Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-06-09
WAS HENRI DURANT'S IDEA
The Society was Organized In
Switzerland in 1868.
CLARA BARTON NOW PRESIDENT.
she WINS Called the CANCEL of the
Hattie Field" During the Late
warbler Good Work.


nurses by the Chinese troops. Japan
is more humane. for Red Cross corps
is attached to each of the three armies
in the field. and hundreds of japanese
have enlisted in the services of the |
Red Cross Society.
So many organizations throughout
the world have been enormously classi-
fled under the banner of the Red
| Cross that just at this moment some
facts relative to this remarkable So
ciety will be read with interest.
| As is not generally known. the origi-
nal Red Cross movement had Its origin
with NJ. Henri Dunant, n Swiss gentle
man. member of the Society of Pub
lie Utility of Switzerland. Happening
to witness the battle of Solferino. in
Italy, June "a. 1859, he became horror
stricken by the needless suffering OF
the wounded and dying who lay upon
the field for days without medical aid.
Monsieur Dunant described in II souve-
mir book which he wrote the scenes
which so profoundly stirred him. He
also set forth in his book plans for
joining the governments of the world
in an international compact which
should afford immunity and protection
to civil aid upon battle-felds. thereby
augmentlng the military medical ia
cllties and reducing the needless suf-
ferlng. His ideas were earnestly taken
up by his society. and with the aid and
corporation of the Swiss Federal Coun-
ellis a conference OF nations was held
in Geneva in October 1868, and was
followed by the Geneva convention OF
August, 1864, at which the treaty which
. bears that name was created. This
: treaty was at once signed by sixteen
leading nations, which number has
since been increased to forty, includ-
ing the United States, the latter gave
its adhesion by act of Congress of
I Berne-the International ratifying
, power-June 8. 1882. and proclamation
: by president Arthur, June 20, 1852. The
incoming administration of 1881 was
, the first to awaken to the national i'm
, portance of the Red Cross, and to the
lamented GARFIELD, Arthur. Blaine and
: Window Is due the credit of grasping
: | the merits of the treaty with the ut
= most fervor
4 The English-speaking race today
Y and more especially the Americans. as
o soclate the name Red Cross at once
( with that of Miss Clara Barton, who
y Is now president of the International
g Red Cross Society. During our Civil
e War no name became more deservedly
/ famous than that of Clara Barton.
n Happening to be at the railroad sta
II tion when the Massachusetts, regiment
e arrived that had been brutally as
|. saulted in Baltimore she became an
e impromptu nurse, She began thus with
y the first battle of the war, and she
q continued till the end of the struggle
e Identified with our armies Recognize
e ing at once the almost helpless con-
y dtion of nurses for effective work, she
Is undertook to organize the work of re-
"a NVh oh ttyOu al
"a lowed to go on the batrle-fields. After
" gathering stores of relief of all sorts,
., and helping as help she could, General
~ Rucker began to see how immensely
% useful she might be; and he gave her
"a permission to so wherever her services
ID were required, She at once went 10
"a the front, and was everywhere at the
1f post of duty and toll A frail bit of
woman, she was endowed with i'm
- mense tenaclty, and gift for accom-
plishing n great deal at little cost
I Her work was such as to call the at
| tention of the whole people.
| From that moment to the close OF
| the war, the name, Clara Barton, was
| a watchword Of honor and devotion
| The soldiers called her 'The Angel OF
, the Battlefield" Before the war she
| had been first teacher, and then q
clerk in the Pension Office; after the
| war she was appointed to take charge
| OF the correspondence of lost soldiers
and missing prisoners. 1t seems strange
| that relatives should have entirely LOST
track of each other during the short
| period OF the war; but there were tens
| of thousands of not only dead soldiers
i but lost ones. That is families hnt
A been scattered by removal. and it wa.
4 extremely difficult to trace them. Mis-.
4 Barton established a bureau OF rec
4 ords. and compiled rolls from prison.
4 and hospitals and from burial lists
She Identified all but 400 of the 100
graves at Andersonville All this whil
she used her own money, and refused
- TO allow Congress to reimburse he
Tor such expenses. She had not en-
n tered the Union army to get a pension
ed or 10 secure compensation in money
m she remained in charge of the burea,
nd she had established until 1863 Thi
at she gave eighteen years of continuou
nd toil; but 1t gave her also the love o
~ her country people, aud in fact of tn
pg world Tor the name of Clara Bartoi
he was now known In other countries.
= After the war Miss Barton went t
RI Europe. She was in Berne when tn
tie war broke out between France an
he Germany In 1870. Here she was yIsite,
as by the originators Of the Red eros
ne Society and requested to go to tn
IN 'front.' and aid with her immense ex
nd perienee. 1t was here that she becam
OF Identified with this grand internationa
all movement to relieve war OF its hor
10 rors and make mercy greater tina
u vengeance. If we cannot get beyon
10, the spirit OF murder for national in
W suits, we may be grateful that at leas
=, the inhumanity of allowing the wound
VS. ed to die from neglect is thing OF tn
past. Miss Barton was an invalid
but she could not find It in her hear
not TO respond. and went at once In
60 side the lines OF the German arm,
NJ, After some active service on the battl
Us fields she was called TO the court {
the Grand Duchess OF Baden to ASST.
e. the duchess in relief matters. Ther
on she stayed until after the taking Z
Dw Strasburg, which city she entered wit
the German army. She went from cit
or 10 city, as from battlefield to BATTLEFIELD,
&C. and everywhere was recognized as
lu- woman OF extraordinary ability. Whe
the war closed she received Re
W. Cross brooch from the Grand Duches
nv Of Baden and the Iron Cross OF Mer
~ and the Red Cross OF Service from N
Emperor and Empress of German,
while in France her repute was gref
and the honor bestowed on her seryit
le- almost as notable.
~, 1t is necessary at this point to II
we form the reader that the cross OF n
re society, a red Greek cross upon