Page:The Russian Review Volume 1.djvu/139

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There are two organizations in Russia, formed at the very beginning of the War, which are very active in carrying on the work of mercy among the sufferers of the War. Both of these organizations, while not connected with the official Red Cross, or any other institution of the Central Government, are national in their scope, and the work performed by them is very extensive and extremely important.

The first of these organizations, the All-Russian Zemstvo Union, represents the Zemstvos, or local organs of administration, throughout the country. It was organized two weeks after the War was declared, and Prince G. E. Lvov was elected its general superintendent. The choice of Prince Lvov was a very fortunate one, since he had stood at the head of a similar organization during the Russo-Japanese War, having even then shown himself to be an efficient organizer. At the beginning, it was urged upon the Union that the scope of its work must include the general organization of the resources of the country for the needs of war. However, such a plan of action met with considerable difficulty when it came to working out a practicable scheme of action. It was decided, therefore, to limit the activities of the Union to rendering aid to the wounded, since the Red Cross, organized by the War Department, did not prove to be very efficient. In this work the Union was very successful, and Prince Lvov took well-earned pride in announcing the results of the work during the first ten months of its activity.

"We have provided, and are maintaining, one hundred and seventy-five thousand beds, we are working on all battle-fronts, on the most advanced postions We have merged our work with the life of the army; the soldiers and we are brethren, not alone because of blood ties, but even more so because of our common work; we have been christened relatives upon the bloody fields of battle. The Zemstvo forces upon the advanced positions of the battle-fronts, and the army, have become merged into one."

The All-Russian Municipal Union was organized soon after the Zemstvo Union came into being. Its work was also limited, at first, to rendering aid to the wounded soldiers, but beginning with last summer, it began to extend the scope of its work to such