le-fields--and kneeling before the shrine,
pledged heart and service anew to the work. Fair hands laying aside
their diamonds, and business men their cares, left homes of elegance and
luxury to open rough boxes and barrels, handle second-hand clothing, eat
coarse food at rough-board tables, sleep on cots under a dripping canvas
tent, all for the love of humanity symbolized in the little flag that
floated above them.

Clergymen left their pulpits and laymen their charge to tramp over the
hillsides from house to house, to find who needed and suffered, and to
carry to them from our tents on their shoulders, like beasts of burden,
the huge bundles of relief, where no beast of burden could reach.

We had been early requested by official resolution of the Finance
Committee of the City of Johnstown to aid them in the erection of
houses. We accepted the invitation, and at the same time proposed to aid
in furnishing the nucleus of a household for the home which should in
any way be made up. This aid seemed imperative, as nothing was left for
them to commence living with, neither beds, chairs, tables, nor cooking
utensils of any kind; and there were few if any stores open, and no
furniture in town.

Of this labor we had our share. Six buildings of one hundred feet by
fifty, later known as "Red Cross Hotels," were quickly put up to shelter
the people, furnished, supplied, and kept like hotels, free of all cost
to them, while others were built by the general committee. Three
thousand of the latter were erected, and the Red Cross furnished every
one with substantial, newly purchased furniture, ready for occupancy.
The books of the "Titusville Manufacturing Company" will show one cash
order of ten thousand dollars for furniture. The three thousand houses
thus furnished each accommodated two families.

A ponderous book of nearly two feet square shows the name, sex, and
number of persons of each family, and a list of every article received
by them. To-day one looks in wonder at such a display of clerical labor
and accuracy, under even favorable conditions.

This was only accomplished by the hard, unpaid labor of every officer,
and the large amount of volunteer friendly aid that came to us.

The great manufacturers of the country, and the heavy contributing
agents, on learning our intentions, sent, without a hint from us, many
of their articles, as, for instance, New Bedford, Mass., sent mattresses
and bedding; Sheboygan, Wis., se