The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-03-03

| h1o lCuluuS OI1C Ol L1C
parish where a stupid old man
was set to be schoolmaster
because he was "past keeping
the pigs"
The International Confer
ence at Berlin, 1869, which was
attended by one hundred and
sixty two delegates, represent
ing almost every state in
Europe. passed twenty-six
resolutions, of which three
were as follows
19. It is necessary for the
vigorous development of
Societies, and as a good prep
aration for their action in time
of war, to furnish aid and help
in calamities which may
happen in time of peace.
20. Societies of Help should,
therefore, in time of peace
employ themselves in works
OF humanity corresponding to
their duties in time of war viz:
in tending the sick, and in
giving assistance during
public calamities which require
as war does, prompt and we'll
organized Help.
a.. They should also make
preparations for the creation
of such military hospitals as
they wish to establish or to
work in time of war hospitals
of reserve). These preparations
would include the choice of
locality of the material, and
administration"
No pen can depict the suffer
ings of the sick and wounded
in time Of war. even under the
most favourable conditions.
At the beginning and during
the first half of this century,
every battlefield was an in
describable scene of horrors.
Napoleon lost more brave men
by shameless neglect of wounds
and sickness than by the sword
and fire of the enemy.
One of his surgeons writing
to Marshall Duroc, said: dur
ing the Seige of Dantzic, where
he had sixteen hundred
wounded and two thousand
sick, we had not single straw
mattress, no basins, no nurses,
in fact, there was nothing!
When, however, nurses were
obtained they were always men
whose services were secured
by fear of punishment, and
who did not disdain to practise
extortion on the sick and to rob
the dying as we'll as the dead"
"In Spain" says General Foy,
"the wounded were often aban
doned for want of means of
transport; conquerors or con-
quered. We have lost four
times more men through the
disorder inseparable from our
system of war, than by the fire
and sword of the enemy"
It was much the same at
Waterloo, and " at every period
and amongst all nations from
Cyrus down to Napoleon ILL.,"
Miss Nightingale says, that
from the 9Th of May to the 18th
of July, 1855, ninety six per
cent. of the deaths from sick
ness in the English army in
the Crimea, might certainly
have been prevented, and it is
we'll known that the hospitals
and barracks reforms intro
duced by this most excellent
lady reduced the losses by one
half.
The care of the wounded on
the field must always most
largely devolve upon men. The
care of the sick and wounded
in hospital should be chiefly
the work of women. The
presence of the latter has
soothing, salutary, and great
moral Influence over men, be-
sides which, under proper
training, women always prove
the better nurses. AS has been
we'll remarked;
MurderOus refinements of
war should have correlative re-
fnements of mercy or as
Achard says: {" 1t is incumbent
upon us to raise the science
which consoles and heals
to a level with the science that
destroys" The need Of this was
the origin of the Geneva Con-
vention, and of the numerous
volunteer societies for the nit
igation of human suffering in
war which have since arisen in
Europe. The value of those