The sun., 1915-11-07

Men have Worshipped war till II has
cost million times more than the
whole world is worth, poured out the
best blood and crushed the fa!rest
forms the good God has ever created
Deck it as you will, war is-'hell.'
The war side of war could never have
called me to the field. Al! through and
through, thought and act. body ana
soul / hate il. only the de-
sire to soften some of its hardships
ead allay some of its mlseries ever in
duced me. and presume all other
women who have taken similar steps,
t. dare its pestilent and unholy breath
Her work and words" she insisted,
"were for the individual soldier-what
ne does, sees, feels or thinks in these
dread hours Of leaden rain and iron
hail"
III ! were to speak of war" she
further says, "it would not be to show
you the Slores of conquerine armies
but the mischief and misery they strew
in their track; and how. while they
march on with tread Of iron and
plumes proudly tossing in the breeze,
some one must follow closely in their
the rain and darkness. shelteriess like
themselves. with no thought of pride
or glory, fame or praise or reward;
hearts breaking with pity, faces hathed
in tears and hands in blood. This Is
the side which history never shows.
The crown of her leadership of hu-
manity was the foundation OF the
American National Red Cross.
am glad that Clara Barton did not
live to see the war now raging. She
came very near II, as she died as re-
Gently as 1912. She was too old to
have taken any part in the relief OF
the soldiers, and it would have grieved
her great heart not to lend helping
hand in the greatest slaughter of his
tory.
Clara Barton was born on Christmas
day 1871 in AN unpretentIous farm
house at North oxford. Mass. She
was baptized Clarissa Harlowe, but
she preferred the simpler name by
which she is known the world over.
1t Is a curious fact that she records in
the earlier part Of my life | remember
nothing but fear" When she grew
to womanhood, however, there was no
such word as fear in her vocabulary
Clara Barton became IA nurse at me
age Of II. Her brother Daniel, an
athletic boy, who never refused a
dare, fell from the rldgepole OF the
barn to the ground below, landtnE
head first on q pile Of lumber. Seri-
ously injured by II blow on his head
he fingered between life and death for
two years. Clara felt herself chained
10 him by an unspcakable and un-
trollable impulse TO nurse.
The mental effect on the patient OF
her faith and unfailng presence was
miraculous "In his nervous wretch
edness he clung TO me- | could not
be taken from him except by compul-
sion" she later remarked. Yet he .'e-
manned a "sleepless, nervous, cod
dyspeptic--the mere wreck of rs
former self" Bending over him, hur-
rying to obey his every impulse, Clara
locked herself up with the patient for
two years.
Referring to this period Miss Bar
ton once said: "F'Or two years ! only
left his bedside for one half day. !
almost forgot that there was an ONT
side to the house
Miss Barton began her career ns a
yeacner and made great success OF 1t,
for she understood human nature and
was born organizer. For eighteen
years she taught, beginning At the axe
of Is. The young teacher won her pupils
by being one of them, SOc!a, friendly
and human. she ioIrod vita them in
the p, yground IN her athletic plowrAS
7 amazed the four "!oughies' OF the
school, who at once gave her their
right hand OF fellowship. Instead OF