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combatting tuberculosis", the Anti-Opuim-Society, which is on the Teetotallers- account of outside circumstances still inactive; Society "de Nieuwe Akker" (The New Field); the Salvation Army, which founded many hospitals, such as a maternity- hospital, one for eyediseases, and several for lepers; etc.
Regarding the Government, there is in the first place: the "Commissie voor de Volkslectuur" (Commission for popular literature), a branch of the Department of public education, which issues books and pamphlets in the vernaculars of the Archipelago, to spread better ideas among the people; se- condly the Medical Propaganda Service, a branch of the Civil Medical Service, which tries to educate the population in hygienic and medical matters through books, and by means of moving pictures and posters.
I have brought with me a copy of all the said editions, and posters, and also one specimen of a moving picture, to show you, how we are working.
Besides this, I brought also with me a number of photo- graphs, showing the buildings, etc., where the Government, the Red Cross and other agencies are working.
It is clear, that there was no reason for the Red Cross to intrude upon this field of operations, and therefore it devotes itself more to work elsewhere. Perhaps wrongly so, but there are many other reasons for its conduct.
There is another circumstance to which I wish to call your attention. The Red Cross is a society of European origin, of Christian origin, and bears the Christian symbol of the Cross, while nearly the whole population in our Indies professes the Mohammedan religion.
This makes it necessary to act with great circumspection in all matters regarding the work among the masses.
It is about seven years ago, that a committee of ladies and gentlemen in Batavia intended to found the Green Cross Society, which as we already know, does public health nursing, but, when it also desired to establish an indigenous section, many leading natives, however much they sympathized with the object of the society, declined to join, exclusively out of consideration for their good name among their fellow-
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countrymen, for their membership of a society with the Cross-symbol would ruin their influence.
A very bad thing for every European society in our Indies is the ever-changing condition of the European population, the removals and the repatriations. And as often the activity of a society depends upon the energy of one or two members, everyone will understand, how uncertain its efficiency will be. Thus the rivival of the Red Cross was caused by the cry of war, and also bij the enthusiastic leadership of the Countess VAN LIMBURG STIRUM, the spouse of the late Governor- General.
But now the cry of war is not so distinctly heard, the late Governor-General and Lady v. LIMBURG STIRUM have left for home, and last but not least, the terrible "depression" enters our beautiful islands, which compels everyone, even the Government to economise. And thus it must be feared, that the Red Cross in our Indies will have very serious dif- ficulties in the immediate future.
But I hope, that will bring home from this Congress such advice and such an enthusiasm, that this fear will be dispelled.
In this manner I tried to give you an exhaustive enumeration of all the inherent and also of the temporary difficulties, with which we have to cope in our Indies.
It will be clear, that many of the other points of the agenda cannot be treated by me as the delegate of the Dutch Red Cross, because our Section has done no work in this direction, but I should like to give you my own ideas upon this matter,
It seems to me, that it will be of great importance for every country, where you have circumstances such as ours: a Christian, alien Government and a non-Christian population, that the specific Christian symbol of the Cross be no longer used as the symbol of our Society. Our Society did not take the Cross-symbol from Christian considerations, but only out of courtesy to the country, to which Henri Dunant belonged, and where the Society was founded. It might have
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