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diff --git a/old/67954-0.txt b/old/67954-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3cea045..0000000 --- a/old/67954-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14992 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Life of Clara Barton, Volume II -(of 2), by William Eleazar Barton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Life of Clara Barton, Volume II (of 2) - Founder of the American Red Cross - -Author: William Eleazar Barton - -Release Date: April 29, 2022 [eBook #67954] - -Language: English - -Produced by: MWS and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF CLARA BARTON, -VOLUME II (OF 2) *** - - - - - - THE LIFE OF CLARA BARTON - IN TWO VOLUMES - - VOLUME II - -[Illustration: CLARA BARTON AT EIGHTY] - - - - - THE LIFE OF - - CLARA BARTON - - FOUNDER OF - - THE AMERICAN RED CROSS - - BY - - WILLIAM E. BARTON - - AUTHOR OF “THE SOUL OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN” - “THE PATERNITY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN,” ETC. - - _With Illustrations_ - - VOLUME II - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON AND NEW YORK - - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - - The Riverside Press Cambridge - - 1922 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY WILLIAM E. BARTON - - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - - The Riverside Press - - CAMBRIDGE · MASSACHUSETTS - - PRINTED IN THE U. S. A. - - - - - CONTENTS - - VOLUME II - - - I. FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF THE RED CROSS 1 - - II. THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 10 - - III. HER ILLNESS FOLLOWING THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 55 - - IV. RETURNING HOME 77 - - V. THE YEARS OF SICKNESS AND RECOVERY 88 - - VI. THE FORERUNNERS OF THE RED CROSS 115 - - VII. THE YEARS OF LONELY STRUGGLE 120 - - VIII. THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS 144 - - IX. THE TRIALS OF A TREATY 161 - - X. THE PERILS OF SUCCESS 172 - - XI. CLARA BARTON AT SHERBORN 199 - - XII. THE RED CROSS IN PEACE 215 - - XIII. CLARA BARTON AT HOME AND ABROAD 259 - - XIV. CLARA BARTON IN CUBA 280 - - XV. CLARA BARTON’S RETIREMENT FROM THE RED CROSS 294 - - XVI. CLARA BARTON AT HOME 307 - - XVII. CLARA BARTON’S RELIGION 317 - - XVIII. THE PERSONALITY OF CLARA BARTON 326 - - XIX. CLARA BARTON’S LAST YEARS 361 - - XX. CLARA BARTON’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 369 - - INDEX 381 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - CLARA BARTON AT EIGHTY _Frontispiece_ - Photograph by Clara Barton Drew - - FACSIMILE OF PRINCE BISMARCK’S LETTER 32 - - FACSIMILE OF STRASSBURG DIPLOMA OF HONOR 40 - - DECORATIONS OF CLARA BARTON 256 - - CLARA BARTON’S SUMMER HOUSE AT OXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS 308 - - IN THE CEMETERY AT OXFORD: GRAVE AND RED CROSS MONUMENT 376 - - - - -THE LIFE OF - -CLARA BARTON - - - - -CHAPTER I - -HER FIRST KNOWLEDGE OF THE RED CROSS - - -When in 1869 Clara Barton went to Europe in quest of health, she had -never so much as heard of the Red Cross. That organization had been in -existence in Europe for more than five years, but the number of people -in America who knew anything about it was exceedingly small. The United -States was not then a member of the international organization which -recognized the Red Cross, nor did it become a member for many years -thereafter. This was not because the United States Government did not -know about it, but because this country had no purpose or desire to -join in an organization established in Europe for purposes in which it -was generally believed this country had no occasion to participate. - -It is necessary to be explicit on this subject. The meeting which -gave the Red Cross to the world took place at Geneva, Switzerland, -on February 29, 1863. At the call of a committee, which already had -behind it the formal endorsement of eleven national governments, the -international organization was formed in Geneva on August 22, 1864. At -this meeting the cross of red upon a white ground was adopted as the -insignia of the convention. Twenty-two governments promptly gave their -adherence to this convention. The United States was not among them, -although it had been formally invited to be present. - -The Red Cross did not lack for an advocate in America in that early -day. The Reverend Henry W. Bellows, D.D., chairman of the Sanitary -Commission of the United States, earnestly desired that America should -have been among the original nations adhering to the treaty; but his -pleadings were met with indifference and with pronounced opposition. -Mr. George P. Fogg, United States Minister to Switzerland, and Mr. -Charles S. P. Bowles, European Agent of the Sanitary Commission, were -informally present at the Geneva Convention. The Secretary of State -authorized Mr. Fogg “to attend the meeting in an informal manner, for -the purpose of giving or receiving such suggestions as you may think -likely to promote the humane ends which have prompted it.” He added -that Mr. Fogg was not to attend if any emissary of the Confederate -Government was allowed to be there. - -It is interesting and gratifying to know that Mr. Bowles was able to -report to the convention concerning the important work done in America -by the Sanitary Commission. But neither Mr. Fogg nor Mr. Bowles could -give any assurance that the United States would do anything toward -the formal endorsement of the Red Cross, or become a member of the -convention. - -Dr. Bellows exhausted all his efforts to secure some recognition of the -movement in America, and finally gave it up in despair. From February -9, 1863, when the movement began in Geneva, until May 20, 1881, when -James G. Blaine wrote to Clara Barton that President Garfield would -recommend to Congress the adoption of the international treaty, was -a period of eighteen years, during which time the United States of -America turned a deaf ear to every entreaty to participate in the work -of the Red Cross. That the United States even at that late date came to -be a participant in the results of the Geneva Convention was due to the -untiring faith, devotion, and perseverance of Clara Barton. - -She was not one among many good women working for this common end. She -was not a member of a committee or other organization beginning feebly, -but gradually gaining strength until the object was accomplished. Alone -she learned of the Red Cross; alone she brought tidings of it back to -her own country; alone she wrote of it, talked of it, brought it to the -attention of distinguished men, carried her faith in it from desk to -desk in Washington, and cherished the hope of it through long years, -until just before the assassination of President Garfield, she received -from him, through his Secretary of State, the assurance that the United -States would accept the treaty which thirty-one national governments -had previously adopted. - -In September, 1869, Clara Barton went abroad in quest of health. For -several months following the loss of her voice on the platform she had -been fighting nervous prostration in America, and had found that she -must turn her back on everything that suggested work. Acting under -medical advice, she sailed in September, and, after a short sojourn -in Scotland with no more than a look at London and Paris, she came to -Geneva in Switzerland, bearing letters of introduction from the Swiss -Minister in Washington, the Honorable John Hitz, to the American -Consul and the American Ambassador. It was there Clara Barton learned -of the Red Cross. - -Had she but known it, a Red Cross Society had actually been formed -in the United States in 1866, but had died without securing national -recognition or attracting public attention. Of that organization we -shall have occasion to speak hereafter. It was called “The American -Association for the Relief of the Misery of Battlefields.” Information -concerning it is preserved in a letter of the Reverend Henry W. -Bellows, D.D., President, to Monsieur J. Henri Dunant, Secrétaire du -“Comité International de Secours aux Militaires Blessés.” The few -people who knew of this organization in 1866 had very nearly forgotten -about it by 1869, and its great-hearted organizer, Dr. Bellows, had -become completely discouraged with respect to any recognition of -the movement in America. How Clara Barton came into touch with this -organization as it existed abroad she told in a lecture which she -prepared and delivered in a number of places on her return from Europe -at the close of the Franco-Prussian War. As during this period her -health was so poor that her diary was kept with great irregularity, -this lecture gives us our best account of her journey and succeeding -events: - - Most of you, I presume, know of me only as connected with our own war, - and probably little of that, and, unless I give a word of explanation, - it will remain a mystery to you how I ever came near a war in another - country, and, in military parlance, we must connect the two by a - “pontoon bridge,” and get ourselves across on it. - - Our war closed in the spring of ’65. Almost four years longer I worked - among the débris, gathering up the wrecks, and sometimes, during the - lecture season, telling a few simple war-stories to the people over - the country, in their halls and churches. - - One early winter evening in ’68 I stood on the platform of one of the - finest new opera houses in the East, filled to repletion, it seemed - to me, with the most charming audience I had ever beheld,--plumed and - jeweled ladies, stalwart youths, reverend white-haired men. Gradually, - and to my horror, I felt my voice giving out, leaving me; the next - moment I opened my mouth, but no sound followed. Again, and again, - and again I attempted it, with no result. It was finished! Nervous - prostration had declared itself. I went to my home in Washington, - lay helpless all winter. Finally, by my physicians I was ordered to - Europe, and in early September, ’69, I was able to go. - - I came in time to Geneva, when, while we were waiting, anticipating - and settling ourselves, one day there was announced a visit from a - body of Geneva gentlemen, having some business with me. - - They introduced themselves as the officers of a society known as - the International Convention of Geneva,--more familiarly, the Red - Cross,--having for its object the amelioration of the sufferings of - war, the succor and nursing of the wounded and sick in battle, the - relief of prisoners, the guarding against famine and pestilence, and - whatever may befall a people, under the scourge of war. - - And this, in its international character, extends not alone to its - own, but to all nations within the compact. - - This society had been formed in 1865, at the instance of Dr. Louis - Appia,--there present,--a noted surgeon in the Italian wars of - Napoleon III, who had at that date called a convention composed of - delegates from the civilized nations of the whole world, formed - their laws for international neutral action in all wars extending - to all peoples, framed their treaty and presented it for signature, - through the delegates present, to the nations which they respectively - represented. In less than two years this compact had been signed and - entered into by twenty-five distinct governments comprising all the - civilized and some semi-civilized nations of the globe. - - With your kind permission, I will depart for a few moments from my - narrative and speak of the nature of the international compact, which - may not be familiar to you. - - This treaty, consisting of ten articles, and making material changes - in the articles of war governing the medical and hospital departments - of all armies, provided among other things for entire neutrality - concerning all hospitals for the care of sick and wounded men; that - they should not be subject to capture; that not only the sick and - wounded themselves, but the persons in attendance upon them, as - surgeons, hospital stewards, and nurses should be held neutral, and - free from capture; that surgeons, chaplains, and nurses, in attendance - upon the wounded of a battle-field at the time of its surrender, - should be regarded as non-combatants, not subject to capture, and - left unmolested to care for the wounded so long as any remained upon - the field, and, when no longer needed for this, be safely escorted to - their own lines, and given up; that soldiers too badly wounded to be - capable of again bearing arms should not be carried away as prisoners, - but offered to their own army if in retreat it could take them. They - must be placed in hospitals and cared for, side by side with the - wounded of the enemy; that all convoys of wounded or evacuations of - posts should be protected by absolute neutrality; that all supplies - designed for the use of the sick or wounded should be held as neutral - and entirely exempt from capture by either belligerent army; that - it should be the duty of both generals in command to apprise the - inhabitants, in the vicinity of a battle about to take place, of the - fact that any house which should take in and entertain the wounded of - either side would be placed under military protection, and remain so - as long as any wounded remained therein, and that they would be also - exempt from the quartering of troops and ordinary contributions of - war, thus literally converting every house in the vicinity of a battle - into a furnished hospital and making nurses of its inmates. - - In order to carry into effect these great changes, it would be needful - to have some one distinctive sign, a badge by which all these neutral - peoples and stores could be designated. There must be but one hospital - flag among all nations within the treaty, and this same sign must - mark all persons and things belonging to it. The convention studied - diligently for this sign; at length it got so far as to decide that a - cross would be acceptable to nearly all peoples. They next said, “We - represent here the great war-making monarchy of the world.” - - This little Republic of Switzerland, so small that one of us could - crush her between our thumb and finger, has had the courage to invite - us here to consider our cruelties and call upon us for some better - system of kindness and humanity than we have heretofore practiced. - For this brave lesson she deserves something of us. We cannot take - her flag; she has fought a thousand years for that, and will not give - it up; but if she permits, we will reverse its colors--a white cross - upon a red ground--and make a red cross on a white ground the one - distinctive sign of humanity in war, the world over. The consent was - given and this committee of gentlemen who had called the convention, - with Monsieur Gustave Moynier as its president, was reëlected by - all the nations as the international medium and head of war relief - throughout the civilized world. To anticipate a little, I would say - here that our adhesion to this treaty in 1882 has changed our articles - of war; our military hospital flag. We have no longer the old faded - yellow flag, but a bright red cross at every post, and the same sign - to be worn by all military surgeons and attendants, if the orders of - the War Department have as yet reached them, for we are to-day, you - will be glad to know, not only in full accord with this International - Treaty of Geneva, but are considered one of the strongest pledged - nations within it. - - There were at this time thirty-one nations in this great compact, - comprising all the civilized and even some of the semi-civilized - nations of the globe, all with one great and incomprehensible - exception, the United States of America. - - It had been three times presented to our Government; once at its - formation during our war and twice since, without success, and without - any reason, which, to the members of the convention, seemed sufficient - or intelligent. - - And it was to ask of me the real nature of the grounds of this - declination that the interview had been sought. - - If there were something objectionable in their articles, they might - be modified to meet our laws, or even our prejudices--that some clue - might be gained, which they could understand. They had thought of - everything. If it had originated in a monarchical government, they - could see some justifiable caution, but a sister Republic older than - our own--and yet all monarchies had signed it. In their perplexity - they had come to me for a solution of the problem. What could I say? - What could each or any of you have said, if confronted with this - question? - - Simply that you did not know anything about it, and you were sure the - American people did not know anything about it, or ever had heard of - it. That the Government, or rather some officer of the Government, - to whom the matter had been assigned, had decided upon and declined - it individually, and it had never been considered in the national - councils, nor in any way made known to the people. - - I knew it must be so: that it had simply gone by default with no real - objection; that our Government was too rushing to attend to details - outside of political influence. - - I could only answer these gentlemen that I feared the matter was not - sufficiently understood, being in a foreign language, and I hoped it - could be better presented at some future time. I need not say that - this committee of seven members and myself became friends. - - I read their Articles of Convention, their published bulletins and all - reports, and, as we progress, we shall see if, in the dark days that - followed, I found reason to respect the cause and appreciate the work - of the Geneva Convention. - -On Miss Barton’s arrival in Switzerland she made her home with the -Golay family, father and mother of Jules Golay whom she had befriended -in America, and who extended to her every possible courtesy while she -was in their home and in their country. - -Switzerland is beautiful in summer and early autumn, but in winter -it is no improvement on New England. The beginning of cold weather -found Miss Barton in discomfort. She celebrated Thanksgiving, and soon -afterward left Switzerland for a milder climate. - -She had a cordial invitation to spend the winter in London, but -declined the opportunity. London fogs are inhospitable even to -Londoners, and, to any one in Clara Barton’s condition of health, they -are most depressing. She determined instead to go to the Island of -Corsica. - -Corsica did not agree with Clara Barton. The mild weather was -favorable, but she found that she needed as much quinine there as she -had required in the South. In the spring she returned to Switzerland, -where her home was at the United States Consulate with Mr. and Mrs. -Upton, and where she resided from March until the 26th of May. Then -she went to Berne for the sake of some baths which had been highly -recommended to her. While there, an event occurred which caused her to -forget that she was an invalid in search of health. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR - - -While Miss Barton was at Berne, in the villa of a friend, the -Franco-Prussian War broke suddenly upon Europe. Nothing that happens in -France or Germany fails to register influence at once on Switzerland. -While she was there she received a call from Louise, the Grand Duchess -of Baden, who, having learned of the presence there of an American -woman so distinguished in war relief, invited her to go to Strassburg, -which was in a state of siege, and prepare for the relief which already -had become necessary and soon would be urgent. The baths were not so -complete a tonic as this call to service. Yet it did not seem to her -that she was strong enough to undertake this work. - -Only a little later she had another invitation from Dr. Louis Appia, -who had been one of the movers in the Geneva Convention. This was her -opportunity to witness the actual work of the organization of which she -had heard: - - On the 15th of July, 1870, France declared war against Prussia. - Within three days a band of agents from the International Committee - of Geneva, headed by Dr. Louis Appia (one of the prime movers of - the convention), equipped for work and _en route_ for the seat of - war, stood at the door of my villa inviting me to go with them and - take such part as I had taken in our own war. I had not strength to - trust for that, and declined with thanks, promising to follow in my - own time and way, and I did follow within a week. No shot had been - fired--no man had fallen. Yet this organized, powerful commission - was on its way, with its skilled agents, ready to receive, direct, - and dispense the charities and accumulations which the generous - sympathies of twenty-two nations, if applied to, might place at - its disposal. These men had treaty power to go directly on to any - field, and work unmolested in full cooperation with the military and - commanders-in-chief; their supplies held sacred and their efforts - recognized and seconded in every direction by either belligerent army. - Not a man could lie uncared for nor unfed. I thought of the Peninsula - in McClellan’s campaign, of Pittsburg Landing, Cedar Mountain, and - second Bull Run, Antietam, Old Fredericksburg, with its acres of - snow-covered and gun-covered glacée, and its fourth-day flag of - truce; of its dead, and starving wounded, frozen to the ground, and - our commission and their supplies in Washington, with no effective - organization to get beyond; of the Petersburg mine, with its four - thousand dead and wounded and no flag of truce, the wounded broiling - in a July sun, dying and rotting where they fell. I remembered our - prisons, crowded with starving men whom all the powers and pities - of the world could not reach even with a bit of bread. I thought of - the widows’ weeds still fresh and dark through all the land, north - and south, from the pine to the palm; the shadows on the hearths and - hearts over all my country. Sore, broken hearts, ruined, desolate - homes! Was this a people to decline a humanity in war? Was this a - country to reject a treaty for the help of wounded soldiers? Were - these the women and men to stand aloof and consider? I believed, if - these people knew that the last cloud of war had forever passed from - their horizon, the tender, painful, deathless memories of what had - been would bring them in with a force no power could resist. They - needed only to know. - -Soon Clara Barton was on her way to the front. She went, not to -Strassburg, but to Basle, where she witnessed with great satisfaction -the efficiency of the Red Cross system. Basle is in Switzerland, just -at the German border, but there representatives of both belligerent -nations had their headquarters for purposes of relief of suffering. -The Red Cross, protected by international agreement, had its base of -supplies in neutral territory, and the agents of both armies organized -their relief forces without molestation from each other. Wherever -a battle occurred, relief could be and was provided in many cases -before the first drop of blood was shed. Miss Barton’s admiration for -the work of this society grew as she contrasted its efficiency with -the unpreparedness and deadly delay which she had known all too well -through the Civil War: - - As I journeyed on and saw the work of these Red Cross societies - in the field, accomplishing in four months under their systematic - organization what we failed to accomplish in four years without - it--no mistakes, no needless suffering, no starving, no lack of care, - no waste, no confusion, but order, plenty, cleanliness, and comfort - wherever that little flag made its way, a whole continent marshaled - under the banner of the Red Cross--as I saw all this, and joined and - worked in it, you will not wonder that I said to myself, “If I live - to return to my country, I will try to make my people understand the - Red Cross and that treaty.” But I did more than resolve, I promised - other nations I would do it, and other reasons pressed me to remember - my promise. The Franco-Prussian War and the war of the Commune were - both enormous in the extent of their operations and in the suffering - of individuals. This great modern international impulse of charity - went out everywhere to meet and alleviate its miseries. The small, - poor countries gave of their poverty and the rich nations poured out - abundantly of their vast resources. The contributions of those under - the Red Cross went quietly, promptly through international responsible - channels, were thoughtfully and carefully distributed through - well-known agents; returns, accurate to a franc, were made and duly - published to the credit of the contributing nations, and the object - aimed at was accomplished. - - France, Germany, and Switzerland had been in the international compact - for years past, all organized, every town and city with its Red Cross - Relief Committee, its well-filled workrooms like our relief societies - in our war, but all prepared in times of peace and plenty, awaiting - the emergency. - - The Swiss headquarters were at Basle, bordering on both France and - Germany; and there all the supplies were to be sent and held on call - from the hundreds of workers at the fields, for the use of the sick - and wounded of either side indiscriminately wherever the need was - found greatest. The belligerent nations had each its own headquarters; - that of Germany at Berlin, with the Empress Augusta at its head; that - of France, at Paris, under the auspices of its lovely Empress. - - But you will understand that the international feature of this - requires that all contributions from other nations be sent through - the international headquarters; hence, no people within the compact, - except the belligerents, could send direct to either France or - Germany, but must correspond with the Central Committee at Geneva, and - learn from it the place of greatest need and the proper agents on the - spot to whom the consignment should be made. This wise provision both - marked and sustained their neutrality. - - Up to this moment, no point beyond Basle had been reached. This was, - then, the great central dépôt of the International Red Cross, and it - was worth something to have seen it as I saw it in less than two weeks - after the sudden declaration, a declaration as unexpected as if some - nation should declare war against us to-morrow. - - My first steps were to the storehouses, and to my amazement I - found there a larger supply than I had ever seen at any one time - in readiness for the field at our own Sanitary Commission rooms in - Washington, even in the fourth year of the war; and the trains were - loaded with boxes and barrels pouring in from every city, town, and - hamlet in Switzerland, even from Austria and northern Italy, and the - trained, educated nurses stood awaiting their appointments, each with - this badge upon the arm or breast, and every box, package, or barrel - with a broad bright scarlet cross, which rendered it as safe and - sacred from molestation (one might almost say) as the bread and wine - before the altar. - - You will conclude that quiet old historic Basle was, by this time, - a busy city. It was frightened out of its senses. Bordering on both - France and Germany, it lay directly on the possible march of either - army on its way to the other; and the moment Switzerland shall allow - this crossing, her neutrality will be declared broken, and not only - Basle, but all Switzerland, will be held in a state of actual war and - become common battleground for both. - - I passed a week in that city among this work, to learn it more - thoroughly, to be able to judge it in its practical bearings, - its merits and demerits, so far as I could, before giving my - qualifications and endorsement. You will not wonder that Basle felt - her responsibility and trembled for both her own safety and the safety - of the State! - -Not very long did she remain in Basle. Soon a dispatch was received -from Mülhausen, and Clara Barton, no longer an invalid, set out -again for the front. She was not alone; accompanying her was a young -woman who thenceforth became her companion, and who some years later -followed her to America, Miss Antoinette Margot. Accompanied by this -devoted girl, she set forth as she had done nine years before, for -the relief of suffering on the battle-field. She told the story of it -in an address which she gave afterward, which was little more than a -transcript of her diary: - - A mile from Basle, we met the pickets, but passed without serious - interruption for the first six miles, when the detentions became - longer, and the road lined with fugitives fleeing to Switzerland, - entire families, carrying such articles as were possible: the better - classes in family and public carriages; the next, in farmer and - peasant wagons, drawn by horses, oxen, cows, and often the animals - of the family accompanying the wagon which contained the most useful - articles for an emergency--kettles, beds, and clothing. - - Those who could not afford this style of removal were wearily but - hastily trudging along on foot, carrying in their arms such as their - strength would allow, and the tired children plodding along on behind, - or drawn in little carts, with bundles of clothing and bits of bread. - - Sometimes a family was fortunate to have a cow or a goat with them - when they had no wagon. Sometimes, after the Bernese custom, a large - dog drew the wagon of luggage. But in some manner all were making on, - often in tears, and always with grief in their faces. All day we saw - but two carriages going in our direction. But all whom we met looked - at us in astonishment. “The Prussians are coming,” or, “There has been - a terrible battle and everybody is being killed. _Turn back, turn - back!_” - - Sometimes one would be so earnest as to come to the heads of our - horses, to urge us to return, and it was not always easy to keep our - driver in heart. - - At ---- we were met and stopped by a large body of people, the mayor - at the head, and our destination inquired, and at the same time - informed that it was exceedingly hazardous to proceed, as great - battles were going on at a short distance from Mülhausen, and that - the Prussians were crossing the Rhine in great force. But when to all - this we replied that we were aware of the state of things, and that - was the reason of our going, that we went to care for the wounded - of the battles, they all cried with one voice, “Mon Dieu--God bless - you,” and the old white-haired mayor led the way to the side of our - carriage, to take our hands, exclaiming, “God preserve and be with - you, my children, and He is with you, or you would not be here on this - mission.” And the crowd that jostled in the street, one after another, - followed his example, with the tears falling over their faces, even to - the little children to whom we reached down our hands to reach theirs, - or to touch them as they were held up to us. - - No wonder they wept! Their fathers, sons, and brothers would be in the - bloody carnage so soon to follow. Already they had bade to God only - knows how many the last farewell. - - At length they let go our bridles and we passed on, and, with such - scenes every moment in some form occurring, we performed the remainder - of our journey to Mülhausen. - - We made our way directly to the President of the International - Committee of the Red Cross of Mülhausen, Monsieur August Dolfus. - - A dispatch had just been received from the International Committee - of the Red Cross at Mülhausen, France, inviting me to come there. - Dr. Appia and his noble band of pioneers had evidently passed that - way. This would be in a direct line to Strassburg, and the field - of Weissenburg, and I decided to leave by the earliest train next - morning. - - As good fortune would have it, there came to me at this moment a - kind-featured, gentle-toned, intelligent Swiss girl, who had left the - _canter de vaud_ to go alone to care for the wounded. The society - introduced her to me. - - Perhaps it would be well to anticipate so far as to speak of this - young lady more fully, for all through you will know her as my - faithful Antoinette--Antoinette Margot, Swiss by birth, French by - cultivation, education, and habit. The two national characteristics - met and joined in her. The enthusiasm of the one, the fidelity of the - other, were so perfectly blended and balanced in her, that one could - never determine which prevailed. No matter, as both were unquenchable, - unconquerable. She was raised in the city of Lyons, France, an only - daughter, and at that age an artist of great note, even in the schools - of artistic France. Fair-haired, playful, bright, and confiding, - she spoke English as learned from books, and selected her forms of - expression by inference. One day she made the remark that something - was “unpretty.” Observing a smile on my face, she asked if that were - not correct. I replied that we do not say “unpretty” in English. - “No. But you say unwise, unselfish, unkind, and ungrateful--why not - unpretty?” “I do not know,” I answered. I didn’t either. - - There was something in that face to be drawn to “at sight,” and to her - astonishment and delight I told her she might accompany me. - - Scarce was this arrangement completed when breathless messengers - rushed to tell us that the French still fled before the troops of - the Prince Royal, that the Prussians were marching direct upon the - Rhine, if indeed it were not already crossed, and that the French had - destroyed their railroad to Strassburg, that the rolling-stock of the - road had been run off to save it, and that even the station was closed. - - This was after dark--the news was not of a nature to favor delay. - Instead of five o’clock by train next morning, I would start at - daybreak by private carriage. - - At length a _cochère_ was found who would undertake the journey--the - task of driving to Mülhausen for a consideration which, under the - circumstances, it was quite possible for him to obtain. At the - appointed hour, with some small satchels, the requisite supply of - shawls and waterproofs, with my quiet, sensible young companion, I set - off once more, shall I say--for “_the front_”? That expression was - very strange after a lapse of five years, and I had thought never to - hear it again in connection with myself. - -Arriving at Mülhausen, Miss Barton found there was no present need -of her services. She determined to set forth for Strassburg. With -great difficulty she made her way thither. Through rain and mud, with -conveyance almost impossible to obtain, she finally arrived, a distance -of seventy-two miles, which journey she completed in a single day. - -She was received with honor at Strassburg. The United States Consul and -Vice-Consul were both Germans, but both had fought in the Civil War on -the side of the Union, and they both knew of Clara Barton. The Consul -had been a surgeon and the Vice-Consul a chaplain. Both welcomed her to -the Consulate and to their homes. - -But Strassburg was about to undergo bombardment. The city was then -under French rule, but its population was mixed. It contained besides -its own proper inhabitants many German-Americans just then eager -to get out of Alsace. The Consul got an omnibus full of them, with -Clara Barton in the van, and set out to place them inside the German -lines. He took them as far as he was allowed to go, and turned back on -horseback. Clara Barton and her omnibus full of people moved on. They -carried the American flag. Part of the way it served to enable them to -pass the sentries. But when they reached the German outposts, it ceased -to afford them safe passage: - - We had the United States flag at our front, and the first sentry - halted us to learn what it was. When informed, he promptly disputed - it. He had been in Mexico, and Guatemala and Australia and the - Sandwich Islands, and it was not the American flag at all. Reference - to a chart of flags convinced him, and we passed. But this made us - aware of a great mistake we had committed. - - In our hurry of getting off in the rain and darkness of the early - morning, we had forgotten our International Red Cross Flag, and all - our insignia. There was no return--as well seek to go back through the - gates of death. We must trust to luck. - -At the demand for the Red Cross insignia by the keen, acute sentry, -Miss Barton retired, seized the bow of red ribbon, without which color -she was seldom seen, and twisted it into a red cross which, with the -thread and needle taken from her pocket, she sewed upon her arm. - - The next sentinel, about a league from Strassburg, recognized our - flag, saluted it, and did not even halt us. - -These were the conditions under which, for the first time, Clara -Barton wore the insignia which, in America, was destined to be forever -associated with her name. - -The outer German sentinels were now safely passed; but before she was -permitted to enter the lines of the German army she was informed that -if she entered she must remain. She might return if she wished within -the French lines, or she might make her way again into Switzerland, -but if she entered the German lines she must be willing to remain -there until the termination of the war. She had no desire to go back -to Strassburg and submit to the bombardment. She did not now desire -to return to neutral territory. She entered the German lines and made -her way to Carlsruhe, where she was a guest in the home of the Duke -of Baden. She and the Grand Duchess Louise became devoted friends. -The last letter Clara Barton wrote before her death, and with the -knowledge that she had but a few hours to live, was written to the -Grand Duchess Louise. Among the tributes that lay upon the grave of -Clara Barton when the earth closed over her was a beautiful laurel -wreath from the Grand Duchess Louise. - -It was an accident that put Clara Barton inside the German lines. She -had planned it otherwise when she went to Strassburg. She had rather -expected that her work would be to the wounded French, but the fortunes -of war put her within the opposing lines, and to her it mattered -little. Her interests were not those of a belligerent. She was ready to -minister to the suffering of either army. - -Again Clara Barton was on the battle-field. From Carlsruhe she visited -in succession several of the bloody fields. But when Strassburg fell, -as it did September 28, 1870, she turned her back upon the comforts of -the grand ducal palace, and entered the city where a few weeks before -she had been the honored guest of the United States Consul. Thousands -of its inhabitants were homeless and in danger of starvation. She -organized a workroom where she set two hundred and fifty poor women -to work. For forty days she and Antoinette Margot did their work amid -the ruins of this distressed city. At first there was nothing to do -but to give relief on application. There lie before the writer some of -the original meal tickets which were issued at this time. But before -long she saw that this plan if continued, would pauperize the women. -She devised the plan by which they were to work and be paid for it -whenever they were able to work. She wrote a letter to Count Bismarck, -being introduced to him by the Grand Duchess Louise, and which obtained -official recognition for her type of work: - - COUNT BISMARCK - Governor-General of Alsace - HONORED COUNT: - - Through the politeness of your adjutant and his amiable lady, I learn - that Your Highness will kindly permit me to communicate with you in - reference to the work I am endeavoring to perform among the destitute - people who are so fortunate as to fall under your protecting care. But - speaking no German, lacking confidence to attempt a conversation in - French, and fearing that English may not be familiar to you, I decide - to write, subject to translation, the little explanation I would make - of my work, its origin, progress, and design. - - I entered Strassburg the second day after its fall, and, observing - both the distress of its inhabitants and their bitterness toward their - captors, who must always remain their neighbors, I deemed it wise, - while they should receive the charity so much needed, that something - of it be presented by German hands. In this view I was most cordially - met by that noblest of ladies, the Grand Duchess of Baden, to whom - I am also indebted for this introduction to you, and immediately, - under her generous patronage, I returned with an assistant to do - what we could in the name of Germany. At first, we could only give - indiscriminately to the hundreds who thronged our doors. But, - directly, I perceived that a prolonged continuance of this system - would be productive of greater disaster to the _moral_ condition of - the people than the bombardment had been to their physical; that in a - city, comprising less than eighty thousand inhabitants, there would - shortly be twenty thousand confirmed beggars. Only a small proportion - of these families had been accustomed to receive charity, but one - winter of common beggary would reduce the larger part to a state of - careless degradation from which they would scarcely again emerge. It - seemed morally indispensable that remunerative employment in some form - should be given them. Again I consulted Her Royal Highness, who kindly - approved, generously making the first contribution of materials, and - we opened our present “Work-rooms for Women” in the month of October. - To say that the results have surpassed my most sanguine expectation - is little, the facts are much more; but a stranger both to people and - language, it is not singular that my work, which depends entirely - upon public patronage, has often lacked the necessary means to attain - the full measure of success. - - My original design was to aid not only the inhabitants of Strassburg, - but those in other portions of Alsace who are equally destitute. I - thought that to be just to all and produce the best moral influence, - the employment, and the payment, should be given to Strassburg, thus - making of the inhabitants _workers_, instead of _beggars_, but that - the warm garments made by them should be sent to the half-naked - peasants of the villages, and little country homes where the harvest - has been lost, and neither money nor clothing comes within reach. - And to the extent of my means I have done this. The peasants have - heard of the rooms, and often walk two and three leagues to ask for - garments, and the clergymen from around the old battle-fields, and - from Bitch, are making appeals in behalf of their half-naked and - shivering people. Both my sympathy and my judgment would favor the - hearing of these appeals so far as possible. This population must - always be the neighbors, if not a part, of the German people; it - will be most desirable that they should be also friends; they are - in distress--their hearts can never be better reached than now; the - little seed sown to-day may have in it the germs of future peace or - war. - - But pardon my boldness, Honored Count; I am neither a diplomatist nor - political counselor; I am only a maker of garments for the poor. - - I have objected to the purchasing of materials for my work - from magazines, believing that, if the attention of some large - manufacturers of stuffs were called to the subject, materials could be - supplied in a much better manner. - - Other noble societies, I rejoice to say, have sprung up later, all of - which I believe will confine their praiseworthy efforts to the city - of Strassburg, and in every respect but that of affording employment - will, I trust, prove sufficient for the necessities. My little work - has been the pioneer, that ploughed through the earliest and deepest - drifts, and which, though often weary and disheartened, still seeks - to push beyond the beaten track, over the fields, and along the - hillsides, and gather the sufferers out of the storm. - - After this, I fear too lengthy, explanation, will Your Highness kindly - permit me, for the sake of perspicuity, to arrange under two or three - distinct heads the prominent features of my work. - - 1st, I desire to give employment, and payment therefor at the usual - rates, to some portion of the destitute families of Strassburg. - - 2d, To distribute the garments made by them among the people of the - surrounding districts which have been reduced by the calamities of the - war. - - 3d, That, beyond this, I design to make no appropriations of - charities, but to refer all such applicants residing within the city - to the various societies and committees of the same. - - 4th, To attain this object and carry on the work is required, - material, in warm stuffs of both wool and cotton, suitable for - clothing for working-men, women, and children. - - 5th, Money to pay the workers,--sufficient for the number employed. - - STRASSBURG, Dec. 9th, 1870 - -Miss Barton also sent an appeal to America for assistance in the -purchase of material. Her letter to the New York “Tribune” brought -her prompt response, and she was not without means for the support of -her work. She used the money which was sent to her in such fashion as -to make it do double duty. She bought material and had it made into -garments largely by the women who needed those garments for themselves -or their families. She paid them for their work in vouchers--two francs -a day, which was good pay; and she sold them the products of their work -at low prices. They received good wages for their labor and good value -for their wages, but, wherever they were able, they had to work for the -vouchers they got, and pay for the clothing they obtained. - -I have some of the odd little two-franc vouchers which she required -the women to give. She was not held to any system of accounting, and -when there was need she spent money without vouchers; but wherever it -was feasible, she did her business in a business-like way, and she -taught the women to be business-like. In her final accounting, only -a surprisingly small fraction of her money had been expended without -vouchers. - -On Christmas Day of 1870, her forty-ninth birthday, she wrote to Mrs. -Frances Childs Vassall a letter in which she gave an account of her own -work and also passed a distinctly unfavorable judgment upon the French -as they appeared to her at that time: - - “WOMEN’S WORKROOM” - STRASSBURG, ALSACE, Dec. 25, 1870 - - MY DEAR FANNIE: - - With your usual sagacity you timed your letter _just_ to the moment. - It was Christmas Eve, five o’clock, cold as Greenland. I had sent my - assistants home the day before to enjoy a few days of leisure with - their friends. I sat writing at the farthest end of my large room, - from which only a range of white curtains separated and enclosed me in - my little “counting-room.” The postman’s rap at the door caused me to - look up, and through the curtains I could discern a singular glimmer - of lights like stars, but moving from point to point, as if the - firmament were not satisfied with the arrangement of its luminaries, - and sought the opportunity to rearrange. Startled at first, I rose - from my seat to rush out, but suddenly remembering the evening and - the occasion it occurred to me that my presence at that especial - instant might not be desirable and I reseated. After a minute more of - shifting and fluttering, my little domestic Emily appeared between the - curtains, “Here are two letters, and will you please to walk out.” - The letters were from you and Fannie Atwater, and the walking out - revealed a Christmas tree in full blaze all for myself. It had been - arranged and left by my good ladies before they had departed, with - instructions to the domestics to produce and light it at five o’clock - in the evening. It abounded in fruit and flowers and mosses, and - some little nice things which their good hearts had dictated for my - comfort. And so, in the delicate shadows falling like tracery upon the - snow which spread beneath its branches, I sat me down and read your - dear, welcome letter. Although you did not intend a word of sentiment - in it, nor a touching sentence, I could not truly say that my hand - did not sometimes brush across my eyes as I read; it was so like old - times to receive a whole letter from you, all from you, and all for - me. I knew I did not deserve it. I have been so remiss in writing, and - I don’t know how it happens. I can only account for it on your own - grounds, that when we are occupied and feel that there is something to - say there is no time to say it, and when unoccupied we become listless - and there seems to be nothing to say. I am always disgusted at this - state of things in the human economy, but I can neither reconstruct - nor mend it. It is a little more than a week since I posted a long - letter to Sally all about myself, selfish as could be, and I must not - inflict a similar chapter on you, as you will be compelled to go over - that when it arrives. I am rejoiced to hear from yourself that you are - better than when I left. - - The greatest obstacle I meet in the way of a full restoration of - strength is the utter inability to get sleep enough; an average - of five hours is the maximum. If I by chance succeed in getting a - half-hour beyond this one night, I have it “docked off” the next. When - I was stronger this would do me; I could run my machine at full speed - all day upon this power, and did it for years; but now the belts are - slack and the wheels slip and I lose so much power that my pond is all - drawn off. I should be so glad if I could adopt your plan of a nap in - the afternoon, but I cannot get it unless by mere accident once in a - great while. But I, too, am so much better than when we last saw each - other that I feel I should never mention the subject of health and - strength again while they are as good as at present. - - I thank you for mentioning to me Mrs. Livermore’s lectures. I know she - was a favorite in Worcester; you know she was always a favorite with - me, although I never met her. Madame de Gasparin’s appeal for peace - has found a warm and strong advocate in Mrs. Howe. I hope some good - may come of it. All that you say upon the subject is true, and it is - no small amount of “picking up” that women have to do in consequence - of these reckless fellows; from boyhood to manhood and from manhood - to age, it is all the same. I can never see a poor mutilated wreck - blown to pieces with powder and lead without wondering if visions of - such an end ever flitted before his mother’s mind when she washed - and dressed her fair-skinned baby. Woman should certainly have some - voice in the matter of war, either affirmative or negative, and the - fact that she has not this should not be made the ground on which to - deprive her of other privileges. She shan’t say there will be no war, - and she shan’t take any part in it when there is one, and because she - doesn’t take part in war she mustn’t vote, and because she can’t vote - she has no voice in her government, and because she has no voice in - her government she isn’t a citizen, and because she isn’t a citizen - she has no rights, and because she has no rights she must submit to - wrongs, and because she submits to wrongs she isn’t anybody. What does - she know about war? Because she doesn’t know anything about it, she - mustn’t say or do anything about it. “Three blind mice--cut off their - heads with a carving knife--three blind mice.” - - I pray for peace, and all that may promote it, and if there be a - power on earth which can right the wrongs for which nations go to - war, I pray that it may be made manifest, but when I think I fear. - How supreme an international court must it have been to be able to - induce the Southerners to liberate their slaves or to convince them - that the “mudsills” and “greasy mechanics” and “horned Yankees” - were a people entitled to sufficient respect to be treated on fair - international ground! And how much legislation would it have taken to - convince the world what a worthless bubble of assumption was France, - so utterly unworthy the leadership she assumed, and to have laid her - in all respects so open before the world that it should with one voice - repudiate her leadership and refuse to follow her as heretofore in - frivolity, immorality, folly, fashion, vice, and crime! She seems to - me to have been only one great balloon, and now that the bayonets and - bombs have pierced it full of holes it sends out tens of thousands - of little balloons in its collapse. It is bad for France, but I am - not certain but the lesson will be beneficial to the rest of the - world. I don’t know if we may always trust councils--we had one at - Rome not half a year ago that voted a dogma which turned backward the - progress of enlightened thought two centuries, and how great a power - of legislation would have been required to overthrow that decision! - But I suspect the fear of Victor Emmanuel’s bayonets have seriously - interfered with it. Oh, I don’t know; it is such a mystery, and - mankind the greatest mystery of all! I shall never get it right in - this world, whatever may happen in the one that sets this right. But - how prosy I am--and it all comes of that five hours’ sleep. You know - Beecher says, “If the preacher doesn’t sleep, his hearers will.” I - hope you reserved the reading of this till you were ready for your nap. - -Soon after the fall of Paris, Miss Barton determined to make her -way thither, but before leaving Strassburg she placed before the -authorities of that city her views of the kind of organization which -should be permanently established there for the relief of those who -were suffering by reason of the war. That letter shows how thoroughly -she understood the problem of administering relief without pauperizing -the beneficiaries: - - MONSIEUR BERGMANN - Membre du Comité de Secours Strasbourgeois - - MONSIEUR: - - Your very courteous request, that I would present something of my - ideas in reference to the subject of employment for the poor of your - stricken city, demands, perhaps, that I explain, first, the reason - and origin of my own presence here. A long and familiar acquaintance - with the calamities of war led me to direct my steps to the gates of - your besieged city the first day that it was possible to enter, viz., - September 29th. Not as a matter of curiosity, for bombarded cities had - long ceased to possess any novelty for me, but to ascertain if there - were any _service_ I could render. - - My earliest visit was to your civil hospital, and its wards of wounded - women, which were indeed a novelty in the history of the world. Seeing - no better way of serving them, I took a written account of each woman - at her bedside, what she had suffered, and what she had lost, and, - carrying the sad record, placed it personally in the hand of Her Royal - Highness, the Grand Duchess of Baden, which, I trust, contributed - a little toward directing to your afflicted city the immediate and - active sympathy of that Court and Capital. - - This accomplished, I returned with my present excellent and efficient - assistant, Miss Zimmermann, to learn what further could be done. A - few days’ observation convinced me that, in the majority of instances, - the actual loss of property which had been sustained by the class of - persons who came to demand charity was of less real importance to them - than the total loss of their customary remunerative occupation; that - while the first merely reduced them to want, the latter would make of - them permanent beggars and vagrants, thus doing for their _moral_, all - that the bombardment had done for their _physical_, condition. - - With the somewhat forlorn hope of being able to arrest in a few - individual instances these disastrous consequences, I at once - commenced the system of work-giving, in which occupation you have - found me, and concerning which you have done me the honor to ask some - opinions and recommendations. - - If I might be so bold as to make a single recommendation, in - reference to this unhappy population under their present calamitous - circumstances, it would be that of the most immediate promotion of - honest industry; that at the earliest moment labor be made to walk - hand in hand, and step by step with charity, and, wherever it is - possible, to _precede_ the charity that gives without return; to open - every possible avenue of employment to all classes of individuals, - especially the women and children, in view of the peculiar nature - of the calamities of the present hour which have left so large a - proportion of them without the husband and father of the family upon - whose labor they must have been more or less accustomed to depend in - former times. - - A first step would certainly be the making of garments with which - to keep themselves comfortable and wholesome, and, if I might be - permitted to make a suggestion, it would be that strong, but cheap, - colored material, either of wool or cotton, suitable for dresses, - skirts, and sacques for women and girls, and pantaloons and blouses - for men and boys, be purchased either from manufacturers or merchants - (all of whom are suffering from the effects of the war) and, carefully - fitted and arranged, be given to women to make up in their homes, - after the manner which we have pursued with the thirty or more who are - at present employed from these rooms. - - True, every woman will not sew well at first, but we have found that - nearly every one will learn, and have now no trouble with our workers, - and the garments made by them are good enough to be placed in any - ordinary clothing bazaar for sale. - - The immediate disposition to be made of this clothing when finished - is still an important question. For the _moral_ effect upon those who - are to receive it, I would recommend that it be not given outright - and entire, as this course still has the tendency to foster habits of - beggary and vagrancy which it is so desirable to discourage. Receipt - without return is ever demoralizing, and for this, it were better that - the poor, even, pay _something_ for what they receive, if it be only - a small proportion of the original cost, and with this view, I would - recommend the placing of the articles in a kind of bazaar connected - with and forming a part of the present noble establishment of the - “Comité” of which you are a member, and a price, more or less real, - and more or less nominal, be placed upon them, such a price as will - bring them within the reach of all excepting the most abject, who are - forever, perhaps, to be treated after the ordinary modes of wholesale - charity; but the effort should be always to reduce this class as much - as possible, by lifting up out of it every family and individual that - kindly encouragement, paid labor, and reasonable prices can elevate - above it. One would soon find that a small sale room of this kind - would not necessarily be confined to the few varieties which I have - named, but shoes, stockings, and many articles of ordinary apparel, - and perhaps, also, many articles useful in the family household would - find their way into it, and thus, through the generous and protecting - hands of the Comité, substantial aid and a first impetus be given to - many a small but worthy and unfortunate artisan of your city who now - finds no purchasers for his products, or no material to commence his - work, and to the smaller merchants who find now no purchasers for - their goods. - - I would not have it supposed that I present this little idea as a - permanent _cure_ for existing ills, but as a momentary help in time of - trouble until the hard season passes, and business has time to resume - a little its ordinary course. - - Care would have to be taken to guard against imposition, to see that - persons did not buy to sell again. The same vigilance which is now - exercised in regard to those demanding _charity_ would be necessary - here. One may _beg_ to sell, as well as _buy_ to sell. But it should - not discourage the work that it is liable to abuse. _God’s_ best - gifts to man are hourly abused; shall we expect more for ours? - - All articles would not find purchasers, it may be said. True, but - what remains in hand will constitute the supply to be given in direct - charity, and it is presumed that there will always remain a demand - in this quarter equal to the supply, even under the best systems of - distributive and protected labor. - - It may be asked if this system will not operate against the merchants - who deal in ready-made clothing. It should not in the least, as these - people could never purchase a garment at full price and consequently - could not become their customers. - - In order that my suggestions should not seem merely theoretical, - permit me to turn for a moment to the more practical details. It may - be asked if garments can be made to fit women and girls without actual - measurement? I would reply that, with a graduated scale of five or - six sizes, we have found no more difficulty in fitting women than the - tailor finds in fitting men and boys without actual measurement. - - Again, will there not be much waste of material in cutting quantities - of garments? Very little; literally none; in the graduated sizes, one - garment cuts from the form left by the other, down to the smallest - size, and of the pieces too small for these we have the custom of - making caps for boys and mittens for the hands, so that no piece - larger than the size of a child’s hand need be left unused. - - It would be proper to mention among materials to be purchased the - small articles necessary in the making-up of garments, such as thread, - laces, buttons, agraffes, tapes, etc., etc., the sale of which would - still benefit another class of small merchants. - - I may have dwelt too strongly and too long upon the subject of putting - a price upon charities, but if so, I can only ask to be excused upon - the ground of the moral elevation I so ardently desire for the unhappy - people of your city, and remind you that it is a simple thing to - leave this idea untouched, as the giving of work by no means depends - upon it, and this course alone pursued after the ordinary methods of - charity will of itself place the name of the “Comité of Strassburg” - high upon the roll of the active charitable institutions of the world. - - With sentiments of the highest consideration both for yourself and - your Honorable Comité, I remain, dear sir, - - Very truly yours - CLARA BARTON - STRASSBURG, January 3d, 1871 - - -By this time there were organized American agencies for the relief -of suffering caused by the war. Clara Barton endeavored to establish -relationships with one of these at Brussels or Antwerp, but without -conspicuous success, as shown by her letter to General Burnside: - - GENERAL BURNSIDE - MY ESTEEMED GENERAL: - - I am sure that a word will suffice to remind you of our interview at - Geneva, and its object; and perhaps you will recollect that I craved - the privilege of personal introduction from you to the American - Legation at Brussels where it seemed proper to locate the headquarters - of the American organization for the relief of the French peasantry - which I had then traveled half the length of Germany and the width of - Switzerland in the rain and snows to effect. I saw then so clearly all - which has since transpired that I could not repress the conscientious - demand of duty to use every effort within my power to prepare for the - safe receipt and faithful and wise distribution of the forthcoming - gifts of our countrymen, although at that moment no societies assisted - and no monies had been raised in America to my knowledge except by the - French and Germans residing there. I had, like yourself, come fresh - from the scenes of strife, want, and desolation, and was chilled and - bewildered by the cool indifference of the Americans residing here - to whom I referred in such warmth of confidence. Only yourself, of - all I met, gave a word of hearty approval. You will remember as I was - surrounded that I could not tell you this at that moment; neither had - I words to tell you how grateful I was for your commendation of my - plans. Even the names of those who knew me well were withheld from - me, as it seemed to me to be exceedingly moderate and modest, proper, - hesitating and haggling until after you had given yours; then they - came, so much weak men need a leader. Then I hurried back to my post - of duty at Strassburg, and on to Brussels, still in the rain, to be - there on the “fifth day,” hoping to find and through you gain the more - willing aid of the American representation there, and found something - like American headquarters either there or at Antwerp; but to my - excessive regret you had already passed out of town as I came in, and - I stood alone in that strange city with my heavy, unfinished task. I - called upon General Shetland, who very properly recommended me to his - superior. I called upon him. He met me sharply and unkindly; informed - me in a needlessly rude manner that he never heard of me before, and - couldn’t understand what I wanted; that he saw no names on my paper - which justified him in placing his there, and he should not do it. Of - course I left his presence without a word. Genial General Shetland was - hurt and offered his name “if it would do any good,” but I could not - suffer him to place himself in unpleasant relations with his superior - and declined it. - - Still in the storm and mud, defeated and discouraged, sore and weak, - I left Brussels and made Metz, which had that day opened its hungry - gates. After a few hard days’ work among its famishing, fevered - population I came once more to my work in Strassburg. I now saw - clearly that I could effect nothing in the way of an organization to - aid the work of our countrymen when they should see fit to commence - it. I was grieved for the loss, through this account, to the suffering - French and the loss of satisfaction to our countrymen eventually when - the wiser ones should come to realize that they had _not_ done their - _own work_ in _their own_ name and manner, and with the best results. - But I was only one woman alone, and had no power to move to action - full-fed, sleek-coated, ease-loving, pleasure-seeking, well-paid, and - well-placed countrymen in this war-trampled, dead, old land, each one - afraid that he should be called upon to do something. - -On June 1 Miss Barton left her well-organized work in Strassburg and -hastened to Paris, where she spent about six weeks in the relief -of suffering and distress. From there she went to Lyons, where she -established another workroom such as she had had in Strassburg. -Something of the detail of her work in Paris is afforded us in a brief -letter to a gentleman in London, acknowledging a gift of five hundred -pounds sterling for her work. We see something of the grim situation -which she confronted in that city. A much more cheerful letter is one -which she wrote to Annie Childs just as she was about to leave Lyons -at the end of August. Annie had been her dressmaker for many years. -This letter, informing Annie that she was now the head of a dressmaking -establishment of her own, shows how fully at this time she seemed to -have recovered her old vivacity, and to be, amidst the desolation of a -conquered country, her own wholesome, self-reliant self: - - LYONS, FRANCE, August 20, 1871 - MY DEAR ANNIE: - - If I were to make an apology as long as my offense, I could write - nothing else, but I don’t like apologies; you don’t either, do you? - Then let me hasten to proclaim myself an idle, lazy, procrastinating, - miserable do-nothing and good-for-nothing; if that isn’t enough, I - leave the sentence open for you to finish and I sign it squarely when - you have done and call it “quits.” But really it _has_ been too bad. I - have neglected everybody in general, not you in particular. I thought - I was too busy to write. I don’t suppose I was, only that I did not - employ my time well. _I know_ this is often so and perhaps always. I - wish I had been better educated in this regard as well as every other. - If you are ever married, as you doubtless will be, and have a family - of eight or ten children, I beg you will make it a specialty in their - several educations that they be taught to do things in the proper - time. You will do me a favor to remember this as one of “my efforts - for the good of humanity.” - - [Illustration: [_Facsimile_]] - - [Illustration: PRINCE BISMARCK’S LETTER] - - I wanted all last winter to tell you about my “dressmaking” and - describe to you my “shop.” I knew it would interest you if no one - else. Now, wasn’t that the