The San Francisco call., 1904-08-07

OF the Red Cross" by Clara
Barton. the indefatigable presi-
dent of that society Of mercy for
nearly twenty-five years. Herein one
may read with wonderment the tale OF
many an unknown succor rendered and
many a gentle benson bestowed upon
the suffering and needy by the great
society whose works are not vaunted
abroad and whose benefcent powers
are known best by those that feel them.
In thus giving to the world the record
Of the charities done by the society
she has headed for these years. Clara
Barton uncOnsciOusly reveals the great
worth Of the work she herself has done
for humanity. For either as director
OF work abroad or in actual field serv-
ice this good woman has spent the
major portion of her life in gen
tie ministrations to the afflicted.
has grown gray in the service of
humanity. So it is that her book,
designing to tell only the history Of
the American Red Cross Society's many
activities. is thrice valued as the rec
ord Of strong woman's years OF self
sacrificing labor.
Miss Barton tells first Of the found
ing Of the American Red Cross Society:
how, returning as a special envoy Of
the Geneva Convention TO press the
agreement Of the United States to its
Red Cross treaty, she gained the in.
terest Of President Garfield and later
the official action Of President Arthur.
ratifying the Geneva pact on the part
Of the United States. This was in the
winter Of 1SS0-s1 The society which
Miss Barton had formed with view
TO carrying the flag Of comfort to all
stricken persons, whether by war, fire
or plague, had scarce a thousand dol
lars in the treasury, and was known of
few Yet when the devastating floods
in the Ohio River came in the winter
Of 1884 the president Of the new society
and DR.. Hubbel. the first medical di-
rector, set bravely out on the swollen
river with the strange device Of Gene
va flying from their steamer and with
blessed relief for hundreds Of naked.
starving sufferers. Thus does Miss
Barton sketch the picture Of their res
cue work:
Picture. if possible. this scene. A
strange ship with a strange flag steam
ing up the river. 1t halts, turns from
its course, and draws up to the near
est landing. Some persons disembark
and speak a few minutes with the fam
lily. Then, a half dozen strong me-
chanics man a small boat laden with
all material for constructing a one
room house-foor, roof, doors, windows.
The boat returns for furniture. Within
three hours the strange ship sails
away, leaving a bewildered family In
a new and clean house with bed, bed
ding, clothing, table, chairs, dishes,
candles, a little cooking-stove with a
blazing fire, all the common quota of
cooking utensils, and meat, meal, and
groceries; a plow, rake, ak, hoe,
shovel. spade, hammer and nails. We
ask few questions. They ask none.
The whistle Of the Troop is as welcome
TO their ears as the flag to their eyes"
NiVioly does the writer depict the ter
rlole scenes attendant upon the awful
Johnstown food in May. 1889. and de-
tail the work Of succor done there by
the Red Cross Society, now grown to
wider recognition and greater strength.
Six frame buildings, known as RED
Cross Hotels" were put up immediate
ly to furnish some protection from the
elements to the homeless survivors.
For three thousand hastily constructed
dwellings the Red Cross supplied com
plete furnishings. The society's books
showed the record of over TWENTY-FIVE
thousand people served directly bv its
aid Supplies TO the value of s211 900
were housed, handled and distributed
by Miss Barton and her assistants.
Equally as interesting as the re-
countal Of the relief work at john
town are Miss Barton's chapters on the
Russian famine in 1891, and the relief
Of the Armenians after the massacre
Of SO. 1t is upon the record of Red
Cross in Cuba during the Spanish war.
however, that we fix our closest atten-
tion- 1t is probably safe to say that