Youngsters’ Needles Fly In Red Cross Campaign to Assist Needy Persons Overseas BUSY . . . Junior Red Cross chapters of Mound Fort school (above) and Madison school (at side) are engaged in learning how to knit and weave sweaters, afghans, and other yarn clothing for civilians in war areas. At Mound Fort there are 140 boys and girls engaged in the project. At Madison, 32 are turning out garments to be shipped abroad. The Red Cross and Bundles for Britain are furnishing yarn for the more expert knitters, and the Junior Red Cross has purchased yarn for others. At Lincoln school, the students are also en¬gaged in similar work, raising the money to pay for their yarn through candy and popcorn sales. This is just one of many activ¬ities of the Junior Red Cross in Ogden. another phase of the great plan conceived by adults and executed by boys and girls of Ogden found hundreds of boxes of Christmas packages reaching England. Cloth¬ing and candy and toys were in the boxes. In some cases the toys were a bit late in arriving in Eng¬land, of course, but that was all right—the children celebrated St. Valentine's day with them. Perhaps the most eloquent letter received in thanks for the boxes came from "Jennie, five years old." She couldn't write, so just drew pictures, added a long line of X's for kisses at the bottom, and sent them along. Three hundred large cartons, packed with small gift boxes in some instances, were sent from Og¬den school children to Britain and France during the Christmas sea¬son. Washington, Dee, Wilson and Grant elementary, Washington and Lewis high schools and Ogden sen¬ior high school contributed the major number of boxes. True Humanitarianism Surely a plan with such resutls must be a great movement, and an organization which can foster such worthwhile activities must be oper¬ated by a heart far greater than the collective hearts of its mem¬bers. And that, too, is true. The plan was the organization of the Junior Red Cross. Ogden school children, like most of those in the nation, responded 100 per cent to the call for enrollment in the Junior Red Cross. Like true Americans they answered the plea of the world's greatest welfare organization to contribute their share toward eas¬ing the burdens of less fortunate people. And proverbially, their kindnesses were rewarded. That is another and equally interesting story. Because the average American schoolroom is a cross section of the families in the average American city, the Red Cross, in organizing the junior branch, realized some of the children would be hard pressed to contribute so much as a nickel to the organization. Therefore, instead of making each child pay local and national dues and subscribe to the magazine which helps weld the widespread chapters to the parent group, the Red Cross organized the program so that the school pays the dues, so much per classroom, and so much per copy of the magazine, pro-rated among the classes. In that way, and by having the contributions voluntary and of any amount the children can give, most schools can build up a surplus fund. For instance, Madison school contributed $18 more than was required for membership dues and magazine subscriptions this year. Extra Projects There must have been some families, with three, four or five children in school, who made a sacrifice to send the nickels to school. But in at least five individual cases the sacrifices were well repaid. The mothers of those five children, dipping into their slim reserve and wondering how they could replace the five-cent pieces their children were asking for to “join the Junior Red Cross,” probably were thinking more of allowing the kiddies to “keep face” than they were of the ancient quotation about casting bread upon the waters. Bus Tickets Bought But out of the funds left over in the Ogden city school chapter of the Junior Red Cross when magazines and pamphlets, national and local dues were paid, the chapter officers, with the approval of school sub-chapters, allotted enough money to pay bus fare to and from school for five children over a seven-month period. Madison school, which had an $18 surplus handed in, later drew $15 out again to purchase yarn, and with Miss Packer as instructor, 32 students, including a goodly number of boys, from the sixth grade began to knit sweaters and afghans for civilians in war-torn countries. The knitters at the Madison meet half an hour before school takes up and stay half an hour after school to learn their stitches. Many of them take their work home to continue it. Similar knitting projects are under way at Mound Fort and Lincoln schools. At the Lincoln, money for the knitting project was raised by popcorn and candy sales. Proceeds were used to buy yarn. Yarn Gathered At Mound Fort school, the project began by Junior Red Cross members collecting odds and ends of yarn to be given to the Red Cross and Bundles for Britain. Collections were so successful that someone had to be found to knit the yarn into sweaters and other clothing articles. The supply of yarn exceeded the supply of workers. So the students asked to be taught how to knit and weave the yarn. They made simple squares for afghans, scarfs, caps and sweaters. In time, their increased skill reversed the demand, and again the cry was for yarn to be worked. Money ordinarily spent for valentines was used at Mound Fort to purchase yarn, and a number of old sweaters and other knitted articles were brought to school and unraveled. Miss Grace Boyle, in charge of the work at Mound Fort, reports that 20 crocheted afghans have been made at the school, and one class, unable to obtain yarn, made quilt tops from outworn suits and coats. Both the Red Cross and Bundles for Britain are now sup¬plying yarn for the better knitters at the school. Altogether more than 75 articles have been produced at Mound Fort by 140 pupils and their teachers with cooperation of the parents. "Save the Wrappers" Hopkins and Pingree school Jun¬ior Red Cross members are recall¬ing the World war days when gum and candy wrappers and cigaret packages were pounced upon when¬ever they were found lying on the street. The two schools are collecting tinfoil, to go into the chapter col¬lection and later be sent away. The Quincy school Junior Red Cross boys and girls have made furniture—the type of chairs, tables and cupboards that tots of pre¬school age like to play with. They are now in the nursery of a chil¬dren's hospital in Salt Lake City, along with toy blocks made by the Quincy school. Quincy chapter, with those from Pingree and Washington, has also undertaken a scrapbook project. Scrapbook Provided Children's and veterans' hospitals all over the country have received scrapbooks on hundreds of subjects from these three schools. And a number have been exchanged with boys and girls of foreign lands. One of the foremost points of the big idea the American Red Cross had in organizing the Junior Red Cross was to foster peace through the establishment of friendships between the children of the United States and other countries. This could be done best, it was believed, by making the children acquainted with the customs and ideas of the other countries, and to exchange, through letters scrapbooks and gifts, philosophies of the different peoples. While such a program might be branded by some as propagandizing, it was built on a broader and firmer foundation than any propaganda scheme can utilize. On Use of Mind It was planned to take advantage of the latest in educational beliefs, that every boy and girl has a mind, and that education in itself is the teaching of how to use that mind, rather than giving the mind ideas already formulated. Thus, boys and girls would see the ideas of other people in picture and print, and would be able to compare them with their own ideas and select those closest to their own desires. Unfortunately, democracy is today the only philosophy which permits the making of that choice. But democracy, America and Ogden can be thankful for the Junior Red Cross, which preaches the doctrine of doing for others, and which inculates in American youth the quality which made civilization and which alone separates mankind from the other animals-humanitarianism.