last thing you would have thought of, - that I should come to Europe and set up _dressmaking_, and _French_ - dressmaking at that? I knew the fact would be a little surprise to - most of my old friends who knew me best, but to you I imagine it a - matter of bewildering astonishment. Well, you should have seen - the patterns! “Did I have patterns?” Didn’t I? And didn’t I cut them - myself? And didn’t I direct all the making until I had imparted my - wonderful art to others? And _you_ think my garments were fearfully - and wonderfully made! Well, that opinion comes of your being an - _old_ maid and so particular. I assure you, Miss Annie Childs, that - they were nice garments and prettily cut and well made, and I found - them in excellent demand; every one wanted them and never a word of - _complaint of the price_; everybody seemed to be perfectly convinced - that they were cheap enough at my first offer. I had ten young girls - (like yours) dressmakers, and from one to three men “tailors” who - worked twelve hours a day, but only with the shears, never an hour’s - sewing; and no one sewed at my “shop”; only those who must be taught - to take something out and do it over. And we made dresses and sacques - and petticoats and chemises and aprons and hoods and mittens and - pantaloons, vests, blouses, shirts, socks, of all kinds of material - and all sizes that ever the tiniest baby grew to. Oh, yes, and such - lots of things for babies,--little dresses, little bonnets, cloaks, - blankets, two thousand garments every week. I don’t think they - were gored and flounced and frilled as much as yours, Miss Annie - Childs, but they were strong and warm and handsome. It is true all - my seamstresses had not such nimble, delicate fingers as one might - desire for the finest work; they wore very large thimbles sometimes; - but there were plenty of small fingers in the family. They came very - gladly twice a week to see me and showed me with great pride their - successful efforts; always the work came home in the market basket, - and always I knew that that same basket would load the other way - with bread and a little meat if it were possible, but this was not - always. But it was such a comfort to see them, week by week, grow - better clothed themselves and the children, till by and by a woman - and her baby came to look only like a big and a little bundle of the - same clothing she carried in her basket. And all the working-people - of the city came to look like walking bundles of the same clothing. - To be sure, it took away something from the picturesque style of the - city as I first saw it when at least ten thousand human beings were - perfectly arranged for models for the painter and the sculptor. I - admit that it was highly artistic, but I thought it a “_peutrop_” for - the season, considering that the earliest snows had commenced to fall. - Oh, but don’t you wish now that you had come and worked at the head of - my “shop”--didn’t _I_ wish it? More than once I sighed in my inmost - soul for you. How rich I should have been, with you at my side! Just - think of it! I shall write to Fannie sometime when I hain’t told all - the news to you--please hand her this if she looks patient and strong - enough to stand it. - - How much I wonder what you are all doing at home! I seem entirely to - have lost the thread, and from the stray little thrums which I get - hold of I cannot pick it up. I am just now in despair about Sally. - Some one writes me that they suppose I know all about her and Vester’s - _sickness_! Imagine the effect of this piece of intelligence. Another - says, it was fortunate they were with Ber and Fannie, as they were - sure of good care!!! This is consoling. What did they have, and how - did they get it, and how was it, and when was it, and how is it now? - Do pray you write and tell me. I am distressed and can’t at all help - myself. I do hope they have not had a serious illness, but I keep - feeling all the time that _somebody_ will be sick. I keep writing - Sally at Washington, but have no idea where she is and where you are - this hot summer, and Fannie, poor, dear, neglected Fannie. She ought - to cross me off her books, and I guess she has before this time. I - know there has never been a day since I left that the entire troop of - you all has not passed in panorama before me, and I have attempted to - place you all as I thought it most likely to be, but I suppose I have - been wide of the mark. - - For me, as you must have known a hundred times when I left Strassburg, - I went to Paris, and, after six weeks there distributing clothing - and money, I left and came to Lyons to visit a family of one of the - younger ladies who had aided me twice since the war commenced, and - I have remained here about as long as I was in Paris, but am ready - to leave, and shall again this week go to Paris for a day or two to - meet some parties of Americans who will be there on their way home, - and from there I am to go, as I have been once, into the central - eastern portion of France to see the places and peoples who have been - much destroyed by the war and the sieges. I have no idea how much - time I shall consume here. I must judge this by the condition I find - the people in. I am almost tired of France and long for Germany or - something which is solid and Saxon. There is no truth, no fixedness - of purpose, nothing reliable, nothing sensible in France, and it only - disgusts me that they have always claimed the leadership of the world - and that so stupidly it has been conceded to them. I do hope the - German bayonets have punched a hole in that bubble large enough to - burst it. It is certainly time. If they were even neat, I would not - complain so much of them, but they are such a dirty race of people, - dirty but fashionable. One gets tired of this. Now, you will see from - this that it is a real merit in me to work for the French. I do it out - of pity and charity toward suffering humanity, because they need, and - not because I gratify my love or my taste by it. I do neither. I think - it right to do or I would not touch it, I do assure you. - - Now, there are so many people whom you see every day that I would be - so glad to see that it makes me almost homesick to write you. Does - Willis still remain in Oxford, and Uncle John and Nancy; how are they? - And Mrs. Hannah Sanford and Mrs. Sigourney, and all my cousins in - Worcester; do you see them? Cousin Lydia Grout, do you see her ever? - The Bacons and Starrs and Cousin Maria? I am told that Cousin Ned is - to be married, and then my Cousin Jerry, what of him, and the Dennys - and Dr. Snow? If you see him, please remember me most kindly. And the - Towers and Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Hammond. Don’t you see I am homesick to - see all these people even if they have forgotten me? I cannot help - it. I am sure you will write me a long letter full of news, just as - is your specialty, for, Annie Childs, you know, you _do_ know, how to - write a letter, and I shall wait for it now till it comes. You will - address me as usual care of American Legation, Berne, Switzerland. - - How does Ber behave? Does he boss his wife any? If he does, you pull - his ears for me, and oblige - - Yoors trooly, and believe me, your lovingest Sis - CLARA BARTON - - - BENJAMIN MORAN, ESQ. - Chargé d’Affaires, London - - ESTEEMED SIR: - - While I acknowledge the receipt of your favor and enclosed cheque - for five hundred pounds, permit me, in the name of the suffering of - France, to thank you and your Committee most earnestly for the same. - Your generous gift will enable me to send comfort into hundreds of - desolate and more distraught families, whom I have hitherto been - unable to reach. I beg you will permit me to explain that my attempts - to clothe the people of France have not been the result of a desire to - improve the personal appearance, but to aid in ridding them a little, - if possible, from the scourge of pestilence and vermin which the war - has so terribly spread among them. - - It is to be hoped that few will die of outright hunger during the next - six months, but thousands must fall pitiful victims to disease lurking - in the only old rags, in which months ago they escaped from fire and - destruction. Disease is spread from one family to another, until - thousands who are well to-day will rot with smallpox and be devoured - by body lice before the end of August. Against the progress of these - two scourges there is, I believe, no check but the destruction of all - infected garments; hence the imperative necessity for something to - take their place. Excuse, sir, I pray you, the plain, ugly terms which - I have employed to express myself; the facts are plain and ugly. - -How industrious she was in Paris and how bravely and cheerfully she did -her work is shown by two home letters which she sent out simultaneously -in September, one to her sister Sally and the other to Mrs. Bernard -Vassall, her long-time friend, Fannie Childs Vassall: - - PARIS, Sept. 18, 1871 - - MY DEAR FANNIE: - - I have forgotten if I really did send a line in Annie’s letter or - not. I know I wanted to, but since that I have received that precious - “gingerbread” letter from all the family, and I have read and re-read, - and spied into little corners to see some other welcome face peeping - out. It was so good of Willis and Ber to set their hands and seals. - Yes, I know all about receiving letters that call directly upon my - heart, and my desire to answer that hour, and a thousand times I have - said that _those_ were the very letters which were to lie longest - in neglect and likely enough never get answered at all. The fact is - I am over-anxious about them, and wait for a few moments of better - opportunity, feeling that I have much to say, and so I wait and - wait, _and these_ letters are the sore spot, the worrying sin of my - existence, _that_ little package which I cannot put by, but which lies - around, and looks me in the face on the most impossible of occasions, - and reproaches in silence, and comes late at night and early in the - morning to haunt, it may be to taunt, me a little; _that_ little - package is the plague of my life, and yet I prize it most of all and - couldn’t have done without it, but I can never quite dispose of it. - Oh, yes, yes, I do understand all you try so patiently to explain to - me, ONLY that I don’t think my poor scrap could ever have been one - of the class of letter which burden me, for I have no recollection - whatever of it, and seriously suspect it was only a little pile of - trash. It has been brave of you not to get sick in all summer with - all your work, and company and sickness besides, but I am so glad - that Sally was with you, and I suppose Vester was also, but it is not - mentioned where he was during his illness. - - I am spending some fine days in Paris, just what I most desired. - I wanted to see some American people; it had been so long since I - had seen them--and indeed there is no lack of them here. All Paris - swarms with them, as I suppose it always does, and all grades. Some - I am proud of, and some I am ashamed of; some speak remarkably well, - and some cannot utter a proper sentence. Generally they are “well - dressed,” as the world goes, but to my eye “over-rigged,” as a sailor - would say, but always much better than the English, who are the most - fearful dressers in all Christendom. English women are solid and - sensible, learned and self-possessed, and all the world respects - them; but the art of selecting and putting clothes onto themselves - is something quite beyond their line of vision. Not that they do not - wear enough,--oh, Heavens, no, not that,--there is always enough and - to spare, but there is no calculation what portion or member of the - body corporate it will be found dangling from, and Joseph’s coat bore - no comparison. Still they are splendid women, and handsome, fifty - per cent more beautiful than the French. The French declare that the - Germans cannot dress in decent manner, but I have seen much good, - comfortable-looking dressing in Germany, and I rather liked it. I - don’t know _what_ has induced me to write so much upon the silly - matter of dress, unless that some of my “sisterin” abroad annoy me a - little with theirs. - - I can see how busy Ber must be with his large family and congratulate - both him and his children upon the relationship. I imagine him to be - the most sensible and paternal of parents. I shall be only too glad - when you can really take your legitimate place in the work. I can see - an equal call for your services. Go and look after the _little girls_. - They may not like to tell all their troubles to their State Papa, but - would rejoice to reveal some things to a mamma. Go with Ber. I think - that is one of your “rights”--it is at least your privilege, and you - know it is very well said that “until women get their _rights_, they - must keep their _privileges_.” I also have something of a family in - Europe, _some_ hundreds of state children, but of my own _immediate_ - family I have two delightful girls. They are as fully grown and - developed as my two boys in America were, rather more, and _about as - near alike_, but charming girls, both good as they can be, and be - human, live girls. One is all gentleness, the other all strength, but - both are so loving, so obedient, so true. The elder is Miss Antoinette - Margot. She is a thorough artist, and is with me at present, painting - and visiting the Louvre and the Luxembourg and comparing notes with - the Parisian painters. She is at this moment painting an American - flag, and looking back over her shoulder to ask me, “How many of the - red stripes must commence at the field?” and ends with “Mais il est - très joli.” Miss Anna Zimmermann is at her home in Carlsruhe looking - after the thousand wants of a clergyman’s house, keeping the big - brothers in order for the Universities they are plodding through; - obeying her papa and mamma, who tell her she is too “independent and - ambitious,” writing at odd moments as she can pick them, reading - Carlyle, Dickens, Goethe, Schiller, as she can steal the minutes, - pining that she must be held in just such bondage of body and soul, - praying for the day when she may come and live with me a little more, - and beginning a long, strong, logical letter once in a while with - “To the Devil with the housework! Why must I fritter away all the - best years of my own life and starve my brain to cram my brothers who - already have been taught twenty times more than they can apply?” And - she is right. - - But my sheet will be full and I shall have said nothing at all. I - have just written your “Marm” and I think, perhaps, that will find its - way to you, and you must just have had a surfeit through Annie. I am - glad she went for a vacation. I wonder what they do at Falmouth. When - I am home, can’t we go? I am not at all certain where I shall pass the - winter; it may be I shall think I must work in France. I cannot tell - how they will present themselves by winter, or I may think it well to - quarter myself here in Paris and wait; and I have half a mind to go to - Spain. This is perhaps the most sensible use I could make of the time. - I must wait a little the turning of events. I can tell better after a - month more in the east of France. I am glad you have had a visit from - Georgie. It was nice of her to send me a line. Is not Alice with you - now? Has she turned to ashes?--very possible--human nature can as well - as wood or coal. Write me when you have time and don’t let Ber abuse - you. - - Yours CLARA - - To Ber-- - I am first-rate, how are you? CLARA - For particulars see within. - - -After the terror and bloodshed of the Paris Commune, Miss Barton spent -some time in northern France, laboring as she had labored in Paris and -in Lyons; at Belfort, where she finished her work on October 27, and -went for a little time of rest to Carlsruhe, where she was the guest -of the Reverend Mr. Zimmermann, whose daughter had labored with her at -Strassburg. Antoinette Margot was there also, glad to turn from scenes -of desolation to her work of painting. - -The middle of December she went forth again in bitter cold weather, -accompanied by Antoinette Margot, distributing relief to the poor at -Mülhausen, Belfort, and Montbéliard. She spent Christmas at Strassburg, -where she served a great Christmas dinner to some five hundred of her -old acquaintances, and then returned to Carlsruhe. - -Activity agreed with Clara Barton. She rose to meet great emergencies. -When the crisis was passed, she felt the effect of so long a strain. -Again and again during her lifetime she carried an enterprise -completely through to the triumphant close, and when it was done -collapsed from nervous overstrain. Twice in America that collapse had -been indicated by the total failure of her voice. At the close of the -Franco-Prussian War she collapsed again. This time it was not her -voice, but her eyesight. Her eyes were inflamed by the strain and smoke -of the battle-fields. The nervous tension aggravated the discomfort of -which the inflamed eyes were, after all, only a symptom. For several -months in the winter and spring of 1872 she was at Carlsruhe in a state -of semi-blindness. - -[Illustration: [_Facsimile_] - -STRASSBURG DIPLOMA OF HONOR] - -We have a little sidelight on Clara Barton’s work among the French -women in an undated letter from Belfort, almost certainly by Antoinette -Margot. An American woman in Paris had evidently asked her for some -account of the work of Clara Barton, and she had promised to write it. -The letter gives some intimate glimpses into the character of her work: - - [October, 1871] - DEAR MADAM: - - Faithful to the promise made to you one bright day in Paris more - than two months ago, I write. You remember that it was a kind of - clandestine pledge, made in low tones, that I would one time tell you - something of the doings of your compatriot, who has the “singular - habit, _for a woman_,” as the world would say, of doing something and - saying nothing. - - From much observation, I am convinced that Clara Barton never makes - the least report of what she does, unless, for some cause, she - considers it to be absolutely indispensable, and then, in a form so - plain and business-like that one would read, and turn the paper, - little dreaming of all the sentiment, strength, heart, poetry, and - labor that lay hidden beneath that unpretending exterior. - - It were too long to tell you of the few weeks in Paris, following - your departure. What, between the sympathies for the families of the - wretched prisoners of Versailles, and the outpouring Alsatians who - refuse to remain German, there was little rest for body or soul. Some - entire families had even followed from Strassburg, knowing that Miss - Barton went from there to Paris, and certain of relief if they should - find her there. They did find her, and now occupy good positions. One - is even placed for life in the civil service of the French Government - (if the Government shall last so long). But these things, done through - rain and storm, cost strength, and I was near to report to you a sick - list. - - Happily, that is past, and my present hour must be applied to telling - you of Miss Barton’s work in a third general point of desolate France, - viz., the brave little town of Belfort, which has rendered its name - illustrious by the heroism of its defense. Here we are, facing the - high citadel and the famous cannon “Catharine” that twenty-five - thousand German bombs could not silence, and here day after day works - your countrywoman trying to overcome the greatest amount of misery - possible among so many. - - The room in which she received her people has been tendered by - Monsieur l’Administrateur of the town, and is in his own mansion, and - himself and family are proving at every moment to your noble sister - how proud they are of having obtained this favor. - - It is in this room that she stands from morning till night, smiling - and graceful as always, receiving family after family, and endeavoring - to learn by herself what are their circumstances, how deeply they have - suffered, to express to them her sympathy, and assist them with some - money. It is probable that many of these poor people in this land of - aristocracies have never listened to words so respectfully spoken, - and are often so overcome by this added kindness of manner extended - to them that the first answer which comes is a sob,--often no words - can come,--and trembling, blessing hands held out to her are all that - _can_ speak. But oh! how eloquently they speak! - - They are very poor, these relics of an eight months’ siege. Some, - of course, have lost nothing in material by the war, having nothing - to lose but time and labor, but the larger portion have lost all or - nearly all they possessed, the fruit of forty or fifty years of hard - work, and remain homeless, hopeless, old, broken, dispirited, sick - since they have lived in cellars, and without the smallest prospect of - regaining their lost property. Do wars in Republics leave the people - as badly off, I wonder? - - It is not a rare thing to see a poor woman come in with her garland - of six, seven, or eight handsome young children which she presents - with both pride and distress. One had even thirteen, and when asked - if all of them were still in her charge, she exclaimed, with the most - charming simplicity, “Oh! _no_, madame, _two_ are abroad; I have only - _eleven_ to work for.” - - To-day, a tall, thinly clad woman entered, and presented her billet, - bearing the stamp of the mayor. “Have you children?” asked Miss Barton - kindly, as she took it. “Have I children?” exclaimed the woman in a - tone at once proud and pitiful. “_Dear_ child, if I haven’t. I have - ten.” Miss Barton turned away to her table, but a stolen glance at - her face a moment after detected something there glistening brighter - than the gold she dropped into that hard, dark hand. “Ah,” thought I, - as I hastened down the name as rapidly as possible,--“Ah, if only all - the world’s work were done with a little of the heart in it how much - nearer Heaven would seem!” - - When it was decided that Miss Barton would accept the labor of herself - receiving the crowd of victims of the bombardment, the authorities of - the town, fearing for her, from the roughness of these people, who, - they said, would rush in all together, by all the doors and windows, - placed four policemen around the house to protect her against the - crowd. Two of them in turn have for their mission to open the only - door by which the solicitors are admitted. But never was I so amused - as to see Miss Barton _protecting her policemen_, and preventing these - rough men and shrill-toned women from crowding them against the wall. - When sometimes they are all in a quarrel, the policemen swearing like - two thunders according to the approved French manner of preserving - respect, she appears at the door, and in the most charming manner - prays them to wait a little and be quiet. Then the most piercing - voices become silent, the wildest men are ashamed of their noise. The - only visible motions are those nearest trying to hide themselves - behind others, and those in the distance raising themselves on tiptoe - to see “la bonne dame américaine.” As for the policemen, they are - perfectly puzzled, and could never have supposed that so gentle a - lady, who never scolds or swears, could hold in order so undisciplined - a crowd. - - Often the work is interrupted for more agreeable reasons. Once it is - a deputation of the sisters of the civil hospital, in their snowy - bonnets, or some other charitable institutions of the town who want to - thank her for the gifts sent to their establishment. Another day it - is the mayor of the town, who desires to pay respects; another time - all the council, mercifully asking to be allowed to express to her - their gratitude in the name of Belfort and the county. All this as a - personal matter I hear always steadily repelled, and they are politely - requested to bear in mind that it is America and the goodly city of - Boston to whom, if to any, all thanks are due. But no one is so mad as - to expect to outdo a Frenchman in official politeness, and I observed - the president of the council, half bent, hat in hand, replying that - their three names would be always so united in their hearts that they - should never be able to hear the one without thinking of the others. - - This is a region almost exclusively Catholic, and the ignorance of - the people is something deplorable. Each recipient is asked for a - signature, and the proportion who are able to make something beyond an - X is less than one in fifteen. Writing is an accomplishment generally - not to be thought of, especially by the women, but when one who has - attained so far is asked if she can give her signature, she replies, - with the assuming grace of a noble of the blood, “Certainement, - pourquoi pas?” But the common response is a burst of astonishment at - the bare supposition. “I write! Mon Dieu, how should I.” A difficulty, - by no means the smallest, is to find the kind of money to which these - poor people have been accustomed. The immense payments of France to - Germany all in silver and gold are fast making _coin_ among the things - that were. The bank-notes of France never having been small in value, - and used rather as a convenience for business than as a currency for - the people, the poor are mostly strangers to it, and when a note was - placed in their hands they waited, holding it a long time, and then - ventured to inquire timidly, if that was something that they could - get some money for, and where they should go to get it changed, and - how they should do it? It was useless to tell them its value; they - would have preferred ten francs in silver to twenty in paper. And, - indeed, as they could not read, it were perhaps better for them, as - one saw at once that they would be at the mercy of every swindler they - met. This would not do. All notes which had been given were recalled - and redeemed in coin, and it is certainly the occupation of one man - from morning till night to change paper into coin as fast as it is - required for distribution. - - But it is impossible; the night is not long enough to tell all that - transpires during the day, and one must not attempt it. I only wish, - as I always do, that her own people could see their countrywoman at - work among European poor, as not one European has done. If they are - proud of her for what she has done at home, they would be prouder of - her in a tenfold greater degree for what she is doing abroad, never at - the best strength, in a strange country of foreign customs and divers - tongues. - - _Pardon, s’il vous plaît_, my miserable English; you knew what it was - when you gave me leave to write you, and I can only thank you for the - kind indulgence. - - Yours in sincerity - A. - - -Antoinette was not quite correct, however, concerning Clara Barton’s -reports. She made rather full reports to the organizations that -supplied her with funds. To Mr. Edmund Dwight, chairman of the Boston -Committee, under whose auspices she labored during the latter part of -her time in France, she wrote an extended letter, outlining in full her -method of work, and shows how sensibly and wisely she did all her work: - - CHÂTEAU DE BELFORT - BELFORT, Oct. 28, 1871 - - DEAR MR. DWIGHT: - - Sitting down to write you after one of the hardest day’s work one - might ever hope to find, you will not wonder if I am not dazzlingly - brilliant. - - I should not select so inauspicious a moment but that I find your - letter has been waiting so long without getting to me, and that I - cannot rest until I have at least commenced a reply, even if I am not - able to finish it to-night. It had been stayed by my own orders. My - letters in France for a time went wrongly and some were lost, both for - and from me, for which the postal authorities are now busy searching, - and as the losing of letters is one of the things I cannot endure, I - ordered mine to be held at all points where they would arrive, until - I could arrange some safe place of reception. They have come to me at - Belfort, and I find yours which has waited a month. - - I should have written upon leaving Paris in July if I had not thought - every day that I might get a line from either you or Mr. Moran, - telling me of the delivery or receipt of my large package of accounts, - from which I might draw some inference if my manner of doing things - were an acceptable one. After this, I grew so busy that I think I - forgot all but my work, or rather did not realize the length of time, - as it passed so quickly. - - You ask for my views. They have been so many and so varied that it - would be impossible to tell them at one sitting, but I may say that my - sympathy and judgment have pointed, and my efforts been directed, to - three classes of sufferers, with two of which I have nearly finished, - and the third I am at this moment among with heart and hand. - - 1. These were, the families of the prisoners of Versailles, and the - ships of the Manche. - - 2. The families of Alsace and Lorraine, who, refusing to become - German, are passing over the lines into France by hundreds, even - thousands. - - 3. And thirdly, the region of Belfort. - - The first-named of these are no longer confined to Paris, but are - scattered now, for some distance around, poor, suffering, frightened, - and trebly desolate. - - First, they have often lost the family support in the person of the - prisoner; next, they wait in suspense worse than actual death for the - result of the impending trial, and fearing often to reveal to those - about them who they are, and why they are so destitute; and lastly, - poor as they are, they know that the Government allows but fifty - centimes a day for the use of each prisoner, and provides nothing - else, not even a bed, only straw, and whatever more he has (and many - are very ill) must be provided by the friends from outside. You will - see how the hungry mouths and wretched homes would be robbed by pity - and anxiety to supply this necessity. - - I have made it a portion of my care to find and supply some of these - families; it can only be _some_, for there cannot be less than twenty - thousand of them. There are forty thousand prisoners. - - The next in order, and a still more wretched class, if possible, - so far as extreme _homelessness_ and _nothingness_ can go, are - the outcoming Alsatians. The time has arrived for each to decide - individually which to become, and remaining to take the oath of - allegiance to Germany. In their ignorance and infatuation, they still - believe France to be the greatest nation of the earth, and, in spite - of her recent reverses, watch with unflinching faith to see her, at no - distant day, rise in all her old-time power and glory, and advance in - majesty to take back her lost possessions; and to them the thought is - death, that, in that proud day, second only to the Resurrection, they - and their sons must bend their necks to the Prussian helmet, and point - their guns against the Eagles of France. Impudent expressions touching - these points bring them into unpleasant relations with the German - soldiery still stationed among them, who probably do not hesitate to - mention unwelcome and unpalatable facts. This “last feather” is too - much, and, finding the burden too heavy to be borne, the incensed - father, or, too often, the widowed mother, gathers up the family of - growing children, and, turning the back upon the blackened walls and - trampled fields of the old home, makes the nearest point of the French - lines and comes out defiant, with never a penny or a morsel. The - French are glad to receive them, feel complimented by their loyalty, - but are burdened and embarrassed by them. Societies for their relief - are formed at many points, but it is only the merest trifle they can - do for them, excepting to aid in finding employment. This often takes - a long time, and the interim of waiting is something fearful. I found - them largely at Lyons, which is one of the points they make on their - way to the South of France, and Algiers. Again I found them at Paris, - where several thousands have come in, every train bringing them, - especially the night trains. - - I have put in practice a lesson here which I learned in Germany - fourteen months ago, when infuriated France drove all her German - families over her lines; viz., to meet and provide for them at - the trains. No one can suppose for a moment that leaving Alsace - and Lorraine and coming into France is not the most unwise and - deplorable step these poor people could take; that they would not be a - hundred-fold better off to remain. But I did not understand that your - mission was to the _wise_, but to the _unhappy_, and I have taken the - liberty to give them something. - - But while occupied with those and these, I had by no means forgotten - Belfort, or the fact that _this_ was to be the great point when - the right time should come. After leaving Paris, I met some very - intelligent and practical gentlemen from that vicinity and learned - of them many facts which have been of use to me, and always a - confirmation of what we had both thought, viz., that help would be - really more serviceable at the commencement of the cold weather than - in midsummer. Their crops were abundant, especially grass. This set - me to confer in Switzerland in reference to _cows_, and from these - inquiries I learned something of a plan most gratifying if it could be - realized, and I waited a little to see. This was in August, at which - time, as you know, nearly all the cattle are on the mountains. On the - 9th of October (“Le jour de la Saint Denis”) they are returned to the - farms! There are then often too many for the winter and they can be - purchased at lower rates. This, then, would be the time to purchase. - But the good idea had entered into the minds of the Swiss to make a - collection of cattle at that time for all the vicinity of Belfort and - Montbéliard, or where the stock had been lost. They could do this - without sending money out of Switzerland, which they desired to avoid, - having already done so much of it. They carried out their plan, and - when the time arrived commenced sending, and are _still_ sending, - to this region nearly as much stock as it is thought they can keep - through the winter. - - When I saw these things likely to succeed, I held a conference with - the authorities of Belfort, and asked them to tell me plainly what - their people most needed. They replied, “Small sums of money to - commence the winter with,” and gave this reason: There is just now - commencing a money panic in France. The large payments she must make - to Germany in gold and silver make these commodities exceedingly - scarce, and all who have a little bury it in their pockets and - bureaus, and hold it against the time when there will be no more and - paper worth little or nothing. The smallest note, as you know, is - twenty francs, a sum beyond the reach of a poor family, and thus there - is nothing for them in _money_. This state of things, they assured - me, would grow worse and worse, and, as France is only at her second - payment (I believe), there was no room to doubt the correctness of - their judgment. I asked how they would have it, in a sum to give to - the people _themselves_, or should _I_ give it? Apologizing for the - labor they were suggesting to me, they begged that I would do it if I - could, not that they were too indolent to do the work (for they are - splendid men, and have the welfare of their people at heart), but they - explained, that, living among and exercising jurisdiction over these - people, who looked to them for impossible things, it was embarrassing - to them to make distributions among them personally. The people were - ignorant, and all had suffered _so much_ that each one believed his - or her case to be the _worst in the world_. And they would be much - better satisfied with something from a stranger, which they would - receive as a _gift_, than with ten times the sum from the municipal - authorities, to whom they looked for “_indemnity_.” They seemed almost - ashamed to ask of me the labor of distribution, and offered all - possible assistance. For the town of Belfort and the nearest villages, - the Administrateur has made the same kind of arrangement as the Mayor - of Villette, and I am at this writing receiving at this house from - fifty to a hundred a day, hearing their story and giving to them the - proportion which seems best suited to their condition. - - I shall go from point to point seeing and aiding _personally_ all - I can or until I am too tired to go farther, and after this, if - something remain unfinished, find the proper persons to do what I have - not done. Montbéliard, Haute Savoie, and Gex will be remembered as - you desired. Indeed, _is_ it necessary for me to say that I shall try - by all means in my power to carry out all suggestions which you have - made? Time and observation have shown them to have been _wise_ and - _good_. I have found nothing better, and only dare hope I may be able - to execute something nearly as well as you designed. - - The money from Baring Bros. I have drawn through Paris, as far as I - thought well in the present state of things, and indeed more of it - than I have found convenient for the manner in which I was desired - to distribute it, and some I must take through Switzerland or Germany - to get the coin which will be useful to these people. The authorities - will aid me in all these things. I have so far rather gained than lost - in all exchanges. - - I believe I have forgotten to speak of my visit to the Prefect of - Doubs, which was one of the most pleasant that could have been. I - found him to be an excellent man (who desired to be remembered to - you with great regard, regretting your illness). He seemed glad and - touched that I had found and regarded the families of Alsace and - Lorraine, and a little surprised that I should have “comprehended - their condition so quickly,” as he expressed it, as they are a rather - new feature in the chapter of French suffering, and he asked that, in - anything I might leave with Besançon, he be allowed to draw one half - of it from the “Comité de Secours” from time to time to aid these - families on their distressing arrivals and passages through the town. - I thank you very much for this pleasant and useful introduction. - - I am unable, my dear friend, at the present moment to report further, - as I am just in the midst of my work; when it is a little over, I will - write again, and as soon as possible I will send you all explanations - and certificates and signatures which have come into my possession, - and tell you as well as I am able what I have done, and how it was - done. - - With the highest esteem - - I am very truly yours - - CLARA BARTON - - - I cannot describe how painful and tiresome I find it to work _here_, - abroad, among these strangers, with _every thought and sympathy and - energy_ turning and rushing four thousand miles across the ocean to - our _own beautiful and ill-fated city_,[1] with its hundred thousand - homeless heads. At night I can realize this a little; in the morning - I think I have dreamed a bad dream. The facts will not remain _fixed_ - with me. - - A message has been sent from the _Court_ of _Baden_ to say that I am - desired there. This is the third time I have been asked in the last - two months, but was always too busy to go immediately, but now that I - am so near and the message made so direct, I must go. If I can finish - my work first I will; if not, I must leave it a little and return. I - have no idea what is wanted of me. I will send this enclosed to Baring - Bros. - - Hastily - - C. B. - - -This work continued for some time and there came no definite date which -could be accounted its termination. For this reason and because of the -condition of her health, the final report was not presented until after -her return to America. Then in a letter to Mr. Dwight, the chairman, -and Mr. Jackson, the secretary, Miss Barton sent her final accounting, -asking for its approval, on receipt of which she proposed to return the -balance in her hands. Her letter is as follows: - - MESSRS. EDMUND DWIGHT and P. T. JACKSON - Boston - - ESTEEMED FRIENDS: - - It has long been a subject of deep regret to me that I have been - unable to make my report of the expenditure of certain sums of money - placed in my hands by you, as agents for the distribution of the - “French Relief Fund” sent by the city of Boston to the people of - France who had been rendered destitute by the war of 1870-71. My - apology for this long delay is physical illness, which overtook me - before the work of distribution was completed in 1872, and has, with - the exception of a few months, held me prostrate from that time until - the present, more than two thirds of the time unable to leave my bed, - and one year unable to transact the smallest item of my own business, - or even hear of it as done by others. - - But all this time it has been a source of pain and unrest to me that - I could not close the account and make the proper returns to you; - and all the more so, as there is still a portion of the money which - I did not expend, and which I desire to return to you; and only He - who knows and comprehends all can know with what gratitude I welcome - the past few weeks of returning strength, which have enabled me to go - over the long undisturbed packages of letters, receipts, and vouchers - which have traveled with and remained by me all these weak and weary - years, and arrange them to be at last given up to you, who have waited - upon my silence with a gentlemanly kindness seldom met in the rough - business of life. - - Although allowed the largest liberty in regard to the place and manner - of the distribution, I knew from you both that your preference lay - in the direction of the _east_ of France, and accordingly Belfort, - Montbéliard, Besançon, Savoie, and Strassburg became the scenes of - my labors: and, as you both know my manner was to give in small sums - to the needy in person, it only remains for me to repeat that I met - the poor of these districts by call, through the civil authorities - presiding over them, listened to each story of want and suffering, - and gave such a sum as assured by the authorities would be most - serviceable to them, and such as they themselves should have given if - left in their hands. I was always cautioned from this quarter against - making the sum too large, as the people had only the habit of small - sums, and were demoralized by too much at once. This, of course, both - increased and prolonged the labor of distribution. - - I remember to have written you that among the most necessitous I - met were the outcoming Alsatians. An extract from a letter of mine, - written at Belfort, October, 1871, and kindly embodied in your report, - renders a further description of this class of sufferers unnecessary - in mine. - - As these self-constituted exiles made their way largely into or - through the districts I was serving, the people were keenly alive to - the distress they witnessed, and humanely devised plans for relief. - The one most practicable to their minds was to form a colony of - Alsatians in the South of France and help them on to it. The climate - was genial and productive, the country not over-populated, and the - mayors and prefects besought me to withhold something for this - enterprise and aid them personally in the establishment of their - colony. I accordingly held back the money I had not expended, and went - to Paris to learn what aid would be rendered by influential persons - and the Government. But Paris was not so unsophisticated as the good - people of the desolated outskirts. She was wise, polite, and had other - aims. She immediately foresaw that these people, once broken up in - their homes and family ties, placed on the borders of the sea studded - with ships, would not withstand a pressure of poverty; but at the - first approach of want would emigrate a second time and to some other - country. Thus France would lose her soldiers, and she counted largely - on the exasperated Alsatians some day to fight for their homes, take - back their lost possessions, and the Rhine. Hence they not only - discouraged but forbade the step, and I had my appropriation left on - my hands. I went to Carlsruhe to deliberate and rest, was worn out, - and became ill, and from that time have never been able either to - apply the funds or (until now) arrange the papers showing how I had - disposed of what I had applied. - - At the end of a year and a half of illness, I was able to figure up - what still is due you, which sum, if satisfactory to you, I shall be - happy to send you in a draft on my bankers. - - Praying that, if upon examination all is not found to be satisfactory, - you will not hesitate to inform me, and thanking you for your kindness - and patience, I remain, - - With the highest respect - - Most truly yours - - CLARA BARTON - - NEW ENGLAND VILLAGE, MASS. - - April 24, 1876 - - -Accompanying this letter was a detailed statement of all moneys -received and expended, with vouchers for the disbursements. This -account was duly audited, and the committee discovered that Miss Barton -had deducted nothing for her own expenses, nor for any disbursements -excepting those for which she had sent vouchers. They therefore sent to -her the following letter: - - MY DEAR MISS BARTON: - - Mr. Dwight informed me sometime since that you have about eleven - hundred and thirty dollars, still on hand, of the money sent to you by - the Committee of the French Fair of which I was treasurer. - - Your account shows that you have made no charge for your expenses, and - that you have charged us only with items for which you have vouchers, - taking no notice of the sums given where you were unable to take - receipts. If the account had been made up with all of these items - included, the balance would have been nearly or quite absorbed. - - The Committee have, therefore, directed me to say that they consider - the account balanced, and request that you will accept this letter as - a receipt in full settlement of your account with them. - - Thanking you for your services in this work of charity and hoping that - your health may soon be restored, I remain with great respect, - - Yours very truly - - (Signed) P. T. JACKSON - - Treasurer French Fair - - -There still remained in the hands of the Boston committee a sum of -something more than three thousand dollars. The committee desired -to present this to Miss Barton, who had accepted no salary during -her period of work, and whose broken health they regarded as in a -large measure the result of her arduous efforts for the relief of the -stricken people of France. This was not acceptable to Miss Barton; she -did not want the money; she wrote that she was almost the last of her -family, with no dependents, and had neither use nor desire for money a -day beyond her life nor beyond the simple needs for which her present -income was sufficient. The committee, therefore, decided to give the -money remaining in their hands to the Massachusetts General Hospital -in Boston, with a provision that the interest should be paid to Clara -Barton during the term of her natural life. The hospital concurred in -this arrangement and faithfully carried out the trust. Clara Barton -received an annuity semi-annually on $3251, the amount which finally -was paid over to that institution. With this action the committee -placed upon record their high appreciation of her service in France. - - 60 STATE STREET, BOSTON - July 1st, 1876 - - DEAR MISS BARTON: - - You will wonder at my long silence, but, owing to the absence of - gentlemen of the committee under whom I act, I have only been able to - obtain their signatures to-day. - - The money in the hands of Messrs. Brown Brothers, including interest - on bonds to May first, is $4521, of which one quarter (or $1130) - belongs to Mr. Jackson’s fund. Of this I am directed to pay $150 to a - distressed family from Massachusetts, now in Boston. The balance (or - $3240) to pay to the Massachusetts General Hospital in trust, to pay - income arising from this money to you during your life; afterwards to - become the property of the Hospital. - - In making this arrangement the committee desire to express to you - their high appreciation of your intelligence and self-sacrifice in - distributing the funds placed in your hands, and their great sympathy - with you in your long and painful illness, caused partly by the work - which you did in their behalf. They recognize the great accuracy - of your accounts, the large numbers of vouchers obtained by much - labor, and the scrupulous care with which you have guarded the money - entrusted to you. They wish you good health and a long life. - - I need not tell you, dear Miss Barton, how cordially I join in all - good wishes for your health and happiness. May the Hospital pay your - annuity until the next Centennial. - - Sincerely yours - - (Signed) EDMUND DWIGHT - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] This was written shortly after the disastrous Chicago fire. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -HER ILLNESS FOLLOWING THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR - - -There are few letters and no diary during the winter of 1871 and 1872. -Clara Barton was at Carlsruhe endeavoring to recover from nervous -overstrain, and learning to write without much use of her eyes. She -supposed that she had finished her work for French relief, but a letter -from a Boston committee informed her that they still had funds for -this purpose, but were not having good success in the matter of local -distribution. They begged her to take charge of what remained of their -working fund. Almost blinded though she was, she set out in winter -and traversed again a route that had become familiar to her, through -Mülhausen, Montbéliard, and Strassburg. Her work for women was still -going on, and she gave it substantial encouragement and repeated her -Christmas banquet of the preceding year in a New Year’s Eve banquet at -Strassburg. She arranged for the continuation of the work in a way that -did not pauperize the women. Then she returned to Carlsruhe and spent -the remainder of the winter. Our chief knowledge of her oversight of -these activities, as well as of her living arrangements during this -period, is contained in a letter to her sister Sarah. She had been -living in a hotel, but had taken lodgings of her own, had a little maid -to wait on her, and was able to get a breakfast to her liking, which -was beefsteak and baked potato, instead of the Continental breakfast -of hard rolls and a gallon of coffee. The beefsteak for breakfast is -interesting because Clara Barton ate comparatively little meat. She -never, however, became a strict vegetarian. Even in her old age she now -and then indulged in the luxury of a good, thick beefsteak; but this -was exceptional. Her meals, as a rule, were severely frugal, and mostly -vegetable. - - CARLSRUHE, Last Day of January, 1872 - - DEAR SISTER: - - I believe I can write you a readable letter without looking on at - all. I have used my eyes pretty much of late, and they complain so - sadly of my bad treatment, that I have decided to give them a rest, - and not write any more at present, but, as I don’t know how long the - rest must continue, I don’t want you to wait without news of me for - an indefinite period. I want to tell you that I did receive your good - long letter, and was exceedingly glad of it. It had been a little age - that I had not heard of you. I must write without a reference to your - letter, for I could not read it to-day; my poor eyes ache too badly - for that. It was long ago that I wrote you, I believe. I don’t know - if I have written since the 25th of November, when I remember to have - done so. If not since, I have never told you anything of my going to - Montbéliard to give something to the poor people there who suffered so - much by the war. I went from Carlsruhe about the middle of December - in the coldest time we have had in all the winter. It was fearfully - cold. Miss Margot went with me. It was a day and a half’s travel, - and some of the way it was so cold in the train I dared not let Miss - Margot fall asleep. I knew she was exceedingly cold, and I kept her - awake through precaution. We spent the first night at Mülhausen with - Mr. and Mrs. Dolphus, French people of literary note, whom I have - known during all the war. Next day we went to Belfort and passed the - night and Sunday with the Administrator, Monsieur Leblue, and arranged - some trunks I had left there in October, and Monday morning we went - to Montbéliard and called on the Prefect (a Jew), to whom I had - previously made a donation of money, and informed him that I wanted to - make the next donation in person. I wished to see, therefore, myself. - He was very amiable and would arrange it, and I left him to do so - while I went still on to Besançon to see the Prefect of Doubs. Here - it was so cold and cheerless I could not sleep at night and returned - next day. I was made the guest of the noble families of the town, for - Montbéliard was an old Court town, and the grandmother of the Czar of - Russia was a Princess of Montbéliard, so they have still relics of - royalty there and a pretty old castle. I found excellent arrangements - for taking care of the poor, the best I have seen in all France. They - have committees of both gentlemen and ladies and the president of - the ladies’ committee is a Mrs. Morell, a person so much like Mrs. - Greffing that I feel as if I had really seen Mrs. Greffing and worked - with her a few days this winter. They assembled in their hall and - called their poor there, and they came in hundreds, and waited in a - long line, or two long lines, reaching from the doors away through - the yard and down the snowy street. At the suggestion of Mrs. Morell - I gave them orders for wood and rent, so that the husbands could not - compel the women to give up the money to them to get drunk on and - abuse the family. We wrote hundreds of orders. I signed them, and then - we went to the hall and received the women. They were my women then. - I admitted them, and gave them the order and took in the next, and so - day after day till all was done. The orders were drawn immediately, - and when I left just before Christmas all the poor had wood for two - months and rent paid until the first of April. They looked so poor, - but were so happy at such an unexpected fortune and I was so glad - to have been able to do it. It was Boston that did this good little - thing--I have written the committee about it, a long letter. I thought - they would be glad to know it while the fires were still burning. - - Then I came back, and I wanted to go to Strassburg and give something - to my old working-women there. They would not be so poor as the women - of Montbéliard, for much had been done for them, but I wanted to see - and remember them, and so I said I would go. I invited Miss Zimmermann - to go with me, as she helped me to organize the Strassburg work last - year. I said I would not give anything in charity to these women; I - had not permitted them to beg--they had always worked for me and been - paid. I would give them a Christmas fête and invite them like other - people. So we bought two splendid pine trees fresh from the Black - Forest, and I knew all my women, so I had only to count the heads - and buy purses. I purchased three hundred good strong morocco purses - with steel clasps, prettily lined, and pretty little things for the - children, and to ornament the trees many dozens of little wax candles - and holders to light the trees. I had stopped at Strassburg on my way - back from Montbéliard and hired the best hall in town for Saturday - night the 30th December. On Wednesday night we went to Strassburg, had - our invitations printed and sent to the women by post; then I ordered - at a good bakery twenty cakes, I cannot tell you how large and high. - Each cake would cut from twenty to twenty-five slices, big slices; - and five hundred rolls, and I took a caterer I knew there to arrange - chocolate and coffee. The hall had a fine kitchen and dining-rooms, - and I asked the banks to change my money into the last issue of French - silver, never used, and they did. The best ladies of the city came to - help us, and the trees were set, the purses filled, the hall arranged, - the tables spread and set so white and clean, and, oh, the trees - were so pretty, on a long platform across all one end of the hall in - front of two enormous mirrors and all the floors spread with moss, - all scattered full of fine-cut white paper and isinglass, which made - perfect snow and ice, and brightened with handfuls of little scarlet - berries; and the hall was so brilliant with chandeliers and mirrors - that one could read the finest print in its most distant corner. I - tell you all this so particularly because I think it was the prettiest - thing I ever saw. Don’t say it was that that made my eyes sore; it - wasn’t. The hour was seven; at six-thirty the women began to arrive. - Mr. Kruger, Vice-Consul from America, received and seated them in the - anteroom till it was time to light the trees. I had not seen them yet, - and did not know that so many were there, but some one came to tell us - that our little wounded children had come and we went to that room to - see and welcome them. When we entered the doorway, all these hundreds - of women rose up before us like an army--not a word, still like so - many soldiers--and stood for us to pass. At seven, the trees were - lighted and the doors opened, and all this regiment of women walked in - and took seats. A fine parlor organ stood under the trees, a Christmas - hymn was struck, and these poor women in the fullness of their hearts - joined in a burst of song such as I never heard before. They sang as - if they meant God should know how glad they were and how grateful - they were to be there. Then there was prayer, an address of welcome (I - wouldn’t have them instructed), and then Mr. Kruger and your sister - went under the trees upon the platform where all the purses hung. - There were elegant ladies to take them down from the trees and hand - them to me while Mr. Kruger called each woman’s name and she came up - and gave her hand to me, and I put in it a purse of silver with her - name and a pretty buff card attached to it; then the ladies took her - round to see the trees and to sign her name at a table presided over - by the Misses Rausche, of Strassburg Boarding School. Afterward they - were taken to the refreshment room and the daughters of the clergymen - of the city, with Miss Zimmermann at the head, received and served - them to chocolate and all the good things; and then they did talk and - laugh and cry for joy, and such a time some hundreds of poor women - almost beggars I think never had. “It was worth going a mile to see.” - - All this time Mr. Kruger and I were giving the gifts, but when it - was done I went and ate with them; then I came back and gave the - gifts to my eleven cutters, ten pretty young girls and one tailor. - I gave them workboxes and portfolios, etc., and then the Comité de - Secours had arranged a little surprise for me, which the women enjoyed - exceedingly. M. Bergmann, my old esteemed friend, the president of - the syndicate of Alsace, addressed the women, and they all crowded - up around the front of the platform like so many children, to listen - to him. He told them, among other things, that Miss Barton had said - she wished they would all keep the money in the little purses as a - keepsake and make it the beginning of a sum for the savings bank, - which would reopen next week. Having told them this, he said to them, - so pleasantly and familiarly, “I think we ought to make her this - promise, eh?” You should have heard the storm of, “Yes, yes, we will,” - that filled the room. This finished the evening, only their good-bye - to me, which each one insisted on making for herself. This occupied - almost an hour, till the last one was gone, and then it was past - eleven, almost twelve, and we went home to our hotel and to bed; but - all the time I knew I had seen a very pretty thing. - - There were about sixty women who did not get their invitations. It - was no wonder; they never had a letter before in their lives and the - letter carriers never heard of them, and they lived in such old - alleys and garrets and cellars they could not be found. But the next - day I made a list of all these and put it in all the papers of the - city, and it was told to them and they came to our old workrooms a few - days afterward and we gave them their purses. When it was all done, - we came back to Carlsruhe, one of the first days of January, and I - have been here ever since. I had a good deal of writing to do, and I - suppose I have used my eyes a little too much. I was going over to - London directly after leaving Strassburg to stay with Abby and Joseph - Sheldon, who are continually writing for me to come to them. I meant - to have been there now, but I received a letter on my return from - Strassburg from the head of the Boston Committee saying that they had - held a meeting after hearing something from me and decided to ask me - to take charge of all their unfinished business in France. They see - that it is going wrong and beg me to take it in hand, even if I cannot - do anything personally, to take the oversight of it. I replied to them - and will wait for their answers. I thought then it would be nonsense - to cross the Channel if I must recross to France again in a few weeks, - so I decided to remain here until I could finish up on the Continent - and go to England free. - - I do long to be free of work once more for a little while. I have been - rather busy. I have a little home here in Carlsruhe. I got tired of - the hotel and took some small rooms, a little apartment, and furnished - it to suit me (rented) and have a little German girl. She was the - private waiting maid of Madame de Mentzinger and I knew her, so I live - as independently as I please. I can arrange my living to suit myself - better. I can have a beefsteak and baked potato for breakfast and not - be driven to a choice between a piece of dry bread and a gallon of - coffee, and I can have my dinner at four and not be forced to eat at - eight o’clock at night, as is done here. - - I am sure you have had a great deal of trouble with my things and so - has Lieutenant Westfall; I am sorry but can’t help it. I want to write - the Lieutenant, but dare not send him one of my blind letters. I must - wait till I can use my eyes again. I am glad you went and visited all - the world of Massachusetts. I want to see our old brother Dave more - than I can tell, and I think I shall sometime. I don’t understand if - Ida has left the Treasury for all time or on a rest. Is she not well? - I am sorry you wandered about waiting for some one to carry you from - post to pillar. Wait a little, Sall, and we will have a coach and one - and ride when we please. I will have it sent over to you every day to - take a ride on condition that you will promise to come and take tea - with me every time, and you shan’t wait to be carried somewhere--it - was all vexatious and heart-aching. I know it all by experience, so - old that it seems to me it must have been a part of another existence; - but it wasn’t; it was only the first end of this old patched and - tangled web. What a good soul-stirring time you had at the Convention, - didn’t you? That was splendid; shall I ever see something like that, I - wonder? What a meeting! How I want to see and know Mrs. Livermore. I - don’t suppose I ever shall, but I knew her so long ago. What beautiful - things she wrote when she must have been so young; no wonder she can - speak well. I speak very much of these things with the Grand Duchess. - She sent for me about a week ago to spend an evening and she spoke - of little else than the progress of woman and schools for girls in - America. She had evidently been reading something, I presume some - German criticism upon the too liberal spirit of America, and wished - to compare notes, I think. I told her all as it was, and I said I - believed in special training for all kinds of life, but that I thought - it possible to train too much till the original spirit was crushed - out and ashes left in the place of coals, and there was danger of - Germany’s doing this with her great respect for discipline; that I - thought them too strict, and that they cramped their people by rules - and regulations and hurt many good original minds. This was plain - speech for a woman in a plain black gown without even a ring on her - hands to address to a Princess and Sovereign, but when I am asked I - answer, let it be where it will. I guess it didn’t offend, for she - sent me a very pretty letter next morning. - - I can’t think what the dress is that you speak of having made up - and washed. I can just recall that I sent something by Dorr, but it - couldn’t have been anything but a piece from my shelves where we cut - for the women. I can’t think if it was calico or cotton gingham. I - know I wanted to send something good, but he was afraid to take it - lest he have trouble at the custom house, and they trouble him about - his own things for it. I know we packed his boxes in terrible haste - one night after midnight and I can’t think of anything more about - them. This was the day but one before I cleared up in Strassburg and - started for Paris. It wasn’t a quite sure thing if one would get there - very safely, and so difficult was it that it took three days to do the - traveling of one day in ordinary times. But it is better now. - - This winter is easier than the last was. I have made some friends and - I am not a stranger in Europe any longer, and I have warm friends in - Strassburg, and, if I do say it, last week Mr. and Mrs. Bergmann came - to Carlsruhe to visit us, i.e., Miss Zimmermann and me. I had them to - tea with me twice (they were at hotel) in my house, and I arranged a - visit for them at Court. This is, I expect, the first social exchange - of visits between a leading French officer and a German Court since - the war--a gentleman may have visited, but not the ladies, but Mrs. - Bergmann and the Grand Duchess visited, and, better still, the poor - women came over to Germany to visit me. I have made some peace between - them if they won’t fight again and spoil it all. I will enclose in - this one of my invitations to the Women’s Fête and Christmas Tree. - Your German letter-carrier will read it to you. Now I think, in mercy - to your eyes, I must stop. Don’t be troubled about me; my eyes will be - well soon. I will be very careful. I know you can’t read near all of - this, but some maybe. - - Lovingly - - CLARA - - I thought I couldn’t write any more, but I find it so funny to write - with my eyes shut, as if I were playing blindman’s buff, that I think - I must do another sheet. I was afraid to commence to tell you how nice - I thought your picture gallery was; indeed, I think it was splendid. - How could you think of it all? How did you get up your ideas? I - laughed till I cried again and again; indeed, I am not sure but that - hurt my eyes some. I wish you had told me more about it. I wanted all - the particulars. I related it one evening at tea at Madame General de - Freystadt’s, and you should have seen the merriment of those German - Court ladies--they have a great deal of fun in their heads. They were - especially amused at the old hoop and line, as I explained to them our - bold President swinging around the circle to gain popularity. Miss - Margot has not been initiated into the mystery of your gallery yet, as - she is at Lyons with her people, but is expected to return any day now - to resume her studies here. I will make her full explanations as soon - as she is back. She caricatures me sometimes, to her great amusement. - She would not be bad help for you on such an occasion, as she would be - in the seventh heaven if she could do it. - - No, I didn’t think of the 17th of September as being the day of Lake - City. How well I remember that day, and how anxious a day it was, - but after all, not unhappy. We thought that we had gained so much; - our experiment had not failed and it did not fail in the end; it - accomplished just what you say it did. Our dear boy lived to feel that - he had done his work and was ready to go; a little life it was, but - full and had in it much more than many