The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-06-21

mas been written by Lieut.. Col. A. N.
Stark, medical corps, u. S. A.. CHIEF
surgeon OF the Southeastern Depart
ment:
On June "a, 1859, Monsieur Jean
Henri Dunant, citizen of Geneva.
Switzerland, was a chance witness of
the battle of Solferino. To his horror
and astonishment, he helped thou
sands OF wounded men lying, without
any effort at attention, all over the
hard fought field of battle, and that
apparently neither victor nor van
quished had any intent or means to
care for the enormous number of
wounded resulting from an engage
ment OF such intensity. The scenes
ne witnessed were SO vividly portray
ed IN a memorable book entitled Gun
Souvenir de Sofcrino," that the en-
tire world was agitated, with the re
suit that societies were formed in all
civilized countries for the education
OF nurses and the collection of sup
plies to be used for future wars. The
writings and lectures of Monsieur
Dunant were used as propaganda
by the Society of Public Utilities of
Geneva to such excellent purpose that
on October Is, 1864, the first Red
Cross convention was held in Geneva.
All civilized countries, and MANY
partially civilized subscribed to the
humane tenctS Incorporated in the ar
ticles of the conveHton, which being
signed by the representatives of all
the powers present, were reposed in
the archives of the Swiss Republic.
In honor of the originator, Monsieur
Dunant, and the country of which he
was citizen, the emblem of red
cross upon white field was adopted,
this being reversal of the federal
colors of Switzerland This emblem
borne upon the person in the form of
a basSard, or upon material and
transportation of every nature, in
tended for the use of the sick and
wounded, has always been sacredly
held by even savage foes until the
present world war, when the forces
of the Central Powers have strange
~ disregarded the solemn principles
and their oaths, in breaking every
article to which their representatives
had subscribed in the name of the I'M
perial Governments.
While Turkey is an ally Of the Cen
tral Powers, her troops on the other
hand have not broken faith in this
connection, for when her representa-
tlves signed the articles of the CON
ventlon, 1t was agreed, that as the
| Red Cross was a symbol of Chris
| tianity the Mohammedan powers
could not use it as an emblem. but
that if the Red Crescent were recog-
nized and honored as was the Red
| Cross, the tenets of the convention
| would be strictly adhered to. To this
lay the Turk has not failed to carry
out to the best of his ability the
oath to which he subscribed, leaving
the Teutonic allies shamefully alone
IN the most debased form of cruelty
the world has known.
BY an Act of Congress of April
"a, 1912 the American National Red
Cross became the medium of COM
munication between the people of the
united States and their forces, and
under this law, no matter how pa
trlotlc or generous individuals and
societies may be, their services and
| offerings can only be accepted
through the central committee of the
Red Cross. The Government of the
United States has attempted to sun
ply its military and naval forces with
sufficient medical personnel and sup
| Plies to care for the ordinary number
/ of casualties in war without seeking
| outside aid, but in this war, whose
casualties exceed those of all the
vars of history, no government can
| provide adequately for its forces
| without the assistance of the whole
| people.
The care Of the sick and wounded
| iocs not consist merely in providing
dressings for wounds, light ltera-
-ure and luXuries, but an enormous
mass of material that is astonishing
m its variety. Ambulance columns,
ield hospitals, base hospitals, hospi-
,al trains and ships, supply columns,
Information bureau sections, must be
| Formed for duty i'm connection with
he forces both oversee and at home,
md while these Red Cros institu-
| tons are not intended for services in
he zone of the advance, they must