war was less than fifteen billion lire. On the 31st of October, 1919, this had increased to nearly eighty-four billion. During the same time her paper currency increased from two and three-quarter billion to nearly twelve billion. > ^ American Red Cross anilmlaiice taking the wounded from a dressing station just behind the line. THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 186 ambulance headquarters, threw a sheet of water over the section chief who was sitting at his desk. And a few minutes later another fell in the courtyard on the other side of the house, as a group of Arditi were hurrying by, killing three of them and wounding seven. For many months Bassano had been a special target for Austrian guns, and this much-battered to^vn was almost deserted by its peace-time inhabitants. However, our men stationed here met with but one fatality. On the 29th of September a shell had fallen near section headquarters, mortally wounding volunteer Joseph M. King, a youth of nineteen who, having been refused for more active service because of a comparatively weak constitution, had enlisted as an ambulance driver, which service he performed faithfully and with enthusiasm. He faced death with a smile, as a brave man should, and passed away peacefully in the hospital six hours after he had been wounded. He was buried with military honors, being borne to his resting place in his own grey ambulance. The Piave River and the Grappa Mountain will always hereafter be objects of veneration to the Italians, — the last line of defense, the chief bulwarks of her protection, on the east and the north. The Grappa rises precipitously from the plain just where the Brenta River emerges from the mountain valleys. From its summit, on a clear day, one could follow the whole battle line on the Piave, with Venice plainly visible in the far distance. It was the pivotal position on the mountain front, and was the scene of some of tlie hardest fighting of the war. Our Section One served five outposts during the ofi^en- sive, each provided with its own depot of gasoline, oil and supplies, in charge of an Italian mechanic. The most interesting and arduous of these posts were the three on the Grappa. The roads up this mountain were well made, but very steep, and they zigzagged back and forth with sharp angles. The Italians had been continuously at work widening and improving them, so that there was room for 1S6 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY two gcX)d-sizcd camions to pass, with a margin of a few feet, but there was no protection on the side, and it was always a thrilling ride. A slight miscalculation, and the car would not stop until it had rolled to the bottom. " You have excellent drivers here," Kipling is said to have re- marked to an Italian colonel as they were descending the Grappa. " Yes," he replied, " the rest are down there," pointing over the edge to the valley beneath. And now the roads were congested with the heavy traffic of war, and with troops always going up or coming down ; and frequent shell holes, dislodged stones, and unexploded shells added to the difficulties and dangers. It required strength and courage and constant attention on the part of the drivers who were responsible for getting their human freight through in safety to the nearest distributing station, often as many as fifteen wounded men being taken on a single trip. Provisions were rationed to each car and the men worked day and night. The night work was especially heavy ; for long periods the number of wounded was so great that the ambulances did not stop their motors between trips. While Section One had been making service history in the mountains, Sections Five and Three were working on the plains. Section Five, with headquarters at Maser, was attached to two units of the Medical Corps of the Italian Army and was serving posts on the middle Piave. On the 30th of October it crossed the river at Barche-Vidor and continued its work under great difficulties. The Austrians had allowed the roads to go to ruin, trusting chiefly to a narrow gauge track that they had built along the highways and across the fields to transport army supplies. They were badly cut up by the heavy army trucks with their iron tires — rubber had long since given out in Austria — and they were, besides, a series of shell holes, visible evidence of the effectiveness of the Italian artillery fire. Every- where were signs of a precipitate retreat: thousands of helmets and gas masks cast aside, abandoned trucks and THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 187 cannon, which the enemy had not had time to wreck ; and there were great quantities of unexploded shells and hand grenades lying around which were to prove the cause of many a little tragedy before they were finally cleared away. And always there was the endless line of Austrian pris- oners in their shabby grey uniforms. They seemed to be in fairly good physical condition, but were listless and apathetic, just a sea of bewildered humanity. ISTo one ap- peared to know what it had all been about, or to care. All interest in life seemed crushed out of them, a tragic evi- dence of the deadening effect of the war upon countless numbers of men who are, with unconscious irony, said to have survived. A Red Cross representative passing a com- pany of these prisoners resting by the roadside was hailed by the Italian officer who had them in charge and asked if he could not provide something for them to eat, since they had been a long time without food. He gave them what he had, which was not much, and the Austrian captain, after a formal salute, divided it in small portions while his men crowded around like hungry wolves. It was a trifling inci- dent, but typical of the general kindly attitude of the vic- tors toward the vanquished. It was the same spirit that has led the Italians in recent months to take thousands of starving Austrian children under their care, feeding them to a large extent by means of funds provided by their compatriots in America. Now and again our ambulances were despatched along little side roads into sequestered valleys where there were hospitals that had served the enemy, still filled with Aus- trian sick and wounded who were in the last stages of wretchedness, for they had been deserted by their doctors and nurses, and left for several davs without food or care. The Italians took tender care of them, sending them back to the bridge-heads, thence to be taken to the hospitals in the rear. But many died before they could be moved. Section Three, working on the lower Piave, which had 188 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY made a record for its work in September, had less exciting but scarcely less difficult tasks during the final offensive. It was sent forward with the advancing army until some of its outposts reached as far as the suburbs of Trieste. But the war was over, and this part of the Red Cross work was done. During the month of the offensive and the first two weeks of November our ambulances had carried in all, in 2500 trips, 30,492 cases, a total distance of 269,347 kilometers. The ambulance sections were all withdrawn from the field and disbanded in November, the cars, equipment, and some of the personnel being transferred to the Departments of Transportation and Civil Affairs, which, in the re- deemed districts, were just entering upon a new phase of Eed Cross activity that was soon to reach colossal pro- portions. In preparation for the great battle there had been some shifts in the positions of our rolling canteens in order that they might be of greater service to the troops that were to bear the brunt of the fighting. After a strenuous week, during which single canteens reached as many as ten thou- sand soldiers a day on their way to and from the trenches, these canteens followed their divisions across the river. But the rapid progress of the army and an insufficient supply of camions made it difficult to continue this service with the advancing troops. However, the need for it had ceased. The spirit of a victorious army needs no stimula- tion. And so these canteens generally ended their days in some small town like Chiarano, Fossalta Maggiore, Portia, Sedico, where, in response to the joint request of military and civil authorities, they gave what they had to relieve the greater needs of the civilian population. On the third of November a contingent of Italian Bersa- glieri landed at Trieste and took the city without firing a shot. