Evening star., 1931-05-17
RED CROSS JUBILEE
WILL Be OBSERVED
President and Mrs. Hoover
to Attend Banquet at
Willard Hotel.

|
tend the golden jubilee dinner Of thu
American Red Gross at the Willarc
Hotel Thursday night, the society,"
national headquarters announced yes
| terday. The jubilee will be nation
wide also, with $500 chapters Of the
organization participating.
With Chief Justice Charles Evan,
Hughes presiding, Mr.. Hoover will make
a speech, which is to be broadcast ovel
Nationwide radio hook-ups. Mr.
Hoover is president Of the American
Red Cross, and Chief Justice Hughes i
vice president.
Judge Max Huber of Geneva, Switzer.
land, president of the Internationa
Committee of the society; John Bartor
Payne, chairman, and Miss Mabel T
Boardman, secretary, will also b
speakers. More than 800 guests, abou
a third of them being from other cities
are expected to be present.
Organized In Capital.
On May 81, 1881, the Association o.
the American Red Cross was organized
here at the home of Miss Clara Bartor
by group of prominent men and WON.
en-. A year later President Arthur
with consent of the United States
Senate, announced by proclamation thai
this Nation had adhered to the treaty
of Geneva, under Which this country
became the thirty-second to guarantee
protection of wounded on the battle
field, neutrality of doctors, nurses, hos
pitals and medical supplies and merci-
full treatment Of prisoners Of war, under
the Red Cross insignia.
Mrs. Peter Voorhees, DeGraw OF 210
Maryland avenue northeast, who Is the
only survivor of the meeting at Miss
Barton's home so years ago. will be a
special guest Of honor Attending the
dinner also will be IA men and women
from Dansville, N. Y, where Miss Bar
ton organized the first Red Cross unit
to help victims Of disaster. Mingled
in with this group will be diplomatic
representatives of the So nations.
DR.. r. p. Andrews of Dansville will
describe the first movement to organize
a chapter on August %. 1881, by Miss
Barton to send food, clothing, money
and other relief to Michigan pioneering
families who had lost their possessions
in forest fire. Shortly afterward, SINH
lar units were organized in Syracuse and
Rochester, N. Y, in the former, Susan
B. Anthony being a founder.
Recommended Details.
After Henri Dunant, young Swiss,
had witnessed the close of one Of the
most sanguinary struggles in worlds
history upon the battlefield Of Solferino
in Lombardy, between the forces Of
Francis Joseph Of Austria and Napo-
leon, III, he recommended details
which today are incorporated in the
Red Cross of every civilized nation. In
1853, after the movement had gained
ground In Europe, an effort was made
to perfect an organization here. Fred
erick H. Seward, then Secretary of
tangling alliances" and the matter was
dropped.
At the close of the Civil War Miss
Barton, New England school teacher,
who in 1854 had come to Washington
to become one Of the first women Gov
ernment clerks, and who had served as
a volunteer relief worker on battleflelds
near this city, took up the movement
on the lecture platform. Ill health
forced her to go TO Switzerland, where,
after recuperating, she was invited to
join the European Red Cross units at
the front during the Franco-P -Prussian
War. She served on several battlenelds.
Upon her return to this country she
again took up the movement, attempting
TO obtain consent of the Geneva treaty.
The administrations of Grant and
Hayes were hostile to the movement,
but James @. Blaine. Secretary of State
under President Garfield, gave the
treaty the first friendly consideration
when he urged its acceptance, reco0-
nizing its wisdom as a humanitarian
measure.
Meeting Is Called.
Miss Barton, the moment Mr.. Blaine
IN led
in her home on the night Of May 81.
Describing this meeting afterward, Mrs.
H. v. Boynton, one of those present
and q longtime friend who had been
her service Of supplies" behind the
battle lines in Washington during the
Civil War, said: There were about rs
people in the room at the time. Clara
Barton got up and said, My friends,
have asked you here tonight because I
must have some sone to help me to de-
eide what should do. have worked
now for nearly seven years trying to
get America to join the Red Cross, but
cannot do anything with 1t. The
people do not understand 1t, and Con-
gress Is afraid of entangling alliances.
am discouraged and I do not know
whether can keep up the work or not.
Therefore. have sent for you, who are
my friends, and I want you TO tell me
whether should drop it or carry it on.
want every one Of you to get up in
turn and say what I shall do
She turned to the right, and the
first person said, Go on with the work.
Then every woman and man In that
room said the same thing. All Of them
said, Go on with the work and then
and there we took an cath of allegiance
to the Red Cross and we pledged our
selves to see that the work was car
ried through"
Miss Barton was elected president Of
the infant society that night, and those
present signed its first constitution and
the application for District Of Co
lumbia charter.
Continued at Head.
Clara Barton continued for % years
the active head, laying down her
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