another of fourscore and ten. - I had not heard of Lizzie Learned’s last affliction. Can this be so? - Where did Lizzie get such a complication of maladies, and is there - anything in the new remedy? I have heard of it. The Grand Duchess asks - me about it. Her first maid of honor, Mademoiselle de Sternberg, of - whom you must have heard me make mention, is supposed to be dying of a - cancer, but she also seems to have a multitude of illnesses. I called - on her a few weeks ago. She was a mere skeleton and is too sick now to - see any but her nurses. - - Does Nancy do the work at home, and are she and Uncle John all there - are? I cannot think how it would seem there without--“Bamma”--poor - dear, honest, faithful, Christian, guileless Bamma! who worked - faithfully up to the last day without complaint and lay down bravely - with the harness of life about her, without a murmur. - - Do you have much fruit this year? I am out of patience with Europe. - I never find fruit here,--it is always a “scarce year,” they say. - Indeed, there was none in all the Rhine Valley. Little gnarly apples - are two and three cents apiece; prunes, which are only the plums which - grow here, dried, are fifty cents a pound, and I have searched the - town over without success for a little dried apple. All oranges here - are always either sour or bitter. I have nearly forgotten, but it - seems to me that we had better fruit arrangements at home. You see by - this that I am quite hungry, don’t you, or I shouldn’t write of it. - Now I think I have finished for this time. I have let my letter wait - two days and my eyes are better. - - Ever your Sis - - CLARA - - -Returning to Carlsruhe, she continued her oversight of American relief -for French destitution by correspondence, though still suffering -greatly with her eyes. She passed “some very dull weeks, very green and -shady, with exceedingly long nights”; after the acute pain was over, -she learned to write with bandaged eyes, and wrote a good deal. - -Her friends Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon were in London and were not satisfied -to have her in Germany alone. They sent her peremptory orders to be -ready to accompany them when they came, as they were presently to come, -down the Rhine. She went with them, left Carlsruhe, visited Strassburg -on her last tour of inspection, and set out for London by way of Paris. -On reaching Paris, they encountered an American family by the name of -Taylor, friends of the Sheldons, who had just left London for a tour of -Italy and besought Miss Barton to accompany them. Hastily she changed -her plans, and, after six weeks’ travel in Italy, she came to London. -She had dropped her diary altogether, and her correspondence with her -relatives had nearly ceased on account of her impaired eyesight, but -in London she wrote the story of her wanderings to her sister Mrs. -Vassall. The last page is missing and the letter ends abruptly, leaving -her in Venice. The Italian tour was finished, however, and in the early -summer she arrived in London. - - NO. 5 HEWSON STREET--WANREY STREET - WALWORTH ROAD - LONDON, July 5th, 1872 - - DEAREST SISTER: - - In one way and another I imagine you must have become aware of me in - England, although I believe I have never told you so directly. By the - presence of a half-finished letter to you, dated March 29th, between - Paris and Turin, Italy, I see that I cannot have written you since I - left Germany just previous to the above-named date. This has all been - very wrong, for I received your good and welcome letter here, via - Berne, early in June. You know me as neither abundant nor graceful - in apologies, although it never hurts my spirit to ask pardon, and - your good intuition will perceive this rather extraordinary sheet of - note-paper to signify contrition, confession, and serious effort at - amendment. For all the interesting details contained in your letter - I thank you very much. They constitute my only landmarks of the old - coast for months; my explorers have been very silent and my scouts - brought small tidings. - - I remember that I wrote you when nearly blind. I had used my eyes - too hard, and at night, which I ought to have known I could not do - with impunity. I passed some very dull weeks, very green and shady, - with _exceedingly_ long nights; although after the greater pain and - nervous excitement was over, I wrote a great deal with them closely - bandaged. This helped to pass the time, but Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon, - who were in London, became altogether dissatisfied with this state - of things, and determined to put an end to some of it by coming - after me and taking me, willing or not, to London. They had given me - a short notice and ordered me to pack my knapsack, while they came - down the Rhine. I obeyed, and, after a visit of a couple of days, we - set out _via_ Strassburg and Paris. I was infinitely better by this - time; still must not put any close strain upon my eyes. I made my - “good-byes” in Strassburg, which was not an easy thing for the “soul,” - and, on reaching Paris, we met a family party of Americans, friends - of the Sheldons, that had just left London for a trip of six weeks - through Italy. There were four of them, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes and their - only daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. Mr. Holmes was - the American Commissioner to the Great International Exhibition in - London in 1862 and in Paris in 1867, and with his family has resided - in London and Paris since, as American representative of science, - skill, invention, etc. They were fine travelers, Italy was a familiar - route to them, and it entered their heads to attach me to their party. - I felt it to be a great piece of temerity on my part to think of - dropping “sans cérémonie” plump into the middle of an elegant family - party arranged for a private travel, and I said so, and said all I - could, but all was overruled, and even Mrs. Sheldon said “go.” It was - “too good an opportunity to lose,” she said, and added at the end of - her advice, “What a fool I am. I always did give up all that I wanted - most”; and so we separated in the streets of Paris, March 28th, five - o’clock in the afternoon, she for London and I for Italy. I had only - a little hand satchel, having stored all my European luggage with my - Paris bankers till my return. I have never written up my trip, so I - cannot give it you, but if I can recall the days a little in order - will try to account for some of them. I will draw hard upon my memory, - which will probably help me accurately to whatever she will help me at - all, she being, not so generally treacherous as repudiatory. I wonder - if that is an English word--it _ought_ to be; if not, I can only plead - two years’ life in _Germany_, and surely out of all that I must have - earned the right to manufacture one word. - - As sightseers, it was not, of course, our policy to travel at night, - and we did it only twice, of which the first night was one. The road - between Paris and Macon, just above Lyons, being as familiar to each - one of us, as that between New York and Washington, we could afford - to miss it. Reaching Macon at sunrise, from there to Euloz and, - passing the custom house, proving ourselves innocent of liquors and - tobacco, we were ushered into Italy through the famous Mont Cenis - Tunnel, eight miles under a mountain, which rises almost six thousand - feet above the level of the sea. It is a well-laid track in the - solid rock, well ventilated and lighted by powerful reflectors each - half-mile. You remember that it was over Mont Cenis that Napoleon I - constructed a road to march his armies into Italy. At ten o’clock at - night we were at Turin. By this time I was conscious of being some - tired; altogether I was not very strong, and, just for variety, I had - a chill in the night, and, of course, decided to abandon my journey - and return. But as Turin was one of the cities to be visited and - naturally two or more days were to be given it, I could afford to wait - and watch further developments. My chill did not recur, and, although - I continued weak for some time, I kept on the journey. - - Turin is a charming city, by far the most modern in appearance of - anything in Italy, well laid out, fine broad streets, excellent - markets, abounding in _fruit_, clean, and entirely free from beggary. - It seems also to have no poor quarter, the general practice being - for every wealthy family to take into its service and care one, - two, or more entire families, lodging them in tenements fitted in - the attic stories of their own residences, rather than below on the - streets, thus at the same time holding surveillance and compelling - _respectability_. I liked the plan. I don’t know if it is one of - Victor Emmanuel’s ideas. You know that Turin was always his Capital - residence, till a few years ago, when he established himself at - Florence, which now is in turn abandoned for Rome. It has over one - hundred churches, very rich in jewels and antiquities. I remember - in the Metropolitan Church to have seen the marble figure, sitting, - lifelike, of Marie Adelaide, the wife of Victor Emmanuel, and mother - of Princess Clothilde of France. The private jewels of the church were - shown us (for a consideration--everything in Italy is displayed for a - consideration), but for no consideration could I undertake to describe - them; images of solid silver, men and women, weighing hundreds of - pounds and covered with jewels, where sometimes one was of greater - value than the massive silver image it adorned. The Royal Palace was - most magnificent; the rooms were all shown. Here, in this gilded salon - where their busts stand, were married Princess Clothilde, and the - Queen of Portugal. The plate-glass mirrors are twenty feet high, and - everything accords with them. The armory contains an entire gallery of - mounted knights in armor, full dress, horses like life, armed to the - teeth, and among them lies the sword that Napoleon used at Marengo. - Above the city is a fine old monastery to which we climbed for a - view of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, and all the chain of southern Alps, - snow-white and dazzling, stretching away into the eternal blue. - - On the second of April, Tuesday, we took train for Milan, riding for - hours in the bright spring sunshine of northern Italy, the Alps behind - us, and the Apennines before, the wheat waving in all the freshness - of early green, and the vines just bursting into leaf. Here at Milan, - we were met by a young lady protégée of Mr. Holmes, a young American - girl who is to come out soon as a prima donna. She is finishing her - musical studies in Milan, and, while we were installed at an excellent - hotel, our dinners were always with Mademoiselle Katrina. - - The great sight of Milan is its cathedral, the second in size and - magnificence in Europe; this also I could not justly describe. It is - built entirely of marble, commenced in the thirteenth or fourteenth - century and, like all these old massive structures, never finished. - It covers many acres, and seems to be one sea of turrets rising at - irregular heights toward the clouds. Although the comparison would be - most inelegant, I will say that it reminded me of a shipping-yard, - where the marble turrets and statues take the place of thousands of - masts; indeed, if my memory serve me well, it has 135 spires, and 1923 - statues on the outside from the ground to the top and 700 inside. - There is on one of the roofs, which you pass as you ascend (far above - to the top), an entire flower garden in marble, hundreds of flowers - forming minarets, and no two flowers carved alike or representing the - same flower. It was a long way to the top, which at length was gained - after many times of sitting, and (for me) even lying down to rest - on the various roofs passed in leading from one flight of stairs to - another, roofs of pure white marble polished and glistening in the - sunshine like the crust of the snowbanks on the New England hills on - bright winter days. (_I wonder_ if I ever will see them again.) Here - again we saw marvelous jewels, “gold, silver, and precious stones.” - The tomb of Carlo, who “stayed the plague,” is in a chapel beneath; - the coffin and even the roof of the chapel are of solid silver; mass - is held here each morning, and on certain days of the year miracles - are wrought. There are many sacred relics in the cathedral, as several - nails from the Cross, the Virgin’s shroud, and a seamless coat of the - Lord Jesus Christ, etc., etc. The picture _galleries_ were especially - fine, many celebrated originals, among which is Leonardo da Vinci’s - “Last Supper of the Master and Disciples” in the original fresco. And - the celebrated “Ambrosian Library,” so old and rare its volumes were - indeed a curiosity--illustrated volumes of the fourth century. And - the Royal Palace erected on the site of the old palace of the early - Dukes of Lombardy, where Attila thundered about in his destruction. - Later this _Palace_, like nearly all in Italy, had been at some time - or another occupied by Napoleon I. Here was his bedchamber, unchanged, - decorated in scarlet and gold, heavy velvet curtains richly wrought - in flowers of pure fine gold thread. Then the celebrated _theater_ - “La Scala,” the largest in the world, its stage one hundred feet in - depth, and wide in proportion, and this, not including the recesses. - The pit alone holds eleven hundred people, and there are six rows - of galleries; one hundred musicians in the orchestra; the principal - boxes are purchased by the nobility for the season, a single box from - four hundred to five hundred dollars (the season). I name all these - particulars for Vester’s benefit; he may be interested in the facts. - Our young prima donna stepped upon the stage (as our visit was in the - daytime) and sang to us; she had sung there before to an audience of - five thousand, but I think she took just as much pains for us, and - I am sure we were not less enthusiastic. I expect some day to hear - her sing when she is _famous_, but it will never afford me greater - pleasure than when she sang to her audience of five in the great - “Scala” of Milan. - - One little incident, happening not long before, was so pretty that I - am tempted to tell it you. “Katrina” (who is of German parents, but - born and always lived in New York) had only been led before the public - once,--i.e., last winter she was the “leading lady” of the first opera - in Turin,--and on the evening of the close of the engagement she was - “called out” to sing a little national air, in which she had been - exceedingly popular. When she stepped before the curtain she found the - entire house a _blaze of light_, which at first nearly “upset” her, - but, gathering up, she went through her air, to the last strain, when - four men entered and placed at her feet an enormous bouquet of the - choicest flowers, nearly four feet across. She managed to accept it, - but attached to it was a note which requested her, when it should be - faded, before throwing it away to open it with care, and at the end - of a week this was done, and hidden among the flowers were found a - magnificent gold watch and chain, pins, necklaces of coral, turquoises - and pearls, bracelets and rings, which I could not enumerate. It had - been ordered and arranged in Geneva, and sent all the way through - the mountain passes to her. I thought this was a pretty success for - the début of a little American girl, studying in a strange land with - little money. As a child she used to sing in New York with Patti. - - But you must be tired of Milan, and wish I would hasten on if I am - going. Well, I will, and so imagine this to be Saturday the 6th of - April, 9 o’clock A.M., and I just taking the train eastward. The - day was so lovely, so full of the springtime, the grass and grain - so green, the swinging vines swaying over all the fields, the birds - literally bursting their little throats, the fields filled with - peasants in gay dress working to merry tunes, and when you could draw - the eyes away from these near scenes they fell to the northward, first - upon a line of dim, hazy blue, but over this, skirting the horizon - again, the whole chain, peak after peak, of ranging Alps, such an - unbroken line of glittering snow--here on the south only four miles - away the field of Solferino where France lost one thousand officers in - a day. - - At 4 P.M. we were at “Verona” wondering if we should see its - “gentlemen” and giving certainly more than our usual interest to this - subject, and at five we halted at a singular dépôt, with no rattle - of cabs, or hacks, no tramping of horses, still as death all about - us, and as we walked out there lay waiting us hundreds of gondolas, - black as a pall, some covered, some open, all drawn up to the side - of the Canal to take us weary travelers to _our hotels_. This was, - indeed, novel, but we selected our _carriage_, stepped in with our - luggage, sat down, and, leaning lazily back, left it to our gondolier - to pick his way through the watery streets, some wide, some narrow, - leading into and out of each other, like veritable city streets and - lanes, the ways on each side lined perfectly thick with old palaces - and majestic buildings of centuries ago, their fronts to the sea and - their magnificent stone steps leading directly into the water, and - when one would pay a call, the gondolier had only to bring his boat - alongside and you stepped out as from another carriage to the steps of - a mansion. We were taken to “Hotel Victoria,” made as comfortable as - a first-class Italian hotel can make one, and after supper commenced - upon the sights. Ah, but there was so much to see, not that it is - a city of enterprise, a flourishing mart of trade or business. Oh, - no, far from it. Venice only exists upon the record of its former - greatness; take all this away and the travelers consequent upon it - and I believe twelve months would find a famine there, but there is - little danger of this while Byron and Shakespeare remain bright in - English literature. - - Here, as everywhere in Italy, one must commence with the cathedral, - and having gone through this, and some scores of churches, the “Campo - Santo” and the Bell Tower, one is at liberty to enter upon the - palaces, gardens, and theaters. But Venice offers some deviations - from this general rule; most cities have prisons, but they have not - all the dungeons of Saint Marc. All have bridges, but all have not a - “Rialto” nor a “Bridge of Sighs.” I suspect I do not need to remind - _you_ of many old or historical facts. You who are always digging into - the past will have them all “papered and labeled” and stored away - ready for use. But I might mention the seventy-two little islands upon - which Venice was built, which were only a part of the Adriatic, and - not reckoned as land at all. A set of not warlike people from here and - there in the vicinity, having grown weary and afraid of their fighting - and troublesome neighbors, mostly from Austria, determined to place - themselves in a position more difficult to attack, came far over the - sea to these little islands and commenced a city, and gave a general - invitation to all war-pestered, peace-loving citizens of the world - to come and join them; from time to time they united their islands, - built their houses for dwelling and trade upon the streets laid down - upon the piles, with one side opening upon the street of earth and the - opposite upon the sea, as I have before described. But--_the depravity - of human nature_!! No sooner were they a little strong and comfortable - themselves than they sent out their ships to prey upon and plunder - their neighbors, and well-nigh ravaged the cities of the earth. They - decorated their palaces with the spoils of other nations, married - the sea, and declared themselves Omnipotent and Divine. Among other - things their religion and church must have a Hero, and they sent afar, - and got (as they said) the body of Saint Mark, brought it, and great - numbers of relics belonging to him, buried it with the divinest honors - in their principal church, and named it Saint Mark, or “San Marco.” - This was as early as the ninth century. It is a large but not handsome - edifice, facing a paved court, a “piazza” some six hundred feet in - length, surrounded by palaces, now used for public purposes, stores, - etc. All the world of Venice walks in the “Piazza of San Marco.” The - pigeon was esteemed a sacred bird with them, and he is still cherished - here and treated with great honor. One of the curiosities to be seen - are the “pigeons of San Marco.” I cannot at this moment recollect - definitely enough to state to you how many hundreds are supposed to - reside in the immediate vicinity, but their dinner hour is two o’clock - in the afternoon. The great bell of the clock strikes three quarters - past one and they commence wheeling and circling into the court, they - cover the fronts of all the buildings, sit as thickly as possible - upon every window seat, hang in all the cornices, and stand in full - platoons in every foot of spare pavement for a number of rods around - the especial corner where their dinner is served. A young man (it was - formerly a young girl) is appointed by the Government as feeder of - the pigeons. It is not necessary to say that he is punctual with his - repast--he could not live with his tumultuous boarders if he were not. - As the bell strikes two, he pours the grain from-- - -The rest of this letter is missing, but from this time on her letters -became frequent, and we are able to follow her, almost day by day. - -Her health by this time was much improved. She established pleasant -lodgings in London, where her old friends the Sheldons and her new -friends the Taylors were, and followed her lifelong habits by rising -at five o’clock in the morning and getting in four and a half hours’ -activity before any one else in the house appeared for breakfast. -She heard Stanley, who had just returned from Africa, and, in the -controversy which ensued between him and the Geographical Society, she -became a warm partisan of Stanley. Antoinette Margot joined her. She, -too, had lived through the war without breaking down, but, when she -had nothing to do but to sit down at Carlsruhe and paint, she gave way -to nervous overstrain. Mrs. Taylor found her Italian trip rather too -much for her and wanted a quiet place outside of London, so they rented -a summer home in the Isle of Wight and there spent some restful and -health-giving weeks. For a company of nervous invalids, they appear -to have had a very merry time. The following jingle was written in -London in 1872 for reading at a social gathering of a few families and -America’s friends, who met once a week for social intercourse over a -cup of tea and light refreshments, enlivened by recitations. - -The family names are somewhat significant--Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, Mr. and -Mrs. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. Bacon, Mr. and Mrs. Darling, and Mrs. Cynthia -Care, a friend then absent. - -Mr. Taylor was the inventor of the McKean drill. - - Since time commenced its cycles, or the memory of man - Hath record or tradition of pastoral tribe or clan, - They have never failed to chronicle that men from far and near - Have met to sharp or blunt their wits in liquor, wine or beer. - This ancient custom, reaching back into the hoary past, - Wears a dignity and prestige that rivals even caste; - And bold are they who dare to meet in social gathering free, - And call not to the festal board one of the classic three. - But here’s a jolly company, from far across the sea, - Dares tune its mirth and sharp its wit in a cup of good Bohea. - We’re here from many hundred miles, where the western ocean foams, - But, though a paradox it seems, we have not left our Holmes. - - The _social_ homes of England draw us to her like a band, - For we are but the children of this true old glorious land. - Of the “_merry homes_” of England our great-grandsires used to tell, - But with pride and joy we prove it here, that we’ve Merry Holmes as - well. - Disclaiming all comparison, we write ours brave and free - And kindly and hospitable as any Holmes can be. - But we have very English grown, so soon we habits take on, - We cannot even sip our tea, but we must have our Bacon. - But English or American, it matters not a straw, - For both hang out before the world without a taint or flaw. - Go search through British literature, down to her Common Laws, - And find what strength and nourishment it from its Bacon draws; - And if you doubt America can follow in the van, - Go test our “Cincinnati sides,” and “West Virginia ham.” - So perfect in itself is each, it’s patent to my mind - The choicest Bacons that can be, are just the two combined. - - By the watery distance we have come one might judge us merely sailors, - But we’re nae thoughtless nor improvident, for we’ve even bro’t our - Taylors. - One doesn’t know how long ago, the unjust trick began - To stigmatize a tailor as the ninth part of a man; - But though as old and honored as the Judge’s wig and gown, - Before the faithless falsehood I throw my gauntlet down: - Yes, tho’ it was with Adam for the modest blush that came - When he sewed his scanty fig leaves, and dropped his head for shame; - Tho’ old as this--and thick, and black, and firm as granite, too, - We’ll drill it to a honeycomb, and let the daylight through. - So lay upon our Taylor here your nicest chalk-line true, - And measure him, in soul and vim, as he would measure you; - You’ll find, Sir Scandal, when you’ve done the best you ever can, - In reach of thought, and breadth, and depth, he’s every inch a man. - What did I say? I’m wrong--crave grace--to err is ever human-- - Ah, with what pride of sex I claim, his better half a woman-- - Tho’ fair Fidele and tender she walketh by his side, - He can neither make nor mend her, but hold fast in his pride; - And though no mortal’s meeker, we find from far and wide - The best and wisest seek her, for a pattern and a guide. - And does the critic here step in, and call us frozen-hearted, - And lacking in paternal love, that we so long are parted - From clinging dear ones left to pine like caged and crying starlings? - Hold, sir! Here’s ointment for your wrath, for we have bro’t our - Darlings. - We hold them very near us, with tender love and true; - Their happiness and welfare are never from our view; - And though we’re willing sometimes that they abroad should roam, - We would not spare our darlings forever from our home. - - There’s one, methinks, whose eloquence erst charmed this happy band, - Who stays away through many a day in a sunny foreign land-- - Who lingered where the soft moonlight plays through the Colosseum, - And troops of idle beggars wait for strangers’ hands to fee ’em. - Or where the setting sun goes down on Monte Rosa’s crest, - And hoary Blanc bids grand good-night to the cloudlets in the west, - And who strays even now, ’mong the vines and the trees, - And walks the green slopes of the dark Pyrenees. - Given us to be jurors and judge of this action, - We’d reduce this delay to a very small fraction; - But being quite powerless our cause to defend, - We must learn to endure what we cannot amend. - - As the best of a bad case, let’s forgive her, shall we, - And drink to her health in a cup of Bohea? - - And now for our bumpers but one greeting waits - While we roll back our thoughts to the United States, - For United as one they must ever remain, - Since the blood of a million hath rusted the chain. - With a link in each hand died the true and the brave, - And sunk side by side in the low martyr’s grave. - Their bones rest in peace ’neath the soil of their love, - While their souls keep calm watch on the ramparts above. - We would hide nae her faults, this dear land of our pride; - We know she has errors on many a side; - She’s restless, impatient, hurries on through her day, - And treads on old customs that lie in her way. - She’s bold in her speech, but there’s nae lack of truth, - And her faults, let us hope, are the failings of youth. - Yes, she’s young--oh, so young--and her robes are so bright, - For she’s made herself gay with the stars of the night, - And thrown o’er her shoulders a mantle of light - That the oppressed of all nations keep ever in sight. - Oh! each grasp the tissue that floats on the wind, - For hid in its folds lie the hopes of mankind! - Oh! guard Thou her ways, Great Eternal Lord God; - Let her meekly but safely pass under thy rod! - - With her faults and her virtues we trust her to Thee - And drink to her life in our cups of Bohea. - - CLARA BARTON - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -RETURNING HOME - - -It would be pleasant to record that the benefits derived from this -happy outing on the Isle of Wight proved permanent, but unfortunately -that was not the case. Had Clara returned to America in the autumn, -it might have been better, but she went back to London for the winter -determined to brave its fogs. She had discovered, with many of her -countrymen, that it is a mistake to expect relief from cold weather -by going to a warm climate. The people who live in warm climates do -not know how to prepare for the cold. In London they knew at least the -value of a fire. To London she went, and the results were depressing. -Her throat and chest were affected badly by the London fogs. All the -gains of previous months seemed to have been lost, and she was as far -from well as she was at the end of the Franco-Prussian War. At this -time she wrote to Mrs. Vassall, who had returned from Washington and -was living in Worcester: - - LONDON, July 11, 1873 - EUSTON ROAD - - DEAREST FANNIE: - - Your dear good letter and that of your “Bear” came a few days ago. It - is funny to be interviewed at that distance, and I am glad that you - got no worse reports than you did. I don’t think I am so homesick as - it would seem, but I am weak, and little things seem such a burden to - me that it hinders me from doing many things that would make me more - at ease if they could be done. However, one must be patient; it is not - a month yet that I was in my bed most of the day, and now I can go - about town, and even once have been _out_ of town, but not for a long - trip. - - It is kind of you all to offer to come to help me, but I believe I - shall be able to get over my difficulties without giving so much - trouble to any one. By “getting over them,” I mean measurably over - them. I cannot say that I even hope to be strong again as I was before - this last illness. I cannot tell, but it would be a wonder to me if - sufficient nervous strength returns to permit any degree of _real_ - usefulness. The greatest trouble I meet now is to bear the little - burdens of contact with the persons and things around me, and not - show too plainly that I have not strength and composure to bear them - calmly; in short, to “hold my horses,” You, dear Fannie, will know - what that means, and how to the weak the grasshopper becomes a burden. - I am glad you have found a physician who has some strength for you, - if it is really so; but I must confess that my previously small share - of confidence in medical aid and wisdom has not increased by the last - year’s experience. - - I hear of you in the most trying heat at home. It is just warm in - England some days, but to-day, for instance, ladies are generally - clothed in wool suits and a shawl. I went out just now for a few - minutes with Mamie, while our rooms were put in order, and came back - because I was too cold, and it is never very bright in London. I - suppose this has its due influence on one’s nervous system, and I - would have been glad at any time within the last month to be made - ready and go over to France or Germany. I think it would be better, - but I could not get strong enough to _get ready_ and go. You wonder - what “getting ready” means. It seems to you that it requires little - preparation to put up a bag or small trunk of things and cross the - Channel, and so it does, but it is summer, and I have several trunks - of mainly woolen things for this cool climate. My little strength - since I have been in Europe has made it necessary to have them, of - course, unpacked, and in a state of utter confusion, for some trunks - I have not had my hand in for months and months, but to others I - constantly go, and in haste. The _moths_ in London are like flies in - abundance. It wouldn’t mend my nerves to know I had gone off traveling - and left all I have to be devoured, and I have been made worse several - times by simply attempting to get a dress or some little article from - a trunk. My weak chest will not admit of the least labor of the arms - yet. Let Mamie do it? Mamie is only a weak little girl, and until - lately could not have packed her own trunk without harm to herself. So - I wait for strength as an army waits for quartermaster and commissary - supplies before it can march. I made one little trial or two, to see - what I could do. Papa Holmes (with whose family I went to Italy) came - one day to ask me if I could go to Liverpool where he was going, and - over into Wales, and pass a week. It was about the time Colonel Hinton - was going to sail, and I thought, with so many good friends on the - road, I might try it. So I went as far as Stratford-on-Avon, but I - grew so tired I gave out and let the party go on and I came home. It - wasn’t much of a journey,--only a few hours,--but I found it quite - sufficient. - - It is really quite astonishing what those sleeping fellows tell, and - how they look us all through! I don’t think I am so homesick, if that - is the term they give it, but no one knows--only those who have tried - it--what the depressing atmosphere of London may be to one who is not - strong, and more especially to one who feels he is never to leave it, - as I expected last winter. I think I could have faced the prospect - of the dark river with a stouter heart if I had been strengthened - by a few glimpses of sunlight sometimes, but I waited such months - watching my little window panes for a patch of sky over which one - could discover that a cloud _moved_, but the surface was never light - and thin enough for this. It was as immovable as a sheet of zinc; one - felt himself already in a metallic coffin, only waiting to be closed - in a little snugger, and have the screws turned down. But I have - tried to be cheerful and as full of life and fun as I could be, with - so little ability to speak as I have had, and it _may_ be that you - and your Mamma Sally’s sleeping men see deeper and get nearer to the - reality than those about me, or than perhaps even I am well aware of. - It is possible I have at times succeeded in cheating myself a little; - all the better if it is so. I should be glad to be spared the trial - of going on to the continent of Europe again. I am _so tired_ of it, - I never want to see it again, but it may be best, and then _Mamie - ought_ not to leave Europe without going there. I should be sorry to - embark her for America having seen only poor smoky old London. If - some one of our friends had been coming over, with whom I could have - sent her to journey some, I should have been very glad of it. I can - perhaps arrange it from here, but up to the present moment I have not - been able to find the right opportunity. I thank you very much, dear - Fannie, for all your interest and care, and hope I may never find a - chance to repay it in the same manner. - - Afternoon - - Mr. Sheldon has just drawn a letter out of his pocket and, looking - very wise, announced to me that he had just commenced a correspondence - with a very pleasant lady of Worcester and, showing the envelope, - _I_ judged the correspondence had been commenced with the lady’s - _husband_. But I read it, and became convinced that it was from the - lady herself. He informed me that he had replied at the earliest - moment, and it happened to be just when they had succeeded in pushing - me off for my trip, so he had an opportunity to talk large, but he had - scarce time to answer until I was back, and he waited a day or two to - see if he might show your letter to me. - - I hope Ber will have had an opportunity to hear direct from me, as I - gave his Boston address to Colonel Hinton, who promised to see him if - he could find him. I have seen no one who was going to Worcester or - I would have sent him to you. As for me, I shall try to go home this - autumn, I suppose. America will at all events be as well as here, - and has a greater range of climate with easier travel. As for the - prospects of a full recovery of my original health (i.e., previous to - last winter) I cannot decide yet. I may, when once out of this climate - and atmosphere in which I have fallen, recover at once and fully; - and I may never be able to throw off the effects of such prolonged - prostration. My own opinion inclines strongly to the latter. I do not - think any one need come to see me home; I should be sorry to give that - trouble to any one, and will do my best to get on by myself. And now, - with a kiss and great love to all, and the best to your own dear self, - I am as ever - - Yours - - CLARA - - -To Fannie’s husband, Bernard Barton Vassall, the “Ber” or “Bear” of her -playful letters, she had already written: - - 5 HEUSEN ST., WANSEY ST. - WALWORTH ROAD, LONDON, April 8, 1873 - - MY DEAR GOOD BOY BER: - - I cannot tell you how good and kind it was of you to hasten to write - me as soon as you knew I had need of a word of sympathy; neither can - I tell how it did me good and made me better and stronger. I was so - weak and ill that day. It came at night with one from your mother, - and they were the first words of sympathy that had come to me from - the old home. I almost hesitate to tell you how long I held them - in my hands. I looked at them till they were damp with fever and - perspiration before I opened them and kept saying softly to myself, - “There’s something good for me in there; there are good kind words - and sympathy.” I waited still and held them close till I got a little - accustomed to them, and then I got raised up a little in my hot bed - and read them all through and through, and Mamie read them all to - me again. How they helped me on after that worst and weakest and - hardest of all the days I have passed in all this illness! It seemed - providential that they should come just then. It was not my cough - that was holding me so low at that moment. I don’t know if in all I - have written your mother, I have ever told her _how_ I got a part - of my illness. I had two physicians, one daily and one consulting - occasionally. He came one day in early March, and recommended me to - be taken out of bed and bathed in water each day, put back awhile, - then taken up and dressed. I could not stand alone, but this was done - two days. I had only my cough then, but the third morning after the - bathing and “gaping” I couldn’t straighten a limb. It proved to be - inflammatory rheumatism from my body to my toes; then in two weeks a - relapse and a rheumatic fever set in, which was at its height when - your letters arrived. But the port wine broke the fever and I am - nearly past the effects of the rheumatism, have little or no pain, - and my cough is not dangerous now, I am sure; I sleep pretty well for - me, and I eat good substantial food. Now, if I can hold fast to all - these improvements, I cannot think it will be necessary for any person - to leave home and business to come to me. I could not be come _for_ - at present, for I should not dare attempt the voyage yet, and I hope - to be able to get along by myself, especially as it is almost summer - now. But, dear Ber, I think every moment how good and kind it was of - you to say you _would_ come if I needed you, and if I should “go to - the bad” again, I fear I shall need you. If such a miserable state of - things comes, I will telegraph, and you will all consult, and do what - seems best to you to do. You know much better than I what would be - well to do, and, if it must be done, you will do it. Doesn’t the State - want to send you over to make some investigations? In that case it - wouldn’t seem such waste of ammunition on small game as to come just - to look after poor miserable me, who never amount to anything anywhere. - - But, Ber, I _shall never have done_ thinking how quick and kind you - were in writing me, and what strength and purpose I felt in every line - of your letter, and it strengthens me still. You saw so clearly how I - needed a strong arm near me; all about me is _so weak_. I have managed - everything since my illness, for myself, and all around me, from my - banking business and correspondence to my butcher and grocer, the - airing of my linen, and the arranging of the chairs in my room. There - is no mind or will or thought that can go one inch beyond me, when I - stop. There is no hand that has enough magnetic force to take away one - nervous twinge, not a hand that does not take magnetism from me even - now, and days when I am weakest, I cannot let a hand be laid upon me, - to rub, or even comb my hair. I feel the loss of strength directly and - fall into nervous perspiration. I tell you all this because I read - between the lines of your dear letter that you half divined the case, - and I may as well confess it. I believe I can bring myself up out of - this weakness, and then I will come home to thank you, and be “put in - my little bed.” Won’t you write me again soon, now you know how it - does me good? - - Dear Fannie offers her “Bear” to me,--what a good Bearess she is, - isn’t she? Now, dear Ber, with a great big kiss, and I can’t say that - there aren’t a few other little things dropped along with it, here, my - good boy, is my good-bye. - - From Your Old Sick Auntie - - CLARA - - Ber, you must hold your good mother steady and not let her get - alarmed. It will never do for her to come all this way on such an - errand. In any case it would be _too hard_ for her. - -Though neither medicine nor the climate availed to help her, she found -some measure of relief in a cheerful spirit. Of her system of mental -therapeutics she wrote to her niece Mamie Barton, Mrs. John Stafford: - - Auntie wants to write Mamie a little letter. She is more sorry than - she can tell that she has such a stupid illness that forbids her to be - company for any one. - - Auntie does not feel less social for this and, although it is hard - and painful, she will not feel despondent a moment, but hopeful and - cheerful for the present and future, if the circumstances immediately - about her do not combine to depress her to a degree which she _cannot_ - control. If she had a headache or a nervous head which a noise would - disturb or make ache, there would be some good reason for all about - her to keep quiet, and leave her to her rest and reflections; but she - has nothing of this, and never has. Her head is strong physically. - (She will not refer to its mental qualities.) And as she has nothing - to do all night but to rest and reflect, she does not need special - opportunity for these during the day. If she were all alone, she - would not get lonely or nervous on account of the quiet and silence - about her. She has had great experiences in this and is accustomed - to it. But when she feels herself imposing a dull dead silence on - all persons about her, those whom she loves most dearly and for - whose hourly comfort and happiness she would sacrifice anything in - reason and see her dear little girls gliding about without speaking a - sentence,--never sees a laugh or scarce a smile,--it makes her feel - herself such a restriction, such a detractor from their happiness - and leaves her such a prey to sad reflections and makes her feel the - misfortune of her illness so deeply that at times it seems impossible - to bear it. She grows more and more depressed every minute and the - poor strained nerves refuse longer control, and, in spite of all her - womanly determination, break into tears and groans. This would make me - very ill in time. Mamie doesn’t want this of all things, Auntie knows, - and she writes this poor little letter to explain to her the causes - and the results, and tell her how to avoid the one and improve the - other. - - Just, then, throw away the old-time, never-to-be-departed-from notion, - handed down from nobody knows where, that all ill or ailing persons - are to be treated the same, and that mainly like a dead person, - surrounded by dumb watchers, and dim tapers, waiting to be buried, - and remember that one whose heart is cheery and one whose mind is - active, but whose mouth is closed to speech, might like to borrow - the use of the mouths of those around them--might and must want, - most of all, some one to talk for them--to say the nonsense and make - the fun they cannot say and make for themselves. And that nothing - so much as a good funny time a day would so shorten and deaden the - pain that must be borne in either case. Now, if the two dear good - little girls could only bring themselves to have the same chatty day - that Auntie knows they would have if they were in their own room by - themselves, laughing, singing, doing nonsense, and, in short, feeling - themselves perfectly free to enjoy themselves as I always know they - do when by themselves, Auntie would be more grateful to them than for - anything else they could do for her. And she has faith in the good - understanding of her dear Mamie, to believe that she still sees the - real state of the case as she could _not_ see it before. And she knows - that once she sees it, that big lump of Benevolence just on the top - of her head, will not permit her to do anything but have a good jolly - time in spite of her disagreeable old Auntie who can’t just now help a - bit to make it, but who needs it more than ever, and most of all. - - Mamie needn’t work on that old puzzling dress unless she _greatly - desires_ to. - - Now, with great love, and great hopes, and sincere commiseration, - Auntie closes this her first epistle to the daughter of David and - waiting to hear her cry out in a “loud voice,” she remains as usual - - OLD DOLOROUS - - -The summer, however, did her some good. She was able to get out and do -a little sight-seeing, her longest journey being to Stratford-on-Avon. -Early in October she sailed for home on the steamship Parthia. - -Only a few weeks before she had believed that she had but a short time -to live, or that if she lived it must be as a hopeless and permanent -invalid; but with even the beginning of a restoration to health she -recalled her determination to introduce in America the Red Cross, -under whose auspices she had labored on the battle-fields of Europe. -She knew that America had no knowledge of, or interest in, the Red -Cross. She had good reason to question whether it would be possible for -her immediately to stir up any great enthusiasm for it. But she was -determined to live and bring this to pass. - -As usual on trans-Atlantic voyages, there was a concert in the cabin -of the Parthia. Clara Barton, returning to America as the heroine -of two wars, was asked to participate. She made her contribution to -the evening’s entertainment in a poem which she wrote on shipboard, -in which she expressed her ardent desire and her solicitude. She was -going back to America after a long absence. Was there anything for her -to do when she got here? For daily bread she had no concern and no -need for concern. Her modest income was adequate for her still more -modest needs. Even while traveling abroad she had found no occasion to -encroach upon her principal, and her expenses at home were certain to -leave her each year a little margin between income and outgo. But there -had entered into her soul a vision of the contribution which she might -be permitted to make to America and the world by securing America’s -adhesion to the international treaty which included the recognition of -the Red Cross. Would America listen to her when she pleaded for this? -Had it room for her and her mission? - - -HAVE YE ROOM? - - Five days from New York--five days did he say? - Only five days from the glistening bay, - That four years ago I sailed tearfully o’er - Watching the sunny light fade from the shore! - As the kerchiefs had faded along the dense pier, - And the God bless you’s died on the listening ear. - Tearfully, prayerfully, sailing away, - Past the green islands, and out of the bay, - Recalling in pain they who sorrowed and wept, - More painfully still the brave who had slept; - Tearfully, prayerfully sailing away - In search of the strength that went out in the fray. - - It were easy to search for the gems of the sea, - The jewels and gold hid in mountain and lea, - The thin veins of silver that line the green sod, - But health is of wisdom, and strength is of God. - Four wearisome years in lands strange and old, - Watching the changes that over them rolled, - How the calm shadows lay in the valley of rest, - And the black war cloud gathered from out of the west; - How lancer and _tireur_ dashed o’er the plain - And the smiles fled the face of sweet Alsace-Lorraine. - And helmet and turban lay soaked in the rain - And the masterless dog lapped the wounds of the slain. - Fair sons and brave husbands there lingered not one, - And the far childless widow prayed--Thy will be done. - - How the old nations groaned on their unstable beds, - As the great car of progress rolled over their heads, - Uprooting old forms, time-honored of sages - Sowing new truths for the incoming ages. - Republics have sprung on the steps of the throne, - Kingdoms have crumbled, empires have grown; - Princes and prelates have listened their doom, - And ermine and gold-decked the refugee’s tomb. - - Strange sights for strange eyes as the old cities burn, - And battle and siege follow each in their turn. - I have heard the faint note of the last sentry’s call, - And seen the white flag flutter out o’er the wall; - I have bound up death wounds lying dark and alone, - And the language that blessed me was strange and unknown. - The homeless and famished clung wild with despair, - And the noble and gentle have cherished me there. - Still trustingly,--loyally: loving and true, - Anxious and glad, I am coming to you. - Have ye place, each beloved one, a place in your prayer, - Have ye _room_, my dear countrymen, room for me there? - - How the strength rose and fell in those perilous years! - What torture it made of my hopes and my fears, - When I joyed in its rise or wept for its fall, - It was never myself that I thought of at all. - But if only once more I might tread the loved land, - And toil for its weal with my heart, and my hand; - Have ye place, each beloved one, a place in your prayer, - Have ye _work_, my brave countrymen, work for me there? - - Plow on, old Parthia, steady and true, - Each plunge of thy prow brings them nearer to view; - Brings me nearer the days that shall settle the doubt - If they’ve kept me within--or have left me without. - For my feeble hands failed while care rested on all, - And trouble and grief wrapped them round like a pall. - Who shall say that the storms have not scattered my sheaves, - Or the winter winds buried the fallen autumn leaves, - Or the gaping seas closed without anger or frown, - And the freighted ships crowd where the lone wreck went down? - _Have_ ye place, each beloved one, a place in your prayer, - Have ye _room_, my dear countrymen, room for me there? - - STEAMSHIP PARTHIA, MID-ATLANTIC - _October 8, 1873_ - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE YEARS OF SICKNESS AND RECOVERY - -1873-1880 - - -Clara Barton came back from Europe wearing the jewel of the Red Cross -presented to her by Queen Natalie of Serbia. She was the only person in -America who then, or for nine years thereafter, wore the Red Cross. She -was the sole person in the United States who, by service or any form of -official recognition, was entitled to that decoration. She wore also -the Iron Cross of Merit, presented to her by the Emperor and Empress of -Germany. She wore a Gold Cross of Remembrance, presented to her by the -Grand Duke and Duchess of Baden; and from Louise, the Grand Duchess, -she wore, and prized beyond all wealth, a magnificent amethyst, said -to have been the finest amethyst in this country. From poor, defeated -France she wore no official decoration, but she brought the love and -gratitude of innumerable people there to whom she had ministered. - -On her return to America, she went to her old home in Washington, on -Pennsylvania Avenue and Capitol Hill, the home she had purchased before -leaving, but occupied so short a time before her nervous breakdown. -But she was not permitted to live there very long, because the corner -was too noisy. Her physician, Dr. Thompson, commanded her to live -elsewhere. The doctor assigned her her limits, “jail-limits” she called -them; she might live somewhere between Seventh and Sixteenth Streets, -and on the farther side of New York Avenue. - -She established herself at the corner of Fourteenth and F. Her letters -to her nieces in this period are cheerful, but written under the burden -of physical pain and nerve fatigue. - -On May 23 she received word that her sister Sarah, Mrs. Vester Vassall, -was fatally ill. Though far from well, she hastened to Massachusetts, -arriving in the evening to find that her sister had died that morning. -The shock of her sister’s death, coming as it did when her own health -was so precarious, brought back her old trouble with full force. For -several months she remained in Oxford and Worcester, and then went to -North Grafton--New England Village it was called--where her relatives, -the Learned family, had a country home. There she took a house, and -remained for a considerable time attended by Minnie Kupfer, who had -served with her in the Franco-Prussian War, and, like Antoinette -Margot, had followed her to this country. Her health varied with the -season and with other conditions not all of them easy to determine. -There were times when she had hard chills, followed by dripping sweats. -There were weeks when she had no strength even to lift her head. There -were bright days also, when she moved about with some approach to -health. - -What was the real nature of Clara Barton’s illness during this long -period of suffering? Material is not lacking for a fairly accurate -diagnosis. Having exhausted the resources of local physicians, she -entered into correspondence with a series of doctors, each of whom -professed to be able to bring her permanent relief. Some of these -called for very little information about her condition. Their remedies -were supposed to cure almost anything. But others sent long lists -of questions calling for full and minute replies. Copies of these -questions and of her answers, she preserved. - -From her replies it would appear that there was hardly a bodily -function which was not disturbed. She was subject to hard colds, to -severe headaches, a weak back, digestive trouble, and to periodic -attacks of camp diarrhœa from which so many soldiers suffered for so -many years after the war, this condition alternating with stubborn -constipation. - -But it is evident, as one reads critically these pathetic catechisms, -that she had after all a basis of sound physical health. Her careful -answers to these questions do not appear to indicate a single organic -disease. She had yet to learn that her back, which she thought so weak, -was really remarkably strong, and that her head had little need to ache -when her eyes were not overstrained. And her digestion need not be -seriously disturbed if her nerves were not worn and shattered. - -The most serious symptom that Clara Barton had, through all these -years, was a temperament abnormally sensitive. She was capable of -enduring almost any possible physical or nervous strain, and of -standing up under it well, but when the strain was over and she met -some trivial exhibition of ingratitude, some captious and wholly -negligible criticism, some petulant and despicable bit of opposition, -her nervous energy gave way with a sudden collapse. Her voice failed; -her eyes failed; whatever organ was weakest gave way first, and she -went to pieces like the deacon’s “one-hoss shay.” - -To one who reads those letters at this distance, it seems a thousand -pities that some one, whose scientific judgment she could trust, did -not say to her: “You are organically sound. There is no good reason -why you should be sick. You are tired, and that is not surprising. And -you have magnified innumerable foolish little matters of irritation. -Forget them. Believe that you are well. Half your years are yet before -you,--the better and happier and far the more useful half of your life. -Get out in the fresh air. Live simply. Throw medicine away, and you can -be strong again.” - -In an undated letter written in the early spring of 1876, she gives to -Mr. Dwight an account of her experience since her return to America: - - [Undated. 1876, early spring] - - DEAR MR. DWIGHT: - - I am at New England Village. Some good angel must have inspired you - to write me. I was so anxious to hear of you, and only my physical - weakness has kept me from commencing a search for you long ago. I had - “somewhat” to say to you, as you know, and as soon as I am strong - enough shall find a way to say it. Yes, it is true I am at New England - Village and have been since last April. - - The “world” has not treated me badly in the last four years; but I - could have better borne some bad treatment from others than all I have - had to bear from myself. I have been an invalid most of the time. - I grew very weak at Carlsruhe directly after Belfort, recovered a - little, went to England in the spring of ’72, kept about some months, - but in October broke down with a cough, became too ill to get off - the island, was confined to my bed eight months; in June, ’73, was - able to get over to Paris and recovered sufficiently to come home in - October. My cough had left me, but I was weak, and fearing its return - went to Washington as soon as I could for the winter, broke down again - with “prostration of the nervous system,” if any one knows what that - is, which was deepened and nearly rendered fatal by the illness of - my only sister in Worcester, whom I strove for months to reach. Was - finally brought to Worcester at the peril of my life on the 23d of - May, ’74, arriving at 4 P.M. to find that she had died at 6 in the - morning. I never saw her dead face even. It was one year from that - time before I left the house again, and that to be removed here. I - could not tell you the suffering, physical and mental, of that year, - and I would not if I could. Only a small portion of the time could - I stand alone; averaged less than two hours’ sleep in twenty-four - for almost a year; could not write my name for over four months, and - could not have a letter read to me or see my friends or scarcely my - attendants. Little by little I have grown better until now I am about - my house (for I always keep house). I have for attendant and nurse and - housekeeper Miss Kupfer, of Berne, Suisse, a friend I made there, and - who came to me as soon as she heard of my illness here a year or more - ago and who never leaves me. I am gaining slowly, though weak still; - have had neither physician nor medical treatment for over a year. - Nature does her work as best she knows how; what measure of strength - she may ever give me back I cannot know, probably not great. I suppose - diseased nerve centers and worn-out systems are not likely to mend - very firmly. But one day I shall want to see you, and you will let me - do so, I think. If I am not able to go to Boston, you will come to see - me, I believe, and when I see how it is likely to be with me I shall - write and tell you. Meantime, it would interest me just as deeply to - know how the world has treated you in these last few years as it does - you to hear of me. Can I not know something of you and can I not send - my most sincere and respectful regards to Mr. Jackson, whom I hope one - day to see? - -While Clara Barton was touring New York State on her lecture tours, she -spoke at Dansville, New York, and was entertained at the sanitarium, -popularly spoken of as the water cure. On March 16, 1876, a lady from -Worcester who had been a patient at Dansville called and spent the -greater part of a day with her. She told her that Dansville was “The -place to go and get well.” Miss Barton had resumed her diary, and she -recorded that this Miss Adams seemed to her “not an enthusiast, but a -calm, sensible girl; looks at things in the light of reason and common -sense; and I feel that I can take her reports without discount, and her -opinions on trust.” - -Before many days she had practically determined to go to Dansville, -and that place became her home for about ten years. At first she lived -in the sanitarium; then she bought a home of her own. She adopted the -simple habits of life which there were inculcated. Little by little -her strength returned, until, instead of being an invalid, she was -for her years a woman in remarkably good health. With the return of -health came back her determination to establish the American Red Cross, -and it was in Dansville that the first local organization in America -was established under that name. How she secured the organization and -official recognition we shall presently learn. From her letters at this -time, two may be selected which give some account of the troubled years -through which she had passed, and the great hope which she was now -ardently cherishing. One of these was addressed to the Public Printer -at Washington, whose services she remembered kindly, and with whom she -hoped to have dealings. The other was to her cherished friend, the -Grand Duchess Louise of Baden. - - DANSVILLE, Sept. 8, 1877 - - JOHN D. DE FRIEZE, ESQ. - - Public Printer, Washington, D.C. - - DEAR AND ESTEEMED SIR: - - It occurs to me that it may not be entirely necessary to introduce - myself to you. Even after a lapse of almost a decade you will not - quite have forgotten that there was once a woman by the name of - Clara Barton who, in common with the rest of the moving world, gave - you more or less trouble. However faint these traces remain in your - memory, that cannot dim the brightness which gilds her recollection - of the uncounted favors you so kindly and generously meted out to her - in the hard, busy days when she tried, with little strength and less - power, to carry heavy burdens, and accomplish hard things. Through all - these years the grateful memory of these kindnesses has never waned, - and it so presses itself upon me that I cannot resist the desire to - pick up my pen, far away in this quiet nook of the country, and tell - you how glad I am, and have been, to know you are back again at your - old post, which you ought never to have left, and how thankful I am - to our _good President_ for having recalled you. My first impulse - was to thank him directly, but unfortunately he does not know of my - existence, and could never have found an excuse for my boldness, but - you, my good and honored friend, will excuse it and will not call it - even bold that a hard-worked woman has remembered the strong, kind - hands that helped her on, and after long years has ventured to speak - of it. - - Physically these intervening years have not been easy years for me, - four of them with broken health and a wanderer in foreign lands, two - of them in the Franco-Prussian War and its devastations, four more - a helpless invalid in my own country, and this year for the first, - once more on my feet walking about like other persons, but up to the - present never leaving my home even for a short journey. I think of you - all in that busy capital and wonder if it is true that I too was once - a part of it, and stood erect amid its jostling and excitement. Thank - God He has given you strength to endure to the end! - - Lest I give a wrong impression, let me add that it was _physically - only_ that I referred to my life as hard. Socially and pecuniarily it - is and has been easy and beautiful. I have all the world for friends - and no unsatisfied wants, no necessities, no regrets except that I - am not strong enough to do the work around me which the world needs - to have done. Until now it has not in five long years dared ask of - me the smallest service. Lately the European people have laid upon - my hands an international matter pertaining to humanity for which - it seems proper that I see the President. If I should be able to go - to Washington for this purpose after his return, would you think it - probable I could see and speak with him? - - I hope, Mr. De Freize, my long letter has not been too great a burden - to you. If so, let it console you that it is not without its uses, - for it is a great relief to me to have said a little of that which I - wanted to say so much, and I beg to remain with the highest esteem, - - Always gratefully your friend - - CLARA BARTON - - - DANSVILLE, LIVINGSTON CO., N.Y. - - May 19, 1877 - - MY DEAR GRAND DUCHESS: - - How shall I commence to write you after all these years of silence? - Can it ever appear to you inexcusable? Will the generosity of your - noble nature make you equal to the overlooking of an act which all - the world, less noble and generous than yourself, would condemn - as neglectful or forgetful? But, my preciously beloved friend, if - these thoughts have ever taken hold upon your mind, and left their - unpleasant shadow over the memory of your old-time friendship for me, - and led you to feel that not only Republics, but their people as well, - are _ungrateful_, and that you are only too happy in being relieved - of such as you have known,--if all these dark thoughts and shadows - lay there in your memory of me to-day, and I knew it, and knew also - that they could only be removed by a full portrayal on my part of all - the days and years of weakness, illness, suffering, and affliction - which have caused the silence, I should hesitate long before I brought - the picture to you; your active life and needed energies are not to - be clogged and burdened by woes which do not belong to you, and the - tax upon your sympathies is great enough from those who feel that - they look rightfully to you for sympathy and help. Then let me say - as little as possible of all this, and pass on to other things, and - that little is, that during almost two years of the time since I last - saw you in London, I have been not only too ill to write you, but - too weak to have heard read a letter from you if it had been sent to - me. You will understand from _theory_, and I pray the great and good - God that you may _never_ know by _experience_, what helplessness and - suffering may follow in the train of utter “prostration of the nervous - system.” This was the misfortune that fell upon me directly upon my - arrival in this country at the close of the year 1873, hastened and - deepened by the death of my only sister whose life had been always - dearer to me than my own. It was only last year, 1876, that I was able - to leave my bed and learn to walk feebly about my room, sometimes see - a friend, write a letter, and read my letters; then I was removed - from my home in Massachusetts to this place, the largest and most - noted water and rest cure in the country, where I have resided since, - gradually regaining my strength, and coming back to life a little, but - whether to _usefulness remains to be seen_. I have done everything to - surround myself with healthful and strength-giving influences. The - climate is delicious and I nearly live in the open air. Sleep, which - in all years has been only a _visitor_, has come back to abide with - me more constantly, and there is no night now in which it _quite_ - forsakes me. This was the great necessity, and I feel my strength - returning under its blessed influence. My flesh is also returning - and I am regaining some power of endurance. So far as any usefulness - to others is concerned, I can see in all these years of helplessness - only entire loss, but to myself I hope they may not have been without - their uses and benefits. Through them I have walked narrower and - darker paths than ever before, and stood very close to the dark still - river. Aye, I have pitched my tents and rested there, waited calmly - and sometimes, I fear, looked longingly over on to its other restful - and brighter shore; but its shadows have not alarmed, its waters have - not terrified. God has stood very near, my trust in Him has never - faltered, and my faith has never wavered nor changed. I have