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say, they en- tered on invitation and were welcomed as deliverers. Word was at once sent to our Red Cross delegate at Venice THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 189 tbat the hospitals were in great need of food and supplies. A boat was immediately loaded, and within thirty-six hours after the Italians entered the city, the Ked Cross repre- sentative was there with 50,000 lire worth of the necessary articles. After distributing these supplies he returned, re- porting no further need of Eed Cross aid in Trieste, — which only showed that, although the war was over, condi- tions might still change completely over night. He could not have foreseen that within a few days one of the gravest situations Italy had to face, one most demanding Red Cross relief, would suddenly develop in Trieste. On the tenth of ISTovember the King arrived at Trieste, followed by the Inter-Allied Military Mission, which joined the royal procession, and was conducted through the cheering crowds as on a pilgrimage to the picturesque old church of San Giusto, which has been venerated for cen- turies by the Italian population. The church was in a bad state of repair, the Austrians not having allowed it to be kept up, since it was in a way the center and the embodiment of the nationalist aspirations of the Italians of Trieste. Now the Italians never let material needs take precedence over sentiment. Already a scaffolding was in place, and the work of restoration had begun. But there were in Trieste that day over ten thousand unbidden and unwelcome guests. Immediately after the signing of the armistice Austria turned loose all the Italian prisoners, of whom there were some four hundred thousand. They had gone south by the shortest route, and were pouring into Trieste, hoping for transportation by water to Venice where they could entrain and continue their journey. Always under-nourished in the prison camps of Austria, they had been walking for days almost without food. They were all in rags, many of them bare- foot, many with pieces of old cloth or sacking tied around their feet, scarcely one with a sound pair of shoes. When at last they dragged themselves down the hill into Trieste it was only to find themselves shut in the concentration 190 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY camp that had been hurriedly improvised behind the iron fence that surrounds the wonderful docks of this port. The situation was appalling. 'No one who saw it can ever forget the haunting picture of these dazed and wretched men, clinging to the palings of the iron fence, and gazing hungrily at the crowds outside making merry over the King's visit. The best the government could do was to transport a few thousand a day ; but they kept coming in such numbers that before long there were a hundred thou- sand in camp waiting to embark, l^o one had anticipated such a situation, and the government was almost helpless in the matter of providing food. There was literally no food available in Trieste. Lard was selling, figured at the then rate of exchange, at ten dollars a pound, dried herring at $1.75 a pound, rice at $2.50 a pound. Bread was unspeakably bad and very scarce. Most fortunately one of our rolling canteens immediately after the armistice had pushed on through the Austrian lines to Trieste and was there when the prisoners began to arrive. It was at once set up in the concentration camp. But its two mar- mites could provide only five hundred portions at a time, which soon proved inadequate. Long before the soup was ready^ in the kettles a line of thousands would form. Starving men, when a certain limit is reached, will fight for food. Sometimes the line broke, and the distribution had to be suspended to prevent riots. But fourteen addi- tional kettles were promptly secured, food was rushed by water and by land from our well-stocked warehouses, and during the nineteen days that elapsed before the pris- oners could be removed the Bed Cross served 700,000 por- tions, each consisting of about a liter of hot, strong soup. In addition to giving food it distributed 25,000 woolen garments and 1500 pairs of shoes. The work was greatly appreciated by the military authorities who spoke of it as a veritable " act of Providence." The British Bed Cross also gave valuable assistance, providing 190,000 rations, about three-fourths of them being the triple army THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 191 ration, beside furnishing large quantities of horse meat. There was a great deal of sickness in the camp and the Italian authorities found it necessary to open seven emer- gency hospitals with a capacity of 7,000 pa-tients. These were filled almost immediately, and the Eed Cross was able to be of great assistance by supplying food and disin- fectants. After the closing down of the work in Trieste a small steamer was secured through the courtesy of the naval au- thorities and food was distributed to a number of small towns on the Istrian coast which were found to be in very great need. The universal rejoicing in Italy when the armistice was signed and the war ended in victory was accompanied by a peculiar sense of exaltation due to the consciousness that at last the hour of vindication had come. The tricolor had been planted on the natural protective boundaries, the Brenner in the north and the Julian Alps in the east. And the dream of the old heroes had been realized. All the Italian lands had been redeemed — all, save a few small colonies scattered along the Adriatic. The unity of Italy was an accomplished fact. But the rejoicing was immediately checked by the sobering knowledge that the armistice had but substituted new burdens for old. All the once prosperous little towns along the Piave, extending through a strip about ten miles in width, were mere heaps of ruins. The same desolation existed along the Brenta, up through the Val Sugana, and through the Val Lagurina. The situation was no better along the old battle line near the Isonzo. And many of the towns not on the battle fronts had been badly battered by air raids. The people who had remained in the four Italian provinces that had been occupied for a year by the Aus- trians were in a state of utter destitution. The enemy had not been guilty of acts of fiendishness such as are reported of the Germans in Belgium and France. They had set no 192 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY traps as they withdrew. There had been no wanton de- struction of property, and but little deliberate fouling of houses. But there had been systematic and wholesale rob- bery. In the early days of occupation all the Italian money had been taken from the people and they had been given in return the much-depreciated Austrian money. Later this was taken from them and they were given in ex- change worthless paper money issued on the non-existent Bank of the Veneto. The houses that had been deserted by the refugees in the exodus after Caporetto had been stripped of everything, and in many cases were left mere shells, even the floors having been cut out for the sake of the timbers. And from all the houses everything of any value had been stolen and shipped to Austria. The pillaging had been carried so far that the glass had been taken from the windows, the blankets from the beds, the locks from the doors, the bells from the churches, the candles from the altars. Even the hos- pitals had been despoiled. All the better clothing had been seized and the people were left with nothing but the ragged garments on their backs. In some communi- ties the best of the women's garments had been given in the early days of the occupation to the small army of prostitutes that the enemy brought with them, who were in every way favored at the expense of decent women. The latter were subjected to constant insult. The invaders had been particularly rough on the