Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1911-12-24
FOUNDER OF RED CROSS
SOCIETY TO CELEBRATE
BIRTHDAYON CHRISTMAS
Special to Rally News.


Washington. ID. c.. Dec 23.-Miss
Clara Barton. founder OF the Ameri-
can National Red Cross. is preparing
TO celebrate her 90th birthday on
Christmas day. She has not figured
in many halls OF fame. the selection
OF which seems TO be a flaw nowadays
but the civilized world will rejoice
with her. despite the reports TO tho
contrary, friends and relatives OF
Miss Parton. staying by her side at
Red Cross, near Glen Echo. Md, de-
clare she is In excellent health. con-
sidering her advanced age and hec
serious illness OF ten months ago.
Miss Barton is allie TO do her
writing and attend to her cores
pondence. as usual. and Is untailing-
ly bright and cheerful.
This generation knows her chiefly
as mother OF the American Red Cross.
the international branches OF which
now extend TO all civilized lands. II
was started in Switzerland fifty years
ago, and grew out OF pamphlet
written and circulated by Henri Du-
nant, entitled "A Souvenir OF Softer
mo" In June. 1859, the battle Of
Solferino had been fought in LON.
hardy. and the allied forces of the
French ard Sardinians triumphed
over the Austrians. The battle last
ed sixteen hours. the slaughter was
great. and the encounter closed the
war and led TO the peace OF Vile
franco
The unavoidable condition of tho
wounded. who were left on the field
IN die like torn and tortured animals.
the absolute lack of any effort 70 save
tho lives NJ thosa who had been In
iured thoueh mot fatally. and tho
spread Of malignant feyers as a ma
tnral sequence of the putrefaction OF
the dead left unburied under the rays
of the summer sun-all these fea-
,ures we're taken nm ard shown 10
tho wandering gaze az a sympatheti,
world In Mr.. Dnnant's Souvenir"
Naturally this pamphlet had n
>videsnread effect and with its dis
tribution people became interested
and whom the question. "What shall
We do about it," arose. the rosponse
came ouicklv and with decision Re-
ginning In Sutherland IN 1861. the
Red Cross movement reached all
countries in due course. including IN.
United States
In United States An 1881.
II was introduced here n, 1881
through the insistent efforts of Clara
Barton assisted by Secretary blaine
and President Garfield. and after the
assassination of the latter Il WAS fur
therod nv President Arthur and Sec
Rotary Frelinghuysen. President Ar
,bur recommended tho adoption az
the Geneva treaty in his first mes
s,ge 10 congress and n few months
later IL was ratified bv the senate.
From that time forward until the
American Red Cross became such a
large and important organization that
n was found desirable 20 make Il an
arm of the national government. Il
was guided. financed fostercl. ex-
tended and kent alive BY the unfail-
ing devotion of this grand woman
Clara Parton. Without her there
never would have been an American
Red Cross.
We were the thirtv-sccond nation
To give it our adhesion, ever Servia
was ahead OF us. and II was twenty
years after Switzerland made he
ginning before the United States was
induced to Join hands with the other
nations. Secretary Seward had re-
jected the overtures from over sea
when they were originally made, be-
cause he feared international compll-
cations as result OF any entangling
alliances with European countries 90
soon after the close OF the civil war.
with the many vexed questions yet to
be settled among ourselves and with
foreign powers.
After Mr.. Saward's retirement
from office the late DIR. Henry w.
Bellows devoted several years TO an
endea,or TO bring the United States
into line, hut his efforts were fruit