known - no fear, and if weakness, suffering, and inaction have made me more - tender and thoughtful, it is well; if the silvery hair they have - spread over temple and brow are a daily reminder that I have no longer - the vigor of young strength, that, too, is well, and I will hope for - added wisdom and gentler kindness. - - Now, my dear, this is all of me, but how is it with you and yours? For - I have heard of you ill and suffering, and dared not ask more. I trust - that is all past, and I should see only the bright, happy face that - left its lovely picture on my memory. The noble husband, is he well? - The beautiful “children”--I can scarcely picture them, for some of - them are _men_ and _women_ now, and I never forget to pray God to keep - and bless them all for the wife’s and mother’s sake. You will remember - that the first great love in my heart for you carried me at one bound - beyond all lines of courtly etiquette, blinded me to the positions and - conditions of rank and royalty, and made me stupidly, awkwardly dumb - to every titled phrase and courtly sentence; it closed and sealed my - senses to all these, but opened them to the loving, tender wife and - mother, the noble woman and the priceless friend. I could not have - spoken a word of flattery to you sooner than I could have put it in my - prayer; it could never have entered my thought to courtesy or bend the - knee in your presence, but I should have lain in the dust at your feet - without knowing it, if I had felt that it could serve you. A strange, - uncourtly friend you have in me, this far-away American woman, my - child, but a friend, nevertheless. - - And now comes up that dread theme that first brought me to know - you--war, dreadful war. My heart has stood still for weeks in anxiety, - fear, and dread. Is Germany, dear Germany, to be drawn into that - terrible vortex? Are her mothers to give out their sons, and her wives - their husbands again so soon? Are the graves to be opened again almost - before they are green, and the wounds before they are healed? Are the - fair fingers of her maidens again to ply the busy hours with bandages - and lint and the trembling grandmothers to labor again with shirts - and socks? And you and yours, who hold and guard the weal of all, are - you to stand in jeopardy, and watch in agony again so soon? Are these - dreadful days I so well remember all to be lived over again? I cannot - yet believe it; neither can I yet rid me of the fear which haunts me - day and night. Constantly the question rises, What _can I do_? And my - weakness answers back, “Nothing, nothing.” If I had the strength of - ten years ago, and the war opened upon you, I should prepare myself - and go, not single-handed and alone, as I was overtaken in 1870, but - I would make my arrangements with my people here for all material to - work with, select my assistants from the German and German-speaking - populations here, take my surgeons and nurses, and go at once and ask - you for a field of labor. Surely you and your good husband and father - and mother would assign me one somewhere! But it is all too late for - this; at the best I can only use my influence and the little strength - I have at home. As a means to this, I have written our good friend, - Dr. Appia, of Geneva, to ask if any help from me would be desirable, - and to say that if it would be acceptable, I would, upon his writing - me to that effect, make the effort to establish an international - organization in my own country for the collection and receipt of - supplies, which should work under the insignia of the Red Cross, and - forward through a headquarters which I would attempt to establish - somewhere near or at New York. Thus would I try to bring the early - and organized efforts of America into direct communication with the - activities of Europe, and try for once to make our charities of some - timely and real benefit, which the great distance and want of proper - organization has hitherto greatly hindered, or nearly prevented. Our - people are generous, tender of heart, and quick in their sympathies, - but they are busy and spread over a quarter of the globe. They do - not become aware of the necessities for assistance in other lands - till great suffering exists and the general Press brings it to their - knowledge. Then they spring with a bound of sympathy and generosity - and give without stint, but their stream has no channel prepared for - it to flow in and runs over and wastes, so that little, very little, - ever reaches the real scene of suffering and want for which it is so - generously given. If I can learn that it would be acceptable and that - there can be established a direct coöperation between the charitable - activities of America and Europe, and that Europe _desires it_, I - shall do all in my power to organize the work early, at _once_ in - America. It is for this I have written Dr. Appia to have him send - me his _request_ that I would do it, that I may use it as a lever - with our Government to gain its sanction, protection, prestige, and - coöperation so far as I can. I shall watch with all interest every - movement and I would be so grateful for any information that I might - gain from European sources regarding the true condition of things. How - glad I should be of any published work or matter, if any exists, which - explains the working of _your_ remarkable system of, or what we term, - “Relief Societies.” I do not know where to send for this but to _you_ - who were the originator and head. If the condition of Europe renders - it desirable, and I am strong enough to organize aid in America, - every word of information on these points would be held priceless. - I am gleaning all I can from such foreign papers as I can get; both - the German and French languages are familiarly used in my house. My - amanuensis is Swiss and speaks both natively, of course. The more I - read, the more I fear what the next months may bring to you, to dear - Germany and to all Europe. And the more I fear, the more anxious I am - to help. Let us pray God the storm may pass, but if it must come, give - us strength and wisdom to meet it well. - - I have long been the debtor of good Madame de Mentzinger, and my next - European letter will be to her, who I hope will forgive my delay. I - was not able to answer her in time. To our dear Hannah I have not - written in years, nor heard. I know the parent family is nearly gone, - and that she has one of her own. I shall hope to hear of her some - day,--the precious child! - - And dear Princess Wilhelm, who seems to me always to be a part of - yourself, may I dare send my love through you to her? I remember once - she graciously told me I might write her. I wonder if the privilege - still exists, or has time annulled it? I know she has had her griefs - and that her precious mother has gone home. - - All that happens to you there in that beloved Court circle is - reflected and felt here in my distant home as if it were a part of - it. I joy in your prosperity and sorrow for your griefs as if in some - way they belonged to me or mine. I could not if I attempted to divest - myself of this interest. I even could not help feeling a solicitous - interest in all that pertained to Prince Alexis in his recent visit - to my country, and rejoiced with a kind of motherly pride in all the - good impressions he made, and felt that I ought to see him, because - he was of your house, and the home cousin of dear Princess Wilhelm. - He, the gallant, princely man, would have laughed at the idea of a - plain, unpretending American woman cherishing a family pride in him - and keeping a motherly watchfulness for his welfare, but your love and - kindness to me when a stranger in your country won my gratitude and - love forever for all that pertains to you. I have followed the late - journeying and visits of your noble father with wonder and joy for - his continued vigor. I so well remember the tender care and love that - dwelt in my heart for my honored father when fourscore winters had - whitened his locks and bared his brow, yet his firm marching step told - not more than fifty summers, and his eye was still clear and his voice - strong; but he left me, the brave old soldier. - - I always regret that I never saw your honored mother, and it was my - purpose not to have left Europe without this distinguished pleasure. - But her precious gift, the beautiful cross, is the chiefest among my - treasures, lying always beside yours. You cannot conceive, I am sure, - _how_ precious those gifts are to me, and do you recollect the sweet - picture of yourself you once sent me for a Christmas gift? It has - comforted me every day through all these suffering years, always near - my bed. It was the first to greet me in the morning, and now, in these - days of better strength and activity, it is no less the admiration of - my friends than it has been the companion of my weakness. - - But I must somewhere make an end to this seemingly endless letter, and - with one thought more I will. - - May I entreat you that, if disturbances and war come upon you, and - there arises any contingency, any want, any point upon which it may - seem that I could, being here, be of the smallest or largest use to - you, or your people, you will not hesitate a moment in making any use - of me that you possibly can; consult with me upon any plan (that it - shall be strictly confidential I need not add) and it will be always - possible for me to confer directly with the head or heads of our - Government, and so far as I can I will influence our people to any - charitable activities or movements which might be desired and which - you kindly suggest to me. How glad I should be to feel myself once - more working with you, that I was perhaps helping you a little, and - the American people would be glad, for you are no stranger to them, - and I want them to know you better still. I pray you let - - Your grateful and loving friend - - CLARA BARTON - - -What she found at Dansville that restored her health is shown in some -of her home letters. She found congenial society, wholesome and simple -food, and an atmosphere that believed health to be possible. The world -is moderately full of sick and half-sick people who could be well if -they knew how, and would believe that they were well. - -She grew strong enough for short tours to neighboring cities. She -became a star performer in the evening entertainments in the -sanitarium, reciting poetry, sometimes writing a poem for a special -occasion, and after a time giving a short lecture about her experiences -abroad. A few of her letters will show her state of health and of mind. -There was nothing miraculous or sudden about her recovery. She had -periods of depression and times of weakness, but she gained strength -and gained it permanently, and was able to take up the greatest work of -her life and carry it through triumphantly. - - “OUR HOME ON THE HILLSIDE” - DANSVILLE, LIVINGSTON CO., N.Y. - July 15, 1876 - - DEAR COZ: - - If Miss Kupfer had not written me that _she_ had written to you since - our departure, I should have written earlier, but I knew she had told - you of our safe arrival, and I thought I had then nothing of interest - to say until I could tell you how I liked my surroundings. I have now - been here seven weeks and find no occasion to regret coming. The place - is simply beautiful in its location and surroundings, made up of hills - and valleys under a high state of cultivation and taste. - - The institution is larger and more flourishing than I had expected, - with about three hundred patients, or persons _as_ patients, and - I think I never saw together any group of people that combines - the degrees of intellect, general intelligence, and culture as - is collected here. The speech of every person one meets is kind, - charitable, and refined. - - The faculty connected with the institution is, I should judge, - skillful and competent, but the general means for promoting health - through proper food, water, bathing, dress, rest, sunshine, open - air, and pleasant surroundings are mainly relied upon; little or no - medicines are ever used. I have neither seen nor heard of any being - used by any person since I have been here; indeed, the great struggle - and effort seems to be to get _out_ of the patients the remnants of - the medicines already taken in the past. - - We have several excellent lectures in the hall during the week and - services on the Sabbath. The Hall is so situated that all can attend. - No change or addition of dress required, more than to go from one room - to another. If one is not able to walk, he is carried if he chooses to - be, and if one does not wish to sit up, he lies down and listens, so - there is no getting weary, no exhaustion, no getting over-tired. One - gets all the good without the bad. - - The tables are _excellent_ and most abundantly supplied. Meats plainly - but well cooked, the freshest of vegetables from their own gardens, - and such abundance of fruit as I never saw, all in its turn. We have - passed through the era of strawberries and cherries and currants, - and are now in the raspberries, white, red, and black. I believe - the blackberries follow next, and so on to the peaches, pears, and - apples of autumn, but the astonishing thing after their freshness and - perfection is their abundance. They are not served to us in saucers, - or on individual plates, but placed in large fruit dishes once in - about three feet through all the scores of tables, each one to help - himself over and over, the dishes being refilled to the last, and we - _leaving_ the tables filled as we _find_ them. The fruit is mainly - picked from the gardens that day for dinner, or the evening before for - breakfast, from two hundred to four hundred quarts for a meal. Besides - this we have always the greatest abundance of “Shaker” dried fruits - cooked for those who cannot take the fresh. New milk from their own - dairy (they have forty or fifty cows), all one can use at every meal; - the freshest of oatmeals and grahams, sweet butter, tapioca, etc. The - vegetables are largely cooked in milk, and harmless. With all these - fruits and vegetables there is no summer complaint here. I have not - heard of a case, and among all these invalid people not a person in - bed, except a few rheumatics who were brought here in beds and are not - up yet. No fevers, no colics, but all out and about in the sunshine, - and on the Hillside’s stretchers and hammocks under the trees. One has - only to be lazy and jolly and get well if they can. - - There are a good many very pretty cottages outside the Main Institute - where persons room, but all meet in the same dining-hall, and in - the same parlor for prayers and singing after breakfast and the - distribution of the mail after dinner. _I_ am in the Institute, or - main building. The views from the verandas are as fine as many I - have heard extolled in foreign countries. A single glance takes in a - stretch of the valley of over ten miles in length, as handsome as a - landscape garden. We are so high above the town that we seldom walk, - but there are always livery teams waiting orders at the door. One - drives or is driven as the choice may be. Dr. Jackson has a stable of - about twelve horses for his and family uses and the work. They are - handsome enough for a _fair_, and I occasionally find that they are - good roadsters. The village below us is pretty and thriving. - - Miss Atwater lives in the village about a mile from me, but comes - to lectures. She is well and seems very happy. I have ridden down - to see her a few times. Her uncle is still with her. He had worked - hard in his hotels for a great many years, been broken of his rest a - great deal, and was considerably worn down, and seems to be glad of - an opportunity to rest a little outside of a hot city. It makes it - pleasant for Fanny till she gets more acquainted, but the people are - very kind and social here. There is no stiffness. - - There are something like fifty people employed as _help_ to do the - work of this Home, but not _one servant_; the word, nor position is - not known here, all are treated equally, all ladylike and gentlemanly, - all treated alike. There is an amusement society, and one of its - features is a beautiful dance once a week from 5 till 8 P.M. Piano and - violin music,--no round dances,--but cotillions and all dances which - are _not injurious_, and the prettiest and most elegant dancers in the - hall are from among the help. - - There is a regularly organized fire company on the grounds, and - the houses are watched and patrolled all night like a first-class - manufactory. No doors are ever locked; all stand open if not too cold. - I have never turned a key in the house. Now, I believe I have told you - all the most important features of the place I have come to, but I - have been very careful not to overdraw it, for I _hope_ some of your - journeys may sometime bring you to take a look at it for yourself, and - I would not like you to be disappointed. - - I hope this severely hot weather has not been too much for you, and - that sometime you will find time to drop a line to your - - Affectionate Coz - - CLARA - - I neglected to say that I find a good many old friends here. Our - chaplain was a member of the Sanitary Commission in Washington, and - the Reverend Dr. Abbott, who is here with his family, was President of - the Christian Commission. Love to any who may inquire. - - CLINTON HOTEL, ROCHESTER - Sunday [1876] - - DEAREST MAMIE: - - Does the date take you by surprise? Don’t be alarmed, it’s all right. - I am only on a visit of a few days. Dr. Jackson, Miss Austin, and - several other lady friends made a party and came last Friday to stay - several days in Rochester, and enjoy the change and rest, and here - we are having a glorious time. All but I can go to operas, church, - lectures, galleries, etc., etc., and I can stay by and keep guard - and direct the servants how to order the rooms, to have all ready - and jolly for them when they get back. Mrs. Jones, principal of the - Dansville Seminary, and a Miss Reynolds, who is “Thirza Ann” in a - Betsey Bobbet Club we have here and a capital dramatist, are my room - companions in the hotel. There is no lack of fun with two such fertile - brains about. We go home next Tuesday. - - Now that I am through with myself, let me turn to you and say how glad - I am that you have been to the Centennial and enjoyed it so well, made - so much of it, and got home so well. What a beautiful gift that was - from Mr. and Mrs. Shrubler, to you, that trip, a hundred-fold more - than the beautiful dress which was a thing to be most grateful for, - but it will wear out in time, while nothing short of eternity can take - from you the knowledge and benefits of that exhibition. It is a thing - for a lifetime, not only its pleasure but its profits. Please thank - them both for me for this thoughtful courtesy to you and for the good - dress also, and indeed for all their kindnesses to my little girl, who - I know is grateful for herself, but I am also grateful for her. - - Now, you see I have not your letter here and cannot answer it as I - ought, for I really do not recollect the questions it asks, neither - do I recollect when I wrote you last, or what I told you then, so - this letter is liable to be a repetition or an omission, but you will - forgive this in either of the circumstances. I had a good letter from - Ida just an hour before I started from Dansville and have answered it - from there. She is a very easy, natural correspondent and would make - a fine writer in some special directions if she could be cultivated. - She sends me advertisement of your Papa D.’s farm. I was a little - surprised at this, but it shows him in earnest in his assertion that - he would like to be rid of it, and I do not wonder that he feels it - a burden. It is more so than if it were larger and would afford more - and efficient help, and pay for outlays. I consider it one of the most - laborious sizes that a farm can have if one intends to use it as a - farm, and if not, then it is too large. Four acres of nice buildings - would really be worth more in the way of comfort, and these buildings - have got to an age which will call for constant repairs, and the house - is never convenient nor built for a farmhouse; in fact it was not - intended for a farm by Grandpa, and there was no farm till your father - made it so by his cultivation, for it was waste land. - - Did I tell you that the Taylors had sailed for England? They must be - there now. How sweet and beautiful they were when here, and how in the - two or three little days they spent here they made themselves felt - and beloved. Mrs. Taylor is really one of the sweetest women I have - ever known. Fannie is at the Centennial and I have just one line from - her. She is almost frantic from the confusion. You know her head gets - troubled easily, and she had not got it rested from the journey and - the first days of the great show. She will remain long enough to find - herself and look clearly and see what she “went for to see,” I trust. - I am glad you have heard from Etta and glad they are getting on so - well. Please give a great deal of love to dear Anna and congratulate - her on her Centennial trip which, I trust, she enjoyed to its fullest, - and thank Mr. Shrubler for his good gift to my dear old brother. I - know it has made a warm spot in his heart for all the time he will - live to wear it, and with his poor health and tendency to melancholy - his joys are not too many. Mr. Shrubler has given him a great many - pleasures, and I thank him most earnestly for them all. - - My kitty is charming. She knows almost as much as folks, and has just - taken to mousing. She often carries in two and three and sometimes - four and five bits of game a day, and all the family have to recognize - each one before she will be at all quiet. She is too comical, standing - at the door with her nice white face and her mouth full of mouse and - grass, calling all the household out to see her. - - Yours lovingly - - CLARA - - -Miss Barton’s views on health, on politics, on society, on idle women, -and incidentally, perhaps, her best description of herself, her tastes -and habits, is contained in a letter of this period to a learned German -professor, who, knowing of her life in Germany, wrote to her, and -proposed to visit her. It is interesting to note that in this letter -she speaks of her hair as having been dark brown and changed in a few -months of illness to a silvery gray. It did not remain gray, but with -her return of health resumed its color of brown, though not so dark as -before: - - DANSVILLE, LIVINGSTON CO., N.Y. - - April 17, 1877 - - ESTEEMED AND DEAR FRIEND: - - I beg you not to be alarmed even if you were correct in your - conjecture that illness caused my silence. It is very true, but I am - so far recovered now that, although not released from my bed, I have - taken up my pen again, and yesterday, before receiving your card, - had laid out your last letter as one of the first to be answered. I - might, or I might not, have reached it to-day in regular order, but - now, I place it first, and commence my morning roll-call with “Prof. - Thed. Pfau,” and a long, narrow, blue-tinted envelope responds, half - wearily, half impatiently, “_Here_.” So “here” we have it. - - First, having _admitted_ illness, which I never do if possible to - avoid, I must settle your apprehensiveness; it is no new play, or act - or scene, simply a calling before the curtain for repetition. I have - in these exhausted days only a given amount of strength, and if, by - any accident or oversight, I overdraw on my accounts, I am at once - bankrupt, and can carry on business no further. Having been in former - days accustomed to draw from an unlimited and ever-recruiting stock of - strength and health, I find it a difficult problem to solve, how to - bring myself down to the necessary economies of my present condition. - I cannot realize that a few hours, a few rods, a few steps even, a - little overwork at my desk, the quiet arranging of a simple room, a - little overrun of company, may use up all my little capital, and I - must wait and compromise with my creditors, start business anew on a - smaller scale, and work my way up again to the lost point, probably - only to lose it again. A month or six weeks ago I committed some - one of these extravagances, and immediately comes a notice from my - physical banker shutting off my supply of sleep. He had been allowing - me nearly seven hours in the four and twenty, but he cut it down - to three, two, one, a few minutes, none at all, and so left me for - several days and nights, then let it come back in a similar ratio up - to--Oh, well, no matter how much, but not _seven hours_, no, nor for - a long time to come; but I can get up and walk about my room and sit - part of the day; and I write, because it is better for me to write - chatty letters, with no thought in them, than to relapse into solid - thinking as I would in doing nothing. One sometimes needs to be saved - from himself. - - I do not know if I have ever told you of my illness, or what holds - me so weak. It is what is known as “prostration of the nervous - system,” and very complete at that, I suppose. I am not aware of - any decided organic disease, only as all the organs are affected by - this great letting down of nerve power and force. Of the class of - disease generally denominated “female weaknesses” I know nothing - experimentally. Of the lame backs and aching _lower_ spine, that the - majority of feeble women suffer torture from, I am ignorant, and - can sympathize with them only through observation, but of the _hot_ - sore spot on the spine, high up between the shoulders, leading up to - the base of the brain, bursting into flame at every over-taxation - of mental energy, I know all. It is the same thing that over-worked - public men sink under, in sudden deaths, softening of the brain, - paralysis, or something analogous to these. This is the illness that - has become my master and will one day prove my conqueror. There is - no looking forward to “restored health,” soundness and _security_. - The price of not only my liberty, but my life is “eternal vigilance.” - Now a truce to illness, to which, thank God, you are a comparative - stranger, and I pray Him you always may be. - - I have received “Puck” since his advent into this warring world, and - he is growing to be a fine little fellow, stout and healthy, a jolly - little elf, isn’t he? His _wit_ will get him some clips over the nose - by and by, when it begins to be felt, but this he does not care for, - for he _means_ to bite. I laughed heartily at his satire on Stanley - two weeks ago, and yet Stanley is a valued friend, and I have fought - terrible battles for him on both continents, but the imitation is - excellent and full of ingenuity. The cuts are, of course, inimitable. - Mr. Kepler’s pencil has a master touch, and I wish him long life, - abundant success, full pockets, and artistic fame. - - The spring is opening well here. We have had a succession of charming - days, followed now by a rain which is bringing up the green grass - and swelling the buds almost to bursting, but we have no leaves yet. - Some wild trees which precede their leaf life by their flowers are - out in spring dress; a kind of woods willow, which bedecks itself in - deep yellow, is very gaudy just now; the peach trees are pushing out - their little soft gray pussy toes all over their red branches, and the - horse-chestnuts, with their blunt ends tipped with swollen round buds, - look as if they had doubled up their fists for fighting and said to - all their more tapering, slender neighbors, Come on, we are ready! We - are yet a month too early for the first roses. - - Perhaps I told you that I removed to a snug brick city-built house - for the winter. I have changed it this spring for a much older and - country-like wood house, which has some trees, grass, and shade, a - garden, and _perhaps_ some flowers if the sunshine brings them up. - I am, of course, all too unpretending and simple in my life to have - a gardener, so shall lack the beauties which such assistance would - develop. I was once a very tolerable gardener myself among flowers, - but I have no longer strength to spend on the strong lap of Mother - Earth, much as I love her and her dear little nurslings of cowslip and - violets, but good sturdy old dame, she does a great deal without help, - and knows very well how to dress herself without the aid of a _fille - de chambre_. - - But here I am on this fourth large page, and not even yet noted the - contents of your letter. The photograph! I am sorry that you withheld - it, I should have been very glad to receive it, if you would entrust - it to me, and I still hope you will decide to do so. I should prize - it, but I cannot say when I should be able to return the favor. I - have no photographs either good or bad. I am never able to go to a - gallery to sit for one. The last time was in Paris. All I ever had - have been picked away long ago. I am the debtor of all my friends for - pictures, some of them several times over, but they know how it is, - and I hope excuse me. If I should ever again be in condition to sit, - and can get a result that my friends will accept, I will take them - by the hundred and relieve myself from embarrassment, but you should - know that as a _picture_ my photograph is not at all to be coveted. If - natural, it must be uncomely. I was _never_ what the world calls even - “good-looking,” leaving out of the case all such terms as “handsome,” - and “pretty.” My features were strong and square, cheek-bones - high, mouth large, complexion dark; my best feature was perhaps a - luxuriant growth of glossy dark hair shading to blackness, but that - is comparatively thin now, and silver gray, all within the last three - years. It changed from its original blackness to its present shade in - the first six weeks of this present illness in 1874. I never cared - for dress, and have no accomplishments, so you will find me plain and - prosy both in representation and reality if ever you should chance to - meet either. I beg you to _believe_ this and to _remember_ it to avoid - any disappointment which might possibly occur. Not that I think it - could change the friendship of a sensible person, but I like people, - and especially my friends, to know me as I am, and not hold a false - estimate of me. - - Of poor Miss R. (Lorraine Raymond) I never hear a word. It is - charitable to attribute her silence to want of scholarship, but I am - inclined to disbelieve the verity of this. I believe her to be a very - fair scholar, and an average (to say the least of it) correspondent; - but she seldom writes, I know. She wrote me a few letters from Europe - _years_ ago, none of late years. She has a kind heart, and I am so - _so_ sorry for her. - - I hope the trial of your brother will not result disastrously to him. - Perhaps one cannot easily control a dislike, but he has certainly - chosen a most powerful foe, and the odds _seem_ unequal. I agree with - you in more than word, when you declare the Imperial Family of Germany - to be a _respectable one_; it is all of that, nothing in Europe stands - before it, and those of it whom I have known personally are of the - highest excellence and purest worth. I am sure the more intimately - they are known, the better they must be beloved. The Grand Duchess - of Baden is to _me_ the loveliest woman on the earth; in this term I - mean to combine all qualities of both mind and body; both nature and - culture have made her a _Princess_. And I cannot see why she is not - as good a Republican as if she had been born a peasant, or a Suisse, - or American citizen; in no position would she knowingly do a wrong or - commit an act of tyranny to the lowest human being whether subject - or not. “Tired of Republics,” you say. Perhaps if you study your own - meaning closely you will find that you are rather tired of politics - than Republics. And, my esteemed and valued friend, let me in all - childlike simplicity suggest what does not perhaps clearly appear to - you, viz., that the standpoint one occupies, the surroundings one - has, the outlook one takes, have a great deal to do in forming the - opinion and swaying the judgment. I am sorry that you must perforce - see our country, its political, moral, and social sides, through the - slum, and mire, and haze of a lens like New York City. Out on our - millions of acres of hills, valleys, and plains is a better, purer, - nobler population, the force of whose earnestness and honesty will - save our Nation long ages after the pollution of its cities would - have turned it into a Sodom and Gomorrah. There is a true, steady, - honest pulse beating in the veins of the yeomanry of this land that - never throbbed a second in a city like New York, and never will; but - when the trial comes, _it is the pulse that will tell_. Tweed and his - “ring” didn’t go to the farmers sweating in their hay-fields with - their _bargains_. They went to the politicians, and burrowed in the - cities and made their nests like the bats and owls, under the eaves of - churches and in halls and steeples; they can plan, and connive, and - twiddle and fiddle with the lines a long time while the farmers work - in their fields, but when real danger appears, when the load topples - and is likely to upset, stouter hearts than theirs will come to the - front, stronger hands than theirs will take the reins, and bring out - the load in safety. We are not so near destruction as it would seem - from _your_ standpoint, and because a few poor, vain, foolish women, - with little money and less brains and shriveled hearts, have betaken - themselves to the boarding-houses of New York City, and are living - false, empty, silly, idle lives for _show_, it does not make it that - this is the character or life of _all_ the women of America, nor that - well-regulated _homelife_ is not the rule of the country, _for it is_; - and I, who am a part of it, and have lived it, and over and among it, - all my lifetime, know it _well_. Shall we judge France and its whole - people by the courtesans of Paris, or Germany by Berlin? Oh! my friend - and brother, do, I beseech of you, get another standpoint, and a wider - outlook and a clearer, purer atmosphere than New York City with its - floodtide of immigration before you judge, in final judgment, the - whole population, male and female, of this great country. - - I thank you very much for the hope expressed that we may meet in - Paris in ’78, but there is small prospect of this. I shall scarcely - cross the ocean again. I have much to do to save my strength with no - unnecessary waste, but the hope expressed that we may meet before - that time is something nearer home, and more within the range of - _possibilities_. I should never dare by any means to invite you to - visit me, and I never go to your part of the country, so the prospect - of our meeting is small. Perhaps I ought to explain the above remark, - having very incautiously made it, and I will. I am a so much more - simple person in my mode of life than you have probably ever seen - (except those whom poverty compelled to simplicity) that you would - not feel happy or homelike in my house. I am simple in my tastes, - and plain, avoiding luxuries from choice and _principle_, both - about my house and in its dress, and my table and its furnishings. - My living is simple as a hermit’s, heavy meats, and wines, teas, - and coffees are unknown at my table, my rooms plain. I have only my - housekeeper--no retinue of servants at all, no show, no ornaments, no - excuses; but with all this there is great peace and quiet, no worry, - no fret, no fears of what the world will think or say, no pressure in - any direction, abundant supplies for all _necessities_, no scandal - either spoken or listened to, no backbiting, and no “skeleton in the - closet,” not even the _shadow_ of one. Now, all this simplicity and - plainness, and the absence of excitement and luxurious surroundings - and living, must be so different from all that you are accustomed to - that you could not be happy or even comfortable among it, so I should - never _dare_ invite you to visit me, even if you were journeying near - me, and so, when you see that I do not, you will understand the true - reason and assign the right motive on my part and not feel piqued or - slighted, or that I am cold, or eccentric, or reserved, or in any way - unaccountable, or any other thing, but just _what I am_, a plain - woman with enough of common sense to perceive that our modes of life - are so different that you could not enjoy visiting me, and fearless - candor enough to tell you so. - - Your sincere friend - - CLARA BARTON - - -How Clara Barton was regarded at Dansville is shown in many ways, as in -the following cutting from the Dansville “Advertiser” of June 7, 1877, -giving account of an exercise on the previous Memorial Day: - - OVATION TO MISS CLARA BARTON - - Toward noon on Memorial Day the bustle of preparation to go downtown - to the procession and oration seemed to arouse a new impulse of - gratitude to the soldiers’ friend, Miss Clara Barton, which spread - rapidly through Our Home, and soon organized itself in a programme of - proceedings for the evening, when she should have rested a little from - the fatigue of her participation in the public celebration. - - By six o’clock a goodly number of men and women and children had - gathered in Brightside and on the surrounding lawn. Soon this company, - consisting of doctors and other officials, the stronger patients and - helpers from the Cure, a few near-by neighbors, and the inmates of - Brightside, were marshaled two by two on the walk before the gate. - Of the hundred nosegays which the girls had hastily tied up and - heaped on a server, none were left when each person had taken one; - and these, with numerous “flags a-floating,” made the procession gay - as it moved on, led by the clergy. The Conesus brass band, taking - tea at the seminary, had patriotically agreed to add to the dignity - of the enterprise by their numbers and their music. Meanwhile one of - the company had casually (apparently) in a neighborly way dropped - into Miss Barton’s parlor, and lured her on to the front piazza in - time to witness the approach as the allies joined their forces. Being - entirely taken by surprise, she could only exclaim to her attendant, - “What does it all mean? What shall I do?” when she saw the battalion - bearing down--rather up--on her castle. Evidently she was completely - subjugated without a gun being fired, and looked helplessly and - speechlessly around on the lines of exultant faces which, filing - right and left, had environed the piazza in a semicircle. It still - required some gentle force, however, to seat her on the chair in - readiness for her. At this juncture Miss Austin, stepping forward, - said: - - MISS BARTON: After joining our sympathies with our fellow citizens at - large in paying a tribute of respect and gratitude to the brave men - who fought and suffered and died for their country’s salvation, the - inmates of Our Home come with gladness to greet a _living woman_--one - who worked and suffered and gave her strength and health in - alleviating the pains and sorrows, the homesickness and heart-sickness - of our soldiers. And we are thankful that your mission was not alone - to _our_ soldiers, but that you represented a vastly broader and - nobler sentiment than mere patriotism--that you were actuated by that - grand humanity which forbade you even in war-times to know any North - or any South; but that every man to whom you could in any way minister - was your brother. We rejoice in this, because you then represented the - selfsame spirit which must yet bridge over the chasm that has hitherto - divided the two sections and make us one united brotherhood--a happy - and prosperous country. - - But, dear Miss Barton, your life and labors have carried you beyond - _our country_, and through you we hold fraternal bonds to the whole - world. In foreign countries and in a foreign war, you spent your - sympathies and your efforts, not on the Germans, nor on the French, - nor on any nationality; but everywhere, every man, every woman, every - little child who needed help or loving succor, received these from you - in the full measure of your capacity to bestow. - - We come, then, to lay our honors at your feet as a citizen of the - world, as a friend to humanity, as a lover of your race; recognizing - the work which you have done as a foreshadowing of that time when - men shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into - pruning hooks, when nations shall not lift up sword against nations, - neither shall they learn war any more. - -Miss Austin then introduced Reverend Miss Anna Oliver, of Passaic, New -Jersey, who said: - - The feeling of enthusiastic admiration with which I have long regarded - one whose course has reflected honor upon her country, upon womanhood - and humanity, prevent me from making a set speech on this occasion. - - Several years ago I had the pleasure, Miss Barton,--I may say the sad - pleasure,--of visiting Andersonville Prison, and the cemetery laid - out under your supervision, placing a flower on each of those several - thousand graves. During that visit through the South, I frequently - heard the name of Miss Barton mentioned with gratitude and love, both - by those who had served in the Confederate and in the Union armies. - - War is terrible, and we all know, of course, that no such thing as - a necessary war ever occurred. But as long as wars are actualities, - how blessed is the thought that the barbarities of past ages may be - superseded by the gentle Christian ministrations, a representative of - which we delight to honor to-day. - - We mourn the fratricidal strife - That digs each soldier’s grave; - We strew the flowers on the sod - In honor of the brave; - But most of all we rev’rence those - Who seek man’s life to save. - - They marched on the advancing foe - They nobly fought and fell; - But there were those attending near, - ’Mid shower of shot and shell, - As brave in a diviner cause, - Who did their part as well. - - To-day we pay our tribute of respect to the names of Florence - Nightingale and Clara Barton. - -Dr. Jackson then, being called by Miss Barton to her aid, thanked her -friends in her behalf and happily expressed what he imagined might be -her feelings on the occasion. When he had finished, the “Star-Spangled -Banner” was sung by the choir. - -Miss Barton now spoke briefly and feelingly of the honor done her and -the happy memory to be cherished. Sometime she might express herself -better. The most she could do now was simply to offer these friends a -hand-grasp. - -Then each person laid down his offering of flowers till her lap was -piled high and her feet were buried deep in a pink-and-white mound, -each as he passed claiming the promised hand-shake. While this was -going on, the band played an inspiring air and the people of the -hillside retired with the pleasant consciousness of having enjoyed a -happy half-hour. - -Afterward Miss Barton had a personal introduction to each member of the -band, who had so kindly assisted in paying honor to one enjoying the -reverence and affection of the American people, as of all classes, from -the lowest peasantry to the crowned heads in Europe. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FORERUNNERS OF THE RED CROSS - - -When Clara Barton began her ministry in the Civil War, she had -practically no knowledge concerning work that had been done in America -or elsewhere for the relief of wounded soldiers. She did not remember -even to have heard of Florence Nightingale until she was actually -engaged in work of a similar character. When, at Port Royal, she was -serenaded and hailed as “the Florence Nightingale of America,” she -knew what it meant, but she had not known very long. She took up the -duty just as Dorothea Dix and other brave women did, in an earnest -effort to do the thing that needed to be done, and she learned how to -do it by doing it. She discovered the defects in other systems then -employed, but did not criticize them. She realized the difficulties -under which volunteer workers were working, and she carefully refrained -from passing any unkind judgments upon organizations that were laboring -under almost insuperable difficulties. But she found her own method of -work, and she performed it with a success which, without robbing any -other brave woman of any portion of her due fame, wrought for Clara -Barton a crown of unfading laurel. - -Not until she found herself in Switzerland, and was asked by Swiss -representatives of the Red Cross why America had refused to join in -that movement, had she found occasion to study the history of movements -for the relief of wounded on the battle-field. - -The sick and wounded in the wars of the Crusades were cared for, -inadequately but nobly, by the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of -Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. These Christian knights ministered -alike to Christian and Saracen. In some of the subsequent wars of -Europe the Sisters of Charity of the Roman Catholic Church rendered -such service as they were able. - -And yet the history of the care of the wounded in all the wars, from -the dawn of history, is one of cruel and, in many respects, of needless -suffering. - -During the Crimean War Florence Nightingale with thirty-eight nurses -went from England to Scutari, across the Bosphorus from Constantinople, -and rendered service which made her name a household word the world -around. It was Clara Barton’s lifelong regret that she did not meet -Florence Nightingale during her long stay in England, but she was sick -and so was Miss Nightingale, and neither thought of the other as being -within call. - -The real beginning of the movement which resulted in the organization -of the Red Cross began with Henri Dunant, who was born at Geneva in -1828. When he was thirty-one years of age, in 1859, the forces of -Sardinia and of Victor Emmanuel, with the allied army of France under -Napoleon III, waged war against Austria for the freedom of northern -Italy. At the battle of Solferino, forty thousand soldiers were killed -or wounded. The defeated Austrians retreated, and the French and -Italians pursued, leaving the wounded almost deserted. Surgeons at that -time were not protected from attack, and the surgeons of each army -moved on with the army. Dunant gathered women of the neighborhood and -gave what relief he could without distinction of nationality. - -On his return to Geneva, filled with tragic memories of the scenes of -horror he had witnessed, he issued a pamphlet entitled “Souvenir de -Solferino.” In this he described the scenes which he had witnessed, -and propounded this question: “Would it not be possible to found and -organize in all civilized countries volunteers which in time of war -would render succor to the wounded without distinction of nationality?” - -Geneva had an organization for philanthropic and humane work, known as -the “Society of Public Utility.” Its president was Monsieur Gustave -Moynier. He was deeply moved by Dunant’s pamphlet, and sent out an -invitation for a conference to organize “An International Conference -for Investigating Means to Supplement the Inadequacy of Medical -Services of Armies in Campaigns.” - -This led to the conference of August, 1864, to which reference has -already been made, in which the United States was unofficially -represented by Mr. George C. Fogg, American Minister to Switzerland, -and Mr. Charles S. P. Bowles, European Agent of the Sanitary Commission. - -All this Clara Barton learned as she studied the history which lay -behind a movement in which she was to have so important a share. Of -movements in the United States she already knew. - -The United States Sanitary Commission was organized in New York City on -May 18, 1861, with the Reverend Henry W. Bellows, D.D., as president. -The good which it did in the Civil War was incalculable. In cooperation -with it was the Western Sanitary Commission, organized in St. Louis on -September 5, 1861. - -The Young Men’s Christian Associations of the country led in the -organization of the United States Christian Commission, which was -formed in New York, November 16, 1861. Besides these were innumerable -societies which were formed by women for the furnishing of supplies, -the establishment of rest homes, and the distribution of comforts to -soldiers. - -When, in 1864, the United States was asked to participate in the work -of the Red Cross, there was very little inclination on the part of -Government officials, to treat this request with any more courtesy -than official etiquette required. The Government did not feel very -kindly toward European Governments for their attitude during the war of -our rebellion. We had established our own agencies for the relief of -suffering, and had no inclination to add another. - -When the war was over, however, Dr. Bellows was confident America would -join in the International Red Cross. He issued a long letter addressed -to Monsieur Henri Dunant, who was acting as “Secrétaire du Comité -International de Secours aux Militairet Blessés.” This Dr. Bellows did -as President of “The American Association for the Relief of Misery of -Battle-fields.” On its title-page was emblazoned a Red Cross as the -insignia of the organization, the first time that symbol was used in -America, and, until Clara Barton’s day, the last. - -In this long and earnest and discriminating letter, intended to arouse -public sentiment in America, Dr. Bellows told, with great plainness of -speech, of the inadequacy of even those splendid organizations with -which he himself had been associated. He said: - - Good intentions and humane sentiments are not alone qualifications for - this duty.... Volunteer agents are the dearest that can be used.... It - is useless to expect correct information on the wants of the soldier - from the Government, or the Medical Bureau, or even the General - Officers. The last thing to which a Government attends in an active - war is the sick and wounded. The Medical is the least interesting - bureau to it, and as a rule army surgeons have hard and coarse views - of humanity to soldiers. General officers seldom see with their own - eyes the details of want and suffering. - -He paid a high tribute to the work of the women in the war. He said -that virtually the whole womanhood of the Nation was engaged in it. He -spoke of the women in hospitals, and said that some of them had done -well, but that “detailed men are the appropriate nurses in military -hospitals. Women are rarely in place at the front, or even at the base -of armies.” He said that, of the women who went to the front, “most -of them were in the way, with a few rare exceptions, where tact and -humanity were united with force and endurance.” His letters to Clara -Barton leave no doubt as to one whom he considered in the forefront of -these exceptions, combining, as she did, tact and humanity with force -and endurance. - -Dr. Bellows’s effort fell completely flat so far as the organization of -the society was concerned. He became thoroughly discouraged and gave it -up, and years afterward rejoiced when he saw Clara Barton accomplish -what he had vainly striven to do. - -This was the situation as Clara Barton learned it, when returning -health brought back to her the strong purpose of proceeding at once to -the organization of an American Red Cross. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE YEARS OF LONELY STRUGGLE - - -For several years after the Franco-Prussian War, Europe was at peace. -But trouble was brewing between Russia and Turkey, and no one knew -what the end of it would be. The probability that there would be war -in Europe appeared to Clara Barton to indicate a possibly favorable -condition of public sentiment in America for the consideration of the -Red Cross. If there was to be war in Europe, and we were to be asked -to help in the relief of the suffering it would cause, it would seem -fitting that there should be some international organization by which -relief could be gathered on this side and distributed upon the other. -The American public would then see some reason why America should be -interested in an organization of this character. - -Clara Barton communicated with Dr. Louis Appia, who had called upon -her in Switzerland, and with whom she had been associated in the -Franco-Prussian War, offering to assist, in such way as she might be -able, in effecting a suitable organization. - -From Dr. Appia and from President Gustave Moynier, she received prompt -letters, and, with these, official appointment to represent in America -the International Committee of the Red Cross. This correspondence is -lengthy, but of the greatest possible value and must be included in -full: - - DANSVILLE, May 17, 1877 - - DR. LOUIS APPIA - - Member Société Internationale of the Red Cross - of Geneva - - MY ESTEEMED AND DEAR FRIEND: - - If years have passed since any word from my pen told you of my - existence, and if the precious letter from you has lain many months - unanswered, it has not been the fault of my memory, nor the loss of - friendship, nor interest in you nor in the glorious and holy work - which engrosses and fills your noble life. It has been simply that, - ill, weak, worn, and suffering, I have been lost to the work of the - world, and to the friends I honored and loved. Four long years have - found and held me powerless to strike a blow on the great anvil of - humanity, or labor one day in its vineyards, and for the most part - too weak even to hear of those who did. But the strong brothers and - sisters have toiled bravely on while I waited. The great wheels have - slowly turned, until they have ceased to crush me so low, and grind - me so small, and once more I begin, under God’s Providence, to reach - out my hands into the passing atmosphere of life and feel the breezes - blow over the seared and fevered palms. Once more I dare turn my eyes - toward the labor-fields and their faithful workers; in my land, bright - with its western sunbeams, aglow with beauty and abounding in plenty, - they sew and glean in peaceful valleys. - - But beyond the eastern waves, in that dear old land that four years - of life there taught me to love so well, I see again the flash of - the bayonet, the march of armies trampling down the harvests; the - terror-stricken fly for rescue, and the wounded cry for help. Again - the Red Cross, like the bow of promise, rises over the scene, again - the shout from its inspired origination rings out amid the din of - arms, and its clear, brave tones reach me even here in my quiet - chambers, and my heart, with all its old memories stirred to their - depths, goes out in response; it bids me seize my pen and say to you - that what there is of me is still ready for my work; that like the - old war horse that has rested long in quiet pastures, I recognize the - bugle-note that calls me to my place, and, though I may not do what I - once could, I am come to offer what I may. Then, would I have taken - the next steamer, and in two weeks have stood beside you, asking where - to go, and what to do, but as that is not for me now, my brain and - heart must do what my hands cannot. My plans are made, and, such as - they are, I send them to you for acceptance and coöperation. - - First, I cannot quite rid myself of the lingering hope that the - terrible vision of war before you will vanish before its full - realization, but if not and the nations are drawn into its vortex, - God only knows the end. I cannot foresee it, but I can foresee that - my country will open its heart and its hand in aid as soon as the - cry of want and suffering shall reach it; this never fails. The - American nature is free and impulsive, its sympathies are quick and - responsive, and it has neither power nor desire to withhold aught - from the distressed. But, ready as America will be, she is far away - from the scene, can understand but vaguely the steps necessary to - the proper gathering, sending, and bestowal of her gifts. So without - some definite and well-arranged organization, however large and - generous her donations, she will fail of accomplishing any real or - perceptible good, as she has always failed before in all similar - efforts, at foreign aids. Foreseeing this, I would, if possible, step - in to fill this place, and hold back this waste of waters till they - can be turned into their proper channels. And for this, my honored - friend and brother, I write to you, to ask if I can be of service in - this direction. If so, I will do my best to form such an organization - in America, if you and your Committee desire it. As it is now, in - spite of all efforts which you have so generously made to spread the - knowledge of your society and its great objects in this country, it - is almost unknown, and the Red Cross, in America, is a Mystery. I am - safe in asserting that not one person in a hundred on this side of - the Atlantic ever heard of it; not one in five hundred has any clear - idea of its uses or design. The Franco-German War failed entirely - in introducing it either to the people or the Government, and so - will this present war, unless some active hand takes hold of it, - to organize the war reliefs under its escutcheon. It is not enough - that some good person stands inactively as the _representative_ of - the society in this broad country. To be learned it must be brought - into active use. It must have a National Headquarters, sanctioned - by the Government, where the flag of the beautiful Red Cross floats - day and night, in war and in peace. It must have its different State - organizations, and its smaller relief societies all working under its - insignia. This accomplished, the charities gathered from the people - should be passed to the State and thence to the National Headquarters, - and, these being always in communication with you, they would be - shipped intelligently and reach at once a field in need of them. - My heart aches when I think of all the thousands upon thousands of - dollars in goods and grains sent to France in the best of faith by our - people in 1871 and wasted; lost, squandered, and sold on its borders, - it being impossible to gain transportation or penetrate the army - lines; and all for the want of the proper knowledge and organization - at home. It will be the same thing again unless some method is taken - to centralize, organize, and prevent. - - I have only a word more to add, and I feel called to make the - suggestion I make by the fact that I am perhaps almost the only - American who you can feel has been a co-worker with you, whose manner - of work you _know_ something of, and whom you can class as a personal - friend and thus address familiarly. And my suggestion is, that if you - feel that I can serve your cause, and humanity through it, in the - manner I have described, you will let me know your desires _at once_. - If you will write me immediately upon receipt of this, asking in your - own name or that of the International Society, that I do all in my - power to aid you in the work, and to use my power with my people and - my Government, so that it can be seen here that such a want is felt, - such a work needed, and that the call is from the highest and original - source of international relief in war, investing it with the highest - importance, I will have your letter placed before our President and - Government and ask their sanction and approval, if not the pecuniary - aid; for that I never ask. And if it is inclined to be so gracious, it - may perhaps appoint a Head to the work, thus, by its notice, investing - it with an importance, and throwing about it a protection, which - it could in no other wise secure. This would forever establish the - knowledge and the work of the Red Cross for which its noble founders - have striven so bravely and faithfully in every mile of American soil. - The soldier would learn to trust it, the father would honor and bless - it, the mother would bind it over her torn and aching heart as she - kissed her soldier boy good-bye, and the little children even in the - wilds would come to know and love its beautiful face. - - Now, my honored friend, this is not an appeal that you make _me_ the - head of your noble order in this country, the active working head - I mean, for I have little ambition at best and none now, but it is - to tell you that such a head must be made before the order here can - ever come to be of the smallest possible use to the world. Thus far - it has failed, and I see no way to establish it but by a call coming - earnestly from you and being actively and unselfishly and powerfully - and wisely placed before the moving powers of this Nation and the - people. If you have already some person in your mind who will do this, - or who you prefer should attempt it, then it is all well, only see - that he does his duty and is not asleep at his post. There is no more - time for this. But if you have not such a person in mind, and feel - that I can serve you acceptably, you have but to let me know and I - will do all in my power. Please write me at once. The stronger your - appeal to me, the better use I can make of it, and meanwhile I shall - not be idle or inactive, but will hope to hear from you within the - next six weeks, say by the 1st of July. - - Please accept my most grateful thanks for the kind sympathies - expressed in your letters of last year which I was too ill to answer, - and remember me in great respect to your family and the mutual friends - in my home in Geneva. - - Perhaps to you, as a physician, it would be proper to state that my - long illness has been, as you most likely would suspect, “prostration - of the nervous system,” and you know how slowly one rallies from this, - and with what difficulty the strength is regained. I am now at my - best by far since 1873; am about my house and grounds, ride, walk, - meet friends, and sleep tolerably well, not as in the old days on the - ground without bed or pillow, but comfortably, and am always gaining a - little in strength. - - I trust this may find you well, and it will carry to you the best - wishes and most sincere esteem of - - Your friend - - CLARA BARTON - - - [_Translation_] - - PARIS, June 14, 1877 - - MISS BARTON, AND HONORED FRIEND: - - It is in French that I write to you, for you would laugh at my bad - English. I am at present in Paris on a visit at my brother’s. I hear - that Mr. Moynier has written to you on the same subject which will - make the contents of this letter. I expect Mr. Moynier in Paris in a - few days, which will give me the opportunity to talk the proposition - over with him, which we both wish you to take an interest in. - - Mr. Moynier has undoubtedly told you that our Committee has tried - for these last ten years to give to an American Committee an active - existence, but we failed. In the first years our communications were - made through a Mr. Bowles, then residing at Paris, with whom we ceased - to correspond, not seeing that we arrived to any certain result by - this channel. Later we have been in direct communication with Dr. - Henry W. Bellows, President of a phantom Committee in New York, from - whom we seldom receive an answer. Having therefore no proof that that - committee was active, we ceased to correspond, and we at last learned - officially that that committee was officially and entirely dead. From - that time, about a year since, we considered the Red Cross as not - existing any more in America. I need not speak here of the disease - which has caused that death. You are an American and you know better - than we the temperament of your Nation. Our hope to entertain the life - has been nourished in us by the reading of the admirable work which - America had made for the care of the wounded during the Secession - War. We spoke of it at length in the thick volume which Mr. Moynier - and myself have published under the title, “The War and Charity,” and - which obtained the integral prize of the central committee in Berlin. - Mr. Moynier has told you, without doubt, how happy we should be to - see a work come into life again in your rich and generous America, - which had shone with such a bright luster at the epoch when it was - stimulated by the mighty auxiliary of the patriotic motive. We know - little what America has done for the victims of the Franco-German War, - which you have seen and during which we have for some time worked - together, and I am not surprised that many generous gifts have been - lost for want of a good organization, and especially for want of - being able to establish regular communications with the armies by the - channel of an American auxiliary committee residing in Europe and - which would offer all the security. - - If you, my honored friend, could succeed in organizing something - durable in America, in relation to the Oriental War which appears - only in its beginning, you would have nobly crowned the work of - devotedness to which you have consecrated your life. I do not know - what means of execution Mr. Moynier proposed. I shall write again - upon that subject, when I shall have seen him, so that we agree - completely together in what we tell you. Permit me, however, now to - communicate to you some ideas. You can without doubt become the soul - of this revising work, but you cannot be its _body_. America is not - so different from Europe that my experience cannot profit you for - your country. Now, medicine teaches us that a soul without a body - has no life at all, at least upon earth. Perhaps even it is better - that a woman should be the soul; her moral influence, her earnest - entreaties near the Governments and authorities are often better - accepted and consequently more efficacious. I do not therefore see - any inconvenience that you should be for America the _head of the - Order, the active working head_,--why not? If you feel to have the - brain power as much as I know you have the moral power, but then - create immediately under that head a body, arms to write, to arrange - methodically, to publish, to keep the correspondence, either alone or - under your dictation, for copying, etc., after that, feet for running, - to go, to come, to collect, to buy, to make multitudes of visits and - receive visitors, as we were obliged to do in Geneva in 1870, where - during two months my ten rooms were never empty all day long, each one - containing a secretary, man or woman, to write and to receive a host - of visits which would have killed a President, and of which hardly - a quarter had really any other practical use than to enlighten the - public and to keep up its zeal, not always rational. - - Surround yourself at once with a little body of persons full of - good-will and capacity, docile to your directions, either women or - young men, especially doctors. Amongst the latter choose a secretary - who must be entirely at your service and who probably ought to be paid. - - 1. The first work seems to me to be to awaken the attention, the - sympathy, and the confidence of the public. Without the public, no - money, and without money no material help. You know as well as myself - the means to attain this end is publicity, the power of which is, I - believe, greater in America than in any other country. - - 2. Complete study of the practical and sure means to carry an - efficacious relief to the armies in the Orient. To that effect - one needs to correspond very often with all the relief committees - of Russia, of Rumania, of Serbia, of Montenegro, and even of - Constantinople. It is necessary not to conceal to one’s self that - these intercourses, easy enough on paper, are very difficult in - reality, if one does not want the money or the relief to be lost - to the profit of the war, rather than to the profit of the unhappy - victims. - - In order to obtain this, and our Committee can be of use to you, - and between Mr. Moynier and myself we shall do all we can to help - to enlighten you. But you must also have direct intercourse with - the relief committees of the different countries which are at this - moment engaged in the war, although administratively the international - communications from neutral countries are made by the International - Committee. You know by experience that many letters are in that - case lost in the hands of employees, subordinates, or men too much - occupied, and that one needs to throw the bait often and on several - sides, at the risk of losing much time. - - 3. You must put yourself in direct communication with your President. - I see in it the use, first, to