women, and many heart-rending tales were told of their sufferings. Nearly all the live-stock had been seized for the uses of the army. All the food had been requistioned, and the most meagre rations doled out to the inhabitants. The amount and the kind of food distributed varied in different localities. In some places it was 20 grams of corn meal a day ; in others 30 grams of a flour said to have been made of chestnuts, acorns, bran, and grass. Besides this small quantity of meal, cabbages constituted the chief article of diet. The people had been subsisting largely on cabbage soup, and THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 193 on what herbs and roots they could gather from the fields. And the armj in its flight had seized everything edible that they could lay their hands upon, even entering the peasants' houses and taking the polenta from the stoves. During the year of occupation, thousands, particularly the children and the very old, had died of starvation. It was the universal testimony of the people that the Hungarians, who had been their last masters, had been the most cruel. Next had come the Germans. The Austrian officers were little better, but the men were for the most part more considerate, and when coming to rob the people would generally apologize, saying they knew the order was brutal but they had no choice but to obey. And so Italy, with her resources already strained almost to the breaking point, found herself confronted with the task not only of restoring the devastated homes but also of caring for these destitute people, numbering about a mil- lion, who, because the winter was at hand and the next harvest far away, would for many months be unable to provide for themselves. In this emergency lay another big opportunity for the Red Cross, and it made the most of it. In anticipation of a victorious offensive, the Red Cross warehouses near the front had been well stocked with food and clothing. As soon as the battle began personnel was withdraA\Ti from other activities and concentrated at the front. All of the food not required for the immediate use of the various Red Cross institutions was hurried north. Preparations could be made on a large scale for it was known that great quantities of additional food supplies were on the way from America, most of which could be diverted to the new need. When the advance began the Red Cross was ready, and it followed the army so promptly that often the day after the enemy evacuated the town it was there with its camions, ready to begin its work of relief. In the much-battered town of Conegliano the people who were living in the ruins were gathered in the church the day after the enemy 194 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY left — it was All Saints' day — to give thanks for their liberation. The bombs had torn the roof from the chapel where most of them were assembled, but -the image of the Virgin was intact and that sufficed. And when Don Giuseppe, the priest, announced at mass the arrival of the Red Cross, and the relief that was to be given at once, it seemed to these people a direct answer to their prayers, and, weeping with joy, they came out to thank and bless the Red Cross through its representatives. How the news of the work of the Red Cross had pene- trated the Austrian lines was shown by an incident reported by the priest of Oderzo. The people left in this little town had gathered in the public square and, forgetting the ruins that surrounded them and the hunger that gnawed their stomachs, were rejoicing over their liberation, when one man in the crowd grumbled : " It's all very well to be free, but we have nothing to eat." Whereupon a woman standing by replied: "No matter! Soon the Americans will be here to help us." And when the next day the Red Cross arrived with its camions of food, ready to open a center of distribution, she exclaimed exultingly, " I told you they would come, and here they are ! " Other centers were immediately established at Vittorio, Sacile, Pordenone, Udine, and Belluno. The center at Belluno was closed after a fortnight on account of the diffi- culty of transporting supplies over the impassable roads. But the others were continued until the end of March. From each of these centers all the surrounding communities were reached by special camion service until practically the whole of the provinces of Veneto and Friuli had been covered. A special warehouse was opened in an old con- vent in Treviso, which was made a separate district, with its own delegate, charged with the responsibility of receiv- ing and distributing supplies which were soon arriving by the trainload, and keeping his fleet of forty camions on the move to meet the demands of the different centers. The Red Cross never gave indiscriminately. After THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 195 reaching a town, with the aid of the mayor, the priest, the doctor, or others in a position to know, lists were made of all the families, and each was provided with a card giving all the necessary information. Supplies were given only upon the presentation of this card, which was stamped each time food and clothing were given, a method which prevented duplication and insured fair distribution. So successful was this arrangement that the local authorities, when supplies were received from other sources, would not infrequently ask the Red Cross to undertake their distribu- tion. Dispensaries were established in nearly every cen- ter, and visiting nurses and social workers made house to house visits, checking up the lists, caring for the sick, and issuing to the most needy orders on the Red Cross ware- house for articles that they specially required, Food stuffs were in many cases supplied to local communities to enable them to reopen public soup kitchens, where the poor could obtain nourishing soup and bread free, the less poor for a nominal charge. Food and clothing were furnished to struggling orphanages, convents and other institutions that had bravely withstood the ravages of the enemy occu- pation. And large quantities of medical and surgical sup- plies, bedding, furniture, and other necessities were pro- vided for the hospitals that had been left utterly bare by the fleeing Austrians. As the situation began to improve, and stores were opened and government canteens estab- lished, the number of persons in the Red Cross lists was reduced, and this made it possible to take better care of the children, the sick, and the most needy. One day an Italian and his wife arrived at the Red Cross offices in Padua to ask for relief. He had been a soldier in the Italian army, and his family had been left behind at the time of the invasion in a little mountain town in the province of Cadore. Returning home after the armis- tice he found them in utter destitution. He remembered the benefits he had received from the Red Cross as a sol- dier, recalled its generosity and friendliness, and decided 196 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY to appeal to it. He knew there was a Red Cross center at Padua, and so he and his wife set out, dragging a large hand-cart, walking four days and nights before reaching their destination, passing on their way through the city of Vittorio by night without discovering that the Red Cross was established there. It is hardly necessary to say that their faith in the Red Cross was richly rewarded, and that they were started on the return journey with a heavy load. As a result of this experience, and of reports that had begun to come in from the mountain towns, where the Red Cross had not yet penetrated, it was decided to establish a center at Auronzo, a beautiful town in the heart of the Dolomites. Fifteen camions were sent up, laden with food, soon to be followed by as many more, and from this center all the surrounding hamlets were reached. The people in the mountains had, on the whole, fared better during the invasion than the people on the plains, but the inaccessibility of the towns, the railroads having been de- stroyed, made government relief somewhat precarious, and there was a great deal of suffering, particularly among the poor. Milk and fats were here, as elsewhere in the in- vaded