784 



RED CROSS SOCIETY. 



into several European languages, and created a 

 deep impression. A society in Geneva, Switz- 

 zerland, called the Geneveve Society of Pub- 

 lic Utility, appointed a committee, of which 

 Gen. Dufour, the General-in-Chief of the Swiss 

 Confederation, accepted the presidency, for 

 the purpose of advancing the proposals of 

 Dunant. This led to the international confer- 

 ence held at Geneva, in October, 1863, which 

 was attended by delegates from sixteen gov- 

 ernments. This conference lasted four days, 

 and resulted in the calling of an international 

 congress, known as the International Con- 

 vention of Geneva of 1864. The deliberations 

 lasted nearly a fortnight, and resulted in a 

 code of nine articles, signed Aug. 22, 1864, by 

 such of the representatives as had been sent 

 with sufficient power to sign a treaty. This 

 was considered a most remarkable instance of 

 a general treaty brought about by the exer- 

 tions of an individual in private life. The 

 special aim of the convention of 1864 was to 

 obtain the neutralization of the wounded in 

 war-time, and also of the persons and mate- 

 rials necessary for their care. The conference 

 of 1863 had aimed at a system of relief-socie- 

 ties for all countries. The treaty of 1864 se- 

 cured the neutralization of hospitals, materials, 

 nurses, and surgeons ; and, that these might be 

 recognized, a common sign was fixed upon by 

 the seventh article of the treaty, which provides 

 for a flag for hospitals and convoys and an 

 arrn-badge for persons. The flag designed was 

 a red cross upon a white ground, adopted as 

 a compliment to Switzerland, this design, with 

 the colors reversed, being the national flag of 

 that country. Thus, from these two notable 

 conventions in Geneva, in 1863 and 1864, 

 arose the establishment of national relief com- 

 mittees and societies, and a treaty that now 

 embraces every civilized nation of the earth. 



During the civil war in the United States 

 (1861-'65) there was no official obligation to 

 protect nurses or agents of the philanthropic 

 societies. If they fell into the hands of the 

 enemy, they had to take their chances with 

 other prisoners. It was often a subject of 

 complaint that hospitals, containing the sick 

 and wounded, drew the deadly fire of the foe. 

 The societies of the Red Cross were probably 

 suggested by our Sanitary and Christian Com- 

 missions; but, unfortunately, the movement 

 came too late to be of much serrice here. The 

 lack of what the Red Cross supplies was keenly 

 felt by Clara Barton, a nurse in the national 

 army during the war. Miss Barton was in 

 Europe during the French and German War, 

 and, under the shelter of the Red Cross, took 

 an active part, first in Germany and then in 

 France, in mitigating the calamities of that 

 conflict. As she could not have succeeded in 

 her labors without the protection that her badge 

 afforded, she felt it to be her duty, on return- 

 ing to America, to enlist the good offices of 

 some statesmen for the extension of those 

 privileges to her own country. But the signs 



were not at first favorable, and she waited. 

 She was in Washington for a considerable time 

 during the administration of President Hayes, 

 but still found obstacles that were not to be 

 surmounted, and continued to wait till the ac- 

 cession of President Garfield, when all diffi- 

 culties were removed and the President and 

 his Cabinet came cordially into her views, and 

 gave her assurances that the Geneva treaty 

 should be brought to the attention of Con- 

 gress. The death of the President devolved 

 the duty on his successor, and President Ar- 

 thur finally signed the treaty March 1, 1882. 

 In 1877, through the influence of Miss Barton, 

 a society was established in Washington, styl- 

 ing itself the " American National Committee 

 or Society of the Red Cross for the Relief of 

 Sufferings by War, Pestilence, Famine, Fire, 

 Flood, and other Calamities." Although the 

 aim of the society was so great as to be regard- 

 ed as national in extent, yet the organization 

 did not begin its work until assured by Presi- 

 dent Garfield's Administration that the treaty 

 of Geneva would be recommended to Congress. 

 Then Miss Barton secured the incorporation 

 of the u American Association of the Red 

 Cross," and began the establishment of branch 

 societies at Danville, Rochester, and Syracuse, 

 in the State of New York. 



One of the last things that President Garfield 

 did was to designate Miss Barton as the presi- 

 dent of the parent society. Branches have been 

 formed in several of the States. The societies 

 of the Red Cross are on the same basis, but with 

 the greater advantage of having a permanent 

 organization, and being recognized through the 

 Geneva treaty, by all the great civilized na- 

 tions. They are not equipped for war alone. 

 Having a perpetual existence, and being located 

 in all parts of the country, and under the or- 

 ders of general officers, they propose to be al- 

 ways ready with supplies and trained nurses 

 for every emergency. Hence, in case of any 

 great calamity a pestilence, a devastating fire, 

 an overwhelming flood the Society of the Red 

 Cross can always be the advance guard of re- 

 lief, and be on hand to prompt those further 

 measures which may be beyond their immedi- 

 ate means. Much good and effective work was 

 done by the societies during the overflow of 

 the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in February 

 and March, 1884. Relief was also extended to 

 the sufferers by the earthquake in the vicinity 

 of Charleston, S. C., in 1886. An unfortunate 

 association of the name of the Red Cross with 

 the promoters of widely divergent objects led 

 Miss Barton, in June, 1886, to make public the 

 following statement: 



" After all which has been written about and 

 done by the American Association of the Na- 

 tional and International Red Cross during the 

 last seven years, further explanation would 

 scarcely seem necessary under any circum- 

 stances. But, observing with pain that a body 

 of men recently announcing themselves in 

 Chicago as the 'Brothers of the Red Cross' 



