The Republican journal., 1898-03-24
.sri,an National Red Cross in Cuba

u...ANA, Cuba, March y. Sluce; the
,..s cross has now become an important
...-.g 10 the affairs of this unhappy island,
., readers may like to learn more about
Elerybody has heard of the benefcent
IMITATION in a general way, but COM
..,sYrelv few know anything about its
...,,-v and methods. l have the honor
. being temporarily a member of the
t.5 Ososs family, Though not of the So
.... 5umicled in beautiful villa in the
..r -A, Of Havana, which has been rent
5.- Tile occupancy of Miss Clara Barton
...g-l staff during her stay in Cuba; and
. ,- -he honorable President herself, and
.-.. sa excellent article in 1.-The Litera-
... philanthropy" by Laura NJ. Doc
.-. haze gained most of the following
n a,ton.
rr-Iy speaking, the Red Cross is not
as it holds no regular meetings
. o. election of officers it is rather
.. .ation of the relief societies of
lles. Its general aim is to amelio-
.. ndtion of the sick and wound
.s in time of war; but the special
... Dt .he American branch is to relieve
-.... wherever found, among people
u.4teger nationality or calling. Though
ross Order is only 81 years old, its
... 1, already extend over most of the
world, and 40 nations, enrolled
banner, have pledged themselves
ont its humane precepts. To
.-li its spirit, one must glance
history. From the barbarous
..- tuuquity, down almost to our
ue the maintaining of nationalities
.- -rlnments depended npon the in
aiming and slaughtering of men
sr vet nowhere was there any system
..HJel toy the State for the relief of
ls from the calamities of battle.
r.ea arug the Napoleonic wars, when
.a Pc bravest and best were being
-. thousands, no medical and sani-
-.. ---VICe Of armies were known. The
maau soldier was a mere machine. and
t s- that Kings and Councils were
t1 grant him was the glory of
-a- the service of his country. The
range for the better is primarily
he newspapers. When the Eng
~y set out for the Crimea a few war
uudents went with them. The eli
vas deadly, the struggle mighty and
-iate. After the first scene in that
ai arrival of blood, the correspond
red upon Britain the awful story
suffering of her troops. One regi-
WIS luiekly reduced from 100 men
nolher had only 10 men able for
Wounded soldiers lay where they
70 be dropped by their comrades
aged from the front, unattended,
Offering untold agony from fester-
rds. Pestilence had its way un-
ee Tor the overcrowded hospitals
ste letter than dens of death All
lrjrs. set forth by the newspaper
ents, stirred the heart OF Eng
Is depths. Then. for the first
Ie world history, a system was
ted Of voluntary civil care of the
eQunded, to supplement that of
ay. Lord Sydney Herbert, Her
Majesty Minister of War, wrote
.lle Nightingale, who was then in
London hospital, asking for
letter from her to Lord sydney,
remission to help, was already
WY. The world is familiar with
OF this brave woman and her 300
mpanions in the Crimea. They
atAless field; but hope and return
f'rt to thousands followed closely
footsteps. They brought order
laos in the wretched hospitals,
snatched from death, lifted
-eoe hands in blessing of their
-- vtress and kissed her shadow as she
ta'- Perhaps Florence Nightingale
sy service to humanity was in prov
le face of an enormous weight of
A .7J military precedent and prejudice,
iAe offerings resulting from war are
ai-e measures preventable, and that
military power alone cannot possibly
adequate medical service in oper-
>i4 through a long and severe campaign.
endid object-lesson was the be-
'lli'a- ot the movement which has since
a'"a 70 system which reduced the
'''' Us II soldiers in the field to the low
possible degree.
'" ienri Dunant of Switzerland, first
-d the idea of the Red Gross; that
inning permanent societies among
'' atons, to be bound together by
7ieuu agreement, for the prevention of
'9le' asSary suffering during future mill
1 an paigns. He was travelling in Italy
when the battle of SOlferino oc-
curved and taking part in the care of the
''ip1ed, was profoundly impressed with
'' t'k Of facilities. Shortly afterwards
" published a little book, called "a
'enl of Solferino," describing the
N-rs Ae had witnessed The battles of
-t3han campaign We're fresh in the
4- Nj the people, and his vivid pic
' f. the horrors of war translated