territory, almost unknown — necessary articles of diet of which there was a great scarcity throughout Italy, but with which the Red Cross was at this time fortunately well supplied. A new phase of the Red Cross relief work began when the people who occupied the towns along the old battle line on the Piave, who had been withdrawn to the interior during the fighting, began to return to their ruined homes. Their evident joy in getting home, although " home " meant in nearly every case a heap of rubbish where it was all but impossible to improvise even a temporary shelter from the rain, was hard to comprehend. There were no stores, no postoffice, for some time not even a semblance of city government, and no means of earning a livelihood. The Italian Government did what it could to help these people to re-establish themselves, but there were scores of " Home." THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 197 ruined towns all calling for immediate relief, and the most that it could do was to provide for the barest necessities. There were 2700, out of a population of 7000, who had returned to the ruined town of Valdobbiadene when the Red Cross arrived and established a center of distribu- tion. This town, before the war the seat of a thriving silk industry, surrounded by prosperous farms and vine- yards, is situated on a hill commanding a superb view of the Grappa and of the valley of the Piave. Not a build- ing had been left intact. Four hundred children were among the returned refugees, and five kindly Sisters had opened a school for them in the ruins of what had once been a beautiful convent. There were three rooms that could be used, and here the children were taught in relays, those not in the classrooms spending their time playing among the ruins, while awaiting their turn. The sole equipment of the school consisted of some benches and a shell-cracked blackboard on which the Sisters wrote the daily lesson with pieces of plaster. The Eed Cross sup- plied books, pencils, crayons, and other necessary school furniture; gave all the children clothing, and provided them with milk and a hot meal every day from the kitchen that was soon running. Xurses were sent up by the Red Cross, and two barrack hospitals were immediately built and put in charge of an Italian army doctor, a native of the place, a splendid fellow, who was universally loved by the people and who worked day and night with tireless energy caring for the sick in the town and in the surround- ing country. The worst conditions were found to exist in the ruined towns on the lower Piave. The marsh-lands here had not been drained for a year ; nearly all the people were suf- fering from malaria, and they had been hard hit by the influenza epidemic. A Red Cross worker, after discov- ering Torre di Mosto, one of the most sorely stricken towns in this district, wrote : ^' You cannot imagine the desolation and abandonment of this place. I shall always 198 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY be haunted hj the picture of these sick, starving creatures crawling around, poking at the ruins, — sunken-eyed, blue- lipped children, and haggard, desperate women. The peo- ple have been receiving a small supply of flour or meal from the government distribution in the commune on which this town depends. A few have succeeded in baking this into bread ; but it is almost impossible to get fuel and many are eating it raw." So the Red Cross came to Torre di Mosto, took over the town hall, the one building left that was in fairly good condition, fitted up a small hospital, and started a dispen- sary and clinic, with an Italian medical officer in charge, that gave treatment to as many as one hundred and fifty patients a day. An old Austrian camp kitchen found in an adjoining shed was impressed into service, and the Red Cross was soon distributing five hundred portions of soup and as many of milk a day. A small laboratory was opened where women were employed converting surplus hospital garments and surgical dressings into children's clothes. Clothing and canned and uncooked food were dis- tributed weekly to people living at a distance from the cen- ter. Meanwhile Red Cross nurses went about caring for the sick, investigating the needs of the people, and meeting these as far as it was possible to do so, giving advice, sup- plying disinfectants, and keeping infectious diseases from spreading. The Red Cross went to the little town of Calvecchia, found a house in partial ruins, promptly repaired it with the aid of some soldiers, and established an asilo where one hundred and fifty children were cared for ; and set up a soup kitchen and began the distribution of food. It then opened a workroom where twenty women worked daily under the supervision of a nun making pillows, mattresses, sheets and clothing, and remaking articles that had been sent from America to meet the existing needs. Then the Red Cross went to San Dona di Piave, a com- mune of 16,000, widely scattered in four " fractions.'" THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 199 !N^othing could exceed the chaos and desolation of this place. There was not even a shelter for the Red Cross kitchen until one had been built. An enrollment was promptly made of all the people, and three kitchens and milk centers established, that systematically distributed food, so that all received assistance at least twice a week. Plans were at once made for an asilo to care for the children, and three barrack hospitals were erected and operated. The good effects of the Red Cross relief were everywhere immediately evident. The people in general were intel- ligent and self-respecting and the probability that, if given half a chance, they would speedily return to normal ways of living made anything that could be done toward help- ing them, and tiding them over the hard winter months, seem worth while. From all of these centers relief was ex- tended to the surrounding towns. And in many of the ruined towns where it was impossible to give continued assistance the Red Cross entered with the returning ref- ugees and gave intensive relief during the first and hardest days of re-occupation. A well known Italian writer, in an article published in a leading daily, gives the following pen picture of this phase of Red Cross work. After speak- ing of the prompt and varied relief given by the Red Cross and its perfect adaptation to the needs of the people, due to its being based u«pon first hand knowledge of the " humble, pedestrian, muddy but tangible facts," he continues : " The American Red Cross arrives with its camions in a ruined village. From a cave in a trench, from the cellar of a ruined house, from a hut made with four rotten poles and a torn blanket nailed against the apse of a destroyed church, the men, women, and children come out. " ' How many families are you ? ' asks in her rude Italian a brave, smiling young girl in browTi leather boots and a gray ' Arditi ' sweater. Another girl has opened a box, taken out a typewriter and turning the box over, 200 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY placed the machine upon it. She also smiles. The people give their names; she writes the tickets. " ' What do you need ? ' " ' Boots ' — ' Pruning knives ' — ' Salt ' —' Spades ' — ' Quinine ' — ' Blankets ' — ' Meat ' — ' Huts ' — ' Milk ' — ^ A sewing machine.' " ' We can't give pruning knives or spades, or shovels. Here is the salt and the quinine. Here are fifteen blan- kets. The rest we will send in five days. Cans of meat and milk you can have on Mondays and Fridays at , two miles from here, by producing these tickets. The sewing machine we will send in eight days.' " Two hours later, the census finished and the distribu- tion made, after the lists had been checked up by a visit to the huts, the camion leaves. But five days later the blankets arrive, eight days later, the sewing machine. Little things, perhaps, in comparison to the task of the government, but useful, and repeated in two or three hundred villages. The communal secretary was right when he commended the example of the American Red Cross, for its work has three qualities: (1) It is founded on facts seen and touched; (2) it does