Douglas Island news., 1917-08-31
PURPOSES OF
 THE RED CROSS
Brief History of the Red Cross and Causes for Its Organ
 ization

. knowledge existing as to the pur- poses and aims of the organization and to supply that information to . the readers of this paper, the fol- lowing is given:
 Brief History of the Red Cross
 Tho sunerings of soldiers in tho CrImean war first directed Che worlds humancr impulses toward measures for the systematic care of the wounded. In 1859 when the Swiss humanitarian, M Henri Du- nant. was visiting Italy as a tourist he was caught in the dreadful earn age of the battle of solferino. Du- nant personally ministcred to the wounded. and-what is moro inn portant he organized volunteers in the vicinity to help him in the work. Soon after he formulated the first proposals for volunteer associations Co care for the wounded of war and for the standardization of the per sonncl of such relief associations. His prophetic vision even embraced the services which such associations could render in time of cpidcmics, floods and other catastrophcs.
 Mir. Dunants appeals resulted in a preliminary conference held at Geneva in 1863, which in turn led to an official International Confer cnce at Geneva in 1864. During this second conference the dele gates from the United States made a valuable-pcrhaps a decisive contribution by showing that the United States Sanitary Commission, by actual relief operations, had ol- ready solved problems which were troubling the conference and were making its success a matter Of doubt.
 The Geneva convention, adopted at that time. revised in 1906, and given additional force by the Hague conferences. was the formal begin ming of the Red Cross and for that reason is sometimes called the "Rcd Cross Treaty"
 The name Red Cross comes from the insignia adopted by the confer cucc-a Greek cross in red on a white background.
 It was not until 1882 that the government Of the United States ratified the Geneva Convention of |lSG4. But in 1877 a solf-appointcd committee to further the interests Of the Red Cross movement in Ann erica was formed in Washington; in 1881 the committee was enlarged and incorporated under tho name of the American Association Of Red Cross; in 1893 it was reiucorpor- ated a8 the American National Red Cross": in 1900 Che congress of the ! United states gave to this organi- Ration a national charter and in 1905, by act Of congress, the cx- isting organization was dissolved and a new association incorporated under the name of tho American National Red Cross"
 Another Account
 The International Conference of Geneva, held in 1863, recommended "that there cxcist in every country a committee whose mission consists in cooperating in times of war with the hospital service Of the armies by all means in its power"
 The Geneva Convention of 1864 and the Geneva Convention of 1906, the latter held for the purpose of revising the Treaty of Geneva Csometimos called tho "Rcd Cross Treaty"J, give definite status to cor- tain officially recognized volunteer aid societies. These societies, be- cause of the character of the in- signia or badge adopted Go distin- guish their personnel and material Ca Greek red cross on white grounD are universally known as Red Cross Societies"
 Prevents and Relieves Human Suf. P fering.
 , The American Red Cross is in. D tended to aid in the prevention and l apcyiation of human suffering in . times of peace and war.
 The original purpose for the or ganization of Red Cross societies was Co supplement the medical ser vices of armies in time of war. Th' n great need, however. of thorough n Iy trained and efficient organiza y ton, national in scope and perma | nent in character, to render assist ance after great disasters, has beer SO we'll established that many of thu d Red Cross societies have extendc, }. their functions to include relief op - erations in time of peace. Indeed h it has been proved that those so s cietles which are most active il I- conducting relief and preventiv e measures in time of peace arc bcs .t prepared to cope with the extraor
 dinary requirements of war.
 Recognizing this fact, the Unite g. States congress, by the act approves
 January Q, 1905, to incorporate th