The herald., 1896-01-12
That Is What Clara Bar
ton Calls the Red
Cross
HER LIFE AND GREAT WORK
Is an Old Woman Now, but Work
Among the Armenian Sufferers Has
No Terror for her==0rigin of
the Red Cross Society

all sides the few of the outside world
who remember her at ali think of her
perhaps as an old woman, whose days
of usefulness are about over.
When calamity let's loose it's wild
shrek for aid the world hears again of
Clara Barton. She may be old, her
hair may be almost white and her
physical strength may be small, but
she has the same broad love Of human
ity which led her to many battle
fields to nurse back to life the dis
abled soldiers.
For nine months or more the Chris
tian world has stood practically silent,
while the helpless people of Armenia
have been slaughtered. No hand has
been raised to ward off the murderous
sword or gun, or give one iota of aid to
q people whose only crime is belief
In Christianity. But when starvation
threatens to accentuate the horror of
wholesale massacre CLARA Barton
quietly appears and sets to work in a
practical way to lessen the sUfferngs of
the unfortunates.
It is serious undertaking for any
one to journey to Armenia these days,
and q very dangerous one for woman
of Miss Barton's age. She appreciates
this, and SO do the other members of
the Red Cross society, of which she is
the president, for she recently said:
"Not all of us who go will return. [
regard it as the most important work
of my life, and TO this cause / have
been ready to give the best | have in
the world and the best 1 have in my
body"
To look at Clara Barton, unless one
were acquainted with er history, it
vould pe difficult TO ina line that she
Las lived anything but the 4uietest Of
family lives, sheltered from all the
rough knocks which the world gives to
all who mingle in it. She looks as if
she had stepped from some old fashion
plate of the wsr time. Her thick gray
hair is parted in the middle and
smoothed down over her ears.
The strong features of her face are
her mouth and chin. The mouth is
large, end but for the placid smile
which continually lights up her face it
would be stern. Her chin is we'll set,
large and prominent. Her dresses are
almost invariably of black and 80 plain
as to attract attention. The only orna-
mont she wears 1s a large breastpin
stamped with a red cross.
Miss Barton, old-fashioned and VEN
cradle as she is, is hard, systematic
worker and clever executive officer.
She can direct and manage large
number of assistants with the skill of
trained army general, and her long
experience at the work she is now about
to undertake makes her the most fit
person in the land to conduct it sue
cessfully.
When the dreadful Johnstown floods
swept away thousands of lives in 1889
Miss Barton, as the head of the Red
Cross, was one of the first to get to the
scene of the catastrophe. In short
time she collected about her an able
body of assistants, and the work she
did will live long in the memory of the
people of the Conemaugh valley.
Her work at that time was graphic
ally described by Belva A. Lockwood,
who wrote of her from Johnstown:
"Since her arrival she has done all
for the relief of the unfortunate. desc
late, houseless, homeless citizens that
her matured jud ment, large expert
ence and deep philanthropy could de-
wise. Her whole time, from o'clock in
the morning until 6 o'clock at night. is
devoted to supplying the needs of the
sufferers.
"She has possession of large ware
house situated near the depot that COW
ers a square Of ground and is filled
4 with supplies for needy families. She
has registry Of the city, knows the
status, or can readily ascertain il, of
every family or remnant of one in
the town, and juet what they are enti-
tied to under the regulations that have
been made for the distribution of sup
plies, and every article donated is
charged to the person receiving it.
"Each destitute family receives, as
soon as application is made therefor
and their status ascertained, one set of
good bedroom furniture, usually of
oak; one extension table, six chairs,
one mattress, two pillows, four sheets,
two pairs of pillow cases, one pair OF
blankets, one comfort, six towels and
tea towels, one dozen plates, three veg
etable dishes, one platter, six knives
and forks and one set of mottled gran
iteware. In this manner she has al
ready furnished 800 families. She
keeps four teams and wagons con-
Stantly going"
This gives fair idea of the way Miss
Barton does her work.
It was Miss Barton's clear mind
which formulated this principles: "Let
the Red Gross of America be author
lied to provide for the relief of ma
tional calamities; let it be medium
through which funds can be sent to
sufferers in disasters too great to be
relieved by local measures and by peo-
pie trained to know the needs and to
understand the alleviation of great suf-
fering
"Or," as she unconventionally ex-
presses it, "Let it be calamity fire en-
Gine, always fred up and ready, and
when the note of need sounds the col
lars drop on the horses necks and
away they fly to the rescue When
once the fire is out, though. the big en-
0ine hastens home, not wasting time to
sprinkle the streets or clear away the
rubbish"
To the wisdom of her theory the suf-
ferers of the Mississippi floods, the yell
low fever sufferers at Jacksonville, of
fto Michigan fires and the Texas
brought can testify. Ready on the in
tant with food, clothing and money,
T5'000 being spent in four months in
le Mississippi valley; quick to CON-
vehend the needs and know the relief
quired, she wastes no time, bpt flies
the rescue and SO quickly and
iietly accomplishes her mission and