not promise more than it can give; (3) it really gives what and in the measure it has promised. That is why everybody believes in it." In all, half a million people were under the care of the Eed Cross in the invaded districts during the winter after the armistice; and a hundred thousand garments were distributed. When this work was brought to a close, toward the end of March, there was still a large quantity of supplies of all sorts in the Eed Cross ware- house at Treviso, and these were turned over to an Italian committee that continued the work of relief in the devastated area until the bounty of nature began once more to provide for the needs of the people. The men and women who carried on the work of the Eed Cross in the liberated district, often under most primi- THE BATTLE OF VITTORIO VENETO 201 tive living conditions, had a hard and exacting task. But all of the reports that they sent in to headquarters echo the sentiment thus expressed in one of them: "I am working seventeen hours a day, and never was so happy. Every hour is packed with interest. We are saving lives by the hundred. And how grateful every one is. I am sure that if the people in America could only see what their dollars are doing now they would be well pleased." And there is another note that runs through the reports, best described by quoting again : " The faults of the Italians are on the surface; every one can see them. But we are dis- covering the sterling virtues underneath. I shall never misunderstand these people again. I am filled with admir- ation for their wonderful patience and courage, their cheer- fulness in facing a truly desperate situation, and the dogged determination with which they tackle the difficult problems that confront them." The work of the Bed Cross in the Trentino differed from that in the devastated area east of the Piave, owing to the different conditions, but was no less comprehensive. Here, too, it followed in the wake of the advancing army, and began the distribution of food in the city of Trent immediately after it was captured. Before many days, however, the railroad to Italy was repaired, and the most pressing needs could be met by the government. So the Red Cross moved on north to Bolzano, to care for the returning Italian prisoners who were pouring in by this route, and were in a condition scarcely less desperate than that of the prisoners returning through Trieste and by the Veneto. A kitchen was set up between the tracks at the station, from which they all were served on the arrival of the trains. After a few weeks this emergency passed, and the Red Cross returned to Trent, where a new prob- lem had arisen. In the early days of the war the Austrians had with- drawn, and interned in German Austria, all of the people from the towns south of Trent that were near the fighting 202 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY zone, who had not fled for refuge to Italy, and all the peo- ple from the city of Trent who could not show that they possessed the means to care for themselves for six months, a provision often used as a pretext for banishing citizens for political reasons. There were 150,000 of these refu- gees or internati. As the trains that bore them north reached the town of Bolzano they were stopped, the people ordered to descend, and all who seemed at all able- bodied — old men, women, and girls — were forced into involuntary servitude, or worse. Many of them never came back. These exiles were now returning in large numbers. An excellent refugee committee of Trent was receiving and caring for them, and distributing them, as it was possible to do so, to their own towns. Every morn- ing a caravan of Red Cross camions followed these people to their destination, and distributed food, clothing, and in many cases beds and bedding, on presentation of the cards supplied by the refugee committee. Eeturning late to Trent our representatives would work far into the night making preparations for the distribution that was to be made on the following day. So thoroughly was this work done that literally every one of the repatriates was directly or indirectly the recipient of Red Cross aid. This statement is made on the testimony of the efficient vice-president of the refugee committee of Trent, Dalla Brida, an energetic young priest, with whom the Red Cross worked in close cooperation, whose intimate knowl- edge of conditions enabled him to speak with authority. When the Red Cross withdrew from the Trentino, toward the end of March, a large quantity of supplies was turned over to the local refugee committee to enable it to continue the work of relief with the destitute repatriates. CHAPTER XI Getting Out — Fighting Tuberculosis — Conclusion All of its enterprises for civilian relief carried on during the war had been undertaken by the American Red Cross with the express understanding that its obligations should cease three months after the war was over, and that it was to be the judge as to when the war ended. Accord- ingly, after the armistice, all delegates were instructed to begin at once to make arrangements for bringing the work in their districts to a close. By the first of March, 1919, the Red Cross had withdrawn from all its war-time activ- ities for civilian relief, the district centers had been closed, and the disbanding of the organization was well under way. In most cases, however, better than its word, it had left with local committees the material necessary to con- tinue until the following summer the activities that it had started. A volume might be filled with the expressions of appre- ciation, oral and written, received from Italians of all walks and conditions of life, from the King, who, speaking in his own name and in the name of the army and of the people, voiced admiration and gratitude for the work of the American Red Cross that had " made secure and im- perishable the foundations of cordial and trusting friend- ship between the two countries," down to the peasant mother invoking the blessing of Heaven on America for saving the life of her child ; from the Premier, from may- ors, prefects, and other dignitaries, giving ofiicial acknowl- edgment of the effective work of relief, down to the small child in the asilo touchingly trying to express the fullness of her heart; from the soldier at the front writing of his 203 204 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY gratitude for the load that had been lifted from his mind by the knowledge that his loved ones were being cared for in his absence ; from the distinguished Roman prelate who declared with enthusiasm that the work of the Red Cross had been a revelation, showing that a vast humanita- rian work could be accomplished with entire detachment from either religious or political influence, and with even- handed justice to all, who said that people had often come to him asking him to intercede with the Red Cross in their behalf or in behalf of some project in which they were in- terested, and that he had always replied : " Go to the Red Cross and present your case. If your cause deserves support you will get it." And he added that he had never known of one refusal that was not justified. One important phase of Red Cross work, the assistance given in fighting tuberculosis, has not yet iDeen described. Its consideration has been deferred to this point because it was a work carried out after the war was over, and be- cause the nature of the work done, partly determined by that fact, was such as to make it a natural transition from the war work of the American Red Cross to its after-war plans as these are to be carried on by the League of Red Cross Societies. The tuberculosis unit arrived in Rome shortly before the final victory, with an organization that proved larger than was required for the work that it was destined to accomplish. The influenza epidemic was, however, at that time at its height, and a number of doctors and nurses, transferred to other departments, were able to perform in- valuable service in that emergency. It was decided, the war being over, not to spend the re- sources of the Red Cross in erecting or subsidizing hos- pitals, or in other ways caring for the tubercular victims of the