Morning journal and courier., 1884-04-11
SINGLE COPIES TWO CENTS.
Friday, April II, 1884.
RED cROss WoRN.

.
 The American Association of the Red l Cross, of which Miss Clara Barton is presi-
 dent, has for it's object the relief of suffering ! by war, pestileuce, famine, flood, fires, and
 other calamities of sufficient magnitude to be
 deemed national in extent. The association
 and it's auxiliary societies operate under the
 provisions of the Geneva treaty, promulgated ! at Geneva, Switzerland, in 1864, and signed since then by all the nations of the earth, including the United States, which gave its adhesion through President Arthur, in March. 1882. The American association found an opportunity for work during the month of
 March in relieving the distress of the suffer-
 CTS by the floods in the lower Ohio, and
 nobly and efficiently did it respond to the
 call made upon it.
 The Red Cross workers chartered the steamer John V. Throop and started down the river from Evansville. Touching at every point they distributed judiciousiy,
 through the aid of local committees, supplies of clothing, bedding, coal and money wher- ever 1t was needed, the government boats having supplied the destitute along the route iberally with rations AR specimen of the work done the case of a family near Oave-in- the-Rock, Illinois, may be mentioned. Here was a widow with six young children. Their house had been destroyed, their farm stock drowned, except twenty-five hens, and every thing they had in the world was lost. They were living in the corn crib. The relief party went to their rude home to find it one room of logs, an old stove chimney, with nf rif cln hearth, two wrecks of beds, 8 table and two chairs which some kind neighbor had loaned. The government boats had left them rations. There was an air of thrift. even in their des- olstion, plank walk was laid about the door, the floor was cleanly swept, and the twenty
 five surviving hens, for an equal number were lost in the storm, clueked comfortably about the door. The mother was asked if she would like to return to her old home in Indiana and she answered: sNo. My hus- band lived and died here. He is buried here, and would not like to go away and leave him alone. It won't be very long, and it is a comfort to the children to be able to visit his grave No, reckon we will stay here, and out of the wreck of the old house which sticks up out of the mud, we will put up An- other little hut, higher up on the bank out of the way of the floods, and if it is only hut, it will be home for us and we will get into it, and make our crop this year, This brave woman vas given one hundred dollars and some boxes of clothes and bedding and thus made comparatively happy.
 Other touching incidents of the work of the Red Cross association are given, and it is plain that such an as- sociation is exceedingly useful in such an emergency. It had organization means, agents trained in relief work, friends everywhere, and tho confidence of charitable people in the integrity, efficiency and dis creslsn of it's mauaKemant Promptly con tributions of all sorts from all quarters of the Union flowed into the channels prepared for them so soon as the association gave notice that they were needed and that it would undertake the task of distribution. Garments of all descriptions, bed clothing, boots and shoes, needles, thread and buttons, household goods of various kinds, coal for fuel and money in large sums were put at the disposal of the association. In fact, it had all that it wanted to work with. It should receive hearty support, for it's help will be often needed, and it can work much mora efficiently than any hastily organized relief corps can.