The Republican journal., 1898-03-24


camps; l marched with its men, and |
know whereof l speak. The German. and
the Frenchman, the Italian, the Arab. the
Turks and the Tonave were gathered ten
DERBY alike, and lay side by side in the Red
Cross Palace Hospital of Germany"
The United States did not accept the in
ternational treaty of the Red Cross until
eighteen years after it was first presented
to our government; and that we finally
came into the fold is due entirely to Miss
Barton. When our Civil War began. she
was young lady of wealth, spending some
time in Washington. At the first news
that Northern troops, en- route to the
Capital, had been fred upon in Baltimore.
she, with several others, volunteered to
go and care for the wounded. That dav
her life work opened. Thereafter she
was found in the hospitals. and soon
came to be recognized as a nurse of I'M
common ability. In her quiet, self-con-
tanned way, she went unchallenged wher-
ever soldiers needed attendance. She met
the wounded as they poured in from Vir-
ginia and took care of them in camp and
field. Military trains We're at her service.
She was present at the battle of Cedar
Mountain, Second Bull Run, Antietam.
and fredericksburg; was eight months at
the siege of Charleston, at Fort Wagner.
in front of Petersburg, and in the Wilder
ness; also in the hospitals near Richmond,
and on Morris Island. When the war
ended, her labors were not over. In ODE
dience to the most tender of human svm-
pathies, she remained many weeks at
Andersonville, engaged in the herculean
task of marking as many as possible of
the graves of IS, 600 Union prisoners there
buried. Then her health broke down
completely and her physicians ordered
her to Europe. Before she was half recu-
perated, the Franco Prussian war broke
out and she Immediately joined the relief
corps of the Red Cross in the field, where
she did heroic service during all that
stormy period.
In 1869 Miss Barton went to Geneva.
The fame of her splendid work had pre-
coded her, and she was at once called
upon by the President of the Swiss Inter
national Red Cross Society. He asked an
explanation of the anomalous fact that
the United States, which in its own Civil
War had shown such unparalleled care of
the wounded and organized sanitary
service on scale hitherto undreamed of
the world over, yet held aloof from the
Red Cross and refused to sign the treaty
under whose banner 20 nations were al
ready enrolled. Miss Barton replied that
she had never even heard of such a thing
and she doubted if the people of the
United States, twhatever might be said of
its otficials), We're aware that any proposal
to unite with such an organization had been
had been made plain. her humanity en-
bracing heart at once became aflame with
enthusiasm, and she resolved that if she
lived to return to her native land the
Red Cross principles should at least be-
come known there. But she came home
a suffering invalid and lowered for wears
nature rallied she had to begin life
anew, almost like a little child, and &C
puire even the power to walk The
mind, however was as clear and the heart
as warm as ever. She went to Washing
ton as soon as she was able aud presented
the subject Of the Geneva Treaty to Presi-
dent Hayes. This was in 1877. Her
efforts won no response from the HAYES
administration. Not until four years later.
when another soldier President. Garfield.
was in the chair, did she meet with any
encouragement The late Secretary Win
dom laid the subject before the cabinet
The Presidents ''Silent Partners were
cordially interested; Secretary of State
Blaine wrote warm letters of approval,
and in his first message to Congress Gar
field recommended our accession to the
treaty. This was II years after the first
presentation of the sub ect to our govern
ment. But the end was not yet, by rea-
son of President Garfiefd's untimely
death. His successor incorporated plea
for the Geneva Treaty in his first message
to Congress. The Senate Committee of
Foreign Affairs, (of whom were Senators
Morgan, Edmunds and Lapham), reported
it favorably, and on the first day of March,
1882, President Arthur had the happiness
of signing the treaty.
1t was found that modification of and
some additions to the original treaty as it
exists in Europe were necessary to adapt
it to the needs of our country. In the
Old World, where war is continual men
ace, the Red Cross has kept to it's first
purpose-that of caring for the sick and
wounded of belligerent armies. The
United States, though comparatively
exempt from the dangers of war by
reasons of geographical and political situa-
ton has other national calamities to con-
tend with. Floods fires, cyclones, pesti-
wit 10