war, but rather to work with the Italians in devel- oping methods for a systematic and thorough-going attack upon the disease itself, thus utilizing the opportunity of- fered to promote the advancement of international cooper- CONCLUSION 205 ation in public health work generally, and especially in fighting contagious diseases. In order to lay securely the foundations for effective work a careful survey was first made of all Italy, province by province, and statistical data were collected covering the educational system, school hygiene, child labor, housing conditions, emigration and the labor situation, existing in- stitutions and organizations for child welfare, for nursing, and for the promotion of public health work in tubercu- losis. Much of the material gathered in this survey has been published in printed reports, which should be of value not only in Italy in furthering international stand- ardization in health work, but also in America in handling the Italian immigrant problem. As a result of this preliminary investigation a broad and comprehensive program was adopted which involved as its basic feature the formation of provincial committees, each employing a full-time executive secretary, and com- mittees in various centers in each province. These com- mittees were to complete local organization for anti-tuber- culosis work, establish dispensaries, employ visiting nurses, and carry on an educational campaign for which the Red Cross was to furnish posters, pamphlets, traveling dispen- saries, motion picture machines, films, and lantern slides. In accordance with this plan provincial committees were organized in Liguria, Umbria, Sardinia, Palermo, Gir- genti, and Alessandria, and more than a dozen local com- mittees besides. The initiative was in every case taken by interested Italians, and by them the work was carried on and the funds raised for its continuance. The American Red Cross gave financial assistance at the start and con- tributed small subsidies for the first few months of opera- tion. For the rest, it disappeared as much as possible into the background, acting as advisor and consulting engineer in health work, contributing educational material and gen- erally putting at the disposal of the committees the results of experience gained in similar work in America. 209 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY Since the most important factor in public health work of any sort is the visiting nurse, schools were established in Rome, under the auspices of a committee of the IN'ational Federation of Women's Clubs, and at Genoa, under the auspices of the provincial Anti-tuberculosis League of Lig- uria, where in two four-month courses groups of Italian women, specially selected because of their ability and their previous nursing experience, were given intensive training in district nursing by a corps of American women who were experts in this field. The Red Cross also gave assistance in certain closely correlated fields of work. In cooperation with the national association of men engaged in medical inspection work in the public schools it worked out a general program, pre- pared pamphlets and booklets of instruction for teachers, and made arrangements with the Minister of Education whereby government support was assured in the plans for the rapid extension of this work to all the schools of Italy. Local and national groups interested in child wel- fare work were through charts and diagrams made ac- quainted with the methods in use in America. A model program was prepared and adopted by the child welfare committee of IS'aples which was aided by the Red Cross with supplies and a subsidy; and assistance was given to leading pediatricians and obstetricians who were anxious to form an association to start a national campaign for child welfare. There had been at all times in the work of the Italian Commission of the American Red Cross close cooperation with Italians, and in many cases the Red Cross had ex- tended relief through Italian organizations. What is unique in the tuberculosis work is that from first to last, in its inception and in its maintenance, it was constructive work in the hands of the Italians, the Red Cross stimu- lating interest, helping in the organization, advising, aiding and backing the Italian committees in every way possible. It is for this reason that this last phase of Red Cross activ- CONCLUSION 207 itj in Italy forms a natural transition from emergency war work to the persistent problems of sickness and suffering that every nation must indeed solve for itself, but that cannot adequately be dealt with without that solidarity of effort that will come through the League of Red Cross Societies. It is the purpose of this League to stimulate in each country the interest in Red Cross work and to aid in the building up of a strong democratic Red Cross organization, with a large popular membership, so that it may in fact be the expression of the collective heart of the nation. The representatives of the various Red Cross organizations, meeting in common council at the seat of the League, will then constitute a great clearing house for the exchange of ideas, so that the experience of each nation may become at once the common gain of all, thus establishing effective international cooperation in public health and social wel- fare work. Moreover, through the League, the civilized world will be united for joint effort in dealing with those problems that know no national boundaries but are the common task of humanity. But the aim of the League looks much further than this. Just as the spirit of compassion in individuals is the belief in equality kindled and made effective by emotion, so, be- tween nations, the same spirit may be counted upon to make alive and effective that belief in a deeper underlying equality of civilized nations which better understanding brings about, a belief that must prevail if there is to be any hope of enduring peace. Wlien men or nations meet each other with suspicion and distrust it is generally in large part due to misunderstanding ; the result is apt to be jealousy and hate; and the logical end of hate is war. If wars are to cease, nations must meet, not with the old superiorities and condescensions, the old suspicions and jealousies, but in the spirit of equality and friendship, based upon mutual understanding and therefore carrying with it confidence and trust. In the measure that the 208 THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN ITALY League of Eed Cross Societies succeeds in hastening this happy consummation, will it have fulfilled its highest purpose. As one looks back upon the work of the American Red Cross in Italy, one may well take pride in its great accom- plishment. But what is of the most value in that work is the contribution made through it to this greater cause of permanent peace. For what the Red Cross has done to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our two nations through a better mutual understanding, carrying with it confidence and trust, is its greatest, its enduring achieve- ment. APPEKDIX I Total Expenditures of the American Eed Cross Commission TO Italy from November, 1917 to June 30, 1919 [Statement supplied by Nelson Mills.] From November, 1917, to June 30, 1919, tbe total expenses of the American Red Cross ' mmission to Italy were. Lire 114,- 880,066.20, divided as follows : Civil Affairs 74,332,817.00 64.71 per cent Military Affairs 11,719,569.60 10.20 Medical Affairs 15,187,618.02 13.22 Tuberculosis Division 3,486,066.76 3.03 Administrative Bureau 8,854,823.22 7.71 Restricted Funds 5,520.77 MiscellaneouB 1,293,650.83 1.13 114,880,066.20 lOOperoen* It is interesting to note the various percentages against the above expenditures, the total Administrative Biireau expense being only 7.71% of the total. Under Department of Civil Affairs, we operated appropria- tions for relief of refugees, for canteen service, for children's work, for relief of Italian soldiers' families, for ouvroirs and section of home service. The various expenditures and per- centages imder department of Civil Affairs to June 30, 1919, be- ing as follows : Administration 988,085.65 1.33 per cent Relief of refugees 24,611,220.79 33.11 Canteen Service 7,379,430.21 9.93 Children's Work 12,841,373.16 17.27 Relief of Italian Soldiers' Families. . . 