The Detroit times., 1910-12-07


Cross so aptly put in IA recent address.
the one cardinal principle OF the Red
Cross is CONGRATULATIONS
OF human life Miss Boardman. a mem
Der OF the central committee, holds
no Office in the organization. but TO
her even the distinguished head OF the
American branch, President William
H. Taft looks for the management
OF the details of the 'ork in times
of peace and she will be the command
Ing figure at the meeting In the cap
ital this week
That the activities of the Red Cross
are not confined ITO those dread times
when war clouds hang over the ma
tons of the earth. is brought home 10
every individual at ;his season OF the
year. for IL is during the holidays tnat
the organization begins its campaign
for raising funds TO fight the grim.
NEST OF warriors against humanity
the pestilence OF tuberculosis. Within
the last two years by means OF the
Red Cross stamp, a fund or S3oO.OOO
has been raised. These stamps have
heretofore been fixed upon the face OF
letters and holiday packages. This
year, in Difference 10 the wishes of
the postofflce department. they are 20
be known as Christmas seals instead
OF Christmas stamps, there having
been much confusion on the part OF
thoughtless people who believed that
the Red Cross stamp took the place
OF the regular postage stamp.
The first direcc movement T r the
establishment or an organization to do
. -, s,I,t ~ tT1asa
was started In Geneva. Switzerland in
1868. but the idea may be said ia
have fructifed nine years earlier In
the heart OF Florence Nightingale, who
went to the Crimea 10 nurse the
wounded French and English soldiers
who fell in the struggle with the Rus
slams. Her work in the Crimea, which
extended over period OF two years
attracted international attention. and
her deeds OF mercy each evening ar
ter a battle, when she sought out the
helpless on the field, won for her the
affectionate title of The Lady With
the Lamp" So great was her hold
upon the public's affections that when
she returned 10 England she was Civ
en- $3.50. 900 by a grateful government
and with this sum she founded a
training home for nurses. which re
NAMED as a monument TO her mem
ory.
The Red Cross, as a concrete agen
cy. however, owes Its origin TO Henri
Dunant a philanthropic Swiss gentle
man who witnessed the frightful SUI
fering on the battlefield OF Selterino
near Mantau. Italy, in 1859 when the
dead and wounded among the French
and Sandman allies was $1,000 and
among the Austrians 10000. He saw
how inadequate were the medical
forces of the two armies TO take care
OF their own injured, and upon his
return 10 Geneva he proposed TO the
Public Utility society. a philanthropic
organization OF that city. TO start a
movement for the establishment OF a
volunteer force to supplement the
work Of the corps of surgeons main
tanned by every nation.
general invitation to the nations
of Europe TO take part In an interna-
tional conference was sent out and
fourteen countries were represented in
the council which was held in Geneva
in 1863 In response TO Geneyas In
yitation thirty-six delegates from four
teen nations OF Europe tall except
Turkey, Greece, Portugal and the Pa
nal states) assembled In the Swiss cap
ital and In conference recommended
that each government extend its sane
ton, authority and protection to san
i..rv commissions and their relief
CORPS; that In time Of war the priyi-
lege of nutrality be extended TO am
balances. military hospitals, officials,
and attaches of the medical services,
regulars and volunteers, to nurses and
To the inhabitants in the theater OF
war. who should receive and care for
the wounded in their houses; and that
the universal insignia and flag OF per
sons. officials and volunteers, who
might assist In the care OF the wound
ed I'm war and of ambulances and hos
pitals I'm all armies be white flag
or band with red cross. The form
OF the insignia was adopted as trib-
ute to Switzerland. the parent coun-
try OF the idea, the Swiss flag being
n white cross on red background.
While the United States had moth
ing to do with this first conference,
its influence was OF supreme impor-
lance the following year when two
delegates were sent W NCii tht iiNN'
national body OF the success or the
United States Sanitary Commission
which had been organized at the open.
ing OF the Civil war and which had
performed wonderful service with the
Union army. This testimony from the
limited States. setting forth the prac'
ticability OF q movement similar to
the proposed Red Cross, was splen'
did inspiration To the founders or the
new organization.
The first American Red Cross was
founded a year after the close of the
civil War and was known as the Am
erican association for the RELIEF Of
Niseries OF Battlenelds, and II was
about the same time that Clara Bar
ton first came into the public eye.
Miss Barton was n government clerk
In washington I'm 1854. With the be-
ginning OF hostilities between the
northern and southern states she en-
tered the hospital service and after
the war organized. at her own expense
search for missing soldiers. Suisse
uuently she followed the German ar
my throughout the Franco-Prussian
war and at its close was decorated