Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-03-04


with the science that destroys" The
need of this was the origin of the
Geneva Convention, and of the numer-
ous volunteer societies for the mitiga-
tion, of human suffering in war
which have since arisen throughout
Europe. The value of those auxiliary
aids Is not to be questioned, es-
pecially when the volunteers can be
relied upon. We feel, however, that
it would not be wise for the State in
future to depend solely upon these,
but that it would be better to
organize during peace a sufficient lody
of women, trained and prepared for
] any sudden outbreak of war. These
| should be rated to the Army and Navy
in the same way as men, having their
regular pay and allowances, officered
and subject topromotions and pensions,
and to all those advantages which
promote efficiency in men. A noble
field for women's usefulness would be
here opened out, and experience has
shown that in this particular depart
ment women are superior to men.
What would have been the state of
the British Army in the Crimea but for
Florence Nightingale, or what that of
the Northern and Confederate Armies
in the American Civil War if women
had not run and organized their own
relief corps, and provided for the sick
and wounded when the efforts of the
respective governments had failed9
At the battle of Antietam, in which
more than ten thousand Federals were
wounded, the supplies of the medical
authorities were not tenth Of what
was needed. In the battle of Frede-
ricksburg, $50 young men with the as
sistance of ladies found 100000
wounded men in every conceivable
phase of agony" DIR. Stille tells us
how they worked night and day, many
of both sexes dying from over exertion.
The sanitary commission succoured
twenty-five thousand wounded at
Gettysburg alone. The train of
carriages for the wounded after the
battle of the Wilderness stretched for
ten miles. along which feeding sta
tions" were established for the suf-
fercrs.
There should be no stint of numbers
in the formation OF corps Of nurses,
seeing how many are needed in war,
and what abundance of splendid
material can be drawn upon. Their
services can be utilized during peace
in many ways, and during war they
could also act as almoners. 1t would
be very desirable that they should serve
on relief ships in the navy, and with
the militia and volunteers on special
occasions and whenever required. In
the American Civil War, "two vessels,
transformed into floating hospitals,
where placed under the direction of
American ladies who fulfilled the duty
Uf nurses with admirable devotion,
Drawing danger for the sake of men
who were confined to their care, and
amongst whom were several hundreds
prostrated by typhus."
The mere presence of sympathetic
and modest women amongst large
bodies of men has the most salutary
effect upon the moral conduct of the
latter, and must always exercise an
encouraging and purifying influence.
Time has produced great commanders
and warriors, skilled in all the arts of
destruction, but the ablest generals
from the days of Alexander have never
been able to make provision for the
exigencies of the sick and wounded.
Women, however, have shown particu-
lar genius in this direction. And
thus we advocate that, subject to au-
thority, its organization and working
should be left to them, and that they
form an auxiliary though non-com-
batant portion of every fighting force,
having equal rank, pay, and standing,
with the combatant part, seeing that
their duties require equal courage and
ca pacity, and their usefulness is
beyond all reward.