augment your credit in the country; - second, especially to obtain that your letters and your sendings be - given up by persons in high positions and influential, in particular - ambassadors and consuls. You know that question by your experience in - the American war better than I do, and I shall not enlarge upon it. - - 4. You must have money, and you know the means to procure it. The - Sanitary Commission has collected sixty millions of francs during your - war, especially by immense bazaars. In our country bazaars always - succeed, much more so than collections, and produce three to four - times as much. They always succeed, while collections oftentimes fail. - - 5. Once having the necessary money, the question rises, if it would - be advisable to choose two commissaries,--for example, two young - physicians supplied with a recommendation from your President,--who - should go together to Europe with instructions and _plein-pouvoir_ - from your new Committee, directed to go first to Geneva to the - International Committee and from there to go directly to the - Headquarters of the Russian army, in order to make its acquaintance - and to obtain from it the authorization to circulate in the army - and to gather all the information necessary for your work. It would - be desirable that they speak tolerable French, this language being - the official one in Europe; if they speak and write only English, - they would lose time and would not always be understood. Those two or - three commissaries should be posted on the theater seat of the war - and should give you all the news by an active correspondence. They - ought probably to engage themselves not to write on politics. I never - did it in war-time of Italy, Schleswig, and France. Besides these - commissaries, you need an office or an agency in Europe to whom all - the relief funds must be addressed and who would take the charge of - sending them on wherever the commissaries indicate. I do not know what - our International Committee will decide upon this, but I think it will - be disposed to be an intermediary between America and the belligerent - armies, as it has done during the War of 1870 by the agency residing - at Bâle placed there by us. This agency has received five hundred - letters, besides other correspondence, every day, either for France or - Germany. Notice, however, that our Committee wish to show an absolute - neutrality and should certainly refuse to coöperate in anything like - a political party. It is, therefore, necessary that your publications - speak out your intention to remain neutral and to carry the relief - indifferently to all those who suffer. That will not hinder you to - correspond more particularly with the Russian army, which for you is - more accessible, with whom the communications are easier, and for - whom I believe America has more political sympathy; but you must - insist on your principle of neutrality in your publications and let - this position be known in Constantinople, and especially to the - Committee newly formed in that city. Your commissaries, after their - arrival at Geneva, might remain there some days in order to study a - little our library which contains everything that has appeared since - the beginning of our work. It would be desirable, however, that the - Committee of the Red Cross in America should buy the principal works, - and that there should be a commission of several established persons - who would take it upon themselves to study them and to give an account - of them; there is a little in every language. - - I have sent you a number of our International Bulletins which appear - every three months, and in which I have spoken of you. The annual - subscription being only six francs, your Committee would take two - subscriptions and by it would know all that is done in the different - countries. Last year we sent three delegates to Montenegro, an - interesting little country, where with material help and money we can - do a great deal of good, and where one is received like a Divinity by - this enthusiastic population, but which is also jealous and suspicious. - - Our old delegates being at Geneva, yours could receive numerous and - useful information. Before realizing this ambassador, we had three - months’ study and treating. - - I send you my discourse made in Brussels, which for your case does - not contain any immediate application. I might give one to your - hypothetical delegates as they pass through Geneva. - - As you see, Miss Barton, and honored friend, I began with the idea - that the American Society of the Red Cross should revise and assure - its stable existence by an immediate employment of its power through a - practical application; relief funds to send to the belligerent armies - of the Oriental War. Once consecrated by action by the remembrance of - what it has done, its basis will be firmer, its credit more assured, - and then you will be able to give it a definite form and shape which - experience will have shown you to be the most useful. - - Not knowing yet what Mr. Moynier has done during my absence, I shall - not send you the letter which I wish to address to your President, but - shall do it as soon as I shall have seen him, if he has not already - done it. - - Write to me at any time concerning the affairs of the Red Cross and - I shall reply as well as I can, being always in accordance with Mr. - Moynier’s wishes, who does not know English. - - You would do well to have Mr. Moynier’s pamphlet translated into - English, “What the Red Cross is.” My little volume, entitled “The - Surgeon at the Ambulance,” has been translated into English either in - England or in America; perhaps it would be well to have a new edition - of it for the circumstance. At last our volume “The War and Charity” - has also been translated into English. For all our publications of the - International Committee and its members it suffices to address Mr. - George, Librarian at Geneva. Perhaps it would be necessary and useful, - after you have plenty of money and fellow-laborers, to publish every - three months a small bulletin of your work in one of the good American - journals. - - And now, my dear Miss Barton, I have talked enough to you about the - Red Cross. I have given you my ideas provisionally, expecting better - ones later. You see, I have spoken to you familiarly and with an - entire confidence and fraternal friendship which our intercourse and - our common work in Europe has brought forth. - - May God sustain you, if you do undertake this new work, and, in - entertaining and augmenting your corporal strength and brain power, - may He continue to inspire you with that moral irresistible power, - that invincible strength, which He alone can give and which the - incredulous humanitarian never can give. - - Accept, Miss Barton, and honored friend, the assurance of my - respectful friendship. - - LOUIS APPIA, DR. - - - DANSVILLE, July 1st, 1877 - - DOCTEUR LOUIS APPIA - - Membre Comité International de Secours aux - Militaires blessés, Geneva - - DOCTEUR AND HONORED FRIEND: - - I cannot find the words to properly express to you my gratitude for - the kind and careful manner in which you have treated my letter. But - first allow me to thank Madame Appia for her generous part, and all - the prompt care she took to place it in the proper hands, and let - me thank both for the excellent photograph, so welcome now, and for - all the future to be preserved among my choicest and most honored - keepsakes. - - How kind it was of you, my good friend, to give me so much of your - time and labor, embodied in that long letter so filled with valuable - suggestions! If nothing more comes of it, it will at least bring us - to an understanding in reference to the actual existence and standing - of the Order of the Red Cross in America. I was extremely guarded - in my letter, not at all knowing how you stood in regard to your - selected representative in this country, for I knew you had one, and, - if you were satisfied, I did not wish to ripple the calm waters of - confidence and security by even one pebble of discontent or doubt. - I wrote cautiously like a woman. _You_ have spoken out like a man, - and it is well. With the pains your Comité have taken, the Red Cross - should have been known and honored in every household in America - to-day. It has not _died_ here: it was still-born; it has never once - gasped on our shores; the nurses to whom you delivered it have never - even uncovered its face, and America does not know that this holy - child was ever an applicant for her adoption. She would have received - it with open arms at the close of our war, when her own wounds - were unhealed, and her memories fresh and tender. She will be less - enthusiastic now at the end of a ten years’ peace, and no prospect of - war. Still, the understanding and heart of the American people will - lead them to examine and promote whatever cause has for its object - the benefit of mankind, or the alleviation of human woe. I think I - know my people, and although, through want of proper opportunities, - or physical strength, or mental capacity, I may not be able to move - them in this matter, this fact will in no way affect their general - character, and, when all things combine for the proper presentation of - this subject to them by whomsoever it may be, it _will_ be received - and adopted by them. Your suggestions are excellent and lay out much - such a field of labor as I had looked forward to, and all this would - be easy of accomplishment in America, if an urgent necessity existed. - Until it does, it would be, I suspect, a difficult task to work up - sufficient enthusiasm, but it was in anticipation of such a necessity - that I was endeavoring to prepare the way. The simple war between - Russia and Turkey might not be able to awaken the people, for we - have a comparatively small element of either nationality among our - populations, but if other European nations engage and Germany, France, - and England, or all become involved, the interest in America will be - scarcely less than on the other side. Then would be a repetition of - the old sad days of the Franco-Prussian War, when every heart was sad - and every purse open, they tell me, and half America in mourning. - - Now, my idea was, in anticipation of such a state of affairs in Europe - as should call for the sympathies and aid of the Americans, to be - prepared with an organization, which would be only the body of clay, - like the first man Adam, until the breath of life was breathed into - its nostrils. This breath would be the necessity and the call for help - from the suffering fields and peoples of Europe; then it would be well - that the body were created to receive it. The first step, it seems - to me, is to find and appoint to the head of the work some person in - America who will have the spirit, the interest, the enterprise, the - determination to _push_ the work, and bring it before the country and - the people, or the honest conscience to resign the position in favor - of some one who will, and not hold it for years, as an empty honor, - smothering out its life, and leaving the country in ignorance of its - existence. - - I am very grateful to you for the kindly interest you take in the - subject of my health. My sleep, which I know to be the great want, - is always gaining, and digestion improving, and these without the - slightest artificial aid. I never took a grain of morphia in my life, - and probably never in all combined a tablespoonful of medicine to - produce sleep, and now I take nothing; for the last three years not - one particle of medicine, relying entirely upon my food, rest, and - open air for my restoration. All I have gained has been by the aid of - nature alone; thus I know the foundation is solid and sure. I allow - nothing to trouble me, as indeed I have no cause for trouble. I walk, - or work in my garden, or lie on my stretcher like a soldier under the - trees several hours every day; and here come around me the memories of - the past, the busy present, and the needful future. I wonder what you - are all doing over this broad world, and how I can help you. If I find - myself able to carry on a work I shall do it; if not, I shall endeavor - to inspire those who are. - - Your friend - CLARA BARTON - - - [_Translation_] - - TO MISS CLARA BARTON - Dansville, Livingston Co., N.Y. - - MISS BARTON, AND WORTHY FRIEND: - - According to my promise I write to you after having seen Mr. Moynier, - although I have nothing very new to tell you, and have only to confirm - what I have written to you in detail. I can therefore be brief this - second time. Mr. Moynier and myself are equally sympathetic to your - plan, and we shall be happy if you succeed in founding in America a - permanent work of the Red Cross. And we shall help you in it with our - influence to the extent of our power. - - Mr. Moynier has written me that he has already told you so. He - has added to his communication a suggestion which indeed is very - important, i.e., that you obtain from the Government of the United - States the signing of the Convention of Geneva, which has already - been done by all other civilized states in Europe and out of Europe. - Without this signature, the private work of the Red Cross is - paralyzed. Here is an example of what has very recently taken place - in Montenegro, of which we have asked the signature before putting - ourselves in relation with it, and before sending to it our three - delegates with help for their wounded. All succeeded very well, and - Montenegro has entered eagerly into the general alliance of the - Convention of Geneva. It will be the same with America, we will hope, - which has remained back until now. But in order to ensure its success, - it will probably be necessary to make a summary communication to the - Government what the Convention of Geneva is, its destiny, and what the - Red Cross is. You will find all the desirable details upon this point - in the pamphlets or works which Monsieur Moynier mentions or sends to - you. It will be necessary that some person take cognizance of this - work with you, and assist you in it. The Red Cross has existed since - 1863. Since then it has given birth to an entire new literature, so as - to make by itself a real library. - - And now, my worthy friend, go on courageously with faith and hope. - The cause is good: let us defend it everywhere and let us be firm in - upholding the banner of charity. It will be ever the surest means of - combating the principle of war. - - Write to me when you have done something, with or without translation. - My previous letter will give you all the details of my manner of - viewing it. - - As to our participation in your sending of _secours_, I think with - Mr. Moynier that it would be better that we offer our coöperation - directly, when we succeed this time in founding an International - Agency. As formerly in 1870 we have founded one in Basle, which - has been very active and useful, and consequently if you have any - substance or provisions to send, it would be better that you send - directly. - - Besides we shall always be at your service to help and advise you, and - we shall be very glad to be kept informed what you are doing, and we - shall publish your work in our trimonthly Bulletin. - - I could not see again Mr. Moynier, but I know he has nothing important - to add to what I say and to what he has already written to you. - I believe, therefore, you have from us all the indications and - information which we can give you. There remains nothing else for me, - Miss Barton, than to repeat my good wishes for your useful enterprise. - May you feel your physical strength to keep up and increase, as much - as your moral, for the good of others and for your own satisfaction. - - I have nothing more to add, and I will not put off any longer this - last letter. - - Accept, Miss Barton, and worthy friend, the expression of my - respectful devotion, - - LOUIS APPIA, DR. - - - [Rough draft of letter without date, but evidently written about July - 1st, 1877] - - MONSIEUR S. MOYNIER - Président du Comité International de la Croix rouge - - MY ESTEEMED FRIEND: - - Permit me to thank you, as I do most sincerely, for your kind and - excellent letter of June 20th, and say how happy I am to find you so - fully concurring with the ideas I had advanced in relation to the - action to be taken in the attempted establishment of your beautiful - Order of the Red Cross in America. It is unnecessary for me to assure - you that I will do all that lies in my power to accomplish this - end, believing as I do most implicitly that every step taken toward - softening and humanizing the conditions of war is a _double_ step - toward its extirpation from a place among the codes of nations. This - proves itself by the unfailing fact that the more barbarous a nation - and the more inhuman its modes of warfare, the more frequent and - unmitigated its wars. This conviction, added to the strong desire - which has grown within me to lessen the sufferings of those who must - compose armies while they do exist among the nations of the earth, - will prove a sufficient stimulus to all the powers of my nature, and I - will bring to the object the fullest strength I possess, and then, if - with your best aid I fail in my purpose, I must be content to submit - to the inevitable. - - My intelligent friend and your compatriot, Mademoiselle Küpfer, has - begged to add a letter to you, which I am most thankful for, as - she can speak to you in your own tongue, and with a clearness of - expression which I could not. I shall be very busy for the few coming - hot weeks of August translating the many valuable pamphlets so kindly - sent me, from which I hope to gather a knowledge of the action of - the Society and familiarity with its spirit, which may enable me to - convince my Government of the right and propriety of what we ask it to - do, the wrong and absurdity of withholding it, and secure from it at - least an _official reply_ to your invitation to join the Convention. - - I will not make this communication longer, excepting to repeat my - thanks for your kind letter, and the generous spirit in which it was - written, and assure you of the great pleasure it will afford me to - be of never so small a service in a cause so noble and holy. With - assurances of the highest esteem I remain, - - Most honored Sir - Very truly - CLARA BARTON - - - DANSVILLE, LIVINGSTON CO., N.Y. - Sept. 27, 1877 - - MONSIEUR MOYNIER - President - - ESTEEMED SIR: - - Your communication of the 19th August, enclosing a letter addressed - to the President of the United States, arrived in due time, and my - impulse was to write at once assuring you how kind and satisfactory I - found them both to be. But at that moment I hoped it would be possible - to see the President and present your letter very soon, and thought - it better to defer my reply to you until this were accomplished, and - I had some results to communicate. But you will perhaps have observed - that the President and several members of his Cabinet are making - very extensive travels over the country this summer, and since the - arrival of your letter he has never been in Washington or acting in - his official capacity in any place, long enough for me to reach him. - We had expected an extra session of Congress to be convened on the 3rd - of October, which would have ensured his presence in Washington, but - even _this_ being now uncertain, I feel that I must not longer delay - my letter to you, with the assurance that it shall be my pleasure to - present your letter to the President at the earliest moment in which I - can reach him, and whenever this is done, I shall at once transmit to - you the results as well as the nature of the interview. - - With kind regards to Dr. Appia and sentiments of the highest esteem - for yourself, - - I am - - Very truly - - CLARA BARTON - - - WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES - January 14, 1878 - - DOCTOR LOUIS APPIA - Geneva, Switzerland. - - MY ESTEEMED FRIEND: - - I feel that it is time I should tell you gentlemen of Geneva what I am - doing or trying to do in America with our favorite subject of the Red - Cross, but, as my present letter, from the incompleteness of my work, - cannot take the form of a report, I will address it, not to Monsieur - Moynier, as the President of the Convention, but familiarly to you, as - my friend and co-worker. - - I remember to have written in the autumn that I could not get an - opportunity to present the letter of Monsieur Moynier to our President - until his summer journeyings were ended. But when he returned to - Washington in October, I came here also, a distance of some four - hundred miles, and commenced slowly and carefully my work. - - I found the great difficulty to consist, not in the opposition I - should meet at first, but in the facts that no one understood the - subject, and there was no printed literature pertaining to it in the - language _familiar_ to the people to whom I desired to present it - (with the exception of our State Department, which is, of course, - conversant with all languages). - - Thus my only method was to translate, write and rewrite, and explain - until an understanding and interest were created. I did not think it - wise to present the letter of Monsieur Moynier to President Hayes - until the subject was somewhat understood by the parties to whom he - would be compelled to refer it, viz., the State and War Departments, - leading members of the Bar, as counsellors, and some of the prominent - members of Congress. I accordingly commenced with these parties - myself, explaining the subject, and doing my best to create an - interest and secure coöperation whenever the matter should come up - for discussion or decision. From Congress I proceeded to the heads of - departments and their assistants, and, gaining an audience, explained - the cause to them one by one. The interviews were frequently very - long, and I have, with most of them, not only left a full translation - of the Resolutions, but read them with them, hearing their queries, - and explaining the practical working of the system as I had seen and - known it. - - When I thought I had sufficiently guarded the outposts, I ventured to - ask audience of the President (this was only last week) and presented - to him the letter of Monsieur Moynier and a copy of the Resolutions. - - President Hayes received the letter with great respect and will refer - it to the Secretary of State for decision. - - I had previously found, by examination at the State Department, that - the subject had once come before our Government at the time of the - Convention in Paris, and been declined by President Grant, and his - Secretary of State, Mr. Fish, on the ground of danger from _entangling - alliances_, which it was a fundamental principle of our Government - to avoid. This record stands in my way, and the greatest difficulty - I shall have to meet and overcome will be this previous decision. - If it had never been presented at all, and I had thus no former - decision to reverse, I should hope for a comparatively easy task, but - _formalities_ and _courtesies_ stand greatly in the way of reversing - or setting aside the decisions of a previous authority, and especially - such authority as General Grant and his popular Secretary, Mr. Fish. - This adverse decision I hold to have been the result of a hasty and - improper presentation of the subject without suitable explanation, - and, from the lack of a full understanding of the system, it was - considered wisdom on the part of our Government to let it alone. - - Now, I do not despair of success in the end, for I have met only - the greatest courtesy and most patient attention on the part of all - officials, and I promised the President that I would wait within call, - in order to be ready to make any explanations and answer any questions - which he or the members of his Cabinet might desire to ask. I have - no definite idea of the length of time they may hold the matter under - consideration before deciding, but it is so far progressed that my - own attorney can probably assist me, and he will arrive here in a - day or two. This is the Honorable Judge Hale, of the State of New - York, one of the best counsellors in the country, and is not only my - personal attorney of many years, but also a near relative. I did not - call him until I had thoroughly prepared the ground, but now that - the heads of the Government understand the subject properly through - my explanations, I must wait and let them make their points of law - upon it and decide. One thing I am certain of, that it would have - been of very little use for any one to have presented the request in - an ordinary manner, or who had not time to spend upon it, or was not - willing to work for the cause. With that previous refusal in the way, - it will require great care, labor, and perseverance to gain the point - desired, but I shall not despair until I must. I regret that I have - not in all this time a more certain progress to report, but I thought - it proper to let you know what stage of the work I am in, and that - all that is possible is being done. It is almost three months since - I left home and came here to work for this cause. My health has not - suffered, but has held firm beyond any expectation of mine. I must - think this is largely due to the great kindness and friendly courtesy - which has been extended to me on every hand. Every official person - listens patiently to all I have to say, and asks with the greatest - kindness what I would like him to do to further my wishes or aid my - cause, and I know that, if in the end the Government refuses to sign, - it will be only upon a strict point of law, which it feels bound not - to overstep (after mature deliberation), and it will be grieved to - feel compelled to disappoint either the members of the Convention or - myself. The Government of so vast a country as the United States is a - great body to move, and, in order to accomplish anything under it, it - is necessary that one have some knowledge of it, some weight with it, - and an endless patience and perseverance. - - I hope it will not be another three months before I can send some more - decisive information, which I shall not fail to do at the earliest - moment. - - My address while in this city will be in the care of that most worthy - and estimable representative of your Republic, the Honorable John - Hitz, Consul-General of Switzerland, whose guest I am. - - Begging pardon for so long a letter which tells so little, and hoping - that this finds both you and Mrs. Appia in excellent health, and with - most respectful regards to Monsieur Moynier, I remain, my esteemed - friend, - - With assurances of the highest esteem - - Truly yours - - CLARA BARTON - - -Armed with this authority, Clara Barton now undertook to secure public -interest in and official recognition for the Red Cross which existed in -Europe, but in America had no existence whatever excepting in her dream -and hope and prayer. There still are extant a very few copies of the -thin little pamphlet which she issued in 1878 addressed to the people -of the United States and the Senators and Representatives in Congress. -It will bear quoting entire. It contains the sum total of the knowledge -which America had of the Red Cross in 1878: - - THE RED CROSS OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION - WHAT IT IS - - BY CLARA BARTON - - _To the people of the United States, Senators and Representatives in - Congress_: - -Having had the honor conferred upon me of appointment by the Central -Commission holding the Geneva Convention, to present that treaty to -this Government, and to take in charge the formation of a national -organization according to the plan pursued by the committees working -under the treaty, it seems to me but proper, that, while I ask the -Government to sign it, the people and their representatives should be -made acquainted with its origin, designs, methods of work, etc. To -this end I have prepared the following statement, and present it to my -countrymen and women, hoping they will be led to endorse and sustain a -benevolence so grand in its character, and already almost universal in -its recognition and adoption by the civilized world. - - CLARA BARTON - - _Washington, D.C._ - - - WHAT THE RED CROSS IS - - A confederation of relief societies in different countries, acting - under the Geneva Convention, carries on its work under the sign of the - Red Cross. The aim of these societies is to ameliorate the condition - of wounded soldiers in the armies in campaign on land or sea. - - The societies had their rise in the conviction of certain - philanthropic men that the official sanitary service in wars is - usually insufficient, and that the charity of the people, which at - such times exhibits itself munificently, should be organized for the - best possible utilization. An international public conference was - called at Geneva, Switzerland, in 1863, which, though it had not an - official character, brought together representatives from a number - of Governments. At this conference a treaty was drawn up, afterward - remodeled and improved, which twenty-five Governments have signed. - - The treaty provides for the neutrality of all sanitary supplies, - ambulances, surgeons, nurses, attendants, and sick or wounded men, and - their safe-conduct, when they bear the sign of the organization, viz., - the Red Cross. - - Although the convention which originated the organization was - necessarily international, the relief societies themselves are - entirely national and independent; each one governing itself and - making its own laws according to the genius of its nationality and - needs. - - It was necessary for recognizance and safety, and for carrying out - the general provisions of the treaty, that a uniform badge should - be agreed upon. The Red Cross was chosen out of compliment to the - Swiss Republic, where the first convention was held, and in which - the Central Commission has its headquarters. The Swiss colors being - a white cross on a red ground, the badge chosen was these colors - reversed. - - There are no “members of the Red Cross,” but only members of societies - whose _sign_ it is. There is no “_Order of the Red Cross_.” The relief - societies use, each according to its convenience, whatever methods - seem best suited to prepare in times of peace for the necessities of - sanitary service in times of war. They gather and store gifts of money - and supplies; arrange hospitals, ambulances, methods of transportation - of wounded men, bureaus of information, correspondence, etc. All that - the most ingenious philanthropy could devise and execute has been - attempted in this direction. - - In the Franco-Prussian War this was abundantly tested. That Prussia - acknowledged its beneficence is proven by the fact that the Emperor - affixed the Red Cross to the Iron Cross of Merit. - - Although the societies are not international, there is a tacit compact - between them, arising from their common origin, identity of aim, and - mutual relation to the treaty. This compact embraces four principles, - viz., centralization, preparation, impartiality, and solidarity. - - 1. _Centralization._ The efficiency of relief in time of war depends - on unity of direction; therefore in every country the relief societies - have a common central head to which they send their supplies, and - which communicates for them with the seat of war or with the surgical - military authorities, and it is through this central commission they - have governmental recognition. - - 2. _Preparation._ It is understood that societies working under the - Red Cross shall occupy themselves with preparatory work in times of - peace. This gives them a permanence they could not otherwise have. - - 3. _Impartiality._ The societies of belligerent nations cannot always - carry aid to their wounded countrymen who are captured by the enemy; - this is counterbalanced by the regulation that the aid of the Red - Cross societies shall be extended alike to friend and foe. - - 4. _Solidarity._ This provides that the societies of nations not - engaged in war may afford aid to the sick and wounded of belligerent - nations without affecting any principle of non-interference to which - their Governments may be pledged. This must be done through the - Central Commission, and not through either of the belligerent parties; - this ensures impartiality of relief. - - That these principles are practical has been thoroughly tested during - the fifteen years the Red Cross has existed. - - The Convention of Geneva does not exist as a society, but is simply - a treaty under which all the relief societies of the Red Cross are - enabled to carry on their work effectually. In time of war, the - members and agents of the societies who go to the seat of war are - obliged to have their badges _vizéed_ by the Central Commission, and - by one of the belligerents--this is in order to prevent fraud. Thus - the societies and the treaty complement each other. The societies find - and execute the relief, the treaty affords them the immunities which - _enable_ them to execute. - - And it may be further made a part of the _raison d’être_ of these - national relief societies to afford ready succor and assistance to - sufferers in time of national or widespread calamities, such as - plagues, cholera, yellow fever and the like, devastating fires or - floods, railway disasters, mining catastrophes, etc. The readiness - of organizations like those of the Red Cross to extend help at the - instant of need renders the aid of quadruple value and efficiency - compared with that gathered hastily and irresponsibly, in the - bewilderment and shock which always accompanies such calamities. The - trained nurses and attendants subject to the relief societies in - such cases would accompany the supplies sent and remain in action as - long as needed. Organized in every State, the relief societies of - the Red Cross would be ready with money, nurses, and supplies, to - go on call to the instant relief of all who were overwhelmed by any - of those sudden calamities which occasionally visit us. In case of - yellow fever, there being an organization in every State, the nurses - and attendants would be first chosen from the nearest societies, and, - being acclimated, would incur far less risk to life than if sent - from distant localities. It is true that the Government is always - ready in these times of public need to furnish transportation, and - often does much more. In the Mississippi flood, a few years ago, it - ordered rations distributed under the direction of army officers; - in the case of the explosion at the navy yard, it voted a relief - fund, and in our recent affliction at the South, a like course was - pursued. But in such cases one of the greatest difficulties is that - there is no organized method of administering the relief which the - Government or liberal citizens are willing to bestow, nor trained and - acclimated nurses ready to give intelligent care to the sick; or, - if there be organization, it is hastily formed in the time of need, - and is therefore comparatively inefficient and wasteful. It would - seem to be full time that, in consideration of the growth and rapidly - accumulating necessities of our country, we should learn to economize - our charities, and ensure from them the greatest possible practical - benevolence. Although we in the United States may fondly hope to be - seldom visited by the calamities of war, yet the misfortunes of other - nations with which we are on terms of amity appeal to our sympathies; - our southern coasts are periodically visited by the scourge of yellow - fever; the valleys of the Mississippi are subject to destructive - inundations; the plains of the West are devastated by insects and - drought, and our cities and country are swept by consuming fires. - In all such cases, to gather and dispense the profuse liberality of - our people, without waste of time or material, requires the wisdom - that comes of experience and permanent organization. Still more does - it concern, if not our safety, at least our honor, to signify our - approval of those principles of humanity acknowledged by every other - civilized nation. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS - - -It is important that this book shall make plain, by means of all -necessary emphasis, and if need be by reiteration, that the United -States did not come automatically or promptly into the sisterhood of -nations associated under the banner of the Red Cross. From 1864 until -1881 was a period of seventeen years. The United States was the last -of the great civilized nations of the world to ratify the treaty. It -is also important to make plain that the work of securing this tardy -recognition of the Red Cross on the part of the United States did not -devolve upon an organization in this country, or upon a group of people -laboring together. If ever a great enterprise came into being as the -result of the persistent, indefatigable effort of one person, that -result was achieved by Clara Barton in securing the adhesion of her own -country to the international agreement which included the Red Cross. - -Clara Barton undertook to secure national recognition for this -organization during the administration of President Rutherford B. -Hayes. She had already begun work in this direction as early as 1876, -and it seemed that she had every requisite for success when, in 1877, -President Moynier addressed an official letter to President Hayes -informing him of Miss Barton’s appointment, and asking that the United -States come into the agreement. But the promised success was delayed. - -President Hayes received Miss Barton at the White House, and listened -courteously but not enthusiastically to her story. So did the -Attorney-General of the United States, the Honorable Charles Devens, -to whom the President referred her, and who found no serious legal -obstacle in the way of her desire. Each sent her with a note of -introduction to the Secretary of State. President Hayes wrote the -following little note: - - EXECUTIVE MANSION - WASHINGTON, 4 Jany, 1878 - - MY DEAR SIR: - - Miss Clara Barton of New York State has some plans regarding the - mitigation of the cruelties of war which she wishes to present to you. - Please give her a hearing and such aid and encouragement as may be - deemed by you fit. - - Sincerely - R. B. HAYES - - HON. W. M. EVARTS - _etc., etc._ - - -But the movement encountered apathy and quiet but determined -opposition, and resulted in no executive action. - -In a little scratch-book I find Clara Barton’s own account of this -disappointment. Her narrative goes back to Civil War days and then -proceeds with her experience overseas, and her service in the -Franco-Prussian War: - - As I journeyed on and saw the work of the Red Cross Society, more - accomplished in four months under their systematic organization than - in our four years without it, no mistakes, no needless suffering, no - starving, no lack of care, no waste, no confusion,--all busy and at - work, a whole continent marshaled under the banner of the Red Cross, - working instead of weeping, nursing instead of waiting,--as I saw all - this and journeyed and worked with it, I said to myself, “If I live to - return to my country I will try to let her people understand the Red - Cross.” I did more than resolve; I promised other nations I would do - it. In 1873 I returned, more broken than I went. There had been years - of helplessness in which I forgot how to walk; still I remembered - my resolution and my promise. I came to Dansville and I brought that - resolution and that promise with me. After about two years I was able - to go to Washington with a letter from the International Committee of - Geneva to the President of the United States asking once more that - America sign the Treaty of Geneva. - - Being made the official bearer of this letter, I presented it in 1877 - in person to President Hayes. He received it kindly and referred it - and me to his Secretary of State, Mr. Evarts, who in his turn referred - it to his Assistant Secretary, Mr. Frederick Seward, as the person - who would know all about it, examine it, and report for decision. Mr. - Seward had been the Assistant Secretary of his father and of Secretary - Fish when it had been previously presented. He remembered this refusal - and referred me to the record. He regarded it as a settled thing. I - saw that it was all made to depend on one man, and that man regarded - it as settled. I had nothing to hope for then, but did not press the - matter to a third refusal. It waited and so did I. - -Nor had she any better success in her approach to members of Congress. -They were either apathetic or positively hostile. They knew nothing -about the Red Cross and they cared less. The United States was not -going to have any more wars. If it ever should have any wars, this -country would manage them in its own way. It did not care that any -one in Europe should tell it how to provide for the care of sick and -wounded men. As for relief to be sent from America to any countries -in Europe that might be in war, the American people were fully -competent to create their own agencies on this side of the water, and -to distribute relief through such agencies as they might select or -constitute upon the other side. - -Even Miss Barton’s staunch friends in the Senate and in the House could -give her very little aid or comfort. If she could enlist the interest -of the President or of the Secretary of State, something might -possibly be done. Otherwise, it was useless to try. - -So far as is known, Clara Barton’s little eight-page pamphlet, issued -in 1878, had no more effect than Dr. Bellows’s sixteen-page pamphlet -in 1866. If a single newspaper had taken it up and commented favorably -upon it, Clara Barton would have been practically certain to have -clipped and treasured the article or editorial. There is not in her -papers a single letter or newspaper clipping which indicates that any -man, woman, or child in the United States responded favorably to her -published letter which was quoted in the last chapter. She used her pen -and her voice and her power of personal persuasion without avail. The -seed of that sowing appeared to fall upon the rocks, and it took no -root. - -In November, 1880, James A. Garfield was elected President of the -United States. Miss Barton knew him somewhat. She wrote him a letter -of congratulation, to which he returned a brief but gracious reply. -Soon after his inauguration she called on him at the White House and -presented the following letter which nearly four years before she had -brought to the attention of President Hayes: - - INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE - RELIEF OF WOUNDED SOLDIERS - GENEVA, August 19, 1877 - - _To the President of the United States, at Washington_: - - Mr. PRESIDENT: The International Committee of the Red Cross desires - most earnestly that the United States should be associated with them - in their work, and they take the liberty of addressing themselves to - you, with the hope that you will second their efforts. In order that - the functions of the National Society of the Red Cross be faithfully - performed, it is indispensable that it should have the sympathy and - protection of the Government. - - It would be irrational to establish an association upon the principles - of the Convention of Geneva, without the association having the - assurance that the army of its own country, of which it should be - an auxiliary, would be guided, should the case occur, by the same - principles. It would consequently be useless for us to appeal to the - people of the country, inasmuch as the United States, as a Government, - has made no declaration of adhering officially to the principles laid - down by the Convention of the 22d August, 1864. - - Such is, then, Mr. President, the principal object of the present - request. We do not doubt but this will meet with a favorable reception - from you, for the United States is in advance of Europe upon the - subject of war, and the celebrated “Instructions of the American Army” - are a monument which does honor to the United States. - - You are aware, Mr. President, that the Government of the United States - was officially represented at the Conference of Geneva, in 1864, by - two delegates, and this mark of approbation given to the work which - was being accomplished was then considered by every one as a precursor - of a legal ratification. Until the present time, however, this - confirmation has not taken place, and we think that this formality, - which would have no other bearing than to express publicly the - acquiescence of the United States in those humanitarian principles now - admitted by all civilized people, has only been retarded because the - occasion has not offered itself. We flatter ourselves with the hope - that appealing directly to your generous sentiments will determine you - to take the necessary measures to put an end to a situation so much to - be regretted. We only wait such good news, Mr. President, in order to - urge the founding of an American Society of the Red Cross. - - We have already an able and devoted assistant in Miss Clara Barton, to - whom we confide the care of handing to you this present request. - - It would be very desirable that the projected asseveration should be - under your distinguished patronage, and we hope that you will not - refuse us this favor. - - Receive, Mr. President, the assurance of our highest consideration. - - For the International Committee: - - G. MOYNIER, President - - -President Garfield heard her story with genuine cordiality. He knew her -and the work she had done both in this country and abroad. He assured -her of his warm personal interest and referred her to the Secretary of -State for a further discussion of the matter. His note was brief and to -the point: - - EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON - - Will the Sec’y of State please hear Miss Barton on the subject herein - referred to? - - J. A. GARFIELD - - March 30, 1881 - - -It was several days before Clara Barton succeeded in securing an -appointment with Secretary Blaine; she did not want merely to present -the President’s note, but to have time to tell the story of the Red -Cross. Mr. Blaine agreed to see her on Monday, April 11, 1881. Her -nephew, Stephen, who had come to Washington for a few days, accompanied -her on this visit; and it is fully recorded in his diary. The beginning -of the interview was not encouraging; for Mr. Blaine, after appointing -the time, apparently forgot about it, and was occupied when they called. - -The appointment had been made for 11.30 at the Department of State. -Clara and Stephen waited for an hour in the Diplomatic Chamber. At the -end of that time Mr. Blaine came in accompanied by Mrs. Dr. Loring, of -Massachusetts. Introductions ensued, Mrs. Loring said she would “esteem -it an honor to make the acquaintance of Miss Barton,” and arranged for -an interchange of calls. Mr. Blaine referred to Miss Barton’s call -at his residence, and “hoped it would not be the last.” Mrs. Loring -then withdrew, and Mr. Blaine apologized for having kept Miss Barton -waiting. She told him the nature of her visit and presented the letter -of President Garfield. Mr. Blaine told her that he knew practically -nothing about the Red Cross, and asked her to state briefly its object. -He thought it would come more clearly under the supervision of the -Secretary of War, but she explained the necessity for the treaty. The -international aspect of the organization had not previously occurred -to Mr. Blaine; he had supposed it would be purely an American Society -operating under the War Department; and that any encouragement given by -the Secretary of State would be incidental and personal; Miss Barton -replied that if he could give her time she would like to tell him in -detail what was involved in the relation of the United States to the -Red Cross. He replied, “Miss Barton, I can give you all the time you -need.” - -Clara then told him the whole story from beginning to end, and Mr. -Blaine listened with intent interest. - -He inquired why President Hayes had not pushed the matter to a -successful conclusion, and she told him of Mr. Seward’s objections -which went back to his father’s secretaryship in Civil War days, and -based upon the Monroe Doctrine. - -Mr. Blaine replied that “the Monroe Doctrine was not made to ward off -humanity.” He told her that “the grounds for Mr. Seward’s objection -would not stand in the way of the present Administration.” He assured -her that he was “in full sympathy with her proposal,” and promised -her that he “would coöperate fully with her in carrying the matter -successfully through.” As for the official letter from M. Moynier, -he assured her that he would be prepared to reply to that letter -approvingly now on the sole basis of her statement of the case; but he -said that he wanted to do more than this. - -She replied that she knew it would be necessary for the Senate to -approve. He told her, “if it needed the action of the Senate, that -could be had.” The confidence with which he spoke was most reassuring. -He asked her to leave her little pamphlet with him for a few days -that he might become a little more familiar with the history of the -movement. It was all new to him; but it was obviously a thing in which -the United States should have its part with other nations; he could -promise her that it would be done, and done promptly. - -Mr. Blaine suggested that it would be well for Miss Barton to talk over -the matter of the Red Cross with the Secretary of War. On the following -day she went by appointment to see Secretary Robert T. Lincoln. Again -Stephen accompanied her and made a record of it. - -Miss Barton first expressed to Mr. Lincoln her appreciation of the -kindness of his father. Stephen wrote, “He was much affected and very -grateful.” - -The adhesion of the United States to the treaty was a matter for the -State Department; but Robert Lincoln was greatly interested, and -assured Miss Barton of his support in the operation of the Red Cross in -case the Administration agreed to it. - -In the next few days she made calls on other members of the Cabinet. -Nowhere did she encounter opposition or apathy. The interest of -President Garfield and Secretary Blaine appeared to be contagious. All -official Washington seemed suddenly to have wakened to the importance -of the Red Cross. She called upon several Senators and was introduced -by Senator Conger, who told them of Clara Barton’s work in Michigan. -With this introduction and a knowledge of the President’s approval, -they met her with prompt and unreserved approval of her plans. Most of -them had never heard of the Red Cross, but, when she told them how many -other nations had approved it, and that the President and Secretary of -State were ready to approve the treaty, they gave her on the spot their -heartiest endorsement. She thought she understood Secretary Blaine’s -complete confidence that the Senate would ratify the treaty as a matter -of course. - -More than a month elapsed before anything else occurred. Nothing -unfavorable developed. On the other hand, neither the President nor Mr. -Blaine took any immediate steps. The Conkling difficulty had arisen and -both Garfield and Blaine had many other things to think about. Clara -Barton began to wonder whether she could induce the Senate to remind -the Secretary of State of his interest in the matter. - -On May 17, 1881, the Honorable Omar D. Conger, of Michigan, submitted -to the United States Senate the following resolution: - - RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be requested to furnish to the - Senate copies (translations) of the Articles of Convention signed at - Geneva, Switzerland, August 22, 1864, touching the treatment of those - wounded in war, together with the forms of ratification employed by - the several Governments, parties thereto. - -It took a little time for the Department of State to gather the -documents necessary to answer the request of the Senate. But Secretary -Blaine did not wait for this formality. He remembered that there was -an earnest little woman awaiting some definite answer from him, and he -sent her the following letter: - - DEPARTMENT OF STATE, - WASHINGTON, May 20, 1881 - - MISS CLARA BARTON - American Representative of the Red Cross, etc. - Washington. - - DEAR MADAM: - - I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the letter addressed - by Mr. Moynier, President of the Red Cross International Convention, - to the President of the United States, bearing the date of the 19th - August, 1877, and referred by president Garfield on the 30th March, - 1881, to this Department. - - It appears from a careful perusal of the letter that Mr. Moynier is - anxious that the Government of the United States should join with - other Governments of the world in this International Convention. - - Will you be pleased to say to Mr. Moynier, in reply to his letter, - that the President of the United States and the officers of this - Government are in full sympathy with anywise measures tending - toward the amelioration of the suffering incident to warfare? The - Constitution of the United States has, however, lodged the entire - war-making power in the Congress of the United States; and as the - participation of the United States in an International Convention of - this character is consequent upon and auxiliary to the war-making - power of the Nation, legislation by Congress is needful to accomplish - the humane end that your society has in view. It gives me, however, - great pleasure to state that I shall be happy to give any measures - which you may propose careful attention and consideration, and - should the President, as I doubt not he will, approve of the matter, - the Administration will recommend to Congress the adoption of the - international treaty which you desire. - - I am, madam, with very great respect, your obedient servant, - - JAMES G. BLAINE - - -It would be interesting to know just how Clara Barton received the -news. Unfortunately, her diary affords us no information. She must have -gone forth from the office of the Secretary of State with wings upon -her feet. There still would be months before Congress could act, but -she sent the glad news at once to President Moynier and received from -him an official reply which she transmitted to the Secretary of State. - - GENEVA, June 13, 1881 - - _To the Honorable the Secretary of State_ - JAMES G. BLAINE, _Washington_ - - SIR: Miss Clara Barton has just communicated to me the letter which - she has had the honor to receive from you, bearing date of May 23, - 1881, and I hasten to express to you how much satisfaction I have - experienced from it. I do not doubt now, thanks to your favorable - consideration and that of President Garfield, that the United States - may soon be counted among the number of signers of the Geneva - Convention, since you have been kind enough to allow me to hope that - the proposition for it will be made to Congress by the Administration. - - I thank you, as well as President Garfield, for having been willing - to take into serious consideration the wish contained in my letter of - August 19, 1877, assuredly a very natural wish, since it tended to - unite your country with a work of charity and civilization for which - it is one of the best qualified. - - Since my letter of 1877 was written, several new governmental - adhesions have been given to the Geneva Convention, and I think that - these precedents will be much more encouraging to the United States - from the fact that they have been given by America. It was under the - influence of events of the recent war of the Pacific that Bolivia - signed the treaty the 16th of October, 1879, Chili on the 15th of - November, 1879, Argentine Republic on the 25th of November, 1879, and - Peru on the 22d of April, 1881. This argument in favor of the adhesion - of your country is the only one I can add to my request, and to the - printed documents that Miss Barton has placed in your hands, to aid - your judgment and that of Congress. - - I now await with full confidence the final result of your sympathetic - efforts, and I beg you to accept, sir, the assurance of my high - consideration. - - G. MOYNIER, President - - -There lies before me as I write a little pad of paper, about three -by five inches in size, of which more than half the sheets have been -used and torn off, and of the remainder all but the top six leaves -are blank. Those six pages are filled with writing in pencil, and -the writing is that of Clara Barton. It is just such a pad as she -habitually kept by her hard and narrow cot, with a candle and a pencil -at hand, so that when she woke in the night she might sit up and -write the thoughts that came to her. She seldom retired before eleven -o’clock, and was habitually up as early as five, but if she had waking -hours between, and she often had them, she wrote down what was in her -mind, put out the candle, and finished what was for her a good night’s -rest by sunrise or before. - -“In almost any part of the world except the United States,” the tablet -begins, “the words Red Cross, and the emblem for which they stand, -would be as familiar as are to us the words Internal Revenue or -National Board of Health.” - -Was there ever such a time? Most of us have forgotten whether there is -a National Board of Health, but “the words Red Cross, and the emblem -for which they stand,” have become as familiar as the Stars and Stripes. - -Yet there was a time when all other countries knew of it, but in the -United States we knew of Internal Revenue and of the National Board of -Health, but not of the Red Cross! - -The little tablet is not dated, but I have no difficulty in supplying -the date. These six pages were penciled on a night between June 9 and -July 1, 1881. They appear to have been intended as the basis of an -article for the Associated Press, endeavoring to call a little more -attention to the fact that on May 21 of that year the American Red -Cross had actually been organized and that on June 9 it had elected -officers. The Associated Press had sent out a paragraph announcing the -organization, May 21, and this was to tell that “A subsequent meeting -has been held, and the following officers elected: President, Miss -Clara Barton; secretary, George Kennan,” and so on. She might have -told, but did not, that her own name as president was presented by -President Garfield himself. - -She had to explain what the Red Cross was for, although “During the -last three or four years the public eye has been growing familiar with -the term,” through constant efforts to secure for it such recognition -in America as it long had had abroad. - -“Nation after nation has recognized its benign mission,” the narrative -runs on, “until twenty-seven countries have welcomed, received, and -incorporated its humane principle into laws which govern their rules of -warfare. In twenty-seven lands, wherever the national emblem is thrown -to the breeze in token of war, there floats beside it this beautiful -emblem of mercy, pity, justice, charity, and neutral care for the -wounded, comfort for the dying, and burial for the dead. To us alone it -is a stranger. For seventeen years it has knocked at our door, but our -great, noisy family failed to hear.” - -That was her first great triumph! - -So she obtained her official recognition, and then on the very next -day held her meeting for organization, and that fall secured her -incorporation, and the next year the treaty, and so on, and so on, one -step leading to another; and when she had gotten the consent of the -White House, she undertook to educate the great American Republic, and -let them know what the Red Cross stood for. She hoped the time would -come when the name and symbol would be as well known in America as the -words Internal Revenue or National Board of Health. - -She had no publicity organization, nor press committee; but one night -she sat up in bed, lighted her candle, took her little pad and pencil, -and began to write: - -“In almost any part of the world except the United States of America -the words Red Cross, and the emblem for which it stands, would be as -familiar--” and so on. - -She did not finish the article in this form, though I find what use -she made of it later in that year, in a pamphlet entitled “A Sketch of -the History of the Red Cross.” That document was reissued with added -material in 1883, after the adoption of the international treaty. The -two lie before me, the completed pamphlet, with the endorsement of -Secretary Blaine, and the nomination, by President Garfield himself, -of Clara Barton to be president of the American Red Cross Association, -and the three-cent pencil tablet on which Clara Barton began, on one -night very soon after June 9, 1881, to teach the great American people -what the words Red Cross and its emblem were intended to represent. She -was not much given to weeping, but her tears would have wet through -the little pad of paper many times before she accomplished what she -undertook. But she succeeded. She lived to see the name and emblem -of the Red Cross as familiar in her own country as in any of the -twenty-seven that had previously adopted it. And that was what she -hoped and prayed to do. - -It will be noted that all these documents from the President and the -Secretary of State, on the one hand, and from President Moynier and -Dr. Appia on the other, are addressed to Clara Barton. So far as is -now known there was no other person in America to whom they might have -been properly addressed. From the time when she returned from the -Franco-Prussian War until the President and the Congress of the United -States had officially approved the Red Cross, and the Senate had agreed -to the Treaty of Geneva, there was, so far as is known, precisely one -Red Cross in the United States, and that was the one which Clara Barton -had brought back from the red fields of France. - -Not only so, but so far as is now known, in all those years no other -voice than hers, after Dr. Bellows gave up hope, was raised on behalf -of it. No one else had a vision of its possible relation to the future -life of the United States. One little woman, barely recovered from her -nervous prostration, trudged wearily from desk to desk in Washington, -and with voice and pen pleaded in season and out of season until the -American Red Cross became a fact. - -Yes, the American Red Cross was now a fact. The President had -consented; the Secretary of State had become an enthusiastic -protagonist of the treaty; the Secretary of War heartily favored it; -and the entire Senate appeared a unit in its favor. The preliminary -resolution had passed the Senate without a single dissenting voice. -There were certain formalities which needed to be completed before the -treaty could actually be signed and ratified, but that was not worth -worrying about. President Garfield and Secretary Blaine encouraged Miss -Barton to go straight ahead and complete her organization. - -She asked President Garfield to become the president of the American -Red Cross, but he declined. She told him that in other countries kings -and chief magistrates were its presidents; but President Garfield -thought he knew a person to whom that honor belonged in America. When -the American Red Cross was actually organized, Clara Barton was made -its president on nomination of James A. Garfield, President of the -United States. - -On the very next day after receipt of Secretary Blaine’s letter, Clara -Barton held a meeting and organized a National Society of the Red -Cross. The society was duly and promptly incorporated under the laws of -the District of Columbia. - -At a subsequent meeting, held on the 9th of June, 1881, the following -officers were elected: - - Miss Clara Barton, _President_. - Judge William Lawrence, _First Vice-President_. - Dr. Alexander Y. P. Garnett, _Vice-President of the District of - Columbia_. - A. S. Solomons, _Treasurer_. - George Kennan, _Secretary_. - -EXECUTIVE BOARD - - Judge William Lawrence, _Chairman_. - Dr. George B. Loring. - Gen. S. D. Sturgis. - Mrs. S. A. Martha Canfield. - Mr. Walter P. Phillips. - Miss Clara Barton. - Mr. Walker Blaine. - Col. Richard J. Hinton. - Mrs. F. B. Taylor. - Mr. Wm. F. Sliney. - Mr. John R. Van Wormer. - Gen. R. D. Mussey, _Consulting Counsel of the Association_. - Miss Clara Barton, _Corresponding Secretary_. - -Nothing could have seemed more auspicious than the outlook of the -American Red Cross on the day of its organization. It had the support -of the President, his Cabinet, and the Senate, and its birth was hailed -with satisfaction by all civilized nations. The signing and approval -of the treaty appeared a trivial formality. - -Just when everything was proceeding finely, President Garfield was shot -by a fanatic on July 2, 1881. He lingered through the summer, and on -September 19th he died. - -The Red Cross Treaty had not been signed. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE TRIALS OF A TREATY - - -The methods of treaty-making in the United States have varied. In -a few instances the Senate has taken the initiative and asked the -President’s concurrent action. In at least one instance the President -has negotiated the treaty without the assistance of the Senate and -requested the Senate to adopt it without change. In several cases the -coördinate treaty-making powers have moved together, the President -concurring with the Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations. In the -matter of the Red Cross Treaty, as we have seen, the President took the -initiative in coöperation with the Secretary of State, and the Senate -in due time requested the Secretary of State to submit the documents -bearing upon the matter. This was the status when President Garfield -was shot. During the weeks of his illness the Nation’s interest -centered in his sick-room. - -It is interesting to know that the first local organization of the Red -Cross was established at Dansville, New York. Clara Barton returned -thither after the shooting of President Garfield, and without waiting -for his death or recovery, called the people of that village together -and established a local organization, the first in the United States. -Some years afterward the Dansville “Express” went back over its files -and found material for this brief article: - - -THE RED CROSS IN DANSVILLE - -_The First Local Society in the United States was Organized in -Dansville_ - - From the files of the Dansville Express of Aug. 25, 1881, we find the - first local Red Cross Society in the United States was organized in - this village Aug. 22d, 1881, at a meeting held in St. Paul’s Lutheran - Church, called for that purpose. Rev. P. A. Strobel, pastor of the - church, presided and Dr. B. P. Andrews acted as secretary. Miss Clara - Barton, then a resident of Dansville, explained the objects of the - society. - - Rev. Geo. K. Ward, Dr. J. H. Jackson, Rev. P. A. Strobel, Rev. A. P. - Brush, Mrs. Mary R. Smith, and Mrs. James Faulkner, Jr., were made - a committee to present a constitution, and they reported the same. - Wm. Kramer and Dr. J. H. Jackson were a committee to secure names of - members and 57 were recorded. - - The officers elected were: President--Geo. A. Sweet; - vice-president--Mrs. Fanny B. Johnson; secretary--Mrs. Mary Colvin; - treasurer--Jas. Faulkner, Jr., executive board--Miss Clara Barton, - Major Mark J. Bunnell, G. Bastian, Jas. H. Jackson, Major E. H. Pratt, - Mrs. Geo. Hartman, Thomas E. Gallagher, Wm. Kramer, Oscar Woodruff, - Mrs. Reuben Whiteman, Mrs. L. Q. Galpin. - - Later, Major Bunnell was made secretary of the executive board and - Hon. J. A. VanDerlip consulting counsel. - - The society was active in good works for a few years and when Miss - Barton moved to Washington it was allowed to die. - -Soon after the inauguration of President Arthur, Clara Barton returned -to Washington from a summer spent at Dansville. She was already -acquainted with President Arthur; she had met him at the White House, -and he had expressed interest in her undertaking. She now called on -him again and reminded him that President Garfield had promised her -his assistance; that there already had gone forth a letter signed by -the Secretary of State, committing the United States to the Red Cross -Treaty; and that there still lay on the President’s desk the official -request of the Senate for information concerning the Treaty of Geneva. - -President Arthur gave to Miss Barton a most cordial reception. He -assured her of his own personal interest and of the obligation under -which he felt to carry out every promise made by President Garfield. -He promised her to call the attention of the Senate to the matter in -his first address to Congress, and he kept his promise in the following -paragraphs: - - I cannot too strongly urge upon you my conviction that every - consideration of national safety, economy, and honor imperatively - demands a thorough rehabilitation of our Navy. - - We have for many years maintained with foreign Governments the - relations of honorable peace, and that such relations may be permanent - is desired by every patriotic citizen of the Republic. - - But if we heed the teachings of history we shall not forget that in - the life of every nation emergencies may arise when a resort to arms - can alone save it from dishonor. - - No danger from abroad now threatens this people, nor have we any cause - to distrust the friendly professions of other Governments. - - But, for avoiding as well as for repelling dangers that may threaten - us in the future, we must be prepared to enforce any policy which we - think wise to adopt. - - At its last extra session the Senate called for the text of the - Geneva Convention for the relief of the wounded in war. I trust that - this action foreshadows such interest in the subject as will result - in the adhesion of the United States to that humane and commendable - engagement. - -This part of the message was immediately taken up in the Senate and -referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, consisting of the -following named gentlemen, to wit: Hon. William Windom, Minnesota; -Hon. George F. Edmunds, Vermont; Hon. John Miller, California; Hon. -Thomas W. Ferry, Michigan; Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham, New York; Hon. -John W. Johnston, Virginia; Hon. J. T. Morgan, Alabama; Hon. George H. -Pendleton, Ohio; Hon. Benjamin H. Hill, Georgia. - -The Committee on Foreign Relations opened its door wide to Clara Barton -and listened with the greatest interest to her story. President Arthur -followed the recommendation of his message with a special communication -in response to the Senate’s request of the preceding May: - - (Senate Ex. Doc. No. 6, 47th Congress, 1st Session) - - Message from the President of the United States, transmitting in - response to Senate resolution of May 17th, 1881, a report of the - Secretary of State, with accompanying papers, touching the Geneva - Convention for the relief of the wounded in war. - -December 12, 1881.--Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations and -ordered to be printed. - -_To Senate of the United States_: - -I transmit herewith, in response to the resolution of the Senate of -the seventeenth of May last, a report of the Secretary of State, with -accompanying papers, touching the Geneva Convention for the relief of -the wounded in war. - - CHESTER A. ARTHUR - - EXECUTIVE MANSION - WASHINGTON, _December 12, 1881_ - - - _To the President_: - - The Secretary of State, to whom was addressed a resolution of the - Senate, dated the seventeenth of May, 1881, requesting him “to furnish - to the Senate copies (translations) of Articles of Convention signed - at Geneva, Switzerland, August 22, 1864, touching the treatment of - those wounded in war, together with the forms of ratification employed - by the several governments, parties thereto,” has the honor to lay - before the President the papers called for by the resolution. - - In view of the reference made, in the annual message of the - President, to the Geneva convention, the Secretary of State deems it - unnecessary now to enlarge upon the advisability of the adhesion of - the United States to an international compact at once so humane in its - character and so universal in its application as to commend itself to - the adoption of nearly all the civilized powers. - - JAMES G. BLAINE - - DEPARTMENT OF STATE - WASHINGTON, _December 10, 1881_ - - -With such support from the President and the Secretary of State, -and with the Senate a unit in support of the treaty, the end of the -struggle appeared to be in sight. But many anxious months had yet to -pass before Clara Barton’s dream came true. - -Even after the movement was inaugurated and recognized by Congress, -very few people in America attached to it any considerable degree of -importance. Among those who appreciated its full significance and -hastened to give Clara Barton full credit for her splendid achievement -was the man who had labored so faithfully for the organization of an -American Red Cross at the close of the Civil War, Dr. Henry W. Bellows. -He had labored in earlier years and had given it up, but rejoiced in -the prospect of her success: - - NEW YORK, 232 E. 15 - Nov. 21, 1881 - - MY DEAR MISS BARTON: - - It has been a sore disappointment and mortification to those who - inaugurated the plan of organized relief, by private contributions, - for sick and wounded soldiers in our late war, since so largely - followed by other nations, that they should still find the United - States the _only_ great Government that refuses to join in the treaty, - framed by the International Convention of Geneva, for neutralizing - battle-fields after the battle, and making the persons of surgeons - and nurses flying to the relief of the wounded and dying free from - arrest. This great international agreement for mitigating the horrors - of war finds its chief defect in the conspicuous refusal of the - United States Government to join in the treaty! The importance of our - national concurrence with other Governments in this noble treaty has - been urged upon every administration since the war, but has thus far - met only the reply that our national policy did not allow us to enter - into entangling alliances with other powers. I rejoice to hear from - you that our late President and his chief official advisers were of a - different opinion, and encouraged the hope that in the interests of - mercy and humanity it might be safe to agree by treaty with all the - civilized world, that we would soften to non-combatants the hateful - conditions that made relief to the wounded on battle-fields a peril - or forbidden act. I trust you will press this matter upon our present - administration with all the weight of your well-earned influence. - Having myself somewhat ignominiously failed to get any encouragement - for this measure from two administrations, I leave it, in your more - fortunate hands, hoping that the time is ripe for a less jealous - policy than American self-isolation in international movements for - extending and universalizing mercy towards the victims of war. - - Yours truly - H. W. BELLOWS - - -Public sentiment in America is a strange and somewhat capricious thing. -Clara Barton issued her little booklet in 1878 and it appeared to fall -flat. The newspapers paid no attention to it; Congress treated it with -complete indifference if not with hostility, and the President and his -Cabinet ignored it. She reissued it in 1881 with added matter, and -not less than three hundred newspapers and periodicals spoke kindly -of it, many of them more than once, so that more than five hundred -press clippings were collated as the result of that and Miss Barton’s -little article written for the Associated Press. Congress, that had -been partly hostile and where not hostile apathetic, became suddenly -and unanimously interested. The Honorable William Windom, Chairman of -the Committee on Foreign Relations, and afterward a member of President -Garfield’s Cabinet, became a stanch friend, perhaps the first genuinely -interested and largely influential friend of the movement. Senators -Hoar and Wilson, of Massachusetts, and Hawley, of Connecticut, and -Edmunds, of Vermont, lent to the movement intelligent and vigorous -support. The Honorable Omar D. Conger, of Michigan, first in the -House and afterward in the Senate, took an active part in promoting -the cause. When the matter began to be discussed in Congress as the -body which alone could declare war, and later came before the Foreign -Relations Committee of the Senate on the proposal to ratify the Geneva -Treaty, there was not a dissenting voice in either house, nor was -there in the press through the country, so far as is known, a single -unfavorable comment. Clara Barton’s campaign of publicity had been a -little handful of corn upon the top of the mountains and the fruit -thereof shook like the Cedars of Lebanon. The whole Nation was suddenly -converted to faith in the Red Cross. - -Foreign nations stood in amazement when they saw this change of -sentiment. They were unable to account for it, nor could any one else -explain it to them. After eighteen years of indifference and hostility -America came over to the banner of the Red Cross with whole-hearted -acceptance of its humane principles. - -But still the question was asked why America need concern herself with -an organization for war, when she was never going to have another war. -The answer to this question contained one of the distinctive principles -of the American Red Cross as compared with the Red Cross in other -countries. In Europe, the Red Cross was organized solely for relief in -time of war. In America, it was organized to meet any great public need. - -As yet, however, the Red Cross was proceeding without official -authority. The death of President Garfield delayed for several months -the official adherence of the United States to the Treaty of Geneva. -Meantime, the Red Cross was in existence, by advice of President -Garfield. It had, however, only a single local organization, but it -cherished national and international aims and hopes. Miss Barton -herself recorded the history of the organization: - - The National Red Cross of America was formed nearly a year before the - accession to the treaty. This was done by the advice of President - Garfield, in order to aid as far as possible the accession. - “Accordingly a meeting was held in Washington, D.C., May 21, 1881, - which resulted in the formation of an association to be known as the - American National Association of the Red Cross.” - - Several years of previous illness on the part of its president had - resulted in fixing her country home at Dansville, New York, the seat - of the great Jackson and Austin Sanitarium and the acknowledged - foundation of the hundreds of health institutions of that kind which - bless the country to-day. The establishment of the National Red Cross - in Washington had attracted the attention of persons outside, who, - of course, knew very little of it; but among others, the people of - Dansville, the home of the president, felt that if she were engaged - in some public movement, they too might at least offer to aid. - Accordingly, on her return to them in midsummer, they waited upon - her with a request to that effect, which resulted in the formation - of a society of the Red Cross, this being the first body in aid of - the National Association formed in the United States. It is possible - I cannot make that more clear than by giving an extract from their - report of that date, which was as follows: - - In reply to your request, given through the secretary of your - association, that we make report to you concerning the inauguration - of our society, its subsequent proceedings and present condition, the - committee has the honor to submit the following statement: - - Dansville, Livingston County, New York, being the country residence - of Miss Clara Barton, president of the American Association of the - Red Cross, its citizens, desirous of paying a compliment to her, and - at the same time of doing an honor to themselves, conceived the idea - of organizing in their town the first local society of the Red Cross - in the United States. To this end, a general preliminary meeting was - held in the Presbyterian Church, when the principles of the Treaty of - Geneva and the nature of its societies were defined in a clear and - practical manner by Miss Barton, who had been invited to address the - meeting. Shortly after, on the twenty-second of August, 1881, a second - meeting, for the purpose of organization, held in the Lutheran Church - and presided over by the pastor, Rev. Dr. Strobel, was attended by the - citizens generally, including nearly all the religious denominations - of the town, with their respective pastors. The purpose of the meeting - was explained by your president, a constitution was presented and very - largely signed, and officers were elected. - - Thus we are able to announce that on the eighteenth anniversary of - the Treaty of Geneva, in Switzerland, August 22, 1864, was formed the - first local society of the Red Cross in the United States of America. - -While the Red Cross hung, like the coffin of Mohammed, between heaven -and earth, a disastrous forest fire occurred in Michigan. Clara Barton -at once issued, in the name of the Red Cross, an appeal for help. The -first city to respond was Rochester, forty miles from Dansville, and -Syracuse followed. The money was placed in the hands of the County -Clerk of Livingston County, New York, who went at once to Michigan, -and distributed financial help under direction of Clara Barton. She -also went to Michigan, and took care of the distribution of food and -clothing. - -Here, in Michigan, for the first time on American soil, the banner of -the Red Cross was displayed above the supply tent of Clara Barton. A -part of the report of that first effort follows: - - Before a month had passed, before a thought of practical application - to business had arisen, we were forcibly and sadly taught again the - old lesson that we need but to build the altar, God will Himself - provide the sacrifice. If we did not hear the crackling of the - flames, our skies grew murky and dark and our atmosphere bitter with - the drifting smoke that rolled over from the blazing fields of our - neighbors of Michigan, whose living thousands fled in terror, whose - dying hundreds writhed in the embers, and whose dead blackened in - the ashes of their hard-earned homes. Instantly we felt the help and - strength of our organization, young and untried as it was. We were - grateful that in this first ordeal your sympathetic president was with - us. We were deeply grateful for your prompt call to action, given - through her, which rallied us to our work. Our relief rooms were - instantly secured and our white banner, with its bright scarlet cross, - which has never been furled since that hour, was thrown to the breeze, - telling to every looker-on what we were there to do, and pointing to - every generous heart an outlet for its sympathy. We had not mistaken - the spirit of our people; our scarce-opened doorway was filled with - men, women, and children bearing their gifts of pity and love. Tables - and shelves were piled, our working committee of ladies took every - article under inspection, their faithful hands made all garments whole - and strong; lastly, each article received the stamp of the society and - of the Red Cross, and all were carefully and quickly consigned to the - firm packing-cases awaiting them. Eight large boxes were shipped at - first, others followed directly, and so continued until notified by - the Relief Committee of Michigan that no more were needed. - -Among the fruits of Clara Barton’s work in Michigan was the confidence -and friendship of Senator Omar D. Conger and of Mrs. Conger, who, -seeing the actual workings of the Red Cross, under direct control of -Clara Barton, became its enthusiastic supporters, and her fast friends. -The Michigan experience also exhibited to the Nation the value of such -an organization, and showed that a country which did not intend ever to -have another war might still find use for the Red Cross. - -But still the treaty halted. No one was opposing it. Every known -influence was favorable to it. Its adoption and signature were the -merest formality. Clara Barton was at liberty to go on with her work -with the full approval of the President and his Cabinet, and wait for -the adoption of the treaty which was certain to follow. - -It did follow; but before it was adopted the heart of Clara Barton was -well-nigh broken. She had learned the weariness and pain of working -alone; she was now to learn the keener sorrow which emerges when one -undertakes to work with others. - -Clara Barton had succeeded; no one questioned her success. But the -treaty was not yet adopted. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -THE PERILS OF SUCCESS - - -Few people now remember that Clara Barton’s success encountered any -difficulties at this point in her career. Her published writings -make no reference to them. Her book on the Red Cross tells the story -as though events proceeded automatically through this period of -transition. President Garfield became interested and referred the -matter to Secretary Blaine, who became heartily enthusiastic, and he -and President Garfield told her to proceed with assurance that the -United States would approve the treaty. She did so, and, although -President Garfield was shot, his successor made the promise good, and -the Senate unanimously concurred. That would seem to have been the -whole story. But, as a matter of fact the months that followed the -published approval of Secretary Blaine and President Garfield, and -the formal approval of the treaty, were among the most anxious and -sorrowful of Clara Barton’s whole life. - -The nation-wide publicity which now was freely accorded the movement -introduced Clara Barton to a new form of difficulty. She was well -schooled in the discipline of disappointment and deferred hope. Now she -came to know of the embarrassments of success. Swiftly after the Red -Cross came to recognition there rose competing organizations, seeking -to capitalize her success. The first day of August, 1881, saw the issue -of Volume I, Number 1, of “The Red Cross.” It was a monthly magazine, -of which there may have been no subsequent issues, the official -organ of a society known as the Red Cross. It copied Clara Barton’s -Associated Press article, and said: - - We must say it is rather late for Miss Barton, or any one else, to - talk about organizing the Red Cross. - -It then proceeded to tell that this organization had been in existence -since 1879: - - We did not attempt to make this a national affair, as we were not in - condition to do so. This country was not going to war, at any time, - and the promoters first considered the propriety of getting the order - on a good foundation. ’Tis true, we have not undertaken any public - work as yet, but it is a very great undertaking when the territory to - be gone over is taken into consideration. We have organized a body of - men that no country in Europe can excel for the purpose of carrying - out our objects. - -The real and original Red Cross was, therefore, according to this -journal, ready now to become national, and it warned Miss Clara Barton -that it had the right of way. It also published a portrait of the -real founder of the Red Cross, a gentleman born in England, who had -come to this country when young, and engaged in “several enterprises -which proved successful,” none of which were named; studied law, but -gave it up; studied medicine, but apparently did not practice. He was, -however, according to this journal, a very great and widely known man; -and his portrait showed him with so many badges and decorations upon -his right breast he would surely have had difficulty in drawing his -sword. He was the “Organizer and Supreme Commander.” A “Grand Promenade -Concert” was given in his honor in a very obscure hall in one of the -American cities, with a programme which the magazine printed in full, -consisting chiefly in a recitation (selected) by Miss Sadie Merryman; -a song (selected) by Miss Mary C. Andrews; a reading (selected) by -Miss Mary Prescott; a piano solo (selected) by Miss Mary C. Andrews; a -reading (selected) by Elmer E. Prescott, and selected songs with guitar -by the Misses Biederman and father. Besides these there was an “Address -of Welcome,” and a “Response” by the much-decorated “Organizer and -Supreme Commander.” - -Clara Barton had a sense of humor. She could not only smile but laugh -heartily at competition of this bombastic character. She collected and -filed the literature, and it may be presumed that her files contain the -only preserved mementoes of this organization which served notice on -her that her Red Cross was an innovation. - -But, nevertheless, this was a warning, and one which she had -occasion to heed. For immediately a considerable number of competing -organizations sprang up in several parts of the country, and some of -them gave her great anxiety. - -She was not superstitious, and apparently did not notice that the -second Friday in January, 1882, fell on the 13th. But she recorded -that it was a bad Friday for her. Two days before, she had notice that -the wife of a United States Senator desired to call on her, and bring -one or two other ladies with her. She had moved into her new quarters -that very week, and not all her household goods were in place; so she -hastened to put up her curtains and finish her unpacking; for it had -rained on Monday when she expected to move, and her plans had been -disarranged. - -Friday afternoon the wife of the Senator came, and with her another -lady. - - She said she had come partly on business; that she had some months - before joined a society called the “Ladies’ National Red Star - Association”;[2] that this society had a meeting this week, and the - question of a counter-society came up; that this counter-society was - said to be called the Red Cross, and appeared to have been organized - to step in and do the work which they were doing; and it was decided - to adjourn the meeting for one week to inform themselves in relation - to this Red Cross Society. What was it? What did it propose to do? - What had it done? She said she learned near the close of the meeting - that I was the head of that society, and she came to ask if it was - true, and what did the Red Cross have to say for itself? - - I told her I believed I was the head of the Society of which she - wished to learn. - - She asked what Bills we proposed to present to Congress; and I told - her, None. - - Why, yes, she said, they told her at the meeting that I had something - before Congress. - - I told her I had a treaty, which I had presented for four years. - - She wanted to know what work we had done, and I told her of our work - in Michigan. - - She said she knew nothing about the Red Cross; had seen something - about it, but thought it was some Catholic thing; where did we get our - authority? Was it a national thing? Had I anything published about it? - - I had a little pamphlet of two leaves, four years old. I gave her one. - She said she was sorry not to get the information she came after. - She left, evidently disappointed. I was sorry, also. I have no idea - whether she came officially or at her own option, openly or as a spy. - -Whatever the motive of the wife of the Senator who came to Miss Barton, -the organization was one of which she had occasion to learn not a -little. It was one that sprang up on the heels of her first success, -and it crowded her hard before it was left behind and forgotten. - -Clara Barton felt uneasy. The treaty was not yet ratified, and she knew -not how many wives of Senators were in this rival organization, pushed -by ambitious women and seeking Government approval. Not very much of -such competition at that stage of the affair would be necessary to kill -the treaty and the Red Cross. She went next day to see a man whose -judgment she felt she could trust. She did not find him in his office, -but on Sunday he called on her: - - He had no special advice; was very busy. So are they all. All are - busy; and I am to go on with this alone, as I plainly see. I shall - make up my mind to let them all go, and I must gird myself for the - work and go on with it by myself. I do not believe any member of my - Society will be of any help to me in this hard work. They are all too - busy. - -The next day she went to the trial of Guiteau, and heard the closing -pleas. She was recognized, and given a seat inside the rail, and -“treated with marked attention,” which gratified her. That afternoon -she went to see Senator Lapham, and asked him to take charge of the -treaty in the Senate, and he cheerfully consented. She told him frankly -that opposing organizations were already seeking recognition, but he -encouraged her. A day or two later she saw Senator Windom, of the -Foreign Relations Committee, on whose support she had counted; and he -seemed to her to have grown sad and distant, and she felt sure he had -been approached by those who were opposing her. - -She found, too, that her return to Washington, with its late dinners, -was not good for her. She resolved to forego heavy dinners; to eat her -last hearty meal at three o’clock, and enjoy a big red apple before -going to bed. A big red apple was always a means of grace to Clara -Barton. On one of the most desolate of these nights, when she came home -late in the rain after a disappointing day, she gratefully records that -her apple was good. - -She had cheering word about her finances. Her business affairs, left -in the hands of reliable New York bankers, had prospered during her -absence abroad. She had used while in Europe considerably less than -her income; her principal had swelled somewhat, and her annual income -was more by quite a little than she had expected. About the middle -of January she received her complete account, and found that she had -more money than she thought; and this was a comfort. Her expenses at -Dansville, though much increased by her hospitality, had kept well -within her annual receipts, and she was safely provided for for life. -She need never worry so far as money was concerned. - -But she was worried. She began to question whether her dream of an -American Red Cross would ever come true. It was bitter hard to have -it fail after she had won over three Presidents, Hayes, Garfield, -and Arthur; but fail she thought it must, even after it had shown in -Michigan how useful it could be. She seriously thought of returning to -Europe, and letting some one else take up her thankless task. She wrote: - - I am so tired. I sleep very poorly. I can only think of some good - way of getting out of this country. I feel as if I should be willing - to let all go, if only I could get out, and hear no more strife and - bickering lies. Why should I let my life be spoiled by those who are - now opposing me, and who take the joy out of my sunshine? - -Why, indeed? She had money enough to live upon, in Dansville, or in -Oxford, or for that matter in Washington; and she owned homes in each -of those three places, and had income enough to live upon in any one of -them or in Europe. Why should she expose herself longer to weariness, -misrepresentation, and cruel disappointment? - -It will be seen that Clara Barton had some reason to apprehend trouble -growing out of the visit of the wife of the Senator. Powerful backing -had already been secured for the first of the opposing organizations -that gave her pain and sorrow. - -But she prevailed, and the Senate at length ratified the treaty without -a dissenting vote. Either the Senator’s wife was more favorably -impressed than Clara Barton thought, or her husband refused to be -guided by her opposition. - -But the opponents of Clara Barton were active to the very hour when the -treaty was ratified, and there were days when it seemed that she was -working at a hopeless task. She went to see influential people, only to -find them out or occupied or indifferent or strangely uncommunicative. -She was almost in despair. - -There came a day, Monday, February 6, 1882, when her own feelings -changed: - - It did not seem like other days. There was either much to do or - nothing to do. I knelt at my bedside, and asked earnestly, tearfully, - for guidance. I only want to know my way. I feel that I can walk it, - if I can be made to see it. I am so weary of all this strife, this - unrest, this doubt. I am willing to let the work go into other hands. - If all goes as hoped, I can call an executive committee meeting, - announce the ratification of the treaty, hand in my resignation, and - get out of it all. If they want the Society, they can keep it; if not, - it will die if let alone and some other can be organized, or they - can take the one that is now opposing me. Then I can go and rest. It - has been my part to do the work of the treaty. I have tried to do it - faithfully, and it has met with little moral support, even from my own - committee. I will try with God’s help to go on faithfully to the end, - with no support but His; and if He will give it, when this is done, - I shall be ready to lay the burden down, even if my enemies gain the - advantage of it. This has been a day of instruction and discipline, - and, I dare hope, not lost. - -She went to the State Department. Mr. Adee reassured her. He did not -think there would be any trouble about the treaty, or that she need -fear the opposition. - -She had notice of the committee meeting, and she went to the Senate. -She was misdirected, and went to one or two wrong rooms, but finally -found the Committee on Foreign Relations, with Senator Windom in -the chair. He greeted her cordially, which surprised her after his -recent apparent coldness and evasiveness. He introduced her to Senator -Edmunds, but that Senator insisted upon greeting her as an old friend. -They heard her with sympathy; took her little four-year-old two-leaved -tract, and spoke no word about the opposition. - -A few days later Senator Lapham called and told her things were not -going as well as he had hoped. Senator Windom, he said, was favorable, -but troubled. The matter seemed hung up at the State Department. - -She told him she would go to the State Department herself and see what -was the trouble. - -“His good kind heart was touched, and his eyes were full.” - -He did not know any other way than for her to do this. And so she went. - -She was admitted immediately to the Department of State, and told -confidentially that it was all right. The Secretary of State had -conferred with the President, and they were all ready to recommend the -treaty to the Senate. - -Would she like to see the treaty? - -Would she? Indeed, she would! - -It must be a secret; unsigned documents were not supposed to be shown; -but the Secretary of State would be pleased to know whether this treaty -was exactly what she wanted. - -She had never seen a treaty, and did not know what it looked like. It -was a volume, a kind of unbound book, of soft parchment, something like -fourteen inches square. She sat down and read it, word for word, the -Secretary of State watching her intermittently as he busied himself -about other matters. Line by line the full significance of it came -over her. It quoted in full the text of the 1864 Convention, and -recited in effect the whole situation into which this would bring the -United States in its relation to other nations. It was a great and -solemn document, such as she had never before handled; and her life -and hope were bound up in it. At the very end were the formal words of -ratification, with blank spaces for the signature of the President and -Secretary of State, and a place for the big seal of the United States -of America. - - I had kept my eyes clear enough to read to the very end; but then I - could hold up no longer, and how long a cry I indulged in, I do not - know. But I know that it rested me; and after a while he stepped over - and asked, very gently, “How does it suit you?” I told him it was - all I could have hoped for, but I was ashamed to have done so badly - myself. He, laughing, said that was all right. I asked him when it - would be signed, and he said, “Any time, now.” - - At last it was done! - -Why had she worried so much about it? - -She worried because she knew there was reason to worry; and because -there were so few to worry; and because she did not know whether her -worrying would do any good. - -For it is necessary to tell a little, a very little, about why she -worried. - -There lie before me as I write certain letters written to Clara Barton -by a woman who came to her in the latter part of her struggle to secure -the recognition of the Red Cross, and who wrote to Miss Barton that to -be associated with her in such work would be the crowning glory of her -life: - - I should think it a greater glory to be a doorkeeper in such a society - as the Red Cross than to be--well, Mrs. President of the United - States. If in the humblest way I can help you, I am at your service. - There may be nothing for me to do, but if there is, command me. - -Sadly, in after years, Clara Barton gathered up these and other -documents, arranged them neatly in order, and endorsed them: - - The enclosed papers will serve to show in part what the Red Cross had - to meet in its incipiency before we had the treaty. This woman had - been our secretary and trusted friend, but by some means became a - strong competitor, and organized an opposing society. - -That is all she said about it; no word of bitterness or of -self-justification. But this was not the only woman who rushed to her -when she first gained publicity, proclaimed that she would be a servant -of the servants of Clara Barton, learned all her confidential affairs, -and then betrayed her. - -This volume will make no catalogue of those who ate of her bread and -accepted her confidences and who proved base and ungrateful. This -particular woman is mentioned because it seemed to Clara Barton that -she might very possibly defeat all that Clara Barton was working for. -She gained friends in high places, and she knew just whom Clara Barton -counted to be her friends, and how to approach some of them. - -There lie before the author, also, certain anonymous letters, received -at this time, some of them written in one city and sent to other cities -to be mailed. There were also some vicious newspaper articles, one of -them first published in a remote Southern city, and later copied into -Washington and Philadelphia papers, and these Clara Barton clipped, -and labeled with the name of the person who, without any question, she -believed to be their author. These and the anonymous letters and the -letters of affection are all in the same package. Clara Barton arranged -them, and she thought she knew. - -Now, on the day that Clara Barton visited the office of the Secretary -of State, she was so overjoyed that she went straight to the White -House to thank the President. Mr. Arthur was not in, but her little -note was accepted by his secretary, who smiled and assured her that he -understood, and that the President would be glad to receive it. And she -went home with a happy heart. And Senator Lapham sent her a big bouquet -of roses that night. - -The next Monday was the day set for Mr. Blaine to deliver the memorial -address on President Garfield, and she had a seat in the gallery of the -House of Representatives; which was a much-coveted honor. She rose in -full expectation of going; and she went. - -But at breakfast she received her mail; and there was a letter from her -rival: - - It was the most abusive of all I have ever received from her. She - charged me with all little meannesses, and warned me if I do not stop - people’s tongues, she will take redress upon me, either through the - press or by law. - - It had the effect to stun or daze me until I did not want to go to the - Address. But I did go. - -That was one of the things that was oppressing Clara Barton in those -days. That was why she was troubled when the wife of a Senator came -to see her and ask whether there was such a thing as the Red Cross, -and what it was, and why it was opposing another organization of which -the Senator’s wife was a member. That was why she was worried when the -Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations grew strangely distant. - -But she went to hear Mr. Blaine, and she met prominent people, some of -whom knew her. - -Two days later she had confidential tidings that the Senate Foreign -Relations Committee had _unanimously_ approved the treaty, and that it -would doubtless be discussed in executive session of the Senate on the -following Tuesday. - -But it hung on for another month, a month through which it was hard for -her to go, but through which she went bravely. - -On Thursday, March 16, she felt as though hope was almost hopeless. -She “had no heart to speak” that day; “had more tears than words.” “It -has been a sad day.” - -She wrote these words that evening, “weary and heart-sick”; but at this -point was interrupted by a note from Senator Lapham. The note will bear -printing: - - U.S. SENATE CHAMBER - WASHINGTON, March 16, 1882 - - MISS BARTON: - - I have the gratifying privilege of informing you of the ratification - by the Senate of the Geneva Convention; of the full assent of the - United States to the same, by the action of the Senate this afternoon. - I had the injunction of secrecy removed so that it could be published - at once. The whole is in print, and if I get time I will send you some - copies in the morning. I go home to-morrow to be gone a week. - - LAUS DEO! - - Very truly - - E. S. LAPHAM - - -It ought to have brought her joy; but she wrote: - - I had waited so long, and was so weak and broken, I could not even - feel glad. I laid down the letter, and wiped my tired eyes. - -Before she got to bed she had another sad tale to hear, of dissensions -among those who should have been rejoicing with her, but were -displeased. And she went to bed ill. - -Many of the people who from this time came to Clara Barton with an -earnest desire to be permitted to share in her labor were thoroughly -and permanently loyal, and some of them are to this day among the -foremost of those who hold her name in reverence. There were others, -however, not less sincere, who were an embarrassment to her, coming in -some cases with a maximum of enthusiasm and a minimum of discretion. -There were still others who, after working with her long enough -to gain her confidence, became fired with an ambition to organize -societies of their own. There was a Blue Anchor Society, now entirely -forgotten, but which caused her a great deal of anxiety. It was -established by a woman whom she counted a sincere friend, who learned -about the Red Cross from Clara Barton and utilized her knowledge in the -formation of a rival society which at one time threatened to be more -prominent in high places than the Red Cross itself. Later there was -organized a White Cross Society, which gained such recognition that, in -one of the Dewey parades at the end of the Spanish War, it was placed -ahead of the Red Cross. It had powerful friends, and the bill for its -recognition by Congress passed the Senate, but did not pass the House. - -These rival organizations appear very puerile and futile now, but -at the time they were a source of great anxiety to Clara Barton. It -sometimes seemed to her that there were not many people whom she could -trust to maintain permanently high and unselfish motives like her own. -If she failed, as she was charged with failing, to share responsibility -with her associates, that failure had behind it some very unhappy -experiences that need not here be recorded. - -Just at the point when her success, as we now view it, was practically -assured, she went one Saturday to call on an influential woman whose -friendship she had won in the work for the sufferers from the Michigan -fires. Her heart sank within her when she found on this friend’s desk -the literature of an opposing organization with an invitation to join. -She wondered if this friend too would desert her, and she went home -greatly depressed. So far as that friend was concerned, her fears -were groundless. This woman and her husband had seen her work and -they remained loyal to her through life. The next day was a family -anniversary, and it set her to remembering her childhood. She wrote in -her diary that day: - - I wish I had always remained a little girl. I did not begin like - other children; did not learn how to be a child, still less how to be - a young girl and woman; and so had no knowledge of the right way to - get on in society. I have made only mistakes, and have always been - so sensitive that I could not bear the consequences of my mistakes. - The longer I live the worse it gets, until now the menacing spirits - hover about my poor beset pathway, darkening it with the shadows - of approaching night; there is not a ray of brightness nor even of - safety; they wait like robbers to see me far enough along to set upon - me and slay me outright. But there is no way but to go on; I cannot - hide. I wonder if it would not have been better if I had gone, the - little five-year-old girl that was snatched from death? I often revert - to that sharp illness, which I can remember, as the time when perhaps - it would have been better if no remedy had been found. What years of - unrest, pain to myself and to others it would have wiped out, and all - the world would have been as well if not better! Looking at it as - calmly as I am able and with my best judgment, I can only see failure - of it all. There have been no successes in my life, only attempts at - success and no realization. - -At such times she felt her lack of experience in social matters. The -women who organized these opposing societies were able to hold parlor -meetings in aristocratic homes; to organize committees with long lists -of names of society women as patronesses; to secure publicity, and to -enlist strong political influence. She wrote in her diary: - - I am very low-spirited. I am cold, alone, surrounded by harmful - spirits. All the society people of the city and country seem to be - arrayed in arms against me, with only my single hand, sore heart, and - silent tongue to make my way against misrepresentation, malice, and - selfish ambition. - -These were some of the reasons why Clara Barton was not jubilant when -her success finally came. She was too tired, too heart-sore to care -very much. She was weary of Washington, and she thought she was ready -now to go to one of her other homes and live the rest of her life -in peace. The Red Cross was now an established fact; the treaty was -signed and ratified. She had only to hand in her resignation and leave -the work to be carried on by others; whether they were her enemies or -friends, she did not greatly care, her part was done. - -That was what she said in her diary, but a few days later the meeting -occurred for the perfecting of the organization in its new and -accredited character. She went to the meeting only partially recovered -from her depression, but she returned in high spirits. “This has -been a red-letter day for me,” she wrote; “the meeting was largely -attended.” Quite a number of prominent people seemed eager to sign the -constitution and become members of her organization. The cry from the -flooded district along the Mississippi was loud and strong; there was -work to be done immediately; it was no time for Clara Barton to resign. -She wrote no more of the cruel things which she had been suffering, but -went straight forward in her work of relief. It was many years before -she had time to think again of resigning. - -On the first day of March, 1882, the President, by his signature, gave -the accession of the United States to the Treaty of Geneva of August -22, 1864, and also to that of October 20, 1868, and transmitted to the -Senate the following message, declaration, and proposed adoption of -the same: - - Message from the President of the United States, transmitting an - accession of the United States to the Convention concluded at - Geneva on the twenty-second August, 1864, between various powers, - for the amelioration of the wounded of armies in the field, and to - the additional articles thereto, signed at Geneva on the twentieth - October, 1868. - - March 3, 1882.--Read; accession read the first time referred to the - Committee on Foreign Relations, and, together with the message, - ordered to be printed in confidence, for the use of the Senate. - - March 16, 1882.--Ratified and injunction of secrecy removed therefrom. - -_To the Senate of the United States_: - -I transmit to the Senate for its action thereon, the accession -of the United States to the convention concluded at Geneva on -the twenty-second August, 1864, between various powers, for the -amelioration of the wounded of armies in the field, and to the -additional articles thereto, signed at Geneva on the twentieth of -October, 1868. - - CHESTER A. ARTHUR - - WASHINGTON, March 3, 1882 - -WHEREAS, on the twenty-second day of August, 1864, a convention was -concluded at Geneva, in Switzerland, between the Grand Duchy of Baden -and the Swiss Confederation, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of -Denmark, the Kingdom of Spain, the French Empire, the Grand Duchy -of Hesse, the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the -Kingdom of Portugal, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Kingdom of -Würtemberg, for the amelioration of the wounded in armies in the field, -the tenor of which convention is as follows! - -[Here followed the treaty and additional articles.] - -Now, therefore, the President of the United States of America, by -and with the advice and consent of the Senate, hereby declares that -the United States accede to the said convention of the twenty-second -August, 1864, and also accede to the said convention of October 20, -1868. - -Done at Washington this first day of March in the year of our Lord one -thousand eight hundred and eighty-two, and of the Independence of the -United States the one hundred and sixth. - -(Seal) CHESTER A. ARTHUR By the President: FRED’K T. FRELINGHUYSEN -Secretary of State - -When the Senate finally took favorable action and President Arthur -added his signature, Clara Barton did not wait for mail, but cabled the -joyful news to Geneva, and received in reply the following official -letter: - - GENEVA, _March 24, 1882_ - - MISS CLARA BARTON - - _President of the American Society of the Red Cross_ - - MADEMOISELLE: At last, on the 17th instant, I received your glorious - telegram. I delayed replying to it in order to communicate its - contents to my colleagues of the International Committee, so as to - be able to thank you in the name of all of us and to tell you of - the joy it gives us. You must feel happy, too, and proud to have at - last attained your object, thanks to a perseverance and a zeal which - surmounted every obstacle. - - Please, if opportunity offers, to be our interpreter with President - Arthur and present him our warmest congratulations. - - I suppose your Government will now notify the Swiss Federal Council of - its decision in the matter, and the latter will then inform the other - Powers which have signed the Red Cross Treaty. - - Only after this formality shall have been complied with can we occupy - ourselves with fixing the official international status of your - society. We have, however, already considered the circular which we - intend to address to all the societies of the Red Cross, and with - regard thereto we have found that it will be necessary for us as a - preliminary measure to be furnished with a document certifying that - your society has attained the second of its objects, i.e., that it has - been (officially) recognized by the American Government. - - It is important that we be able to certify that your Government is - prepared to accept your services in case of war; that it will readily - enter into cooperation with you and will encourage the centralization - under _your direction_ of all the voluntary aid. We have no doubt that - you will readily obtain from the competent authorities an official - declaration to that effect, and we believe that this matter will be - merely a formality, but we attach the greatest importance to the - fact in order to cover our responsibility, especially in view of the - pretensions of rival societies which might _claim_ to be acknowledged - by us. - - It is your society alone and none other that we will patronize, - because it inspires us with confidence and we would be placed in a - false position if you failed to obtain for it a privileged position by - a formal recognizance of the Government. - - We hope that you will appreciate the motives of caution which guide us - in this matter, and that you may soon enable us to act in the premises. - - Wishing to testify to you its gratitude for the services you have - already rendered to the Red Cross, the committee decided to offer to - you one of the medals which a German engraver caused to be struck off - in 1870 in honor of the Red Cross. It will be sent to you in a few - days. It is of very small intrinsic value indeed, but such as it is, - we have no other means of recompensing the most meritorious of our - assistants. Please to regard it only as a simple memorial, and as a - proof of the esteem and gratitude we feel for you. - - Accept, Mademoiselle, the assurance of my most distinguished - sentiments, - - G. MOYNIER - - President - - -On the 26th of July, 1882, the following proclamation was issued by the -President: - - _By the President of the United States of America_: - - A PROCLAMATION - - Whereas, on the 22d day of August, 1864, a convention was concluded - at Geneva, in Switzerland, between the Grand Duchy of Baden and the - Swiss Confederation, the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of Denmark, - the Kingdom of Spain, the French Empire, the Grand Duchy of Hesse, - the Kingdom of Italy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of - Portugal, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Kingdom of Würtemberg, for - the amelioration of the wounded in armies in the field, the tenor of - which convention is hereinafter subjoined; - - And whereas the several contracting parties to the said Convention - exchanged the ratifications thereof at Geneva on the 22d day of June, - 1865; - - And whereas the several states hereinafter named have adhered to the - said Convention in virtue of Article IX thereof to wit: - - Sweden December 13, 1864. - Greece January 5-17, 1865. - Great Britain February 18, 1865. - Mecklenburg-Schwerin March 9, 1865. - Turkey July 5, 1865. - Würtemberg June 2, 1866. - Hesse June 22, 1866. - Bavaria June 30, 1866. - Austria July 21, 1866. - Persia December 5, 1874. - Salvador December 30, 1874. - Montenegro November 17-29, 1875. - Servia March 24, 1876. - Bolivia October 16, 1879. - Chili November 15, 1879. - Argentine Republic November 25, 1879. - Peru April 22, 1880. - - And whereas the Swiss Confederation, in virtue of the said Article IX - of said Convention, has invited the United States of America to accede - thereto; - - And whereas on the 20th October, 1868, the following additional - articles were proposed and signed at Geneva, on behalf of Great - Britain, Austria, Baden, Bavaria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, - Netherlands, North Germany, Sweden and Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, - and Würtemberg, the tenor of which additional articles is hereinafter - subjoined; - - And whereas the President of the United States of America, by and with - the advice and consent of the Senate, did, on the first day of March, - one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two, declare that the United - States accede to the said Convention of the 22d of August, 1864, and - also accede to the said Convention of October 20, 1868; - - And whereas, on the ninth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and - eighty-two, the Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation, in virtue - of the final provision of a certain minute of the exchange of the - ratifications of the said Convention at Berne, December 22, 1864, did, - by a formal declaration, accept the said adhesion of the United States - of America, as well in the name of the Swiss Confederation as in that - of the other contracting states; - - And whereas, furthermore, the Government of the Swiss Confederation - has informed the Government of the United States that the exchange - of the ratifications of the aforesaid additional articles of the 22d - October, 1868, to which the United States of America have, in like - manner, adhered as aforesaid, has not yet taken place between the - contracting parties, and that these articles cannot be regarded as a - treaty in full force and effect: - - Now, therefore, be it known that I, Chester A. Arthur, President of - the United States of America, have caused the said Convention of - August 22, 1864, to be made public, to the end that the same and - every article and clause thereof may be observed and fulfilled with - good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof; reserving, - however, the promulgation of the hereinbefore mentioned additional - articles of October 20, 1868, notwithstanding the accession of - the United States of America thereto, until the exchange of the - ratifications thereof between the several contracting states shall - have been effected, and the said additional articles shall have - acquired full force and effect as an international treaty. - - In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of - the United States to be affixed. - - Done at the city of Washington, this twenty-sixth day of July, in the - year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-two, and of the - Independence of the United States the one hundred and seventh. - - [L.S.] - - CHESTER A. ARTHUR - - By the President: - - FRED’K T. FRELINGHUYSEN - _Secretary of State_ - - United States of America, Department of State, to all to whom these - presents shall come, greeting: - - I certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the original on file in - the Department of State. - - In testimony whereof I, John Davis, Acting Secretary of State of the - United States, have hereunto subscribed my name and caused the seal of - the Department of State to be affixed. - - Done at the city of Washington, this 9th day of August, a.d. 1882, and - of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred - and seventh. - - [L.S.] - - JOHN DAVIS - - -Thus was the American Association of the Red Cross welcomed into the -fellowship of kindred associations in thirty-one other nations, the -most prosperous and civilized on the globe, its position assured, and -its future course made simple, direct, and untroubled. - -The Official Bulletin of the International Committee also hailed -the accession of the United States to the treaty in an article of -characteristic caution, and of great significance. In that article the -distinction was carefully pointed out between that which had already -been fully agreed to, and had become invested with all the force and -solemnity of international treaties, and the proposed treaty, which -had been drawn up and considered with a view to ultimate adoption. -This proposed treaty had received the sanction and signature of the -International Committee at Geneva without ever having been formally -adopted by any nation. The United States had, at the same moment, -adopted both, thus becoming the thirty-second nation to adhere to the -treaty of August 22, 1864, and the _first_ to adopt that of October 20, -1868.[3] We quote the entire article: - - - ÉTATS-UNIS - - ADHÉSION DES ÉTATS-UNIS A LA CONVENTION DE GENÈVE - - Nous référant à l’article inséré dans notre précédent Bulletin, nous - sommes heureux de pouvoir annoncer que l’acte d’adhésion, que nous - pressentions, a été signé à Washington le 16 mars, à la suite d’un - vote par lequel les membres du Sénat l’ont approuvé à l’unanimité. Nos - lecteurs seront sans doute surpris, comme nous, qu’après la longue - et systématique résistance du gouvernement des États-Unis pour se - rallier à la Convention de Genève, il ne se soit pas trouvé dans la - législature américaine, lorsque la question a été portée devant elle, - un seul représentant de l’opposition. Un revirement d’opinion aussi - complet ne peut s’expliquer, que si l’on admet que les chefs de la - nation avaient nourri jusqu’à présent des préjugés à l’égard de la - Convention de Genève, préjugés qui se sont évanouis le jour où ils ont - bien compris ce que l’on attendait d’eux, et reconnu qu’il n’y avait - là rien de compremettant pour la politique de leur pays. - - Dans leur zèle de néophytes, ils ont même dépassé le but, car ils ont - voté leur adhésion, non-seulement à la convention du 22 août 1864, - mais encore au _projet_ d’articles additionnels du 20 octobre 1868, - qui n’était pas en cause puisqu’il n’a jamais eu force de loi. Nous ne - donnons du moins cette nouvelle que sous toute réserve, car nous avons - reçu à son sujet des renseignements contradictoires. Si ce vice de - forme se trouve dans la pièce officielle qui sera envoyée au Conseil - Fédéral Suisse, on peut craindre qu’il ne retarde la conclusion tant - désirée de cette importante affaire, mais il ne faudra pas trop le - regretter, puisqu’il aura permis de connaître l’opinion de la grande - république transatlantique, sur les questions maritimes relatives à la - Croix rouge. - -[Translation] - - UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN FOR APRIL-- - - No. 50, p. 92 - - ADHESION OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE CONVENTION OF GENEVA - - Referring to the article inserted in our preceding Bulletin, p. 42, - we are happy to be able to announce that the act of adhesion which we - presented was signed at Washington the 16th of March, in pursuance of - a vote by which the members of the Senate gave their approval with - unanimity. Our readers will doubtless be surprised, as we are, that - after the long and systematic resistance of the Government of the - United States against rallying to the Convention of Geneva, there - cannot be found in the American legislature a single representative of - the opposition. So complete a reversal of opinion cannot be explained, - unless we admit that the chief officers of the nation had cherished, - up to the present time, prejudices in regard to the Convention of - Geneva--prejudices which vanished as soon as they fully comprehended - what was expected of them, and recognized that there was nothing - compromising in it to the political condition of their country. - - With the zeal of new converts, they have even gone beyond the mark, - inasmuch as they have voted their adhesion not only to the convention - of the 22d of August, 1864, but also to the plan of Additional - Articles of the 20th of October, 1868, which was not the matter in - question, since that had never had the force of law; we give this - news only under every reserve, because we have received contradictory - information on the subject. If this defect in form is found in the - official document which will be sent to the Swiss Federal Council one - could fear it might retard the so much desired conclusion of this - important affair, but it need not be too much regretted, since it - will enable us to understand the opinion of the great Transatlantic - Republic upon maritime questions as they relate to the Red Cross. - -We have seen how the final vote of the Senate, approving the treaty, -found Clara Barton too weary and too ill to feel at the moment any -thrill of joy in her success. The strength of will that held her to the -end of these struggles was not born of sustained enthusiasm; it was the -tenacity of a courage that had grown very weary, but that never gave -up. It was not the joy of success that called her back to interest in -life, but the stern call of duty. While the Senate was considering the -treaty, the Mississippi River was rising higher and higher. That was -her call back to life and labor. - -The work done in Michigan had served widely to advertise the Red Cross, -and it made way for a wider appeal. The first funds distributed by it -were collected locally, in the two cities nearest to the summer home of -Miss Barton. - -The disastrous Mississippi flood occurred in the spring of 1882. Clara -Barton at once called together her advisers and laid her plans for -relief. It seemed to them wise that public appeal should be delayed -until the Senate, then considering the treaty, should have taken -favorable action; lest precipitate effort for temporary relief might -prejudice the success of the greater end that now was almost in sight. -But the preparations for relief were made, even though the public -appeal was, for good reason, a little delayed. Indeed, before there was -any official recognition, the Red Cross had its agents on the ground, -effecting local organizations that became permanent. Of this Clara -Barton wrote: - - Again our infant organization sent its field agent, Dr. Hubbell, to - the scene of disaster, where millions of acres of the richest valley, - cotton, and sugar lands of America, and thousands upon thousands of - homes were under the waters of the mightiest of rivers--where the - swift rising floods overtook alike man and beast in their flight - of terror, sweeping them ruthlessly to the gulf beyond, or leaving - them clinging in famishing despair to some trembling roof or swaying - tree-top till relief could reach and rescue them. - - The National Association, with no general fund, sent of its personal - resources what it was able to do, and so acceptable did these prove - and so convincing were the beneficences of the work that the cities of - Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans desired to be permitted to form - associate societies and work under the National Association. This was - permitted, and those societies have remained until the present time, - New Orleans organizing for the entire State of Louisiana. The city of - Rochester, proud and grateful of its success in the disaster a few - months before, again came to the front and again rendered excellent - service. - -A few days were required to complete the official recognition. Then the -American Red Cross issued its first national appeal to the American -people, a copy of which appeal is still preserved: - - APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE - - The President having signed the Treaty of the Geneva Conference, and - the Senate having, on the 16th instant, ratified the President’s - action, the American Association of the Red Cross, organized under - provisions of said treaty, purposes to send its agents at once among - the sufferers by the recent floods, with a view to the ameliorating of - their condition so far as can be done by human aid and the means at - hand will permit. - - Contributions are urgently solicited. Remittances in money may be - made to Hon. Charles J. Folger, Secretary of the Treasury, chairman - of the board of trustees, or to his associates, Hon. Robert T. - Lincoln, Secretary of War, and Hon. George B. Loring, Commissioner of - Agriculture. Contributions of wearing apparel, bedding, and provisions - should be addressed to “The Red Cross Agent,” at Memphis, Tenn., - Vicksburg, Miss., and Helena, Ark. - - CLARA BARTON - J. C. BANCROFT DAVIS - FREDERICK DOUGLASS - ALEX. Y. P. GARNETT - MRS. OMAR D. CONGER - A. S. SOLOMONS - MRS. S. A. MARTHA CANFIELD - R. D. MUSSEY - - _Committee_ - - WASHINGTON, D.C., _March 23, 1882_ - - -The response to this appeal was generous. The Red Cross immediately -effected its permanent organization; and during the next twenty years -it was seldom without a task of some kind. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[2] This is not precisely the name which this rival organization -assumed. There would appear to be no good reason for recording it; -but the fact that there were several such organizations which sprang -into being immediately after President Garfield’s recognition of Clara -Barton should not be forgotten. - -[3] Of this proposed treaty of October 20, 1868, the 9th article was as -follows: - -ART. IX. The military hospital ships remain under martial law in all -that concerns their stores; they become the property of the captor, but -the latter must not divert them from their special appropriation during -the continuance of the war. - -[_The vessels not equipped for fighting, which, during peace, the -Government shall have officially declared to be intended to serve as -floating hospital ships, shall, however, enjoy during the war complete -neutrality, both as regards stores, and also as regards their staff, -provided their equipment is exclusively appropriated to the special -service on which they are employed._] - -In the published English text, from which this version of the -Additional Articles is taken, the paragraph thus marked in brackets -appears in continuation of Article IX. It is not, however, found in the -original French text adopted by the Geneva conference, October 20, 1868. - -By an instruction sent to the United States minister at Berne, January -20, 1883, the right is reserved to omit this paragraph from the English -text, and to make any other necessary corrections, if at any time -hereafter the Additional Articles shall be completed by the exchange -of the ratifications hereof between the several signatory and adhering -powers. