The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-03-21


formed in the various countries, whose
duty it should be to provide whatever
might be lacking in the medical de-
partment of an army in the field,
either of material or personnel, and
whose privilege it should be, to go
under proper restrictions, and use
them.
The plan further proposed that each
country should have one central So
cfety, that this society should have the
power to form other societies, to pro-
vide surgeons and equip them, to es-
tablish. hospitals, to train nurses; in
short, to be civil arm of war in the
name of humanity, if wars must exist
or, rather, while they must exist
Tor no one saw any immediate way of
preventing them. Further, it proposed
that these societies should keep them
selves prepared to accompany their re-
spective armies, with the same readi-
ness for emergencies as those in the
pay OF the state, and yet they would
be 20 expense to the state nor to any
but themselves. Singularly, of this
conference of only So persons 1S were
official delegates, representing IA pow
erful governments. The historian has
aptly said that "the eyes of all Europe
were turned toward that little meeting
at Geneva
Kindly keep in mind the date-1S63,
| iIcf tho op -,
| thousand miles away, we knew little
of European movements; in war our
selves, we had little time to study
them. Our sanitary commission was
struggling into active life and Europe
knew nothing of it. The Red Cross
had not even name. Please let this
answer the mistaken, misleading and
constantly recurring question of the
Red Cross in our civil war" There
was none.
That conference Of 1863 accom-
plished prodigies of successful labor
within year. 1t drew into it's COM
pact the concurrence of two-thirds of
the important countries of Europe,
WlllSu plOCOCuSu W ColdDllOh o1u vi
central societies for relief in war; as,
for instance, Austria, Spain, France,
Great Britain, the Netherlands, Prus-
sia, six German states, Sweden, Swift
zerland, Italy, Portugal and Denmark.
Although thorough advocates, these
societies were merely single-handed
and national, each ready to act with
all humanity and generosity to friend
and foe; but there was no bond be-
tween them; internationally they had
no existence. The established laws Of
war held its impenetrable mantle over
them and internationally there was no
link between these civil aid societies
and the military of even their own
countries. The surgeons whom they
would send could still be captured,
their wounded could be left on the
field to suffer and die, the material
could become, the spoil of the con-
queror; hospitals could be robbed and
their inmates either left destitute or
dragged off to prison, according to the
caprice of the conqueror. International
law sanctioned these things.
1t was clearly, therefore, interna-
tional law that must be remedied in
this respect. This conference of 1868
bravely called for another to be held
in 1864, which should take on the char
acter of a convention, consisting ex-
clusively of delegates from the
crowned heads end rulers of the world
the makers of war-armed with
treaty powers, regarding the conduct
of armies in the field and the treat
ment of sick and wounded soldiers.
This convention was held at Geneva
in August, 1864.
was entered into, known as the treaty
of Geneva, for the aid of the sick and
wounded of armies. The first clause
of this remarkable document of ten
articles strikes the keynote of all that
was sought, by declaring neutral all
persons disabled on field, all persons
properly authorized to care for them,
as surgeons, chaplains, attendants, all
materials sent or designed for the
use of the wounded in hospitals and
the hospitals themselves. Wounded
prisoners were to be given up If de-
sired; the sick and wounded were to
be taken care Of regardless of ma
tionality, friend and foe receiving the
same care from all belligerents. A
sign was created by which all persons
engaged in the relief of the wounded
of either army might be known. All
material, as food, clothing and vehi-
cles, having this sign, should be sacred
from capture. One flag bearing this
sign was instituted for all military
hospitals and all hospitals flying that
flag should be held sacred from at
tack. 1
To return to the national societies.
Strengthened by the convention of
1854, and the protection of the treaty,
no time was lost by them. In 1866
Austria, Italy and Germany afforded
opportunity for trial. The hard field
of Sadowa testified as to their need.
Italy and Germany were in the treaty;
Austria was no.