16,456,948.67 22.14 Contingent Relief Fimd 60,033.61 .08 Ottvrotr Dept 11,822,157.77 15.91 Home Service 173,567.14 .23 74,332,817.00 100 per cent Under the Department of Military Affairs we operated appro- priations for the Relief of Italian Soldiers at the Front, Section of Ambulance Service, Section of Canteens and Rest Houses and Section of American Soldiers at the Front. The total ex- 209 210 APPENDICES penditures of these various appropriations with percentages to June 30, 1919, being as follows : Administration 199,102.26 1.70 per cent Italian Soldiers at Front 2,836,705.21 24.20 Ambulance Service 3,943,890.81 33.65 Canteen and Rest Houses 4,287,672.93 36.59 American Soldiers at the Front 452,198.39 3.86 11,719.569.60 100 per cent Under our Department of Medical Affairs we operated four appropriations, one for surgical dressings, one for section of hos- pital service, one for administration and one for Nurses' Home at Milan, The various expenses with percentages being as fol- lows : Surgical Dressings Service 1,189,898.56 7.83 per cent Hospital Service 13,671,754.25 90.02 Administration 253,013.54 1.67 Nurses' Home, Milan 72,951.67 .48 15,187,618.02 100 per cent Our Department of Ttiberculosis was divided into seven sec- tions, the total expenditures under each section to June 30, 1919, being as follows : Administration 342,895.41 9.84 per cent Medical Service 238,437.85 6.84 Public Health Nursing 378,896.34 10.87 Public Health Education 596,207.23 17.10 Hospital Relief 407,007.51 11.67 Traveling Dispensaries 17,815.97 .51 Provincial Organization 1,504,806.45 43.17 3,486,066.76 100 per cent Our Department of Administration operated seven sections. The various expenditures with percentages imder each to June 30, 1919, being as follows : Section of Transportation 3,086,162.95 34.85 per cent " " Purchases 127,840.79 1.44 " Stores 2,563,351.25 28.95 " " Finance and Accounts 691,157.45 7.81 " " Secretary General 1,766,129.77 19.95 " Public Information 581,522.61 6.57 Traveling Expenses Permanent Com- mission to Italy 38,658.40 .43 8,854,823.22 100 per cent APPENDICES 211 It is interesting to note that, taking our total expenditures to June 30, 1919, the percentages are as follows: Equipment 6.13 per cent Merchandise for Relief 60.65 Salaries and Wages 8.03 Operating Expenses 8.55 Donations 16.64 100 per cent Adding together Merchandise for Relief and Donations to other organizations gives us 77.29% of our expenses given in actual direct relief in Italy. Also the fact must be taken into consideration that, included in the items of Salaries and Wages, 8.03%, are the maintenance and salary charges of the doctors, ambulance drivers, nurses, social workers, etc., whose services were all directly devoted to direct relief, so this per- centage should really be added to the amount expended for actual relief. In connection with our equipment expense, 6.13%, we have already received 25% of this in actual cash returns from sales of equipment and the remainder of the equipment has been do- nated to Italian institutions so that the percentage of this should be added to the amount expended for actual relief. These percentages tell a very complete story of our work in Italy and from the standpoint of the statistician are extremely valuable. APPENDIX II Italian version of the first and last verses of the Star Spangled Banner made by Capt. Frank A. Perret, slightly modified in the " attempt to carry forward the sense to our present day and to our mission in the world." Oh dite se ognor Nel rossigno albor, II simbolo fiero di nostra speranza Con stellato splendor, Ormai vincitor, Ondeggi sul forte con balda fidanza, Or che, al novo fulgor, Gia la tenebra muor E la fede rinasce fra tanto dolor. Che in alto quel nostro vessillo stellato 213 APPENDICES Sempre sventoli al sol Su libero suol! Qualora nel cuor Col piu santo amor Un popolo sogni la sua libertade, Dal fiero oppressor Protegga ognor II nostro vessillo le loro contrade! Dei nobili ardor Iddio difensor Ai giusti conservi la fede nel cor. E in alto quel nostro vessillo stellato Sempre sventoli al sol Su libero suol ! APPENDIX III Ameeican Relief Clearing House in Homt Executive Committer Lewis Morris Iddings, Chairman John Gray, Vice Chairman and Secretary George B. Page, Treasurer and A. Apolloni, Marchese G. Guglielmi, L. WoUemborg, Dr. Jesse Bene- dict Carter, The Eev. Walter Lowrie, Nerval Richardson, H. Nelson Gay, George W. Wurts, S. A. B. Abbott, Stanley B. Lothrop, Gorham Phillips Stevens, Gaetano Cagiati and E. O. Bartl&tt. APPENDIX IV The Amebic an Red Cross Temporary Commission August 31 to October 2, 1917 George F. Baker Jr. Nicholas F. Brady John R. Morron Chandler R. Post Dr. Thomas W. Huntington Gorham Phillips Stevens Dr. Victor G. Heiser Ctarles Upson Clark APPENDICES 213 APPENDIX V Emeegency Organization of the American Red Cross in Italy November 5 — December 20, 1917 (The men whose names are printed in italics later served with the permanent organization of the American Red Cross in Italy.) Carl Taylor, Deputy Commissioner Charles Carroll, Aide Bernon S. Prentice, Director of Administration A. H. Green, Jr., General Manager B. G. Smith, Director, Dept. of Accounts R. H. Sherman, Director, Dept. of Stores E. E. Darr, Secretary Ernest Meadows, Publicity J. Forrest Reillv, Assistant Secretary A. P. Cartier Department of Military Affairs: H. B. Stanton, Director G. W. Beadel, Assistant R. G. Mather, Secretary B. M. Nester, CTiief Inspector Nicholas R. Rhodes Robertson Williams, Field Delegate E. B. Wilkins Richard Wallace Myron C. Nutting H. W. C. Bowdoin Charles K, Wood, Inspector Department of Civil Affairs: Edward Eyre Hunt, Director, November 5-December 10 Ernest P. Bicknell, Director, December 10-December 20 E. 0. Bartlett, Asst. to Director W. C. Smallwood, Advisor to Director Donaldson Clark, Assistant A. J. Akin, Florence Albert R. Chandler, Milan Hugh Heaton, Turin 0. H. Sellenings, Turin G. F. Laughlin, Leghorn Stanley Lothrop, Rimini D. S. MacLaughlan, Palermo T. H. Mason, Naples 214 APPENDICES C. U. Moore, Milan H. W. Parsons Charles A. Williams, Delegate Investigating Committee on Refugees : Ernest Bicknell Edward T. Devine Paul U. Kellogg Local Committees: Milan : North Winship, Chairman U. J. Bywater, Secretary and Treasurer Genoa: Paul Grosjean, Chairman Paul Allen, Secretaiy American Consuls cooperating with Bed Cross: B. Harvey Carroll, Jr., Venice E. F. Dumont, Florence North Winship, Milan Vice Consul Quincy Roberts, Genoa W. J. Grace, Leghorn Samuel H. Haven, Turin Robertson Honey, Catania Joseph E. Shank, Palermo Jay White, Naples American Belief Committee in Lomhardy Novemher, 1917; North Winship, Chairman, Edward C. Richardson John F. Stucke Malcolm P. Hooper William R. Bairnson Ernest E. Ling William R. Meadows Ulysses J. Bywater, Secretary and Treasurer. Genoa Committee of the American Bed Cross: Paul Grosjean, Chairman Quincy F. Roberts A. T. Rosasco Homer Edmiston Lamar Fleming, Jr. Paul Allen, Secretary American Consuls cooperating with Bed Cross: B. Harvey Carroll, Jr., Venice E. F. Dumont, Florence APPENDICES 215 North Winship, Milan Vice Consul Quincy Roberts, Genoa \V. J. Grace, Leghorn Samuel H. Haven, Turin Robertson Honey, Catania Joseph E. Shank, Palermo Jay White, Naples APPENDIX VI AMEEicAJsr Red Cross Commission" in Italy as of December 20, 1917 Robert P. Perkins, Commissioner Deputy Commissioners Chester H. Aldrieh James Byrne Dr. Joseph Collins Ernesto G. Fabbri Rev. Sigourney W. Fay Samuel L. Fuller Guy Lowell Thomas L. Robinson Dr. L. Witmer General Organization Placid James Carmeci Sylvia Coney Glyn Davies John B. Erit Sophie P. Foote Raymond L. Hayman William R. Hereford Alice McKay Kelly (Mrs.) W. A. Moore Gardner Penniman Regis H. Post Julius Roth Ernest A. Salvi John DeRaismes Storey Alexander Torelli Edgar I. Williams Liaison Officers Rome Office Lt. Col. Adolf o Apolloni Maj. Gioacchino Laurenti Lieut. Nerino Rasponi Col. Ranuccio Marzochelli Capt. Felice Cacciapuoti Bologna Lt. Guido Sanguinetti Vicenza Lt. Guglielmo Nesi 216 APPENDICES appe:n'dix Yll Obganization as of