Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-13


French, and we must not make them
SO as Germans"
After the commune had fallen In
Paris and while the chaos prevailed in
that city, Clara Barton was allowed
through the German ranks and when
she entered the city she sought the
mayor, who had been reinstated in his
Office.
Mayor, I have come to help .you,'
she said. Il have 100000 garments
outside the city and plenty of money"
The scene at Strasburg was repeat
( ed. The hungry were fed, the naked
clothed and the poor taught to help
themselves. Then the woman of the
Red Cross went back to the ship
which had gone across the Atlantic
full of supplies, bearing the Ameri-
can flag, but under the protection OF
the conquering Germans.
When the Mississippi overlooked its
banks in 1884 and people were with
out homes, food, money or seeds for
the next years planting, there arriv-
ed a steamer loaded to the guards
with every variety of provender. None
OF those to whose rescue it came
knew where the vessel came from or
by whom it had been provisioned.
Few of them knew the woman who
stood at the helm with the crimson
cross on her arm. After the work or
relief was over Clara Barton return
ed quietly to her home near the Po-
tomac.
When Clara Barton was presented
to the car in 1902, she stopped to
kiss his hand by the custom of the
country.
Not you, Miss Barton" he saiG,
and he shook her hand in American
fashion.
Some of Miss Barton's friends be-
lieve that her decision to undertake
relief work among the soldiers at the
time of the civil war came about
through an accident. Her brother
had been captured by federal troops
and she was anxious to get him out
of prison. She was among the spec
tators at the railway station IN Wash
ington when the Massachusetts sol
diers who had been wounded at Bar
timore were brought into town. In.
stead of going to the headquarters OF
General Butler to ask for her broth.
er's release she decided that her ar.
guments would have more weight il
she went to the front as a nurse.
Acting upon the impulse was one
of her attributes. She realized thai
material would have to be provided
and she advertised in the papers Of
Worcester, Mass, that she would re
ceive contributions and see to it per
sonally that they were distributed
So liberal an answer came to her ap
peal that it was necessary to secure
a warehouse in Washington to hoIt
the stores that were accommodating.
The idea of having women go Il
the front was not welcomed by tn,
officials, but she managed to q,
through to the headquarters of Gen
eral Butler in Virginia There, frs
OF all, she accomplished her brother
release, then started upon the worl
to which she had committed herself
She continued with the soldiers il
Virginia almost throughout the war
and in 1864 General Butler appoint
ed her head nurse in the hospitals il
the Army OF the James.
The late Senator Hoar was asket
who he thought was the greatest wo
man living, and he replied unhesitar
, ingly, CLARA Barton" Charles Sum
ner said of her: "She has the talen
D OF a statesman, the command of
: general and the heart and hand OF
= woman"
: The last relief work in which Mis-
= Barton took an active part was afte
: the food at Galveston. When she hat
: been there for more than six weeks
: directing the distribution of none
: and supplies. she suffered a nervou
. breakdown. In the hotel she lay daI
: eerously i'll for many days and tw
nurses were brought 70 bar fraI