of francs. To stimulate this collection specially large medals of copper, silver, and gold were struck, and also brooches made, all being sold to the people. The term and the institution " For the welfare of the Soldiers " must be understood to include also other benevolent institutes for the soldiers on active service, such as " Soldiers' Homes," some of which were splendid soldiers' insti- tutes where refreshments were to be had cheaply, and which afforded opportunities for reading and for writing letters. We must not pass over the arrangements made for the washing of the soldiers' garments. Not merely was the soldiers' body- linen washed, but their clothes repaired, and in part replaced. It would be most unjust to pass over the very prolonged occu- pation of the Swiss frontiers if we did not mention the exertions of the Swiss Red Cross Society. The Swiss Red Cross is managed usually by a board of directors. But at the very beginning of the mobilization (Aug. 2 1914) the Red Cross men were also called up, and a medical man placed at their head as chief. At that moment the Red Cross had at its disposal not quite 6,000. Hence it was resolved to organize a national collection, not merely for actual money, but also for gifts in kind (especially linen and woollen garments), and this idea was eagerly taken up. The money col- lected amounted to about 84,000, while the gifts in kind flowed in abundantly. As to the latter the Swiss women displayed great zeal. From all sides poured in shirts, socks, and other things, in huge quantities, including bed-linen and objects for use in hospi- tals. We must note the quaint fact that, over and above what is commonly used by soldiers on active service, many odd gifts were received, such as chemises for women, articles for female toilettes, and even children's toys.
If detailed figures were to be given for the useful objects collected from Aug. 1914 to June 1918 by the Swiss Red Cross Society, such as body-linen, shirts, sheets for beds, etc., the number would run up to several hundred thousands. The shirts, and the like, were specially welconed by the poorer soldiers, who otherwise would have fallen victims to various diseases arising from the lack of such things, or in winter-time would have been frozen. For many, military service was thus rendered far more endurable.
One of the chief tasks which fell to the Swiss Red Cross was the creation of the so-called " v Red Cross Squads." These were com- posed of men, exempt from military service, who placed themselves voluntarily at the disposition of the Red Cross, and were provided by it with uniforms and all things necessary for a regular " health service." The Red Cross Society itself has a great number of car- riages at its disposal, and also sometimes commandeered motor-cars, and prepared the.n for the transport of the wounded. The troops on active service, like the Medical Corps, also used such vehicles in great numbers.
A further task of the Swiss Red Cross consisted in the training of
- well-qualified Red Cross women nurses (Red Cross sisters). Besides
these there were other training establishments, either religious or lay (the latter are the mother houses which train nurses). At the very beginning of the war the Red Cross reckoned on the services of 960 sisters who could be employed in the care of sick soldiers. Many of these were e nployed in the huts for the wounded, set up at fixed distances behind the front, and in the military hospitals.
The Swiss army was severely tried by the influenza epidemic in the summer of 1918 and in the following winter, and that too during the general strike (see below). If the Swiss Red Cross had ' had many claims upon it previously, it was now scarcely able to 1 meet the tremendous demands made upon it, first, by the army leaders, and later on (at first the plague was contemptuously termed " the Spanish grippe ") when the epidemic spread to a totally unex- pected extent among the non-military population, and the unceasing cries for help from this side resounded louder and louder. As the 1 epidemic spread more and more widely, voluntary help had to be enlisted. Here stepped in the so-called "Samaritan Associations" (St. John's Ambulance), already closely connected with the Red Cross, and encouraged their members, with a certain amount of training obtained in voluntary sick-nursing courses, to place them- selves at the disposition of the afflicted families. The chief work, however, fell upon the Red Cross and its professional trained nurses, and it is amazing how much the Red Cross achieved in this department. About 10% of the professional nurses (sisters) died of their exertions.
In another respect too the Red Cross rendered excellent service. As is well known, the American Red Cross Society gave some 20,000 to the Swiss military nursing department. This sum was employed in creating convalescent homes for the Swiss soldiers who had suffered from influenza. The Swiss executive put this task also in the hands of the Swiss Red Cross, which, however, later on had to ! make considerable additions to this amount of money.
