PART III THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

Junior Membership¹ and School Activities

Red Cross pin
THE JUNIOR RED CROSS

In September, 1917, President Wilson sent out a letter from the White House in Washington to the school children of the United States.

He told them that the President of the United States is the President of the American Red Cross, and he said that the Red Cross people wanted the children to help them in their work.

Their work, you know, is to help all those who are suffering or in need.

Such work is so beautiful that it is really doing golden deeds.

Now read for yourself this letter from the President of the United States which belongs to every school child in America.

[210]
A PROCLAMATION

To the School Children of the United States:

The President of the United States is also President of the American Red Cross. It is from these offices joined in one that I write you a word of greeting at this time when so many of you are beginning the school year.

The American Red Cross has just prepared a Junior Membership with School Activities in which every pupil in the United States can find a chance to serve our country. The School is the natural center of your life. Through it you can best work in the great cause of freedom to which we have all pledged² ourselves.

Our Junior Red Cross will bring to you opportunities of service to your community and to other communities all over the world and guide your service with high and religious ideals³. It will teach you how to save in order that suffering children elsewhere⁴ may have a chance to live. It will teach you how to prepare some of the supplies which wounded soldiers and homeless families lack. It will send to you through the Red Cross Bulletins⁵ the thrilling stories of relief and rescue. And best of all, more perfectly⁶ than through any of your other school lessons, you will learn by doing those kind things under your teacher’s direction to be future good citizens of this great country which we all love.

And I commend⁷ to all school teachers in the country the simple plan which the American Red Cross has worked out to provide for your co?peration, knowing as I do that school children will give their best service under the direct guidance and instruction of their teachers. Is not this perhaps the chance for which you have been looking to give your time and efforts in some measure to meet our national needs?
(Signed) Woodrow Wilson,
President.
September 15, 1917.

[211]

How do you suppose the school children of the United States felt when they read this letter from the President?

It is a wonderful letter. It does not read like a letter from a great man to little children.

It is different from most of the letters which grown people write to children, for the President writes to the children asking for their help, just as if they were grown up.

Indeed, when the grown people read the letter they wished that they could be school children again, because there was no Junior Red Cross when they were young, and they had to wait to grew up before they could help the Red Cross do golden deeds.

You see, when they were young, everybody thought, “When the children are grown up they will help us.” Then they waited for them to grow.

Are you not glad that you are able, while a child, to do helpful work for your country?

Now let us think about some of the golden deeds which the Red Cross does.

1 membership   

n.成员资格，会员全体，从属关系

参考例句：

• I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
• He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。

2 pledged   

保证，许诺，发誓( pledge的过去式和过去分词 )； 典当； 保证给予（或做）； 以誓言约束

参考例句：

• They have pledged that they will always remain faithful to each other. 他们发誓他们将永远忠诚于对方。
• The government pledged to rehouse the refugees. 政府许诺给难民提供新住房。

3 ideals   

n.理想的事物[人]( ideal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This terrorists brainwashed him into believing in their ideals. 恐怖分子迫使他相信他们的理想。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One of his ideals is to become a pianist. 他的理想之一是成为钢琴家。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 elsewhere   

adv.在别处，到别处

参考例句：

• Our favourite restaurant was full so we had to go elsewhere.我们最喜欢去的那家饭店客满了，因此不得不改去别处。
• I have half a mind to move elsewhere.我有点想搬到别处去。

5 bulletins   

n.公告( bulletin的名词复数 )；新闻快报；小报；期刊

参考例句：

• AP and UPI had flashed bulletins nationwide and overseas. 美联社和合众国际社已经火速地向全国和海外发布了新闻简报。 来自辞典例句
• I just got BBC on shortwave. Same bulletins as last night. 我刚刚收听了英国广播电台的短波，和昨天晚上一样的新闻。 来自辞典例句

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 commend   

v.称赞，表扬，委托保管，推荐

参考例句：

• We should commend good people and good deeds.我们应当表扬好人好事。
• His ideas do not commend themselves to me.他的看法没给我留下好的印象。