The Washington times., 1912-05-13
POSTPONES ACTION
. ON RED CROSS DUTY
IN INSTRUCTIONS
Absence of Chairman Ador
Holds Back Discussion of
Delicate Point.

Committee, the ninth International con-
ference again postponed the considera-
tion today of the delicate question of
what attitude the Red Cross shall take
toward lending aid in caring for the sick
and wounded In countries in a state of
insurrection or revolution.
1t is probable that the discussion of
this subject will be taken up tomorrow
morning.
Miss Jane A. Delano, chairman of the
national committee on Red Cross nurs-
ing service, presented a discussion OF
the training of Red Cross nurses ahd
their duties in times of war and disaster
About 900 nurses are serving gratuitous-
ly under the national committee and
more than 5000 have been enrolled for
Service.
Realizing the great need of a rural
nursing service in this country similar
of Queen Victoria's Jubilee Institute for
Nurses plans are now being formu-
1ated' said Miss Delano, "for the estab-
hshment of such a service.
LAS no compensation is allowed Red
Cross nurses except when assigned TO
active duty. selection for service would
be made from those most quickly avail
able; but in time Of war all enrolled
nurses would be expected to communi-
cate with their local committees, giving
the earliest possible date on which they
could be prepared to respond to call
and thereafter would be expected to
tce."
The examinations which nurscs must
pass were described In detail by Miss
belano.
Reports on the work of Red Cross
nurses in France, one of which was
presented by DR.. PruvoSt and another
by the Countess de Pourtales, and on
In ron T1't pd hNr
Werner, were made late in the morning
session A discussion of the work done
An dispensary schools in France and the
results obtained was undertaken by
Mrs. Panas. member of tie central
conr,ittee Of the French Red Cross.
Thanks for Funds.
President Taft sent cablegrams yes
terday to Marie Feodorovna, dowager
empress OF Russia, and to the dowaGer
empress of Japan, tn inking them for
funds advanced to maintain aid extend
the work being done by the Red Cross.
of which President Taft Is honorary
president.
The Marie Feodorovna fund consist 5
of approximately $4,000, the interest on
which Is given in prizes at every In
ternational conference for the invention
deemed to be the most valuable from
the Red Cross standpoint. The accumu-
lated interest every five gears amounts
An equal sum has recently been
made available by the Empress of
Japan, the announcement of the gift
having been made. during the present
interna tional conference by Emile
Charter of Paris. This fund Is to be
used to encourage relief work in time
of peace.
Guests of Diplomat,
DR.. Paul Ritter, minister from switz-
erland, entertained the members of the
International committee, the SWISS dele
gates and a few members of the d.
pomatic Corps at the legation, 20lI
Hillyer place, last night. DR.. Ritter, in
making a brief address, called atten-
ton to the fact that the international
organization has It's inception in Swift
zerland.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry Belmont gave a
luncheon Yesterday afternoon to Count
Jacques dc Pourtales, delegates from
rance, and the Countess de Pourtales
together with a party of other dele
gates.
There were no events either confer
entail or social on the official program
yesterday.
The program this afternoon includes
tour of the city, the delegates to
leave the Pan-American building at
o'clock, and tea to be given at
o'clock b. Mrs. Letter at her home iC
Dupont circle.
Tour Capital.
A tour of Washington for all of the
delegates began at 2 O'Clock this after
noon. Many of them have seen much
of the residence section of the city and
the public buildings in the region of the
White House, but few of them have had
time to go to other parts of the city
The program tomorrow comprises a
long series of reports on the work ac.
G n nIrin hNyt he
Red Cross since the last conference, held
in London in 1907 Miss Mabel r. Board
man will present the American report
Previous to the discussion of what the
Red Cross should do in time of insur-
rection or revolution, four papers were
presented this morning bearing on the
training and organization of Red Cross
nurses in France and Germany.
Countess Paul de Pourtales, delegate
from France. gave an enthusiastic de-
sCrtption of the success that has at
tended the employment of Red Cross
nurses In France. 1t was not until 1907
after the engagement at Casablanca,
Morocco, that the French society was
called upon to send women nurses into
the field; The French army officers
viewed the experiment with doubt.
Your nurses are not merely devoted
women-they bear witness to a superior
professional instruction." quoted Count
a chief surgeon. The general COM
manding the corps in Morocco also
wrote: The experiment attempted by
your society, with the high approval OF
the minister of war, is of great import
ance IT succeeded beyond our hopes
Your nurses have given proofs. not only
OF the devotion that no one doubted
them to possess, hut also of profes-
sionaI qualifications that we had not
been able to forcsec.'
Do Good Work.
Working under an African sun, with
equipment that was never of the best
with an extraordinary number OF
wounded falling in the Morocco cam
paigns, the French Red Cross nurses
according to the report of the countess
emerged with complete success and the
high praise of the entire army
What can be added to this" con.
cluded the speaker, except that the END
of our efforts has been attained thai
the experiments made have multiplied
on either side the proofs of the indis
soluble union that should exist between
the Red Cross and the army in time O
war and in time of peace"
DR. PruVost discussed the praCtiCa
instruction given nurses in Paris. Clini
cal instruction was not well established
until 1896. In that year the Hospital o
French Women was founded.
There the ladies and young womel