Among all the tragedies of war nothing is more distressing to re-natives and friends of combatants than the announcement that soldier is missing. The "wounded" list, it is true, contains no certainty, but details usually may be ascertained. Mother, father or other lative receives the news of a soldier's death with resignation, but '"Missing" leaves an emptier feeling, it gives rise to all sorts of fears. It is some relief, therefore, to know that the British Red Cross in France has appointed an officer whose sole business is to search, to follow up clues and track down the wounded in all the backwaters over which the wave of fighting has passed. No doubt many lives will be saved in this way, as there must be many sick men in the war area in remote farms and villages where there are no trained doctors or nurses avail able. The difficulties of tracing missing men, especially after retreat like that from Mons, appear insuperable and while there is always a ray of hope the uncer is extremely painful. Civilized nations have made various arrangements to notify the enemy of the identification numbers of dead, wounded and prisoners, but ins war like the present it is well-nich impossible, even when much trouble taken, to render satisfactory returns, The new task which the Red Cross has undertaken is gigantic one, and it ie too much to hope that it will be able to do very much to lighten the burdens of natives of men who disappear in the chaos of war.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.