Dear Sir:
The kind offer of the California State Branch, of the American National Red Cross Society, made through you, to arrange for a course of lectures to members of this organization on First Aid to Injured, etc., has been submitted to the Union, which accepts same, with thanks; has placed its hall at your disposal any night of the week, excepting Mondays, and has pledged itself to co-operate with you in any way it can, particularly in the matter of securing large and regular attendance at the lectures.
If knowledge on the subjects to be discussed is desirable in people on shore, I should say it is a necessity to the men who go to sea. Seamen have had to endure untold suffering, and many of them have lost their lives, or worse still, have become disabled for life, owing to ignorance of the very first principles of First Aid. By law the vessels are required to carry a medicine chest, but in the majority of cases not a single man in the ship’s company knows anything about the properties of the medicine.
The proposed lectures will be a blessing to the sea-faring men.
If you will kindly let me know in advance when you propose to open the course, I shall do what I can to advertise it.
Respectfully,
(Signed) E. ELLISON,
Secretary.
It seems to me that the national character of the American National Red Cross makes it pre-eminently the best organization for doing this work and to establish it in all cities where a Merchant Marine exists.
These lectures have been arranged for and the first of the series will be given on December 3rd, 1908.