In consequence of the spread of the influenza epidemic it became necessary either to suspend or to delay the holding of the training xxxn. 21
courses for recruits, the subsequent drill courses, and the education of the non-commissioned officers. The percentage of invalid soldiers was unexpectedly high, and as the epidemic was so rapid as to seem like an explosion, it could be combated only with very insufficient means. Hence very caustic criticisms were expressed without reserve. These demanded publicly the dismissal of the chief of the medical department of the Swiss army, who was said to be already overweighted with the care of the " interned " foreign soldiers, and so could pay too little attention to his own Swiss soldiers, and had ordered precautionary measures at too late a period. All kinds of military hospitals, if one can credit the accounts in newspapers of all shades of opinion, presented a very sorry appearance. The care of the foreign interned soldiers was taken away from this Swiss chief medical officer, and also, after an enquiry, he was acquitted of want of attention to his own Swiss soldiers.
After the Armistice (Nov. 1918) the Swiss army could gradually be almost wholly demobilized. The defence of the frontiers was entrusted to volunteer troops whose pay was fixed at from 8 to 10 francs (6 to 8 shillings) a day. This afforded a decent income at least to many who no longer earned anything, whether because of the direct effects of the war or of the prolonged military service in their own land. It was asserted that in consequence of the prolonged mobilization the Swiss soldiers had gained immensely in military efficiency. But it was a pity that such efficiency cost the little land of Switzerland between 40 to 50 million pounds, and this expense had to be met by raising the customs duties, taxes on excess profits, two sets of special " war taxes," etc., which, it was hoped, would bring in the necessary funds, if only after a lapse of many years.
Once again considerable bodies of troops had to be called up because of the general strike (Nov. 1918), which failed in a few days. And these extra troops were required also by reason of the break-up of the German and, especially, the Austrian armies, which flowed back like a flood, and threatened a regular invasion of Switzerland.
In Nov. 1918 Gen. Wille resigned his post, as he considered that his work was at an end. In the same month the military pensions were increased 10% and the export of arms and ammunition for- bidden, while the bureau of the Swiss general staff was also dissolved.
To meet the emergency support of the families of poor soldiers during the four years of the mobilization period nearly 2,000,000 were expended. Both for the mobilized soldiers and for the volun- teers the daily pay was raised to about 73. Before the war ordinary soldiers received only 8d. a day. The old arrangements were put into force again in March 1920.
The defence of the northern frontier had to be strengthened again at the time of the signature of the Peace of Versailles (June 1919), for a huge immigration from Germany was feared. Later, the fron- tier police had also to be strengthened because of the great amount of smuggling and the enormous number of people who crossed the frontier because of the bad conditions of life in central Europe and the lack of employment, for Switzerland, as the sole non-enemy land open, was regarded as an El Dorado. On Aug. 28 1920 the watch on the frontiers was definitely abolished. The strict watch on the frontiers had greatly impeded all facilities for travelling, and the very severe regulations as to the visa of passports and payment of other dues were subsequently greatly lightened.
Economic E/ects of the War. After the first excitement had died down, there were, in the first months of the first year of the war, no notable advances in the prices of various articles in Switzerland. This took place gradually, as the difficulties of importing articles increased. As early as Nov. 1914, Italy announced that she would place no hindrances in the way of the export of articles of food and supplies of raw materials.
In the matter of corn Switzerland was not in a very favourable position at the beginning of the war, for the supplies existing there would have barely sufficed for a couple of months. One must not forget that the Swiss agriculturists devote their atten- tion far more to milk and cheese than to corn. This latter, there- fore, could be delivered more cheaply by foreign countries, and was a far less profitable occupation for the Swiss farmer than milk and its products. Hence Switzerland fell more and more into a state of dependence on foreign countries.
The Swiss authorities naturally first of all attacked this press- ing problem, and tried to find a remedy. They acted very shrewd- ly in that they introduced, Jan. 9 1915, a provisional monopoly of corn, and issued a special decree relating to its export. Thus the country was to a certain degree provided with the raw ma- terials for bread and, above all, a bar was placed on all specula- tion in this most necessary article. Hence it was possible in the following month of May to note that the regular supply of corn was proceeding quietly, and that Switzerland was better sup- plied with corn than at the beginning of the war.
In the case of various articles such as bread and milk, a prohi- bition to export them was issued at once. It may cause surprise