November 1, 1918 Robert P. Perkins, CommisBioner DEPARTJfENT OF ADMINISTRATION Ernesto Fabbri, Inspector General James Byrne, Legal Adviser Samuel L. Fuller, Director of Administration (Commissioner January to April, 1919) Herbert Scoville, Secretary' General Nelson Mills, Comptroller (Director Finance and Accounts March 27, 1919) Julius Roth, Director Stores and Transportation Gino L. Perera, Director Department Purchases William R. Hereford, Director Department Public Information Charles M. Bakewell, Department of Public Information Clarence S. McKune, Real Estate and Property Palmer P. Day, Asst. Secretary General (Secretary General April 15, 1919) Thomas B. Taylor, Asst. Secretary General Norman L. Wills, Jr., Asst. Comptroller (Comptroller March 27, 1919) Humbert Erit, Paymaster Gorham Lyle Olds, Asst. Department Public Information John Howard Lawson, Editor of the Bulletin John DeR. Storey, Asst. Legal Advisor Department of Military Affairs Guy Lowell, Director of Department Phillips B. Thompson, Assistant to Director Henry B. Wilkins, Assistant to Director James Gamble, Field Director Rolling Kitchens Robert W. Bates, Director of Ambulance Service Section Chefs, Ambulance Service: Section I: George Utassy, L. G. Hunter, M. D. Detweiler, Charles Waldispuhl Section II: James P. Gillespie Section III: F. J. Nash, 0. P. Askam Section IV: Charles B. Griffin, E. H. Baker Section V: Howard Kahn, G. F. Voile Section Sous-chefs, Ambulance Service: Section I : L. G. Hunter, Charles Waldispuhl, John K. Cloud Section II : A. E. Collinson Section III: E. J. Welch, J. H. Tedford APPENDICES 217 Section IV: W. H. George, E. J. Welch Section V: G. F. Voile, J. S. Vanderveer Department of Medical Affairs Dr. Joseph Collins, Director of Department Dr. Eugene Crockett, Assistant to Director Dr. Ralph Hamill, Assistant to Director Dr. Charles Riggs Parke, Physician to Red Cross Personnel Sara E. Shaw, Director of Nurses Mildred Blumenthal, Secretary Department of Civil Affairs Chester H. Aldrich, Director of Department Edward O. Bartlett, Asst. Director of Department (Commissioner April 1, 1919) Gertrude H. Springer, General Secretary Charles F. White, in charge of Home Service work. District Delegates Avellino, G. P. Centanini, Josephine Centanini (Mrs.) Co-Delegate -Bari, Edward D. Self (May, 1918-November, 1918); C. T. Erickson (October, 1918-January, 1919) Bologna, Nicholas R. Rhodes (Dec., 1917-Nov. 15, 1918); William Sohier Bryant (Nov., igiS-Feb., 1919) Calabria, H. W. C. Bowdoin Florence, A. J. Akin Genoa, Edgar I. Williams Milan, Thomas L. Robinson (Dec, 1917); Joseph M. MacDonough (Feb., 1918-Jan., 1919) Naples, Thomas A. Mason (Nov., 1917-Mar., 1918); Charles A. Williams (Nov., 1917-Jan., 1919) Padua, Frederick C. Thwaits Palermo, Donald S. MacLaughlin (Dec, 1917-Aug., 1918); John C. Champion (August, 1918-Feb., 1919) Rimini, Stanley Lothrop Roman District, Harold W. Parsons Sardinia, Charles W. Wright Taormina, Charles K. Wood (Dec, 1917-March, 1918); Winifred C. Putnam (Mar., 1918-Feb., 1919) Turin, Hugh Heaton (Jan., 1918-March, 1918); Irving K. Taylor March, 1918-Jan., 1919) Venice, Moses S. Slaughter, Gertrude M. Slaughter (Mrs.) Co- Delegate Sub-District Representatives Anzio, H. I. Stickroth Canicattini Bagni, Dr. L. Alfieri-Marsh Chioggia, A. R. Chandler Piacenza, T. Robertson Williams (Nov., 1917-Nov., 1918) ; Edward L. Rowan (July, 1918-Mar., 1919) 21S APPENDICES Pisa, Francesco Mauro Umbria, Sophie P. Foote Verona, Richard W. Wallace Vicenza, George Utassy Tuberculosis Department William Charles White, Director Robert H. Bishop, Jr., Asst. Director Robert G. Paterson, Section of Public Health Education Ervine A. Peterson, Section of Public School Hygiene Richard A. Bolt, Section of Child Hygiene John H. Lowman (to January 4, 1919), Section of Medical Service Joseph C. Palmer (Jan. 4-24, 1919, Section of Medical Service Lewis D. Bement, Business Manager Louis I. Dublin (to Nov. 4, 1918), Section of Statistical Information Knud Stouman (from Nov. 4, 1918), Section of Statistical Informa- tion Mary S. Gardner, Section of Public Health Nursing Elnora E. Thomson, Educational Director, Section of Public Health Nursing Annie R. McCauley, Acting Assistant, Section of Public Health Bertha M. Laws, Secretary to Commission APPENDIX VIII Representatives for Emergency Work in Devastated Territory Ernesto G. Fabbri, Inspector General R. Leland Keeney, Delegate AXJRONZO : C. M. Girard, In charge of civil distribution H. C. DePinna (Mrs.), Civil distribution Beixuno : G. M. Springer (Mrs.), In charge of civil distribution R. D. Farquhar, Civil distribution Rosa Gandolfo, Nurse CONBX3LIANO : Seymour Bulkley, In charge of civil distribution Franc Delzell, Assistant Dr. Jane Bobbins, District nursing Jane T. Dahlman (Mrs.), Nurse Maria T. Ambrosini, Nurse Anne R. Smith, Civil distribution APPENDICES 219 OdEBZO: Frank P. Fairbanks, In charge of distribution for district Umberto Possenti, In charge of outside distribution Amado Pacifici, Civil distribution Janet Comerford, In charge of nursing Giorgio Farinetti, Nurse Agnes Conway, Xurse Gladys H. Moore, Nurse POEDENONE : James P. Carmeci, In charge of distribution for district Edward W. Forbes, In charge of distribution for town, later, for district Samuel M. Sturgeon, Civil distribution Margaret Farquhar, District nursing Dora E. Lobb, Nurse's helper Sacile : E. A, Fraser, In charge of distribution for district Susan Cort, In charge of distribution Sacile center Jeanette F. VanSciver, Civil distribution Millie C. Gosney, District nursing Margaret P. Smith, Nurse in hospital Franca Saroni, Nurse in hospital Valeria Rittenhouse, Nurse in hospital Ellen K. Finerty, Secretary in hospital San Dona Di Piave: Mary Frasca, In charge of distribution Edith M. Corson, Civil distribution, TOKRE Dl MOSTO : Charlotte M. Wiggin, In charge of distribution Joseph P. Rose, Civil distribution Agnes H. von Kurowsky, District nursing Loretta A. Cavanaugh, In charge of hospital Trento: Louis F. Corti, In charge of distribution Amey 0. Aldrich, Distribution Teeviso : Leland R. Keeney, Delegate Treviso District and reoccupied terri- tory beyond Piave Harry H. Rocbefort, In charge of warehouse Edward K. Taylor, In charge of stores G. F. Voile, In charge of transportation at Treviso and reoccupied territory Thomas R. Pearce, In charge of distribution in Valdobbiadene Dis- trict 220 APPENDICES Robert D. Irion, In charge of medical stores Glyn Davies, In charge accounting at Treviso Edward C. Foote, In charge of accounting at Treviao W. P. Brown, In charge of shipping at Treviso Maury F. Jones, Warehouse Mary Herald, Stenographer and civil distribution Dorothy Buck, In charge medical distribution Grace E. Peterson, Stenographer Medical Department Delia C. DeGraw, In charge of nursing, 331st Hospt. Udine : Clarence A. Davis, In charge of distribution Z. G. Brockett, Outside distribution C. A. Sherman, Civil distribution Georgiana B. Sherman, Civil distribution Willie C. Johnson, Civil distribution Maurice Best, Civil distribution VlTTORIO : Frederick L. Stephens, In charge of civil distribution Douglas Charnley, Civil distribution J. B. Thomas, Civil distribution Elizabeth Morrison, Distribution of clothing Dr. Harriet Ballance, Charge of Medical Dispensary Personnei. Home Service Department of the American Red Cross in Italy In charge of Joseph A. Dial until Oct., 1918 In charge of Charles F. 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Mg !h bob [iH2««SSKUK^H^Stftf«SE^PHEtfb 252 o Mi ^ .5 a (life a; oT oT l2 ,;■£ «■ P.S.2.2 be U) ■NN APPENDICES 253 APPENDIX XII Statement of Some of the Chief Items Other Than Medical and Surgical Supplies Received and Distributed by the A. R. C. in Italy Milk 5,055,600 cans Flour 2,145,100 lbs. Meat (barreled beef and pork) 1,996,600 " Canned Soup 480,000 cans Beans 17,690 sacks 1,769,000 lbs. Peas 5,885 " 588,500 " Sugar 6,770 " 677,000 " Lard 1,365 tierces 477,750 " Bacon and salt pork 839,982 " FEINTED IN THB TJNITKD STATES 0» AMEEICA C-;. THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DIE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. innhx I I /fiA Car;ac QAat JjC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY AA 000 295 446 9