St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-04-06

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
ciety, THAI 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
for no one saw any immediate way OF
preventing them. Further, it proposed
that these societies should keep them
selves prepared to accompany their re-
snective armies, with the same readl-
ness for emergencies as those in the
pay of the state, and yet they would
be 10 expense to the state nor to any
but themselves. Singularly, OF this
conference of only SO persons Is 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-1863,
just the middle of our civil war. Three
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 1853 accom-
| plished prodigies of successful labor
within year. It drew into it's COM
pact the concurrence of two-thirds OF
the important countries of Europe,
which proceeded to establish aid or
central societies for relief in war; as.
for instance, Austria, Spain, France,
Great Britain, the Netherlands, Prus-
| STA. 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 it's impenetrable mantle over
them and internationally there was nc
link between these civil aid societies
and the military of even their OWE
countries The surgeons whom they
would send could still be captured
their wounded could be left on the
field to suffer and die, the materia
could become the spoil of the con
oueror; hospitals could be robbed ane
. their inmates either left destitute o.
dragged off to prison, according to tn
caprice of the conqueror. 1nternat1ona
law sanctioned these things.
, It was clearly, therefore, interna
: tional law that must be remedied il
Z this respect This conference OF 1856
brayely called for another to be he'll
in 1864, which should take on the char
. acter of convention, consisting 81
, clusively of delegates from tn
y crowned heads and rulers of the worl
. the makers of war-armed wit
D treaty powers, regarding the conduc
, of armies in the field and the trea
+ ment of sick and wounded soldiers
a This convention was held at Genev
3 in August. 1864.
y A compound international treat
! was entered into, known as the treat
!. of Geneva, for the aid of the sick an
wounded of armies. The first claus
,. of this remarkable document Of tie
q articles strikes the keynote of all thE
/ was sought, by declaring neutral a
q persons disabled on field, all person
: properly authorized to care for then
as surgeons, chaplains, attendants, a
q materials sent or designed for tt
! use of the wounded in hospitals an
!, the hospitals themselves. Wounde
q prisoners were W uS given aP a. u
sired: the sick and wounded were
= be taken care of regardless of n
: tionality, friend and foe receiving II
. same care from all belligerents.
= sign was created by which all person
engaged in the relief of the wounde
= of either army might be known. A
!, material, as food, clothing and vel
. Giles, having this sign, should be sacre
= from capture One flag bearing tn
J sign was instituted for all milital
- hospitals and all hospitals flying tn
! flag should be held sacred from
h tack.
= To return to the national societie
i Strengthened by the convention
= 1864. and the protection of the treat
. no time was lost by them. In IS
Austria, Italy and Germany AFFORD
Il opportunity for trial. The hard f1e
(. Of sadowa testified as to their nee
! italy and Germany we're in the treat
10 Austria was not.