Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-02-23

"'"I,rIsht. by Joseph b no~te-J
tThe name of Clara Barton is known
throughout the world through her efforts
10 alleviate. the horrors of war. Sh" was
president q; tn. American Nationa! Red
ross from it's organization in 1871 |" l*i
During the American civil WAL she did
relief work on thu. batti-i,!S. lturin;: the
f:anro-PruSSan WA" of ~" ami mi she
was aas", lated with tl,.' International Red
'irsS. She has represented tn" nit"d
states III many international conferences.
bT:inS IN. Russian famine Of l>92 and the
Armenian ma SS.,l.S 81 49,; she d,Str!t-
tt..d iei-t. All III. time Of the SPANISH
American war She carried relief 10 IubHp
Ii is probable that there are few
terms in general use among us, or few
subjects so frequently referred 10 OF
which 81 little is correctly known as
The socalled Red Cross.
The causes for this Obscurity are
many Among The great movements
of civilization the Red Cross is com
Earatively new. 1t is OF foreign birth.
consequently it's literature is in for
eign languages and in many languages.
while we are notably one Language
people The subject with which il
was born to deal-namely. human war
fare, was. until the Spanish-American
war experimentally unknown to our
present generation. and the desire for
and the certainty OF perpetual peace
for the future had begotten an indiffer
ence. not to say repulsiOn. in the
minds of the public. which turned
it ins,inctively - often impatiently -
away from all topics bearing upon the
subject of war.
The history Of the world is largely
a history OF its wars ana through the
4.OOO years. until three and d half
centuries ago. there is no official rec
ord of any movement to lessen the
woes of those who fought them. At
that date a medical service was at
tached to armies. and was thought to
ne Sufficient for any emergency that
could ever arise. Through all the ter
rible wars Of Napoleon ]. this service
was never changed increased or ques-
toned. But when the doors Of Scutara
opened for Florence Nightingale and
her 40 nurses. the food Of light which
followed them revealed serious de.
f.cts. Still so slow is the march OF
Improvement that the war OF LON
hardy in 1889 showed no amendment.
On June "a of that same year the
armies OF Napoleon ILL.,. equipped with
every facility then known to military
medical science. stood face to face
with the foe in northern Italy. 100000
Combatants in a line five leagues in
length. and fought Is hours without
cessation or rest. The horrors OF the
field. through the suffering Of its
wounded from want of Care-scaIcely
one surgeon for 80 men. biee,.ing.
fain;ing and famiSh!ng-were wit
messed by a humane Swiss gentleman,
Henri Dumant. who stayed his trav
cling carriage in the vicinity OF the
battle and worked among the wound
cd The memories OF the suffering he
rad witnessed haunted him. until at
length he wrote and published them.
and the Souvenir de SolferinO' IN a
few months had been translated into
the leading languages of the world.
and Law on the tables and on the
hearts Of the best OF Europe.
The seed had been vel! sOwn. and
in ISS: II took root in a conference At
Geneva. Switzerland. which sought To
find il some way could be devised To
lesson the needless suffering Of sol.
d;ers on the field. which seemed to be
largely the result of customary mill
tarv restrictions. IL was proved that
no army ever had been found equal 10
tho needs of its wounded in a battle
II WAS equally decided that this never
could be. as no army could move.
march and fight. while burdcued with
Sufficient medical material or person
mel 10 meet the needs of its wounded
IN and after a battle. The remedy sug
~es,ed struck a blow At one Of the
strongest. time honored rules of war
namcl-. tina: no civilian BE- allowed
upon a field. especially In time Of bat.
tic: the proposition Of the conference
being that societies Of civilians b"
harmed IN the various countries ShJse