When on the morning of December 29th last word came to the State Headquarters in New York City from Mr. Magee, the national secretary, authorizing and directing an appeal to the public for funds wherewith to meet the needs of stricken Sicily and Calabria, the secretary of the State Branch, Mrs. William K. Draper, and the state field agent were with the office secretary. For such an emergency there is a recognized program of work. The first thing to be done, of course, was to publish the appeal. At once, within an hour, notices were sent to all of the local newspapers. This notice stated that the American Red Cross had appealed to the people of the United States in behalf of the earthquake sufferers; that all funds sent to the State Treasurer, Mr. Jacob H. Schiff, at the State Headquarters would be forwarded with the utmost expedition through the federal state department to the Italian Red Cross, and that all persons sending their contributions in this way would have the fullest assurance that the money would reach the desired destination, and would learn later from official Red Cross reports how it was spent. Subsequently three ladies, members of the State Branch, visited all of the newspaper offices in the city and enlisted the co-operation of the editors in keeping before the public the function and record of the Red Cross, and the name and address of its local treasurer. It was realized that in order to get the best results the name and address ought to be printed every day by the papers in a conspicuous position. Unless this were done day after day, many persons inclined to give would forget this detail and let the occasion pass. The chairman of the state executive committee, Mr. Cleveland H. Dodge, had meantime been notified. He satisfied himself by personal inquiry that all necessary measures were being taken to give publicity to the appeal and handle the contributions when received. The State Branch has twenty subdivisions, and these in case of similar disasters have been informed by letter, the small saving of time generally not justifying the expense of telegraphing. In this important instance, however, the chairman directed that the subdivisions should be notified by telegraph. Within an hour or two, therefore, every subdivision secretary in the state was advised of the appeal, and the morning papers in each locality published it, together with the name and address of the local treasurer, and a statement that the Red Cross, as the official emergency relief organization, was the proper channel for the transmission of funds to Italy. These telegraphic messages were followed by letters of formal direction.