New-York tribune., 1917-06-23
Founder Of the Red Cro..
Henri Dunant, Philanthropist, WI,
Died in Bitter Poverty
To the Editor of The Tribune.

Henri Dunant, the originator OF N.
Cross, is both timely and in,ers,.,SNs
Dunant was certainly one Of the rtea, Is
factors of humanity. and deserves much -
generous recognition for his service. >,
he has yet received or is likely ever -
oeiye. The Encyclopedia Britannica ,...'
10 him incidentally only and credits -.
sembling of the Geneva congress OF ,ss,
Gustave Moynier, a Swiss delegate ,,s
signer Of the convention. but not the ir,..
tor. | have never been able 70 s.e.,,.''
just why Dunant was dscredited and .,
gotten during his lifetime, but surmi,. -,
it was due to a certain arrogance in ths
himself which made enemies for him ir,,.-,
of loyal friends.
! have in my possession a number o,l..
ters, including some from Dunant hi,,.,,
which afford interesting glimpses Of him AZ
some of his colleagues, which at this pa,,;..
lar time seem worth publishing.
The Original Red Cross Man.
Charles Bowlen, of Boston (lS35.lslS
an active worker in the Sanitary Corr,,
s ION during our Civil War. Some year, a..
he wrote me: when c. b. went TO III. r.
neva conference. in 1864, he had left Wa,L
ington with no official right 10 20 V.
Seward refused to send any delegate. {. r
only took letters from Charles Sump., al
others, but he held such strong hand !,
Geneva with the books, papers and Ssni,,,,
Commission models of field work, etc. ,h,,
when United States Minister Fogg came. ,,,,
on afterthought by Mr.. Seward, the Amerie,,
delegate (Mr. Fogg) could do nothing with.
out him, and c. b. took rghtful plac. a,
delegate" Mr.. Bowles's presence in Gen.v,
in 1864 authenticates his title TO being "a.
original Red Cross man in this coun.,r
: (Clara Barton, who established wom,u,
status in Red Cross work, did not beco-,
prominent till the Franco -Prussian War
Mr.. Bowles's portrait is included in the lar,,
/ official group of the members OF the Coz.
| gress, which now hangs in Geneva. a
Mr.. Bowles made the acquaintance Of Dv.
nant who was in Geneva, though not DEL.
gate, and came into more or less intimr,
touch with him from time to time till Il,
end of Dunant's life Mr.. Bowles deserib.
him thus: Henri Dunant was a na,un.
born gentleman. He had the very talen, 4
/ COu1ISnlD. ~ COuiAAF btuAAtHldU- ntfg
cringing. but paying due respect to all, sn,l
, or great He used to say, I love TO be Wit
people of rank and high good msnnen
am at home with them and they feel al ho-,
with me- This talent marked him 10 Be II
touch with royalty kings and queens nj
their courts and so to get their adhesion b
the principles of the Red Cross. He va
handsome-of good height, faultlessly dress.
and as we'll schooled His family was Of Il,
bourgeois Swiss; it was with his own fsthg
who was cattle provider TO the armies
that he went to the Austro-Italian bait.
fields and wrote the Souvenir Of Solferino'
Dunant and Miss Nightingale
Addressing a meeting of the National A.
sociation for the Promotion OF Social Science
/ in London in 1872, Dunant said: "To so many
who pay their homage TO Miss Nightingale,
( though a very humble person Of a small, free
countrv-S Switzerland I beg to add my trib-
ute of praise and admiration. As the founder
of the Red Cross and the originator OF the
diplomatic convention of Geneva tsel en-
boldened to pay my homage. To Miss Algff
ingale | give 81 the honor OF TINS israas
convention. II was her work IN the Onnsa
that inspired me to go to Italy during "
war of 1859. In my turn ] endesV'T
10 follow the example OF Miss Nightlnaa
as she herself had walked in the steps OF q
who went about doing good
General Dufour was the president OF -
Geneva congress. Mr.. Bowles writes; "Nl
in great help TO the foundation comes
dear old general in chief of the Swiss arns
General Dufour. then over eighty year
old. He had been the military tutor
Louis Napoleon, Emperor Of France az
had got his hearty support for Durs1
and the Red Cross treaty. Not only st !"
forming of the congress, but all through "
hard passage. General Dufour brought ~
mower TO bear with the French Emperor .,
frustrate and overcome the bureaucrate~
jections and efforts to kill oil the treaty
The world owes something in fact g's
deal-to Napoleon's loyal support OF MS \.
tutor. General Dufour, as president was
first to sign the convention. The On'N'
States did not sign it till 1857.
His Tragic End
.Dunant had inherited comfortable p'sF
ertv. but his generosity and unfortuns" "
vestments reduced it so effectively un
few wears after founding the worlds grea''',,
humanitarian society he reached s'S'' ~
absolute poverty. Believing the entire 'o'.,
70 be his debtor, ne felt keenly It's negie''s.
him. In a state of mind not iar temsI..
from misanthropy the great pnilahIH'V,r.s, ,.s,
withdrew from the haunts Of men. ID -.
Mr Bowles located him and went 70
him in a hospice in Heiden, little ireq'.n.-
mountain resort in Switzerland H s
ber of letters written by him az
time lie before me-the letters OF -
foundly disappointed and rebellious mo-.
have also the fragment OF manuscript
pared by him in 1896 for an edition ~
lish Of his famous Souvenir De sO'i'''
which never reached the press. .is
Not long before his death ne was sN '..,
a Nobel prize for his services TO hums..y
This tardy recognition may have nsA'I, I.,
somewhat the gloom Of his last os!.;
the final act of the tragedy IS esen" ss,,,
tragic-the great benefactor OF the N, .-is.
race, the consort of the worlds WV ..,,r
tocracy, dying almost alone, almost l0'sv 1.~r,r,
in an out-of-the-way corner Of the -,
70 which he had brought suen EMS ems
honor. FhANOI0
New York, June 20, 1917.