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -CLARA BARTON AT SHERBORN - - -It will be well at this point to make plain three points which were not -clearly understood at the outset, and have sometimes been misunderstood -since. - -The first is that Clara Barton, in establishing the Red Cross in -America, was not seeking primarily to provide a place for herself. At -this period she had three homes, and money enough to support herself -comfortably in any one of them. We have an interesting look into the -Dansville home in a letter of her brother David to his daughter, Ida -Barton Riccius. He was ill, and she, not yet recovered from her own -illness, took him in and nursed him back to health. He wrote: - - DANSVILLE, June 13, 1880 - - Clara’s friends met us at the cars and rendered all necessary - assistance. I was very weak and tired. - - Clara lives in a very splendid old mansion, in a location unsurpassed, - and a grand view of all the surroundings. Her house is filled with - almost everything that adds to health, comfort, and happiness. Clara - is very attentive to me. I think it came rather hard on her the first - part of the time. Perhaps she will stand it a little better now that I - am better and can possibly assist her a little. I have been gradually - gaining since I arrived, considering how miserable I was when I came. - - The living here agrees with me exceedingly well. We have plenty of - good fresh milk, fresh graham bread from the bakery, fresh graham meal - to make puddings, butter, cheese, apple-sauce, any kind of canned - fruit we choose, which generally constitutes our breakfast. For dinner - we have meat, fish, beans, potatoes, and things of that kind. For - supper we have bread, butter, tea or coffee, cheese, and fruit of any - kind. This is the way we live and I enjoy it much. Clara has nearly - all sorts of canned fruit in abundance, but what is best of all is - plenty of nice fresh apples which I go into without mercy. - -Clara Barton would have smiled a little at her brother’s arrangement of -her menus. She probably would have said that she had a simple breakfast -of graham bread, fresh butter, and fruit; a hearty midday meal of meat -or fish and vegetables; and a light supper of bread, butter, cheese, -and fruit, with abundance of sweet milk and an unlimited supply of good -red apples. - -This was the kind of home which Clara Barton left when she went to -Washington to plead for the Red Cross. She often longed for it, and -thought of going back there. Yet the purpose which had taken her to -Dansville had been accomplished in her restored health. There was no -important work for her to do there, or at Oxford. She could have a roof -and red apples in either place, but she wanted to be promoting what had -become the great object in life for her. That was what brought her back -to Washington. - -If, in all the weary months when she was fighting her lonely battles -for the Red Cross, it ever occurred to her that this organization -would give to her a life position, or bring to her either money or -other emoluments, there is no hint of it in her diaries. So far as one -may judge from these intimate self-revelations, her purpose was as -genuinely altruistic as human nature is capable of becoming. - -Nor is there any indication that she supposed that this would bring -her additional honor. She already had more honors of certain desirable -kinds than any other woman in America. Her Civil War record was known -throughout the Nation. The lecture platform offered her an inviting and -remunerative invitation to return if she cared to take it up. She had -brought back with her from Europe official decorations such as royalty -neither before nor since has ever bestowed upon an American woman. - -Secretary Blaine inquired about these with interest one day, and a few -days later she handed three of them to his secretary with the following -letter: - - WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 31, 1881 - - To the Hon. Secretary of State - Washington, D.C. - - DEAR MR. BLAINE: - - After the words unintentionally dropped at the interview so kindly - granted me on Saturday, it occurs to me that it is perhaps the - suitable thing for me to do, possibly a duty, to explain to you, - as the Head of our foreign relations, my own connection in that - direction. I will with your kind permission take the liberty to pass - in, by the hand of your secretary, the accompanying “Decorations”: - - The “Iron Cross of Merit” issued to me in 1872 by the Emperor and - Empress of Germany on the occasion of the seventy-fifth birthday of - the Emperor. - - The “Gold Cross of Remembrance” presented to me by the Grand Duke and - Grand Duchess of Baden at the close of the Franco-German War. - - The “Red Cross of Geneva,” brought to Strassburg and placed upon my - neck by the Grand Duchess of Baden, near whose court I suppose by - courtesy I in a manner belong, as the winter of 1872 was passed there, - and I left with the faithful promise to return to Europe once in - two years, and pass each alternate winter with her, a promise which - circumstances alone have prevented me from keeping,--the first four - years after my return to America in 1873 were passed as a broken-down - invalid, mainly confined to my room or bed. The four last, since on - my feet, I have been held here by my efforts, and my promise given - repeatedly abroad, to plant the Red Cross on our own soil, and hang - its peaceful humane flag beside our “Stars and Stripes.” - - I am glad, Mr. Secretary, that you have seen it, as you have in - the late celebration, for you will be the better able, it may be, - to comprehend and excuse my persistency. Except for this constant - and exhaustive occupation, I should have passed either of the last - winters at Carlsruhe; but it has been sufficient to consume my entire - time, strength, and spare means, and must continue to do so, until - the treaty is disposed of and the Societies of the Red Cross, so - indispensable to the effectiveness and utility of the treaty, are - understood by the people, and measurably established throughout the - country. To this end, I have at this moment in press a small work of - a hundred or so pages, explaining the entire subject, its origin, - history, and purposes, and of which I have ordered five thousand - copies for gratuitous circulation. They will be ready at the opening - of Congress or before, and I have four thoroughly formed societies, - one NATIONAL in this city, completed and incorporated, one Local in - Dansville, New York, one in the city of Rochester, New York, for the - county of Monroe, and one similarly organized in Syracuse, New York. - Both Rochester and Syracuse are forming local, town societies under - them, and all, in the happy absence of war, are using up their surplus - energies on the burnt fields of Michigan, to which their agents have - already taken thousands of dollars to the hungry, and thousands of - garments to the naked. - - I must beg, Mr. Blaine, that you do not misinterpret my motive in - making this little revelation of foreign recognition. If the incentive - had been mere personal vanity, I should probably have found a way to - make the facts known, short of a decade, but it comes to me now, that - it is perhaps, under the circumstances, a kind of duty that I should - report to you on “Foreign Affairs.” - - Begging your pardon for my too long letter, I remain, Mr. Secretary, - with the most grateful respect, - - Very truly - - CLARA BARTON - - -The next thing that should be kept clearly in mind is that she did not -establish an organization dependent upon Government appropriations. In -this respect her organization was quite unlike some of those that were -hastily organized to oppose her. At least one of these was organized -with an eye keenly intent upon one form of then existing Government -service, with which it might possibly be affiliated, with an inviting -prospect of salaried positions and official appointments. When the -Treaty of Geneva was ratified, and not only the Senate but House of -Representatives stood ready to do almost anything for Clara Barton, -many of her friends in Congress assumed that the next step would be a -request for a Congressional appropriation to cover the administrative -expense of the Red Cross organization. To every such suggestion Clara -Barton returned an emphatic negative. This was her little creed -announced at the outset, and often reiterated: - - The Red Cross means, not national aid for the needs of the people, but - the people’s aid for the needs of the Nation. - -She would not accept a salary or permit any friend of hers in Congress -to introduce a bill for her financial advantage. - -How keenly she felt the importance of establishing the Red Cross upon -this basis, and how sensitive she was to the opposition which grew -formidable just before the treaty was adopted, is shown in a letter -of hers to her long-time friend Frances Willard, who wrote to ask the -reason why she was not moving faster in her work for the relief of the -people in the flooded district along the Mississippi: - - WASHINGTON, Feby. 11, 1882 - - DEAR FRANCES WILLARD: - - Yes, I did get your letter telling me about the state of things in - Mississippi and that all was lost there. I have no doubt but that it - is the same the country through. It is hard and heavy and bitter; the - shots of malice and detraction fall thick, but I must stand at the - helm and steer my ship safely into port. The _Treaty of Geneva_ must - first be secured. I have but one passage to take it through and that - is lined thick on every side with guns manned by the Society ladies - of the Capital of the Nation. The Red Cross, a little stranger craft - from a foreign land, bearing only the banner of peace and love, and - her messages of world-wide mercy begging shelter and acceptance in our - capacious harbor, has chosen me for her pilot to bring her in. Besides - these guns that open upon her on all sides she runs against the - chains which have so long held her out--fancied Government defenses - of “Non-intervention,” “Self-isolation,” beware of “Entangling - alliances,” “Washington’s Farewell Address,” “Monroe Doctrine,” - apathy, inertia, general ignorance, national conceit, national - distrust, a desire to retain the old-time barbarous privileges of - privateering and piracy which we have hugged as a precious boon - against every humane treaty since we began. All these my little ship - has had to meet and breast and bear down, before this new and personal - attack was opened upon her, so you see I cannot turn aside from my - duties of a true pilot to contest a new foe. I must bring my ship - through the natural dangers and anchor it safely in port, though _it_ - and I be riddled with shot. I have thrown over all extra weight, put - on all sail, muzzled my guns, put my poor tired wounded crew to the - pumps, nailed the little flag to the mast; and so you see us without - other word or sign, plunging through the surf, breaking down chain - after chain, through the fire and smoke, making for the shore. Never - a messenger of mercy met a more inhospitable welcome, but the poor - battered pilot has faith in the craft, and faith in God, and at no - distant day, in spite of all, we shall throw out a sturdy old iron - anchor to grapple with the reefs of the coast, and run up a little - pennant beside the cross, “Treaty Ratified.” After this we shall - be freed from our national disgrace, relieved from the charge and - duties of safe conduct for our course, and then if there is call for - arbitration we will be ready. - -The success of her work along the Mississippi made it evident that she -must continue the direction of the Red Cross. But that did not by any -means convince her that she was to give up everything else and stay in -Washington. She began to look for something else to do, and something -that would take her far away from the seat of government. - -She rather coveted than otherwise the opportunity to show without -advertising the fact that she had other and visible means of support, -and that her work for the Red Cross was not undertaken for lack of -other employment. Moreover, it was expected that its organization would -be kept simple, and its work done promptly in times of emergency. -That was why almost immediately after the Red Cross had become an -actual organization, and she had been constituted its official head -by Presidential nomination and international appointment, and all the -opposing organizations had withered and died, she was willing to accept -a salaried position in work of another kind. - -About this time she had a letter from Governor Butler of Massachusetts. -He knew her well and had seen much of her work during the Civil War. -Out of a clear sky came his invitation to her. - - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT - - BOSTON, January 8, 1883 - - MY DEAR MISS BARTON: - - There is a vacancy in the office of Superintendent of the Woman’s - Reformatory Prison of Massachusetts. It wants a woman at once of - executive ability and kind-heartedness, with an honest love of the - work of reformation and care of her living fellow creatures. How would - that suit you? The salary is not very large. It is $1500.00 a year and - house and expenses of living. Please let me hear from you at your - earliest convenience. I am, - - Very truly yours - BENJ. F. BUTLER - - TO MISS CLARA BARTON - Dansville, New York - - -Nothing could have surprised her more than this invitation and it was -four months before she decided to accept it. Even then she accepted -with the stipulation that she would need to close her service in time -to attend the International Convention of the Red Cross in Vienna in -the following year. - -Her acceptance of the position involved the giving of a bond of -$10,000. With her customary independence she declined to ask any one to -sign her bond, but deposited with the State Treasurer of Massachusetts -$10,000 of interest-bearing bonds and became her own guarantor. - -Prison work was something of which Clara Barton knew nothing and she -did not bring to it any considerable number of theories as to how it -ought to be performed. In her first report, rendered at the end of six -months, she took pains to give large credit to those who had preceded -her. She disclaimed for herself either knowledge or achievement. A -portion of this report will bear record here: - - With only the little experience of six months, you will readily - concede that it cannot be considered my work; it would be unjust - arrogance in me to assume it. The noble women and men who toiled for - its existence, the faithful, tireless body of commissioners, who have - watched, prayed, and labored unpaid for it, often unthanked since - with its first baby breath it cried aloud. We, the women of the old - Commonwealth, and more than all perhaps the two grand women who have - preceded me in its charge, are entitled to consider Sherborn Prison - their work. The strong brave-hearted woman, Mrs. Atkinson, who first - dared to lay her hand, untried, upon that mass of chaos, and command - order and law, life and reformation, to come out of it, was braver - than a general. The peaceful, skillful, beloved Dr. Mosher who had the - womanly courage to follow her, and strive and labor to shape still - more perfectly the swelling, yeasty mass of human sin and misery till, - like a wounded color-bearer she fell, bravely praying some comrade to - bear them on to victory. These are the people whose work that prison - is, and in their name, and theirs only, let me speak of it a moment - and commend it to your loving interest and tender care. - - Last May I found, as I entered its great halls, 230 women convicts. - It has at present 275 to 280 women convicts, and, with those who so - kindly care for them, make up a family of something over 300. These - convicts I am expected to feed, clothe, work, and govern, they in - turn to be fed, clothed, to work and obey. The most comprehensive - and I believe correct report I could make would be, that we all - faithfully perform what is expected of us. The manner in which it is - accomplished, and the causes which lead to the necessity for such - accomplishment, are, then, the remaining points of importance. The - causes are as various and widespread as the sins and mishaps which - beset erring humanity, but if you asked me what proportion I thought - would be left, after all the temptations of liquor and men were - removed, I should not require a large sheet on which to write it down. - - Sherborn Reformatory is classed as a State’s Prison, and is thus - squared by the same rule of discipline as ordinary State Prisons for - the retention of State criminals. - - And yet it is to be remembered that not a one-fourth part of these - women are guilty of, or convicted of, any real crime, simply - offenses--drunkenness and unseemly appearance upon the streets; - and yet these poor hopeless, misguided, rum-wrecked women and - night-walking girls are sentenced to the same servitude, subjected - to the same code of discipline, and go out with the same brand of - shame upon the brow, nay, far deeper than the clear-headed, cool, - intelligent, calculating men of Concord, where every inmate is - convicted of a crime. The sad conviction settles down upon me every - day that the soul, brains of the crime of the Commonwealth are in - Concord; the wrecks they have made are in Sherborn; and in my dealing - with these women, I cannot lose sight of this fact. They are more - weak than wicked, often more sinned against than sinning. This, to my - mind, invites a parental, maternal system of government, and to this - they are all amenable; even the most obstinate yields to a rule of - kindness, firmly and steadily administered. - -The records of this period are necessarily meager. Yet there have -come to the author unsought testimonials of the great work which -Clara Barton accomplished while there. While she never criticized her -predecessors, but gave them generous praise, she stood not at all on -any precedent established by them. She changed the atmosphere of the -place from an institution of punishment to one of instruction and -character-building. One who visited the prison while she was there -has told the author of Clara Barton’s power over the incorrigible; -how women that were violent and untamable by the ordinary methods -became docile under her direction. As for the younger women who were -not hardened, and were often more sinned against than sinning, they -idolized her. She established two letter-boxes in the halls, one to -receive letters addressed to herself. Any one of the three hundred -inmates was at liberty to write to Miss Barton. A number of the letters -which she received were preserved by her and have been read by her -biographer. They were a pathetic group, some of them absurd in their -requests, and others tragic in their appeal for help. The gratitude -of others was quite beyond the poor power of expression possessed by -these girls. In many instances these letters were followed by personal -conferences very fruitful of good. - -The other box was for letters of complaint addressed to the Board of -Managers. Any inmate was at liberty to write a letter and place it -there, assured that it would go direct, and that neither Miss Barton -nor any of her assistants would read it. The first box was in constant -use, the second scarcely ever contained a letter. - -This was work for which Clara Barton had no natural liking. It was very -far from the type of work she would have chosen. She never supposed -it to be a permanent position. She accepted it because she felt that -her health was sufficiently assured to justify her in undertaking some -definite responsibility, and this was a place where she could go for a -limited time and from it honorably retire. She was glad of a definite -position in some other work than the Red Cross, yet one which did -not compel her to resign her responsibilities in that organization. -She found time while at Sherborn to attend a national gathering of -philanthropic organizations in Denver, and deliver an address on -the Red Cross. And she continued general oversight of its affairs. -She retired from the work with no desire ever to see the inside of -another prison; but also with a deepened interest in all work of that -character, and with increased faith that in such work, as everywhere, -kindness and an appeal to honor and self-respect were more effective -than punishments which degrade and destroy hope. - -She continued her work at Sherborn a little longer than she intended, -because the term of Governor Butler was drawing to a close, and he did -not wish to make a temporary appointment. She withdrew at the close of -his term, and the day of her departure was a day of mourning in the -prison at Sherborn. - -A few months afterward an international conference was held at -Saratoga and she was invited to deliver an address on prison reform. -The notes of that address are preserved: - - Some steps in life are accounted unwise, some foolish, some foolhardy. - Until the present hour perhaps the most foolhardy step I have ever - been led to take was the temporary superintendence of a State Prison - for the management, control, and reformation of women. - - Though consenting, however unwillingly, to undertake a work of which I - knew nothing, and under _such_ circumstances, I did undertake it. But, - good, kind, and loving friends, in point of temerity and foolhardiness - the effort of this present hour beggars that. That I, with literally - no experience, no knowledge of the subject, with thoughts running - always in other channels,--should in any way, however tacitly, have - given consent to take my place at this desk this evening beside these - gentlemen who embody in themselves the experimental knowledge of the - world upon this subject, and before this audience, trained to thought, - the cultivated cream of the land, is to me past human comprehension. - The Lord directs--let us obey. - - In May, 1883, after four months of combined importunity from the - then Governor, General Butler, and all the people interested in and - controlling the penal institutions of the State of Massachusetts, that - I take the superintendency of Sherborn Reformatory Prison (and it was, - I believe, the only point upon which the Governor and the people ever - did agree), I decided to take it for six months. I remained something - longer. - - I entered that prison feeling myself so ignorant of all that pertained - to its line of work and methods and thought, that it seemed to me - positively _wicked_, to waste my own time and that of the community - and those who must come under me, in the strengthless, thoughtless - vacancy of my attempted work--I seemed to myself a kind of empty - balloon. - - At the end of eight months I went out of it, with a burden of - thoughts, plans, ways and means, possible and impossible, under which - my body could scarcely hold itself erect or my feet carry me away. - - I seemed more to myself like an already heavy-ladened ship, which had - met another in distress and taken on shipwrecked passengers and crew, - till her gunwales hugged the water and her laboring wheels wearily - tugged for the land. - - So piled, so criss-crossed, so intricate, so vast, contradictory, - perplexing, so vexed by customs, so hampered by foolish laws, so bound - by mercenary ends, so fettered by political ambitions, aspirations, - asperities and jealousies, to say nothing of the immutable laws of - natural descent as related to crime--so discouraging was all this to - be faced from the latter half of a busy life that I wearily and gladly - turned and laid the burden down on the hands of you skilled laborers, - and have mainly been content to feel and leave it there. - - The subject of prison reform seems to me to be so vast, and the - methods by which it is to be attempted so varied, that it can scarcely - be touched in one talk. - - The first question might be, What is meant by prison reform? and in - what degree? Palliation or cure? I well remember the one question - which always confronted me from visitors at Sherborn--“Miss Barton, - how is it, do you really reform any one here?” My reply was, - “That depends upon what _you_ consider reform to consist in. If - you mean to ask if we take women here, badly born, worse raised, - with inherited, habitual, vagrant crime in their natures, with the - grogshop and the brothel for their teachers, who never lived a decent - day or knew a decent night, filthy inside and out, and that by a - residence of a few months here we are able to send them out to you - not only good, well-behaved, industrious, cleanly, sober, orderly, - honest, respectable members of society,--something they never were - before,--infallible, proof against all the temptations and vices - which you of the free community on the outside may throw in their - path, so they shall never fall again; then, No, we reform no one, - and our prison is a failure; but, if reform may mean that the habits - which must incidentally grow up in the minds, characters, and tastes - of these women during a term of two years of sober, industrious, - and instructed life, in which they shall see only cleanliness and - order, where the workroom shall replace the street, the quiet cell, - the school-room, and the chapel in the place of the grogshop and the - brothel, kindly spoken words of advice, prayer, praise, and song in - the place of oaths and vulgarity, and a _resolution_ at least to try - to lead a better life,--if all this may be accounted in the direction - of reform, then, Yes, a thousand times Yes, we reform all that come - within our reach.” - - The prison in itself is all well, but the danger lies beyond in the - temptations, the lures, and the traps of the community into which - this poor, weak creature is plunged in her first hour of regained - liberty. I never saw one of these women go out with her little bundle - of freedom suit, and watched the eager yet timid and half-frightened - look on her face, and felt the childlike, clinging grasp upon mine, - and heard the universal “Good-bye, don’t forget me,” that through the - tears a great prayer did not rise up in my heart, “O God, strengthen - her weakness--guard her from the temptations and the snares leading - her down to death, of Thy virtuous and free, outside these prison - walls.” - - I recall once an official visit from about twenty members of the State - Legislature, at Boston, for the purpose of overlooking the prison - and seeing what it might need and how it could be best officially - served; accordingly they appealed to _me_ for my opinion generally--if - the prison were what it should be in its _appointments_, if it were - _large_ enough or _too_ large, etc., and in a general way what I would - recommend to them to do; as by recent Act they had made me not only - Superintendent but Treasurer and Steward as well. I replied: “This - Prison is all very well--a model prison and certainly as large as it - ought to be for the size of the State; and it is very probable that - there is not very much that you can directly do for it at present, as - an Institution; but, Gentlemen, the Institution from which you come - has the making of the laws by which this Institution exists; any time - when you _there_ will find a way to make it impossible for the people - of this State to get intoxicating liquors, upon which to get drunk, I - will guarantee that in six months the State of Massachusetts may rent - Sherborn for a shoe manufactory.” I am not sure that _they_ believed - what I said, but _I_ did and still do. - - True, crime will exist without drunkenness, but to no such extent - as to require two miles of prison galleries for the women of - Massachusetts. - - In _this_ country I regard drunkenness as the great father of crime, - and the mother of prisons, almshouses, asylums, and workhouses--the - parent of vice and want and the instigator of murder. Whatever bears - ever so little against this is to my mind “Prison Reform.” - - Then follow in their mournful train the sin-bound _cortège_ of primal - and secondary causes of vice and crime and which make necessary the - various methods of treatment which have been so ably discovered that - no words of mine could throw a single ray of added light upon the - subject. I can only _concur_, or perhaps express suggestively some - preferences which may have presented themselves to me. - - In regard to intermediate sentences: I may not be sufficiently clear - upon the technical points as presented by our good brother, but in a - general way I would say I am unequivocally in favor of an unfixed term - of imprisonment when the sentence is given. A fixed time of release is - an independence to the prisoner beyond the power of his keepers and - stands directly in the way of all reform. - - I would earnestly advocate everywhere, in all prisons, police - stations, houses of detention--in short, everywhere, the placing of - arrested women and women prisoners in charge of women only, and men - in charge of men. It is just and right for every reason of virtue and - decency; here again it is largely this contact that has _destroyed_; - it _cannot restore_. - - I would, for every consideration of humanity, have the most careful, - intelligent, and scientific investigation made in all prisons for - any possible tendency to _insanity_ on the part of any prisoner. The - willful subjection to prison rules and penalties of those from whose - benighted souls the light of reason and the power of self-control have - been withdrawn is cruelty inexcusable and accursed in the sight of God - and man. - - In the name of all mercy single these out and take them to their own - place. - - Again, I would in the name of humanity lessen so far as possible the - stimulating qualities of the food generally given out in prisons--more - of grains, vegetables, and fruit, and less of _meat_. The result of - this I am confident would be seen in the better temper, more tractable - natures, lessened irritability, and happier frame of minds on the part - of all convicts. I would have the food plentiful, but unstimulating, - and the cooking wholesome. The records of the punishments in a prison - could not fail in time to demonstrate the beneficial result of this - course. - - Cannot this thought find somewhere and sometime a little consideration - in your deliberations? In the name of humanity I suggest it. - - There remains but one subject more which I would name, and but a word - of that--simply the relations and feeling to be maintained between the - inmates of a prison and those in charge of them. I would recommend not - only a uniform kindness and firmness of course on the part of every - attendant, but a uniform politeness as well. Like begets like in spite - of everything. It increases self-respect. This they have lost, and - this they need to have restored so far as may be. Make punishment as - rare as possible, but _sure_, and in all instances as light as the - case will admit of. I regard undue severity of punishment as far more - harmful than no correction at all. Cultivate the love of the convicts - by all proper means; it is more potent than punishment. - - I believe the record of my last month at Sherborn shows not a single - punishment among between three and four hundred women. They grew to - feel that the only hurt of their punishment was the pain it gave me. - When I met them for the last night in the chapel, and told them we - should not meet again, and invited each to come and bid me good-bye, - the sobs and wails that went out, and the tears that went over my - hands as I held theirs for the last time, were harder for me than all - the eight months’ work I had done among them. As I passed down the - long corridors in the dark, unheard by them, at ten o’clock, and the - low moans and sobs were still going out, it was too much to bear. I - sought my own room--sank down, cold and shivering with the terrible - thought that rushed over me--Had it not been all wrong? Was I far - enough removed from them? Surely we must be too near alike, if not - akin, or they would never have clung to me with that pitiful love. - - I went out from the prison walls of Sherborn next morning. I have - never seen a face there since. I have never returned and I have no - desire to. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE RED CROSS IN PEACE - - -The Red Cross as organized in Europe, and as Clara Barton learned of -it there, had no ministry except in times of war. It was one of the -distinctive features of Clara Barton’s plan that the American Red -Cross should give service in any time of national, or possibly of -international, calamity. So far as the Red Cross existed by virtue -of an international treaty, its work was to care for the wounded of -the battle-field; but the American Red Cross, as incorporated in the -District of Columbia, and as operated under the direction of Clara -Barton, offered an agency immediately available for the relief of -suffering wherever the need was greater than could be met by local -benefactions. - -It will be remembered that the first service of the American Red -Cross was in the autumn of 1881, in the forest fires of Michigan, -almost a year before the official accession of the United States to -the Treaty of Geneva. The report which reached Clara Barton and the -Nation that half the State of Michigan was on fire, was, of course, -an exaggeration, and she was not deceived by it, but she knew that -the need was greater than could be met by local philanthropy. Already -there had been organized a single unit of the Red Cross, at Dansville, -New York. Clara Barton flung out the Red Cross flag in front of her -home, and called her organization into activity. The two neighboring -cities of Rochester and Syracuse came immediately to her assistance. -Contributions which aggregated three thousand dollars were placed -immediately at her disposal. Miss Barton’s home became a center of -activity, a dépôt for the packing and shipping of supplies. The second -auxiliary of the Red Cross in the United States was organized at -Rochester, with a membership of two hundred and fifty; that at Syracuse -followed immediately. The total amount received and distributed by the -Red Cross in money and material amounted to eighty thousand dollars. - -The Michigan fires brought to Miss Barton’s assistance Dr. Julian -B. Hubbell. She had known him in Dansville as an instructor in the -Seminary which was located there. She knew him as a man to be relied -upon. When the forest fires occurred, Dr. Hubbell was a medical student -in the University of Michigan. She wired him at once to proceed to -the scene of the fire and give her accurate information. Dr. Hubbell -reported that hundreds of people had been suffocated and burned to -death in the rapid sweep of the flames, and that many thousands were -homeless and in need of shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. -Miss Barton at once commissioned Dr. Hubbell as field agent of the -Red Cross. This was the beginning of a relationship which was never -broken until the death of Clara Barton. Dr. Hubbell completed his -medical course, and was commissioned as general field officer of the -American National Red Cross. This position he occupied from 1881 until -her resignation in 1904. He was with her in every one of the American -fields of service; accompanied her to Turkey at the time of the -Armenian massacres; went with her to Cuba at the time of the Spanish -War; and was as indispensable to her as her own right hand. After the -termination of her presidency of the American Red Cross, he remained -near her, was with her in her last illness, and stood beside her when -she died. With her nephew Stephen, he accompanied her body to the old -home in Oxford and wept beside her grave. He was among the friends, and -their number was not small, who were faithful to her to the very end of -life. - -It is not the purpose of the present author to relate in detail the -story of the work of the Red Cross during the next twenty-three -years. Clara Barton herself has done that in a large octavo volume of -nearly seven hundred pages. To that book reference must be had for -any adequate idea of her service for almost a quarter of a century. -Almost every year beheld a calamity of sufficient magnitude to call for -the official activity of the American Red Cross. The mere list of the -fields of its service is notable: - - 1881, the Michigan forest fires. - 1882, the Mississippi River floods. - 1883, the Mississippi River floods. - 1883, the tornado in Louisiana and Alabama. - 1883, the Balkan War. - 1884, the Ohio and Mississippi River floods. - 1885, the Texas famine. - 1886, the Charleston earthquake. - 1888, the tornado at Mt. Vernon, Illinois. - 1888, the Florida yellow-fever epidemic. - 1889, the Johnstown flood. - 1892, the Russian famine. - 1893, the tornado at Pomeroy, Iowa. - 1893 and 94, the hurricane and tidal wave in the South Carolina - islands. - 1896, the Armenian massacres in Turkey in Asia Minor. - 1898 to 1900, the Cuban Reconcentrado relief. - 1898, the Spanish-American War. - 1900, the Galveston storm and tidal wave. - 1904, the typhoid fever epidemic at Butler, Pennsylvania. - -In almost every instance Clara Barton went in person to the field. -Where she went was order, efficiency, sympathy, and comfort. In the -days of the Civil War the official sign of a hospital was the yellow -banner, still used in the quarantine service to designate a hospital -for the treatment of contagious diseases. It was and is a respectable -and worthy emblem, but there was nothing very inspiring about it. -Where Clara Barton went on her missions of mercy, two flags floated, -the Stars and Stripes and the beautiful white flag with its cross of -blazing red. - -Clara Barton loved the color red. The red rose was the flower of her -family. A dash of red she almost invariably had about her clothing -somewhere. It was altogether in keeping with her personal tastes that -the emblem which came to symbolize her life-work was of the color -which never failed to gladden her eye. In 1881 she set out, as she -herself related in her first article for the Associated Press, to make -the name and emblem of the Red Cross as familiar in America, as for -many years it had been in almost every other civilized nation. She -succeeded in doing this, not simply by a campaign of publicity, but by -the practical agency of applied mercy. When fire or famine or flood -devastated a region, and its victims were homeless and despairing, and -local agencies for relief were overworked and working aimlessly or at -cross-purposes, the unfurling of the flag of the Red Cross was the sign -of hope. It meant not only human kindness and sympathy, but confidence -and efficiency and success. - -From every one of these twenty fields Clara Barton came back laden down -with the grateful testimonials of the communities to which she had -brought comfort and help. - -A very brief outline of her work in these several fields may be -summarized from her own reports. The work for the Michigan forest -fires has already been referred to, and reference has been made to the -first expedition of the Red Cross for the relief of the sufferers from -the Mississippi floods. A further word should be said concerning the -service of the Red Cross during the floods, and then a brief summary of -the work in each of the other fields. - - -MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO RIVER FLOODS--1882-83 - - The spring rise of the waters of the Mississippi brought great - devastation, and a cry went over the country in regard to the - sufferings of the inhabitants of the Mississippi Valley. For hundreds - of miles the great river was out of its bed and raging madly over the - country, sweeping in its course not only the homes, but often the - people, the animals, and many times the land itself. This constituted - a work of the relief clearly within the bounds of the civil part - of our treaty, and again we prepared for work. Again our infant - organization sent its field agent, Dr. Hubbell, to the scene of - disaster, where millions of acres of the richest valley, cotton and - sugar lands of America, and thousands upon thousands of homes under - the waters of the mightiest of rivers--where the swift-rising floods - overtook alike man and beast in their flight of terror, sweeping them - ruthlessly to the Gulf beyond, or leaving them clinging in famishing - despair to some trembling roof or swaying tree-top till relief could - reach and rescue them. - - The National Association, with no general fund, sent of its personal - resources what it was able to do, and so acceptable did these prove - and so convincing were the beneficences of the work that the cities of - Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans desired to be permitted to form - associate societies and work under the National Association. This was - permitted, and those societies have remained until the present time, - New Orleans organizing for the entire State of Louisiana. The city - of Rochester, proud and grateful of its success in the disaster a few - months before, again came to the front and again rendered excellent - service. - - In the spring of 1883 occurred the first great rise of the Ohio River; - one thousand miles in extent. This river, although smaller than the - Mississippi, is more rapid in its course, and its valleys hold the - richest grain lands, the most cultivated farms, representing, in fact, - the best farming interests of America. - - The destruction of property was even greater here than in the - cotton and cane lands of the Mississippi. Again our field agent was - dispatched and did excellent work. The entire country was aroused, and - so liberal were the contributions to the various committees of relief - that when Dr. Hubbell retired from the field, having completed the - work, he had still unexpended funds in hand. But they were soon needed. - - -THE LOUISIANA AND MISSISSIPPI TORNADO OF 1883 - - In less than a month occurred the fearful tornado of Louisiana and - Mississippi, which cut a swath clear of all standing objects for - thirty miles in width and several hundred miles in length, running - southeast from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. - - Our special agent for the South, Colonel F. R. Southmayd, took charge - of the Red Cross relief in this disaster, and so efficient was his - work that societies struggled for organization under him and the Red - Cross was hailed as a benediction wherever he passed. This was in May, - 1883. - - Our association now enjoyed for eight months a respite from active - work. It was surely needed. It was the longest rest we had yet known, - and afforded some small opportunity to gather up its records of - past labors, organize some societies, and compile a history of the - Red Cross, so much needed for the information of our people and so - earnestly asked for by them as well as by the United States Senate. - - -THE OHIO RIVER FLOODS OF 1884 - - The rapidly melting snows of February, 1884, brought the thousand - miles of the Ohio River again out of its bed. A cry went out all - over the country for help. The Government, through Congress, took - immediate action and appropriated several hundred thousand dollars for - relief, to be applied through the War Department. The Red Cross agents - must again repair to the field, its societies be again notified. - - But its president felt that, if she were to be called every year - to direct the relief work of the association in these inundations, - it was incumbent upon her to visit the scene in person, to see for - herself what floods were like, to learn the necessities and be able to - direct with the wisdom born of actual knowledge of the subject; and - accordingly, with ten hours’ preparation, she joined Dr. Hubbell on - his way and proceeded to Pittsburgh, the head of the Ohio River. There - the societies were telegraphed that Cincinnati would be headquarters - and that money and supplies should be sent there. This done, we - proceeded to Cincinnati by rail. - - Any description of this city upon our entrance would fall so far short - of the reality as to render it useless. - - The surging river had climbed up the bluffs like a devouring monster - and possessed the town; large steamers could have plied along its - business streets; ordinary vocations were abandoned. Bankers and - merchants stood in its relief houses and fed the hungry populace, - and men and women were out in boats passing baskets of food to pale, - trembling hands stretched out to reach it from third-story windows of - the stately blocks and warehouses of that beautiful city. Sometimes - the water soaked away the foundations and the structure fell with - a crash and was lost in the floods below; in one instance seven - lives went out with the falling building; and this was one city, and - probably the best protected and provided locality in a thousand miles - of thickly populated country. - - It had not been my intention to remain at the scene of disaster, - but rather to see, investigate, establish an agency, and return to - national headquarters at Washington, which in the haste of departure - had been left imperfectly cared for. But I might almost say, in - military parlance, that I was “surprised and captured.” - - I had made no call beyond the Red Cross societies,--expected no - supplies from other sources,--but scarcely had news of our arrival - at Cincinnati found its way to the public press when telegrams of - money and checks, from all sides and sources, commenced to come in, - with letters announcing the sending of material. The express office - and freight depots began filling up until within two weeks we were - compelled to open large supply rooms, which were generously tendered - to the use of the Red Cross. A description could no more do justice - to our flood of supplies than to the flood of waters which had made - them necessary--cases, barrels and bales of clothing, food, household - supplies, new and old; all that intelligent awakened sympathy could - suggest was there in such profusion that, so far from thinking - of leaving it, one must call all available help for its care and - distribution. - - The Government would supply the destitute people with food, tents, and - army blankets, and had placed its military boats upon the river to - rescue the people and issue rations until the first great need should - be supplied. - - The work of the Red Cross is supplemental and it sought for the - special wants likely to be overlooked in this great general supply and - the necessities _outside_ the limits of governmental aid. The search - was not difficult. The Government provided neither fuel nor clothing. - It was but little past midwinter. A cyclone struck the lower half of - the river with the water at its greatest height and whole villages - were swept away in a night. The inhabitants escaped in boats, naked - and homeless. Hail fell to the depth of several inches and the entire - country was encased in sleet and ice. The water had filled the coal - mines, so abundant in that vicinity, until no fuel could be obtained. - The people were more likely to freeze than starve, and against this - there was no provision. - - We quickly removed our headquarters from Cincinnati to Evansville, - three hundred miles below and at the head of the recent scene of - disaster. A new stanch steamer of four hundred tons’ burden was - immediately chartered and laden to the water’s edge with clothing and - coal; good assistants, both men and women, were taken on board; the - Red Cross flag was hoisted and, as night was setting in, after a day - of intense cold--amid surging waters and crashing ice, the floating - wrecks of towns and villages, great uprooted giants of the forest - plunging madly to the sea, the suddenly unhoused people wandering - about the river-banks, or huddled in strange houses with fireless - hearths--the clear-toned bell and shrill whistle of the _Josh V. - Throop_ announced to the generous inhabitants of a noble city that - from the wharves of Evansville was putting out the first Red Cross - relief boat that ever floated on American waters. - - The destroyed villages and hamlets lay thick on either bank, and the - steamer wove its course diagonally from side to side calling the - people to the boat, finding a committee to receive and distribute, - and, learning as nearly as possible the number of destitute persons, - put off the requisite quantity of clothing and coal, and steamed away - quickly and quietly, leaving sometimes an astonished _few_, sometimes - a _multitude_ to gaze after and wonder who she was, whence she came, - what that strange flag meant, and, most of all, to thank God with - tears and prayers for what she brought. - - In this manner the Red Cross proceeded to Cairo, a distance of four - hundred miles, where the Ohio joins the Mississippi River, which - latter at that time had not risen and was exciting no apprehension. - Returning, we revisited and resupplied the destitute points. The - Government boats running over the same track were genial and friendly - with us, and faithful and efficient in their work. - - It should be said that, notwithstanding all the material we had - shipped and distributed, so abundant had been the liberality of the - people that, on our return to Evansville, we found our supply greater - than at any previous time. - - At this moment, and most unexpectedly, commenced the great rise of - the Mississippi River, and a _second_ cry went out to the Government - and the people for instant help. The strongest levees were giving way - under the sudden pressure, and even the inundation of the city of New - Orleans was threatened. Again the Government appropriated money, and - the War Department sent out its rescue and ration boats, and again the - Red Cross prepared for its supplemental work. - - In an overflow of the Mississippi, owing to the level face of the - country and the immense body of water, the valley is inundated at - times thirty miles in width, thus rendering it impossible to get - animals to a place of safety. Great numbers drown and the remainder, - in a prolonged overflow, have largely starved, the Government having - never included the domestic animals in its work of relief. This seemed - an omission of vital importance, both humanely and economically - considered, and the Red Cross prepared to go to the relief of the - starving animals of the Mississippi Valley. It would also supply - clothing to the destitute people whom the Government would feed. - - The navigation of the Mississippi River calls for its own style of - boats and pilotage, the latter being both difficult and dangerous, - especially with the changed channels and yawning crevasses of a flood. - - The steamer _Throop_ was left at Evansville and the _Mattie Bell_ - chartered at St. Louis and laden with corn, oats, hay, meal, and salt - for cattle; clothing and cooking utensils for the destitute people; - tea, coffee, rice, sugar, and medicines for the sick; and as quickly - as possible followed the Government steamers leaving the same port - with rations of meat and meal. - - We finished the voyage of relief, having covered the Ohio River from - Cincinnati to Cairo and back twice, and the Mississippi from St. - Louis to New Orleans and return, occupying four months’ time on the - rivers, in our own chartered boats, finishing at Pittsburgh and taking - rail for Washington on the first of July, having traveled over eight - thousand miles, and distributed in relief, of money and estimated - material, $175,000. - - The Government had expended an appropriation from the Treasury on - the same waters of $150,000 in money, and distributed it well. The - difference was that ours was not appropriated; we gathered it as we - used it. - - -THE TEXAS FAMINE OF 1885-86 - - Occasional rumors reached us in the years 1885 and 1886 about a drouth - in Texas and consequent suffering, but they were so contradictory and - widely at variance that the public took little or no heed of them. - During the year of 1886 the Reverend John Brown, a North Presbyterian - minister, located at Albany, Shackelford County, Texas, began making - appeals by circular and oral address to the people of the Northern - States, in which he asserted that there were a hundred thousand - families in northwestern Texas who were utterly destitute and on the - verge of starvation. He stated that since the close of the war a large - number of poor families had been constantly crowding into Texas from - the Southern States principally, induced thither by land agents and - others, who gave glowing representations of the character of the soil - for farming purposes. - - These poor people, by hard labor and industry, had been generally able - to make a living and nothing more. The last fall they had planted - wheat and other grain quite extensively, but the rains came not and - everything perished; and in the following spring and summer, too, - everything put into the ground was blasted by the hot winds, so that - not a thing was raised for man or beast. For fifteen months no rain - had fallen, and the condition of the people was pitiable and called - aloud to the charitable throughout the land for relief. They must be - carried through to the next summer or they would perish. At a meeting - of the citizens of Albany, Texas, they decided that the task of - relieving the sufferers was greater than the well-to-do people of the - State were able to undertake, and that an appeal should be made to the - good-hearted people of the North for immediate aid. The Governor of - Texas also published an appeal to the people of the whole land, asking - for food for these people. But as there was no concerned action, and - so many denials of the stories of suffering, little or nothing in the - way of relief work was accomplished for some time. Spasmodic attempts - were made, and some food for man and beast was contributed, but not - enough to relieve a hundredth part of the needy. - - The Reverend Doctor Brown went to the State Capital and endeavored to - interest the Legislature in the matter, but there were seemingly so - much misunderstanding and unbelief, and so many conflicting interests - to reconcile, that he failed to receive any substantial assurances and - left the place in disgust. When the citizens of Texas could not agree - as to the necessities of their own people, it was not to be expected - that the citizens of the country would take much interest in them, - hence the relief movement languished from inanition. - - About the middle of January, 1887, Dr. Brown came to Washington and, - as solicitor and receiving agent for the committee which had issued an - appeal to the country, appealed to me, as president of the American - National Red Cross, asking our organization to come to the relief of - the people, who were in a deplorable state, greatly needing food and - clothing. I immediately shipped to Texas all the stores that were then - in our warehouse, but they were no great quantity. - - An appeal direct to the Red Cross required immediate attention, and I - at once sought a conference with President Cleveland, who was greatly - worried over the contradictory stories that were constantly printed, - and was anxious to learn the truth about the matter. When I said that - I should go to Texas and see for myself, he was greatly pleased, and - requested me to report to him the exact situation just as soon as I - had satisfied myself by personal investigation. - - Dr. Hubbell and I proceeded directly to Albany, Texas, where we - arrived near the end of January. We were met by the leading citizens - and most heartily welcomed and accorded every privilege and attention. - We began our investigations at once in a systematic way, carefully - noting everything we heard and saw; and in the course of a two weeks’ - trip over the afflicted region, we learned the extent of the need and - formulated plans for its relief. - - Making Albany our object point, we traveled by private conveyance over - such territory as we thought sufficient to give a correct knowledge of - the condition of the country and the people. We met large numbers of - the residents, both collectively and at their homes, and learned from - them personally and by actual observation their condition and what - they had to depend upon during the next few months. It will be borne - in mind that when we entered upon this investigation little or no - relief had come from the State, and none was positively assured. - - Almost no rain had fallen during a period of eighteen months; two - planted crops had perished in the ground, and the seed wheat sown the - previous fall gave no signs of life. The dust was rolling over the - great wind-swept fields, where the people had hidden their last little - forlorn hope of borrowed seed, and literally a heaven of brass looked - down upon an earth of iron. - - Here were twenty to forty counties, of a size commensurate with Texan - dimensions, occupied by new settlers, making their first efforts in - the pioneer work of developing home life in an untried country, soil, - and climate. They had put their all into the new home and the little - stock they could afford for its use. They had toiled faithfully, - planted two and three times, as long as there was anything to plant - or sow, and in most instances failed to get back their seed. Many had - grown discouraged and left the country. The people were not actually - starving, but they were in the direst want for many of the necessities - of life, and it was only a matter of days when they would have reached - the condition of the _reconcentrados_ as we later found them in Cuba. - Hundreds of thousands of cattle had died for the want of food and - water, and their drying carcasses and bleaching bones could be seen in - every direction as the eye wandered over the parched surface of the - plains. - - I at once saw that in the vastness of its territory and varying - interests the real need of these suffering communities was not - understood by the Texas people--it had not come home to them; but that - once comprehending, it would be their wish to have it known and cared - for by themselves and not by others outside of the State. - - Assuring these poor people that their actual condition should be made - known to their own people, through the authoritative means of the - Red Cross, and that they should be speedily cared for, we bade them - farewell and hurried away to Dallas, where we intended to send out a - statement to the people of the State. - - Arriving there, we sought an interview with Colonel Belo, of the - Dallas “News,” and laid before him the result of our observations. - He placed the columns of his paper at our disposal, and through them - we enlightened the people of the true status of affairs in their own - State. The response was as quick as it was gratifying, and thence - onward there was no further necessity for appealing to any one outside - of the State limits. Indeed, that act in the first place was the - greatest mistake, as to the average Texan, feeling a genuine pride in - the State’s wealth and resources, it savored of frauds and imposition, - and prejudiced him against the brother who would pass him by and - appeal to outsiders. - - The Texas Legislature appropriated one hundred thousand dollars for - food, and in the meantime rain began to fall and the entire aspect - of affairs began to change for the better. But there were still many - needs unprovided for--clothing, fuel, seeds for gardens and fields, - live stock, and many other things--and it was necessary to place these - needs before the people. This the “News” took upon itself to do; and - upon my suggestion it opened a popular subscription and announced that - it would receive contributions of seed or cash and would publish the - same from day to day and turn them over to the constituted authorities - appointed to disburse them. In order to encourage the movement I - inaugurated it with the first subscription, and from that time until - now I do not believe any one has heard of any need in Texas that has - not been taken care of by her own people. - -The Texas famine brought into sharp relief the ideals of Clara Barton -in emergencies of this character. It was at first proposed to meet the -situation by a Government appropriation; and a bill for such relief, -passed by both houses of Congress, was promptly vetoed by President -Cleveland. This veto brought severe criticism upon the President, but -Clara Barton sustained him. What was needed in such an emergency, -as she believed, was not to fly to Congress with appeals for an -appropriation, but to call upon the people to send relief through an -accredited agency that would account for the money and disburse it in -systematic fashion. Her success in the Texas famine abundantly proved -the wisdom of her course. - - -THE MOUNT VERNON, ILLINOIS, TORNADO - - On Sunday, February 19, 1888, a destructive tornado occurred at Mount - Vernon, Illinois. Within three minutes after the fury of the storm had - struck the town, thirty people had been killed and scores of others - injured, and an immense amount of property destroyed. - - To add to the horrors already wrought, fire broke out in a dozen - places. Those who were uninjured quickly came to the rescue, quenching - the flames and exerting themselves to relieve the unfortunate victims, - who were, in most cases, pinned down under the wreckage of their - houses. All night long these brave men and women worked, and when - morning came the few houses that remained standing were filled with - the dead and injured. - - Appeals for assistance were sent out to the people of the country, - but, through an improper statement of the situation, the public - was misled, and, not realizing the pressing needs of the stricken - community, failed to take up the matter in a business-like manner, and - the town was left to suffer for a little of the great abundance that - was around them. In their extremity the despairing citizens appealed - to the Red Cross for aid, which responded at once. - - A most deplorable situation was presented: the people were homeless - and helpless, neglected, and in a state of mind bordering on insanity. - - After a somewhat hasty examination of the situation, the following - simple message was sent to both the Associated and the United Press: - - The pitiless snow is falling on the heads of three thousand people who - are without homes, without food or clothing and without money. - - CLARA BARTON - - -With only this little word to explain the needs, our generous American -people responded promptly and liberally, as they always do when they -fully understand what is needed. - -It was unnecessary to remain longer than two weeks with these people, -who, as soon as they recovered from the first shock of their great -misfortune, and when they felt that kind friends were by their side, -lending them moral and substantial support, manfully commenced to -bring order out of chaos, to rebuild their town and resume their usual -vocations. Large quantities of relief supplies of all kinds quickly -came to hand, and, when we were ready to leave them, the Citizens’ -Committee had in its treasury a cash balance of ninety thousand -dollars. And thus, with their blessings ringing in our ears, we left -them. - - -THE YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMIC IN FLORIDA IN 1888 - - During the month of August, 1888, yellow fever broke out in - Jacksonville, and in September it was declared to be epidemic, the - usual alarm and exodus of citizens taking place. On September 8, - heroic measures to depopulate the city were taken. Every person that - was still well and could leave was requested to go; very little urging - was necessary. Camps were established outside of the city, where those - who had not the means to go farther and get better quarters were - enabled to live under medical surveillance, and away from the seat of - infection. - - The mayor of Jacksonville had made an appeal for doctors and nurses, - which had been quickly responded to, and they were doing everything - possible to attend to the rapidly increasing number of patients. - - On the formation of the Red Cross Society of New Orleans in 1893, - it had been carefully and wisely arranged that, in case of yellow - fever becoming epidemic in any place, no unacclimated persons, or - those not immune, should be sent as assistants by the Red Cross. New - Orleans was the home of the famous “Old Howard Association,” that - had won its reputation and worn its grateful renown from the horrors - of Memphis to the present time. This body freely united with the Red - Cross of New Orleans, and it was arranged that the Southern States, - through this society, should provide all Red Cross nurses for yellow - fever, and that the northern portion of the country should raise the - money to pay and provide them. We felt this to be a security, and an - immediate provision which the country had never before known. Fearing - that this might not, at its first inception, be fully understood, - I called at once on Dr. Hamilton, then in charge of the Marine - Hospital, explaining it to him, and offering all the nurses that - could be required, even to hundreds, all experienced and organized - for immediate action. Perhaps it was not strange that a provision, - so new and so unknown in the sad history of plagues and epidemics, - should have seemed Utopian, and as such been brushed aside as not only - useless, but self-seeking and obtrusive. Like the entire organization - of which it was a part, it had to wait and win its way against custom - or even prejudice, by honest worth and stern necessity. It was the - “old, old story.” The world takes reform hard and slow. - - As it was, however, we did what we could. Headquarters were - established at the Riggs House in Washington. The good-hearted people - of the North, who felt that they must go to Florida, had by some means - gotten the idea that they must have a pass from the Central Committee - of the Red Cross in order to go. They came to us in hundreds and - were mercifully held back from a scourge for which they would have - been both food and fuel, whilst the entire people of the country, - in pity and horror at the reports received, were holding meetings, - raising money, and pouring funds like water into the doomed city of - Jacksonville, where the scourge had centered, and to which every - effort was made to confine it. - - Not realizing the opposition there might prove to be to our nurses, - we called upon their old-time leader, Colonel F. R. Southmayd, - the efficient secretary of the Red Cross Society of New Orleans, - instructing him to enlist a body of nurses and take them at once to - the fever district. He enlisted thirty, both men and women, white and - colored, took a part with him, the remainder following next day. - - Refugees who had fled from Jacksonville carried the plague to several - smaller places in the surrounding country, where in some instances it - acquired quite a foothold; but, owing to their obscurity and the lack - of communication with the outside world, they were left alone to fight - the disease as best they could. Among these places was the little town - of MacClenny, where, as soon as it became known that there was a case - of fever within its limits, all trains were ordered to rush through - without stopping, and an armed quarantine was placed around it with - orders to shoot any one attempting to leave the town. Thus left to - their fate, without doctors, nurses, or food, in any quantity, their - situation was pitiable. There were a number of volunteers who had made - attempts to get into MacClenny, but, owing to the unreasoning panic - existing, they were not permitted to enter the place. - - Colonel Southmayd had heard of these neglected people, and he - succeeded while _en route_ to Jacksonville in dropping off ten nurses - so much needed at MacClenny. How he did this, I have told in a little - brochure entitled “The MacClenny Nurses,” that was issued at the close - of the year 1888. - - The fever spread during the fall to several points in Georgia, - Alabama, and Mississippi, and resulted in the usual panic and flight - from many places; but happily the disease got no great headway before - the frost put an end to its career. - - It was late in November when we closed this work; worn and - disheartened as we were by both the needful and the needless hardships - of the campaign, we were glad of the two or three months in which no - call for action was made upon us. - - -THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD OF 1889 - - On the 30th of May, 1889, occurred the calamity of Johnstown, - Pennsylvania, with all its horrors. So frightful and improbable were - the reports that it required twenty-four hours to satisfy ourselves - that it was not a canard. - - In order to get an intelligent idea of this disaster and the terrible - damage wrought by the irresistible waters, it may be well to give a - short sketch of the city of Johnstown and its adjacent surroundings. - Before the flood there were thirty thousand people in this busy - community, which embraced the city of Johnstown proper and numerous - suburbs. The city is situated at the junction of Stony Creek and the - Little Conemaugh, forming the Conemaugh River. These streams are - liable to sudden overflows, and, owing to the contraction of the - waterway in the lower part of the city by the dumping of cinders and - slag from the large ironworks on the banks of the stream, and also - encroachments by riparian owners, the upper portion of the city is - liable to inundations. About nine miles above the city a dam had been - thrown across the Little Conemaugh River many years ago for commercial - purposes, but had been abandoned and the site with much surrounding - property had been subsequently purchased by a sporting club, whose - membership embraced some of the wealthiest citizens of Pennsylvania. - These gentlemen were attracted by the picturesque scenery and the - hunting and fishing of the vicinity, and they spent thousands of - dollars in improving and beautifying their holdings. The dam was - raised to a height of over seventy feet and held an immense body of - water covering many acres. - - This large mass of water was a constant source of fear to the - inhabitants of the lower valleys, who were aware of the danger that - threatened them, and many protests were made against the continuance - of the danger; but owing to the prominence of the owners of the dam, - and the strong social and political influence they exerted, they - remained unmolested in the possession of the monster that was to break - its bounds and carry death and destruction in its pitiless pathway. - - A steady rainfall for several days in the latter part of May caused - overflows in all the streams in western Pennsylvania, and much of the - city of Johnstown was already under water to a depth of from two to - ten feet, when suddenly the dam over the Little Conemaugh gave way, - and its flood, resembling a moving mountain of water thirty feet high, - was precipitated upon the doomed city. Numbers of the inhabitants, - who had carried the fear of this disaster in their minds for years, - had become so alarmed by the long-continued rains, and the floods - that were already upon them, took their families and fled to the high - grounds on the hillsides. But the great majority of the people, who, - though fully aware of the danger, had lived with it so long that they - had become careless and indifferent, took no precautions whatever. - These were overwhelmed by the tide almost without warning, and before - they could seek safety were swept away. - - The number of lives lost will never be accurately known; but in all - probability it reached in the entire valley nearly five thousand. It - is said that property to the amount of twelve millions of dollars was - absolutely lost. - - It was at the moment of supreme affliction when we arrived at - Johnstown. The waters had subsided, and those of the inhabitants who - had escaped the fate of their fellows were gazing over the scene of - destruction and trying to arouse themselves from the lethargy that had - taken hold of them when they were stunned by the realization of all - the woe that had been visited upon them. How nobly they responded to - the call of duty! How much of the heroic there is in our people when - it is needed! No idle murmurings of fate, but, true to the godlike - instincts of manhood and fraternal love, they quickly banded together - to do the best that the wisest among them could suggest. - - For five weary months it was our portion to live amid these scenes - of destruction, desolation, poverty, want, and woe; sometimes in - tents, sometimes without; in rain and mud, and a lack of the commonest - comforts, until we could build houses to shelter ourselves and those - around us. Without a safe, and with a dry-goods box for a desk, we - conducted financial affairs in money and material to the extent of - nearly half a million dollars. - - When our five months’ work was completed, we had only to turn over to - the hands of the leaders of the town, our warehouse with its entire - remaining stock, amounting to some thousands of dollars; the care - of the infirmary; one of our trained clerks, with all papers and - accounts of our relief work from the day of its inception; one of - our experienced working men to handle transportation--to fit up for - them large, warm rooms for winter use; give them our blessing; accept - theirs in fullest measure; say good-bye to them and to our faithful - helpers, with heavy hearts and choking voices, and return to our home, - bearing the record of a few months of faithful endeavor among a people - as patient and brave as people are made, as noble and grateful as - falls to the lot of human nature to be. Enterprising, industrious, - and hopeful, the new Johnstown, phœnix-like, rose from its ruins more - beautiful than the old, with a ceaseless throb of grateful memory for - every kind act rendered, and every thought of sympathy given her in - her great hour of desolation and woe. God bless her, and God bless all - who helped save her! - - We had employed during our sojourn in Johnstown a working force of - fifty men and women, whom we had housed, fed, and paid, with the - exception of the volunteers who worked for the good they could do and - would accept nothing. The means which we so largely handled came from - everywhere; accounts were rendered for everything, and no word of - business complication ever came to us. There never has in all our work. - - There was much to do in Johnstown after we left; buildings to remove - and property to care for when it had served its purpose and the ground - became needed. But there is always a right time for any benevolent - work to cease; a time when the community is ready to resume its own - burdens, and when an offered charity is an insult to the honest and - independent, and a degradation to the careless and improvident, - tending to pauperize and make them an added burden on their - better-minded fellow citizens. And then, the moment the tradesman is - able to reëstablish himself, he looks with jealous eyes on any agency - that diverts possible business from his channels. Thus it is not only - wise, but just to all concerned to withdraw all gratuities from a - people the instant they are able to gain even a meager self-support. - - A rather curious circumstance, somewhat on the line of this - reflection, fell to our lot after leaving Johnstown. The houses that - we had built and furnished were indispensable to the tenants during - the winter, when there were no other houses to be had; but in the - spring the city, rejuvenated, began to build up again, and we were - notified that the land on which our large houses were standing was - needed by the owners, who wished to use it for their own purposes, and - they requested the Red Cross to remove its buildings. We promptly sent - an agent to attend to the matter, and he began the work of vacating - the premises. There was no hardship involved in this, as all the - tenants were by this time in condition to pay rent, the relief fund of - $1,600,000 having been distributed among them in proportion to their - losses, and there were houses that they could get; in a few days our - houses were empty. Then a new factor entered into the situation. When - it became generally known that the Red Cross must remove these immense - houses, and that a large quantity of lumber and house furnishings - were to be disposed of, the self-interests of the dealers in those - commodities were at once aroused, and they strongly protested against - the gratuitous distribution of those articles among the people of - Johnstown, asserting that the inhabitants were now prospering and had - the means to buy everything they needed, and that a gift from us of - any of these things would be an injustice to the honest traders who - were trying to reëstablish themselves. - - We saw the justice of their objection and gave assurances that no - injury should be done them; still, to have fully conformed to their - idea and transported the entire material to some other point would - have put the Red Cross to an amount of trouble and cost unjust to - itself. - - I am not prepared to say that our quiet field agent in charge of the - work did not find resting-places for very much of this material in - still needy homes, where it did no harm to any one and for which no - one but the pitiful recipients were the wiser. - - Notwithstanding the fact that we took away from Johnstown as little - material and furniture as was possible, after quietly disposing of - the greater part of it, and this at an expense and inconvenience - to ourselves which we could ill afford, there were those who could - not understand why we should take _anything_ away; and their unkind - misconstruction and criticisms have scarcely ceased echoing even to - this late day. - - The paths of charity are over roadways of ashes; and he who would - tread them must be prepared to meet opposition, misconstruction, - jealousy, and calumny. Let his work be that of angels, still it will - not satisfy all. - - There is always an aftermath of attempted relief where none is needed, - and more or less criticism of any work, for it is always so much - easier to say how a thing ought to be done than it is to do it. - - These little unpleasantnesses, however, cannot deprive us of the - thousand memories of gratitude, appreciation, and kindnesses - exchanged, which were mutually helpful; nor of the many lifelong - friendships formed which will bless us all our day. - -As Miss Barton was leaving Johnstown the “Daily Tribune” of that city -published the following editorial: - - How shall we thank Miss Clara Barton and the Red Cross for the help - they have given us? It cannot be done; and if it could, Miss Barton - does not want our thanks. She has simply done her duty as she saw - it and received her pay--the consciousness of a duty performed - to the best of her ability. To see us upon our feet, struggling - forward, helping ourselves, caring for the sick and infirm and - impoverished--that is enough for Miss Barton. Her idea has been fully - worked out, all her plans accomplished. What more could such a woman - wish? - - We cannot thank Miss Barton in words. Hunt the dictionaries of all - languages through and you will not find the signs to express our - appreciation of her and her work. Try to describe the sunshine. Try to - describe the starlight. Words fail, and in dumbness and silence we bow - to the idea which brought her here. God and humanity! Never were they - more closely linked than in stricken Johnstown. - -Governor Beaver of Pennsylvania expressed the appreciation of the -people of the State in the following letter: - - In this matter of sheltering the people, as in others of like - importance, Miss Clara Barton, president of the Red Cross Association, - was most helpful. At a time when there was a doubt if the Flood - Commission could furnish houses of suitable character and with the - requisite promptness, she offered to assume charge, and she erected - with the funds of the association three large apartment houses which - afforded comfortable lodgings for many houseless people. She was among - the first to arrive on the scene of calamity, bringing with her Dr. - Hubbell, the field officer of the Red Cross Association, and a staff - of skilled assistants. She made her own organization for relief work - in every form, disposing of the large resources under her control with - such wisdom and tenderness that the charity of the Red Cross had no - sting, and its recipients are not Miss Barton’s dependents, but her - friends. She was also the last of the ministering spirits to leave - the scene of her labors, and she left her apartment houses for use - during the winter, and turned over her warehouse, with its store of - furniture, bedding and clothing and a well-equipped infirmary, to the - Union Benevolent Association of the Conemaugh Valley, the organization - of which she advised and helped to form; and its lady visitors have - so well performed their work that the dreaded winter has no terrors, - mendicancy has been repressed, and not a single case of unrelieved - suffering is known to have occurred in all the flooded district. - - -THE RUSSIAN FAMINE OF 1891-92 - - To understand properly the Russian Famine of 1891-92, and the relief - work of the Red Cross connected therewith, one needs to keep in mind - the ordinary moral and economic condition of the Russian peasantry. - They were, many of them, not long ago serfs attached to the land - in a condition but little better than American slaves. Though the - liberation of the serfs made their legal condition better, it left - them in condition scarcely less discouraging than before. They were - subject to all the disabilities of hard bargains on every side, from - the exactions of taxes levied in one way or another, and payable - in services or goods, all of which called for an ever-increasing - sacrifice. They were subject to onerous military service, and penal - exactions for violations of the law. These conditions surrounded - them with an atmosphere of depressing poverty, fear, and hopeless - endurance, if not of despair. They have not felt the stimulating - habitual influence of hope, of courage, of enterprise. They are not - educated to surmount discouragements by overcoming them. Difficulties - do not down easily before them; they go down before difficulties and - disasters in something like apathetic despondency, or live in an - amazing light-hearted, careless recklessness that easily turns to - drink, to idleness, weakness, disease, and early death. Fear is with - them always, as if fate was over and against them. - - The climate of Russia is cold in winter, and the means of cooking and - artificial warmth are scanty, and not easily procured at any time; - thus, when the famine really came upon them, observers were divided in - opinion whether the famine, or fear of famine, or of something worse, - destroyed or paralyzed these people the more. - - The harvest yields of 1889 and 1890 had been much less than an - average, and at the beginning of 1891 but little of the old supplies - of grain was left over. The harvest of 1891 was nearly a total - failure throughout a vast region in central Russia extending from - Moscow, roughly speaking, say, three hundred miles in a northeasterly - direction over a plain eight hundred to a thousand miles in width, - beyond the Ural Mountains, and some distance into Siberia in Asiatic - Russia--a district of nearly a million square miles. Ordinarily this - is the most productive part of the Empire, upon which the remainder - of the country had been accustomed to draw for food supplies in the - frequent cases of deficiency elsewhere. The appearance of the country - is similar to our prairie States in the early days before the growth - of the planted trees; and the soil is a rich, black loam that usually - produces good harvests. - - It was estimated by those best qualified to judge that from thirty to - thirty-five millions of people were sufferers by the famine of 1891. - - Count Tolstoy gave up his whole time to mitigating the suffering - caused by this great disaster, and to understanding the situation - broadly. He went into the homes of the people, and studied their - needs sympathetically; he placed himself by their side, and with his - dramatic instinct understood them, ascertained where the hurt was - felt, and how it could be cured, if it could be cured at all. - - At that time the Count wrote of these poor unfortunates: “I asked them - what sort of a harvest they had had, and how they were getting along; - and they replied in a blithe, offhand manner: ‘Oh, right enough, God - be praised!’ And yet these people who reside in the most distressed - districts of the government of Toula, cannot possibly live through - the winter, _unless they bestir themselves in time_. They are bound - to die of hunger, or some disease engendered by hunger, as surely as - a hive of bees left to face the rigors of a northern winter, without - honey or sweets, must perish miserably before the advent of spring. - The all-important question, therefore, is this: Will they exert - themselves while yet they possess the strength, if, indeed, it be not - already wholly exhausted? Everything that I saw or heard pointed with - terrible distinctness to a negative reply. One of these farmers had - sold out the meager possessions which he could call his own, and had - left for Moscow to work or beg. The others stayed on and waited with - naïve curiosity watching for what would happen next, like children, - who, having fallen into a hole in the ice, or lost their way in a - dense forest and not realizing at first the terrible danger of their - situation, heartily laugh at its unwontedness.” - - “Unless they bestir themselves in time”--what a text is this! They - are all the time overborne by the apathy of fear, of unused powers, - of suppression and depression. Courage, hope, enterprise to bestir - themselves, where will they come from? Not, surely, from fear and more - discouragement. - - The work of the American National Red Cross in the Russian famine of - 1891-92 was comparatively less than in some others of the conspicuous - fields in which it had done its work. The impulse to help in the - work of that relief sprang up simultaneously in many American hearts - and homes, in New York, in Philadelphia, in Minnesota, and Iowa. - In Iowa it took the form of a veritable crusade for a most holy - cause; beginning in the fervid and indomitable spirit of Miss Alice - French--the “Octave Thanet” of literature--it quickly enlisted Mr. B. - F. Tillinghast, editor of the “Davenport Democrat,” who became its - director-in-chief and organizing force, everywhere organizing it, - and promoting it in every direction and in every form. The movement - was taken up by the women of Iowa, and Governor Boies became a prime - mover, till the whole State at last joined in a triumphal march - bearing corn, God’s best gift to man, to the Atlantic coast in a - procession of two hundred and twenty-five carloads, exceeding five - hundred bushels in each car. The corn was consigned to Clara Barton in - New York and reached her agents there without accident or delay. - - The American National Red Cross had authentic intelligence of the - famine in Russia before it had attracted general attention; it had - placed itself in communication with the Secretary of State, the - Honorable James G. Blaine, and the Russian Chargé d’Affaires at - Washington, Mr. Alexander Gregor, and had ascertained that Russia - would gladly receive any donations of relief that the people of - America might send to her famine-stricken people. Not only would - they receive supplies, but would send their ships for them, and - provide inland transportation from Russian ports to the destitute - people for whom these benefactions were intended. America declined - to allow her suffering sister nation to cross the seas to get this - food, and quickly arranged to carry it to her. All the American - agencies concerned in this movement met it in the noblest spirit; - railroad companies gave free transportation, telegraph companies the - free use of wires, brokers and steamship agents declined their usual - commissions, and some insurance companies even gave premiums for the - safe delivery of the precious cargo into the hands of the starving - people. Funds to charter a steamship to carry the cargo to Russia were - soon raised and placed in the hands of the Red Cross. - - Dr. Hubbell, representative of the Red Cross to the international - conference of the Red Cross to be held at Rome, and authorized to - proceed to Riga and receive and distribute with the Russian Red Cross - this gift of Iowa, was already on his ocean voyage and ready to do - his part in this beautiful blending of international courtesies and - services that it is the mission of the Red Cross to devise and to - carry out wherever it can make or find the fitting opportunity. Dr. - Hubbell arrived on time at Riga and superintended the distribution of - the cargo. - - -THE SEA ISLANDS HURRICANE OF 1893-94 - - It is probable that there are few instances on record where a movement - toward relief of such magnitude, commenced under circumstances so new, - so unexpected, so unprepared, and so adverse, was ever carried on for - such a length of time and closed with results so entirely satisfactory - to both those served and those serving, as this disaster, which, if - remembered at all at the present day, is designated as the “Hurricane - and Tidal Wave of the Sea Islands off the Coast of South Carolina.” - The descriptions of this fearful catastrophe I shall leave to the - reports of those who saw, shared its dangers, and lived within its - tide of death. They will tell how from three thousand to five thousand - human beings (for no one knew the number) went down in a night; how - in the blackness of despair they clung to the swaying tree-tops till - the roots gave way, and together they were covered in the sands or - washed out to the reckless billows of the great mad ocean that had - sent for them; of the want, woe, and nothingness that the ensuing - days revealed when the winds were hushed, the waters stilled, and the - frightened survivors began to look for the lost home and the loved - ones, and hunger presaged the gaunt figure of famine that silently - drew near and stared them in the face; how, with all vegetable growth - destroyed, all animals, even to fowls, swept away, all fresh water - turned to salt--not even a sweet well remaining--not one little house - in five hundred left upright, if left at all; the victims with the - clothing torn and washed off them, till they were more nearly naked - than clothed--how these thirty thousand people patiently stood and - faced this silent second messenger of death threatening them hour by - hour. Largely ignorant, knowing nothing of the world, with no real - dependencies upon any section of its people, they could only wait - its charity, its pity, its rescue, and its care--wait and pray--does - any one who knows the negro characteristics and attributes doubt - this latter? Surely, if angels do listen, they heard pleading enough - in those hours of agony to save even the last man and woman and the - helpless babe. Something saved them, for there is no record of one who - died of starvation or perished through lack of care. - - About the 28th or 29th of August, 1893, the press commenced to give - notice, such as it could get over wrecked roads and broken wires, of - a fearful storm coming up from the West Indies that had struck our - coast in the region of South Carolina, sweeping entirely over its - adjacent range of islands, known as the Old Port Royal group, covering - them from the sea to a depth of sixteen feet, with the wind at a rate - of one hundred and twenty miles an hour--that its destructive power - was so great that it had not only swept the islands, but had extended - several miles on to the mainland of the State. - - I chanced to be familiar with the geography and topography of that - group of islands, having lived on them in the capacity of war relief - many months during the siege of Charleston in 1863-64. Knowing that - they scarcely averaged four feet rise above the sea level, with no - mountains, not even hills that could be called such, that the soft, - sandy soil could not be trusted to hold its tree roots firm, that the - habitations were only huts, to be washed away like little piles of - boards--I thought I saw no escape for the inhabitants and that _all_ - must have perished; and so replied to all inquiries at first made as - to whether this were not a disaster for the Red Cross to relieve, - “No, there was nothing left to relieve.” Later and more reliable news - brought the astonishing fact that it was estimated that from thirty to - forty thousand had survived and were in the direst need. Was not this - a call for the Red Cross? Still more emphatically, “No; if that is the - case, it is beyond the Red Cross. Only the State of South Carolina or - the general Government can cope with that”; and again we closed our - ears and proceeded with our work. - - But the first week of September brought pitiful paragraphs from - various Southern sources--one I recall from the governor of the State, - in which he proclaimed his perplexity and great distress at the - condition of these poor people, needing everything, and who, at that - season of the year, with crops all destroyed, would continue to need; - and closed by wondering “if the Red Cross could perhaps do anything - for them.” - - It would not do to close our ears or eyes against this suggestion, and - I at once sought our congressional neighbor, General M. C. Butler, of - South Carolina, then in the Senate, asking his views. The response - was such as would not have been looked for in that busy, hard-worked - Senator, surrounded by a network of political wires, some of them only - too likely to be “live”; he dropped all business, telegraphed at once - to Governor Tillman at Columbia to learn the conditions, and urgently - requested us to go, and he would even leave his seat and go with us - as soon as we could be ready. Time is never a question with the Red - Cross, and the next night, in a dark, cheerless September mist, with - only two assistants, I closed a door behind me for ten months, went to - the station to meet General Butler, prompt and kind, and proceeded on - our way. At Columbia we were joyfully surprised at meeting Governor - Tillman, prepared to accompany us with a member of his staff, and thus - powerfully reënforced we made our entrance into Beaufort. - - The work of relief had been wisely placed at first in the hands of - committees from both Beaufort and Charleston, comprising the best - business men of each city--its lawyers, merchants, bankers, all men of - prominence and known practical ability. They had done and were doing - all possible for them to do, with hearts full of pity, hands full of - work, themselves large losers by the storm, business nearly wrecked, - and needing every remaining energy for the repairing of their own - damages and those of the citizens about them. - - The governor, at whose request they had formed, realizing the - necessities of the case, sought to release them, calling them - together in each city and successively relieving them, placing the - Red Cross in full charge of the relief. With the little knowledge we - had of the conditions and surroundings, it would have been madness to - accept, at least until both more knowledge and more numerical force - were gained, and the refusal was as prompt as the proffer had been. - We, however, promised to remain in Beaufort, meet with the committee - each day, advise with them, study the situation and report our - conclusions when we could safely arrive at them. - - Thus we remained until the first day of October, realizing that the - relief coming in from outside would soon diminish as the excitement - should wear away, that the sum in hand was painfully small, that the - number of destitute was steadily increasing, that the winter was - approaching and that they must be carried through in some manner till - the next year’s crops could grow; and that, in order to do this a - fixed system of relief must be adopted, a rigid economy enforced, and - every person who could do so must be made to work for his food and - receive food and raiment only in return for labor; that this could - come only from persons who had no interests but these to subserve - and with the light of all experience that could be called to the - task. Even then a successful result was questionable; but there was - no question of the fatal result of any other course, and after a - thoughtful council of our official board (which had meanwhile become - nearly filled) on the night of September 30 it was decided that the - Red Cross would accept the appointment of the governor and enter upon - its duties the following day. - - Accordingly, at the meeting of the next day, October 1, 4 P.M., the - Beaufort Relief Commission, as appointed by the governor, was formally - released as a committee and immediately reëlected by the Red Cross as - its “advisory board,” to meet and advise with us as we had done with - them. - - Through all these years the tenderness springs to my heart and gathers - in my eyes as I recall the kindly and affectionate intercourse of - months, without one break, that grew up between us. And although some - have been called to higher service and greener fields, I am confident - that none of us will ever seek on this side a better, more trusted, - kindlier association than were found in these. - - If it be desirable to understand when to commence a work of relief, - to know if the objects presented are actually such as to be benefited - by the assistance which would be rendered, it is no less desirable - and indispensable that one knows when to end such relief, in order to - avoid, first, the weakening of effort and powers for self-sustenance; - second, the encouragement of a tendency to beggary and pauperism, - by dependence upon others which should be assumed by the persons - themselves. It has always been the practice of the Red Cross to watch - this matter closely and leave a field at the suitable moment when it - could do so without injury or unnecessary suffering, thus leaving a - wholesome stimulus on the part of the beneficiaries to help not only - themselves individually, but each other. - - Seldom a field, or any considerable work of relief which may have - attracted public notice, comes to a close that there does not some - person or body of persons arise and propose to continue the work - under some new form, but using the former well-established sources of - supplies; to put out new appeals to old patrons, detailing great need, - newly discovered, and thus keep the sympathetic public forever on the - anxious seats of never-ending pity and help. We have been compelled to - guard against this at the close of every long-continued field, notably - Johnstown, where it became necessary for the citizens to organize a - “Home Relief” to keep sensational strangers off the ground, and their - well-arranged “Benevolent Union” of to-day is the result. - - The Sea Islands were no exception, and at the last moment of our stay - a well-drawn petition was discovered (for it was to be kept concealed - until we were gone), and was checked only by the vigorous aid of the - Charleston “News and Courier,” of June 25, 1894, always our stay and - friend in time of trouble. - - -ARMENIA IN 1895 AND 1896 - - In November, 1895, the press commenced to warn us of a possible - call for the relief of the terrible sufferings of Armenia, which - were engaging the attention of the civilized world. These warnings - were followed later by a letter from the Reverend Judson Smith, - D.D., of Boston, secretary of the American Board of Commissioners - for Foreign Missions, referring his suggestion back to the Reverend - Henry O. Dwight, D.D., of the American Board of Foreign Missions - at Constantinople. The American Red Cross was requested by these - representative gentlemen to undertake the distribution of relief - funds among the sufferers of Armenia. Owing to the disturbed - condition of the country and of its strict laws, combined as they - were with existing racial and religious differences, it was found - almost impossible at the moment to distribute the relief needed. - The faithful but distressed resident missionaries were themselves - helpless sufferers to a great extent and practically prisoners in - their own houses. These had not always been spared to them in the - wild excitement which reigned for several months previous, otherwise - they would have been the normal channels for distributing aid. This - written request from Dr. Smith was nearly identical with a similar one - from Mr. Spencer Trask, of New York, who, with others, was about to - form a National Armenian Relief Committee, to be established in that - city. Following their letters, both of these gentlemen, Dr. Smith and - Mr. Trask, came to Washington personally to urge our compliance with - the request that we accept the charge of this distribution of relief - funds. Accustomed to the trials, responsibilities, and hardships of - field relief labor, this proposition seemed something to be shrunk - from rather than accepted and we naturally hesitated. The idea, - however, became public, and a general importunity on the part of - the people became prevalent. The necessity for immediate action was - urged; human beings were starving and could not be reached, hundreds - of towns and villages had not been heard from since the fire and - sword went over them, and no one else was so well prepared for the - work of field relief, it was said, as ourselves. It was urged that we - had a trained force of field workers, and as Turkey was one of the - signatory powers to the Red Cross Treaty of Geneva, having given its - adhesion as long ago as July, 1865, it must consequently be familiar - with its methods and humanitarian ideas. Thus it was hoped that she - would the more readily accept its presence than that of a more strange - body of workers. These are only a shadowing of the reasons urged on - behalf of our acceptance. Under this pressure, coupled with our strong - sympathies, the subject was taken into serious consideration with the - simple demand on our part of two positive assurances: first, we must - be assured by the committees that we were the choice of the people of - the entire country, that there was no opposition to us, and that there - was perfect unanimity between themselves; there must be nowhere any - discord; the task would be difficult enough under the best conditions. - Second, that they had the funds to distribute. Assured on both these - points, our promise was given that we would go and do our best to make - the desired distribution in the interior of Asia Minor. - - With this ray of hope that something might be done, the pent-up - sympathies of the people burst forth. Public meetings were held, - addresses made, Armenian conditions estimated, horrors reproduced, - responsibilities placed, causes canvassed, and opinions expressed; - honest, humane, and entirely natural, precisely the course to rouse - public sentiment and indignation, if that were the only or the main - object in view. In consideration, however, of the relief effort, it - was of questionable wisdom, perhaps, when it is borne in mind that - we had yet to ask the opening of a door hitherto closed against the - world, when we needed permission to enter, in order to reach the - starving sufferers with the relief that was planning for them. In - the enthusiasm of the hour, this fact seemed to be entirely lost - sight of. It also seemed to be forgotten that if this difficult and - delicate task were to be assigned to the Red Cross and its officers, - the making of their mission, or of themselves personally, prominent - or laudatory features of public gatherings where Ottoman officials or - representatives were always listeners, could not fail to render the - post more difficult and prospects of success more doubtful. - - The international and neutral character of the Red Cross, as a medium - of relief in mitigation of war or overwhelming calamity, appeared to - be overlooked or wholly misunderstood. It was not recognized that - only by abstaining from discordant opinions could we be in a position - to perform our work. By the obligations of the Geneva Treaty, all - national controversies, racial distinctions, and differences in creed - must be held in abeyance and only the needs of humanity considered. - In this spirit alone can the Red Cross meet its obligations as the - representative of the nations and governments of the world acting - under it. But American enthusiasm is boundless, and its expression - limitless; and the same breath that crushed the Ottoman Empire, - scattered it to the winds or sunk it in the lowest depths, elevated - the Red Cross and its proposed relief out of sight among the clouds. - Precautionary remonstrance from us was in vain, but it was not until - after we had publicly given our consent, made all arrangements and - appointed our aids, that the fruits of these ardent demonstrations - became visible in a pronunciamento through the Turkish Minister - resident at Washington, prohibiting the Red Cross from entering Turkey. - - I found this decision on the part of the Bey and his Government - very natural and politically justifiable--our own Government and - people would probably have done the same or even more under similar - conditions, provided similar conditions could have existed among them. - I was ready to abide by the decision and remain at home. This, neither - people nor committees would consent to. Of course our selected force - of more than a score of trained and experienced field workers, each - a specialist, must be given up. If any relief were now attempted it - could only be individual, with two or three officers from headquarters - as indispensable aids. - - Previous to the announcement of the Turkish Minister prohibiting the - Red Cross from entering Turkey, the promise had been gained from - us to leave by the steamship _New York_ on the 22d of January, and - notwithstanding the reply to a cablegram from the Department of State - to Constantinople, asking if the prohibition against the entrance of - the Red Cross was really official and from the Government itself, or - but semi-official, had not been received, our promise was kept and we - sailed with this uncertainty resting over us. - - The picture of that scene is still vivid in my memory. Crowded piers, - wild with hurrahs, white with parting salutes, hearts beating with - exultation and expectation--a little shorn band of five, prohibited, - unsustained either by Government or other authority, destined to a - port five thousand miles away, from approach to which even the powers - of the world had shrunk. What was it expected to do or how to do it? - Visions of Don Quixote and his windmills loomed up, as I turned away - and wondered. - - A week at sea, to be met at midnight at Southampton, by messenger - down from London, to say that the prohibition was sustained, the - Red Cross was forbidden, but that such persons as our minister, Mr. - Terrell, would appoint, would be received. Here was another delicate - uncertainty which could not be committed to Ottoman telegraph, and - Dr. Hubbell was dispatched alone to Constantinople (while we waited - in London) to learn from Mr. Terrell his attitude toward ourselves - and our mission. Under favorable responses we proceeded, and reached - Constantinople on February 15; met a most cordial reception from all - our own Government officials, and located _pro tem._ at Pera Palace - Hotel; it being so recently after the Stamboul massacres that no less - public place was deemed safe. - - The following day we received in a body the members of the Missionary - Board in Constantinople, including its treasurer, W. W. Peet, and - Dr. Washburn, president of Robert College, and here commenced - that friendly intercourse which continued without interruption, - strengthening as the days wore on through the half-year that followed, - till moistened eyes and warm hand-grasp at parting told more plainly - than words how fraught with confidence that intercourse had been. If - one would look for peers of this accomplished Christian body of our - countrymen, they would only be found in the noble band of women, who, - as wives, mothers, and teachers, aid their labors and share their - hardships, privations, and dangers. I shall always feel it a privilege - and an honor to have been called, even in a small way, to assist - the efforts of this chosen body of our countrymen and women, whose - faithful and devoted lives are made sacred to the service of God and - their fellow men. - - The first step was to procure an introduction to the Government which - had in one sense refused me; and accompanied by Minister Terrell and - his premier interpreter, Gargiulo, perhaps the longest serving and - one of the most experienced diplomatic officers in Constantinople, - I called by appointment upon Tewfik Pasha, the Turkish Minister of - Foreign Affairs or Minister of State. To those conversant with the - personages connected with Turkish affairs, I need not say that Tewfik - Pasha is probably the foremost man of the Government; a manly man, - with a kind, fine face, and genial, polished manners. Educated abroad, - with advanced views on general subjects, he impresses one as a man who - would sanction no wrong it was in his power to avert. - - We were received at the Department of State in an uninterrupted - interview lasting over an hour. As this was the main interview and the - base of all our work, it is perhaps proper that I give it somewhat - in detail. Mr. Terrell’s introduction was most appropriate and well - expressed, bearing with strong emphasis upon the suffering condition - of the people of the interior in consequence of the massacres, and - the great sympathy of the people of America, their intense desire to - help them, the heartfelt interest in their missionaries whose burdens - were greater than they ought to bear, and the desire to aid them, and - that for all these reasons we had been asked to come; that our objects - were purely humanitarian, having neither political, racial, nor - religious bearing as such; that as the head of the organization thus - represented I _could_ have no other ideas, and it was the privilege - of putting these ideas into practice and the protection required - meanwhile that the people of America, through him and through me, were - asking. - - The Pasha listened most attentively to the speech of Mr. Terrell, - thanked him, and replied that this was well understood; that they knew - the Red Cross and its president, and, turning to me, repeated: “We - know you, Miss Barton; have long known you and your work. We would - like to hear your plans for relief and what you desire.” - - I proceeded to state them, bearing fully upon the fact that the - condition to which the people of the interior of Asia Minor had been - reduced by recent events had aroused the sympathy of the entire - American people until they asked, almost to the extent of a demand, - that assistance from them should be allowed to go directly to these - sufferers, hundreds of whom had friends and relatives in America--a - fact which naturally strengthened both the interest and the demand; - that it was at the request of our people, _en masse_, that I and a - few assistants had come; that our object would be to use the funds - ourselves among the people needing them wherever they were found, in - helping them to resume their former positions and vocations, thus - relieving them from continued distress, the State from the burden of - providing for them, and other nations and people from a torrent of - sympathy which was both hard to endure and unwholesome in its effects; - that I had brought skilled agents, practical and experienced farmers - whose first efforts would be to get the people back to their deserted - fields and provide them with farming implements and material wherewith - to put in summer crops and thus enable them to feed themselves. These - would embrace ploughs, hoes, spades, seed-corn, wheat, and, later, - sickles, scythes, etc., for harvesting, with which to save the miles - of autumn grain which we had heard of as growing on the great plains - already in the ground before the trouble; also to provide for them - such cattle and other animals as it would be possible to purchase or - to get back; that if some such thing were not done before another - winter, unless we had been greatly misinformed, the suffering there - would shock the entire civilized world. None of us knew from personal - observations, as yet, the full need of assistance, but had reason to - believe it very great. That if my agents were permitted to go, such - need as they found they would be prompt to relieve. On the other hand, - if they did not find the need existing there, none would leave the - field so gladly as they. There would be no respecting of persons; - humanity alone would be their guide. “We have,” I added, “brought - only ourselves, no correspondent has accompanied us, and we shall - have none, and shall not go home to write a book on Turkey. We are - not here for that. Nothing shall be done in any concealed manner. All - dispatches which we send will go openly through your own telegraph, - and I should be glad if all that we shall write could be seen by your - Government. I cannot, of course, say what its character will be, but - can vouch for its truth, fairness, and integrity, and for the conduct - of every leading man who shall be sent. I shall never counsel nor - permit a sly or underhand action with your Government, and you will - pardon me, Pasha, if I say that I shall expect the same treatment in - return--such as I give I shall expect to receive.” - - Almost without a breath he replied--“And you shall have it. We - honor your position and your wishes will be respected. Such aid and - protection as we are able to, we shall render.” - - I then asked if it were necessary for me to see other officials. “No,” - he replied, “I speak for my Government.” And with cordial good wishes, - our interview closed. - - I never spoke personally with this gentleman again; all further - business being officially transacted through the officers of our - Legation. Yet I can truly say, as I have said of my first meeting - with our matchless band of missionary workers, that here commenced an - acquaintance which proved invaluable, and here were given pledges of - mutual faith of which not a word was ever broken or invalidated on - either side, and to which I owe what we were able to do through all - Asia Minor. It is to the strong escorts ordered from the Sublime Porte - for our expeditions and men that I owe the fact that they all came - back to me, and that I bring them home to you, tired and worn, but - saved and useful still. - - Dr. Hubbell and the leaders of the five expeditions tell us that - they were never, even for a portion of a day, without an escort - for protection, and this at the expense of the Turkish Government, - and that without this protection they must not and could not have - proceeded. - - At length the task was accomplished. One by one the expeditions closed - and withdrew, returning by Sivas and Samsoun and coming out by the - Black Sea. By that time it is probable that no one questioned the - propriety of their route or longer wondered at their method of work. - The perplexed frowns of our anxious committees and sympathetic people - had long given way to smiles of confidence and approval, and glad - hands would have reached far over the waters to meet ours as warmly - extended to them. - - With the return of the expeditions we closed the field, but before - leaving Constantinople, funds from both the New York and Boston - committees came to us amounting to some fifteen thousand dollars. - This was happily placed with Mr. Peet, treasurer of the Board of - Foreign Missions at Stamboul, for the building of little houses in - the interior as a winter shelter and protection where all had been - destroyed. - - The appearance of our men on their arrival at Constantinople confirmed - the impression that they had not been recalled too soon. They had gone - out through the snows and ice of winter and without change or rest - had come back through the scorching suns of midsummer--five months - of rough, uncivilized life, faring and sharing with their beasts of - burden, well-nigh out of communication with the civilized world, but - never out of danger, it seemed but just to themselves and to others - who might yet need them that change and rest be given them. - - Since our entrance upon Turkish soil no general disturbance had taken - place. One heard only the low rumbling of the thunder after the - storm, the clouds were drifting southward and settling over Crete and - Macedonia, and we felt that we might take at least some steps toward - home. It was only when this movement commenced that we began truly to - realize how deep the roots of friendship, comradeship, confidence, and - love had struck back among our newly found friends and countrymen; - how much a part of ourselves--educational, humanitarian, and - official--their work and interest had become, and surely from them we - learned anew the lesson of reciprocity. - - Some days of physical rest were needful for the men of the expeditions - after reaching Constantinople before commencing another journey of - thousands of miles, worn as they were by exposure, hardship, and - incessant labor, both physical and mental. This interval of time was, - however, mainly employed by them in the preparation of the reports - submitted with this, and in attention to the letters which followed - them from their various fields, telling of further need, but more - largely overflowing with gratitude and blessing for what had been done. - - For our financial secretary and myself there could be neither rest nor - respite while we remained at a disbursing post so well known as ours. - Indeed there never had been. From the time of our arrival in February - to our embarkation in August there were but two days not strictly - devoted to business, the 4th of July and the 5th of August--the last a - farewell to our friends. For both of these occasions we were indebted - to the hospitality of treasurer and Mrs. W. W. Peet, and although - held in the open air, on the crowning point of Proti, one of the - Princes’ Islands, with the Marmora, Bosporus, and Golden Horn in full - view, the spires and minarets of Constantinople and Scutari telling - us of a land we knew little of, with peoples and customs strange and - incomprehensible to us, still there was no lack of the emblem that - makes every American at home, and its wavy folds of red, white, and - blue shaded the tables and flecked the tasteful viands around which - sat the renowned leaders of the American missionary element of Asia - Minor. - - Henry O. Dwight, D.D., the accomplished gentleman and diplomatic head, - who was the first to suggest an appeal to the Red Cross, and I am - glad to feel he has never repented him of his decision. One fact in - regard to Dr. Dwight may be of interest to some hundreds of thousands - of our people. On first meeting him I was not quite sure of the title - by which to address him, if reverend or doctor, and took the courage - to ask him. He turned a glance full of amused meaning upon me as he - replied: “That is of little consequence; the title I prize most is - _Captain_ Dwight.” “Of what?” I asked. “Company D, Twentieth Ohio - Volunteers, in our late war.” The recognition which followed can - well be imagined by the comrades for whose interest I have named the - incident. - - The Reverend Joseph K. Greene, D.D., and his amiable wife, to whom - so much is due toward the well-being of the missionary work of - Constantinople. I regret that I am not able to reproduce the eloquent - and patriotic remarks of Dr. Greene on both these occasions, so true - to our country, our government, and our laws. The Reverend George P. - Knapp, formerly of Bitlis, whose courage no one questions. Mrs. Lee - of Marash, and Mrs. Dr. George Washburn of Robert College, the worthy - and efficient daughters of the Reverend Doctor Cyrus Hamlin, the - veteran missionary and founder of Robert College, living in Lexington, - Massachusetts. A half-score of teachers, whose grand lives will one - day grace the pages of religious history. And last, though by no means - least, our host, the man of few words and much work, who bears the - burden of monetary relief for the woes and wants of Asia Minor, W. W. - Peet. - - It was a great satisfaction that most of our field agents were able - to be present at the last of these beautiful occasions and personally - render an account of their stewardship to those who had watched - their course with such interest. The pleasure of these two days of - recreation will ever remain a golden light in our memories. - - As the first official act of the relief work after our arrival in - Constantinople was my formal presentation to the Sublime Porte by the - American Minister, the Honorable A. W. Terrell, diplomatic courtesy - demanded that I take proper occasion to notify the Turkish Government - of our departure and return thanks for its assistance, which was done - formally at “Selamlik,” a religious ceremony held on the Turkish - Sabbath, which corresponds to our Friday. The Court Chamberlain - delivered my message to the palace. It was received and responded to - through the same medium and I took my departure, having finished my - diplomatic work with that Government which had from first to last - treated me with respect, assisted my work, and protected my workers. - - To correct certain impressions and expressions which have been - circulating more or less extensively in this country, and for - the correct information of the people who through their loyal - interest deserve to know the facts, I make known my entire social - relations while residing in Turkey. Personally I did not go beyond - Constantinople. The proper conduct of our work demanded the continuous - presence of both our financial secretary and myself at headquarters. - I never saw, to communicate with personally, any member of the Turkish - Government excepting its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tewfik Pasha, as - named previously. I never spoke with the Sultan and have never seen - him excepting in his carriage on the way to his mosque. - - On being informed through our Legation that the Turkish Minister at - Washington, Mavroyeni Bey, had been recalled and that his successor - was about to leave for his new position, I felt that national - courtesy required that I call upon him and, attended by a member - of our Legation, my secretary and myself crossed the Bosporusto, - a magnificent estate on the Asiatic shore, the palatial home of - Moustapha Tahsin Bey, a gentleman of culture, who had resided in New - York in some legal capacity, and who, I feel certain, will be socially - and officially acceptable to our Government. - - I have received a decoration, officially described as follows: - - Brevet of Chevalier of the Royal Order of Melusine, founded in - 1186, by Sibylle, Queen and spouse of King Guy of Jerusalem, and - reinstituted several years since by Marie, Princess of Lusignan. The - Order is conferred for humanitarian, scientific and other services - of distinction, but especially when such services are rendered to - the House of Lusignan, and particularly to the Armenian nation. The - Order is worn by a number of reigning sovereigns, and is highly prized - by the recipients because of its rare bestowal and its beauty. This - decoration is bestowed by His Royal Highness, Guy of Lusignan, Prince - of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia. - -Some months after returning home I received through our State -Department at Washington the Sultan’s decoration of Shefaket and its -accompanying diploma in Turkish, a translation of which is here given: - - As Miss Barton, American citizen, possesses many great and - distinguished qualities and as recompense is due to her, I am pleased - therefore to accord to her the second class of my decorations of - Shefaket. - - -Such were the honors which Miss Barton received from the Turkish -Government. Her American friends in Constantinople were no less -enthusiastic. Among the foremost of American missionaries in Turkey and -those longest resident in Constantinople, the Reverend Doctors Dwight -and Greene deserve to be quoted as expressing the judgment of the -Americans as a body: - -From the Reverend Doctor H. O. Dwight, one word among the many so -generously spoken: - - Miss Barton has done a splendid work, sensibly and economically - managed. Wherever her agents have been, the missionaries have - expressed the strongest approval of their methods and efficiency. The - work done has been of great and permanent importance. - -From the Reverend Joseph K. Greene, D.D., to the New York “Independent”: - - After some six months of service, Miss Clara Barton and her five able - assistants have left Constantinople on their return to America. It was - only on the earnest solicitation of the missionaries, the officers of - the American Board, and many other friends of the suffering Armenians - that Miss Barton undertook the relief in this land. The difficulties - of the work, arising from the suspicions of the Turkish authorities, - the distance from the capital to the sufferers, the perils and - discomforts in communicating with them, and from unfamiliarity with - the languages and customs of the people of the land, would surely - have appalled a less courageous heart. Under such circumstances it is - only just and fair that the American public should be apprised of the - substantial success of this mission of the Red Cross. - - In the first place, Miss Barton has shown a rare faculty in getting on - well with everybody. To facilitate her work she, and the assistants - whom she loves to call “my men,” laid aside all the insignia of the - Red Cross and appeared everywhere simply as private individuals. - She clearly understood that she could accomplish her mission only - by securing the confidence and good-will of the authorities, and - this she did by her patience and repeated explanations, and by the - assistance of the American Legation. When the _iradé_, or imperial - decree sanctioning her mission, was delayed, she sent forward her - assistants with only a traveling permit for a part of the way, - trusting, and not in vain, that the local authorities, instructed from - headquarters, would facilitate their way. As a matter of fact, while - Mr. Pullman, her secretary and treasurer, remained at Constantinople - with Miss Barton, her distributing agents, namely, Dr. Hubbell and Mr. - Mason, Mr. Wistar and Mr. Wood, either together or in two parties, - traveled inland from Alexandretta to Killis, Aintab, Marash, Zeitoun, - Birejik, Oorfa, Diarbekir, Farkin, Harpoot, Palou, Malatia, Arabkir, - Egin, Sivas, Tokat, Samsoun, and back to Constantinople without - interruption or molestation. They were readily and constantly supplied - with guards, and could not with safety have made their perilous four - months’ journey without them. Demands are said to have been made that - the distribution of aid be made under the supervision of Government - officials, but, in fact, Miss Barton’s agents knew how to make - their distributions in every place, after careful consultation and - examination, without any interference on the part of the authorities. - - Miss Barton received in all about $116,000, and an unexpended balance - of $15,400 was committed to Mr. Peet, the treasurer of the American - Missions in Turkey, to be held as an emergency fund, subject to Miss - Barton’s orders. No expense has been incurred for Miss Barton or her - agents save for traveling expenses and the wages of interpreters, - and with this exception the entire sum expended has gone to the - actual relief of the sufferers. While the fund committed to the - Anglo-American Committee, of which Mr. Peet is a member--a sum four - to five times the amount committed to Miss Barton--has been expended - through the missionaries, largely to save the hungry from starvation, - the relief through the agents of the Red Cross has for the most part - been wisely devoted to the putting of the poor sufferers on their feet - again, and thus helping them to help themselves. Some five hundred - liras (a lira is $4.40 of _good_ money) were given for the cure and - care of the sick in Marash, Zeitoun, and elsewhere, and some two - thousand liras’ worth of cloths, thread, pins and needles were sent - inland; but many times this amount was expended in providing material - for poor widows; seeds, agricultural implements and oxen for farmers; - tools for blacksmiths and carpenters; and looms for weavers. In some - places Miss Barton’s agents had the pleasure of seeing vegetable - gardens coming forward from seed furnished by the Red Cross, and - village farmers reaping the grain with sickles which the Red Cross had - given. The great want now--a want which the funds of the Red Cross - agents did not permit them to any large extent to meet--is aid to the - poor villagers to help them rebuild their burned and ruined houses, - and thus provide for themselves shelter against the rigors of the - coming winter. The Red Cross agents have, however, gathered a great - stock of information; and passing by the horrors of the massacres - and the awful abuse of girls and women, as unimpeachable witnesses - they can bear testimony to the frightful sufferings and needs of the - people. We most sincerely hope and pray that Miss Barton and the - agents and friends of the Red Cross will not esteem their work in - Turkey done, but knowing now so well just what remains to be done, - and what can be done, will bend every effort to secure further relief - for the widows and orphans of the more than sixty thousand murdered - men--mostly between the ages of eighteen and fifty--whose lives no - earthly arm was outstretched to save. - - While we gratefully bear witness to the wise and indefatigable efforts - of Miss Barton’s _agents_, permit us to add that during her more - than six months’ stay in Constantinople Miss Barton gave _herself_ - unremittingly to the work of her mission. She seems to have had no - time for sight-seeing, and not a few of her friends are disposed to - complain that she had no time to accept the invitations of those - who would have been glad to entertain her. The only relaxation she - seems to have given herself was on two occasions--the first, a - Fourth of July picnic with a few American friends, on one of the - Princes’ Islands, and the second, another picnic on the same island, - on Wednesday, August 5, when, with three of her “men,” she met some - twenty American lady teachers and missionaries, in order to bid them a - courteous farewell. The first occasion she unqualifiedly declared to - have been the happiest Fourth of July she had ever had; and inspired - by the occasion, she penned some verses which she kindly read to - her friends on the second gathering, and which we very much wish - she would permit the editor of the “Independent” to publish. On the - second occasion, at Miss Barton’s request, the financial secretary - read his report and Dr. Hubbell and Mr. Wood presented reports of the - work of distribution. We gratefully acknowledged the honor done us - in permitting us to hear these reports; and, remembering our - concern for Miss Barton while preparing for the work of distribution - six months ago, we gladly expressed our joy and congratulations now on - the happy return of her faithful and efficient agents, of whom it may - be truly said that they went and saw and conquered. We rejoiced that - these new friends had come to know so well the American missionaries - in Turkey, and were truly thankful for a mutually happy acquaintance. - We wished Miss Barton and her “men” a hearty welcome on their arrival, - and, now, with all our hearts, we wish them God-speed on their return - home. - -Miss Barton was already much bedecorated before the formation of -the American Red Cross, but she brought back from Turkey additional -official decorations presented to her by the Turkish Government and by -prominent organizations represented by the Armenians. - -[Illustration: DECORATIONS OF CLARA BARTON - - 1. “Gold Masonic Emblem,” given her by her father and worn by Miss - Clara Barton through the Civil War, 1861-1865. - - 2. “The German official Red Cross Field Badge,” presented by the Grand - Duchess of Baden, and worn by Miss Barton through the Franco-Prussian - War, 1870-1871. - - 3. “The Iron Cross of Germany,” conferred by Emperor William I and - Empress Augusta, 1871, in recognition of Miss Barton’s services for - humanity in the Franco-Prussian War. - - 4. “The Gold Cross of Remembrance,” conferred by the Grand Duke and - Grand Duchess of Baden, 1871. - - 5. “Royal Jewel” (gold-knot brooch), presented by the Grand Duchess - of Baden, 1897. When presenting this brooch to Miss Barton the Grand - Duchess said, “An unbroken friendship of twenty-six years deserves to - be tied by a knot of gold.” - - 6. The official medal of the “International Red Cross,” presented to - Miss Barton when through her efforts the Congress of the United States - adopted the treaty of Geneva in 1882. Presented by the International - Committee of Geneva. - - 7. Serbian decoration (silver, red enamel, and silver center), - conferred by Queen Nathalie of Serbia, 1883, for services for humanity. - - 8. Gold badge of the “Waffengenosen” German soldiers in America who - took part in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, presented to their - Honorary Member Miss Barton in 1885. - - 9. Silver Medal conferred by Augusta, Empress of Germany, 1885. - - 10. “Grand Army and Woman’s Relief Corps” (gold with diamonds), - presented to Miss Barton, the sole Honorary Member of the Relief - Corps, 1886. - - 11. Royal Jewel (brooch, smoky topaz surrounded with pearls), - presented by the Grand Duchess of Baden, 1887. - - 12. Royal Jewel (red topaz and gold brooch), presented by the Empress - Augusta of Germany, 1887. - - 13. Silver medal of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics - Association, presented in 1887. - - 14. Gold brooch with diamonds and sapphire setting, presented by the - ladies of Johnstown, Pa., at the close of the relief work of the - Johnstown flood, 1889. - - 15. Gold badge of the “Sorosis,” New York, presented to Miss Barton, - their Honorary Member, 1890. - - 16. Gold badge of “The Clara Barton Lodge of the Sisters of the G. A. - R. of Gloucester, Mass.,” presented to Miss Barton, their Honorary - Member, 1890. - - 17. Badge of the Loyal Legion of Women of Washington, D.C., presented - to their Honorary Member Miss Barton, 1893. - - 20. Gold Medal of the Vanderbilt Benevolent Association of South - Carolina, presented to Miss Barton, their Honorary Member, 1894. - - 21. Red Cross Insignia (silver and red enamel with diamond star), in - commemoration of the American Relief Field, 1896, presented by Miss - Barton’s Assistants on the field in memory of the Relief Field of - Armenia. - - 22. Armenian Decoration (silver, blue enamel, and gold), bestowed by - His Royal Highness Guy de Lusignan, Prince of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and - Armenia, 1896, in recognition of services in relief of the Armenian - massacres. - - 23. The gold badge of the War Veterans and Sons Association of - Brooklyn, New York, presented to their Honorary Member Clara Barton, - April, 1899. - - 24. Turkish Decoration (gold, diamonds, and other jewels), conferred - by the Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1897 through the State Department, with - the request that if America desired to send further relief to his - domains, she should send back the missionaries of humanity she sent - before. - - 25. Spanish Decoration of Honor (gold and green enamel), conferred in - 1898 by the Spanish Government. - - 26. Belgian Decoration (silver and red enamel), conferred in 1892 by - the Red Cross of Belgium. - - 27. Russian Decoration (silver and red enamel), conferred by the Czar - Nicholas in 1902. Russian famine.] - -The foregoing outline briefly summarizes the work of Miss Barton and of -the American Red Cross in the years following its official recognition -and preceding the Spanish-American War. It was a glorious record; it -gave to the Red Cross a definition in the mind of America, and a place -in the admiration of the world, such as no philanthropic organization -ever had attained. It brought to Clara Barton honors which she accepted -with modesty and quietly laid away while she devoted herself to -preparation for the next field of service. - -The work of the Red Cross was now a labor that occupied the whole -twelve months. Her salaried force was small; the expense of -administration was kept low. She maintained a skeleton organization -with a stock of supplies such as did not deteriorate by storage and -was certain to be needed when the first news of disaster arrived. She -did not employ a large force of idle helpers. She depended upon the -emergency bringing its own troop of assistants who worked under her -direction and the direction of those whom she had trained. - -Clara Barton knew what not all philanthropists know that it is as -important for a philanthropic organization to get out when its work -is done as it is for it to go in when its work is needed. In almost -every field she met with requests for the continuance of the work after -she knew that the time had come for the people to rely upon their own -resources. She was determined that the Red Cross should never become a -pauperizing institution or furnish employment for an army of official -idlers. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -CLARA BARTON AT HOME AND ABROAD - - -Strenuous were the years of Miss Barton’s administration of the -American Red Cross. There was upon an average practically one disaster -a year which called her organization into the field. In some instances -the active work of the Red Cross upon the ground lasted only a few -weeks; in other cases, as in the matter of the South Carolina Sea -Islands, it consumed almost a year. The intervals between disasters -were occupied by correspondence, addresses, articles for the press, -and attendance to the many duties brought on by a widened acquaintance -and a constantly growing interest in the work. They were years, too, -in which Miss Barton was sometimes personally short of money. In no -other period, as in this, do her diaries so clearly show the necessity -which she felt for personal economy for the sake of the work. She -declined the four-thousand-dollar salary which was suggested for her; -she vetoed every proposal looking toward a Government appropriation for -her personal benefit or for the work of the Red Cross. If during this -long period she ever thought of the Red Cross in terms of a possible -financial advantage to herself, her diaries betray no hint of it. If -she ever thought of the possibility that Congress might take care of -her, the innumerable letters which passed between her and the members -of the two houses of Congress afford no indication of it. - -The adhesion of the United States to the Treaty of Geneva did, -however, take her abroad a number of times, once or more at Government -expense, as one of the three official representatives of the United -States at certain international congresses. The appropriations to -cover the expenses of a delegate were never very large; generally two -thousand dollars for the expense of three delegates. In connection -with one of these journeys an interesting correspondence developed in -which one of the delegates exceeded in expenditure his none too ample -allowance of less than seven hundred dollars. He wrote a long letter -explaining why it had been necessary for him to expend more, and -desired Clara Barton to approve his request for an increase. This she -declined to do either for herself or for either of the others. For her -simple tastes the appropriation was ample; she lived within it and her -associates had to do the same or make up the balance out of their own -pockets. - -Miss Barton had just returned from her arduous labor on behalf of the -flood sufferers on the Ohio and Mississippi in the summer of 1884, -when Secretary of State Frelinghuysen appointed her one of the three -delegates to the International Conference at Geneva. Her associates -were her friends Judge Joseph Sheldon, of Connecticut, and Mr. A. S. -Sullivan, vice-president of the American Red Cross. - -Miss Barton was so wearied with her labors in connection with the flood -sufferers that she hesitated about accepting her appointment. To her -great joy and to that of Dr. Hubbell, who accompanied her, the voyage -proved an excellent tonic. There was not an unpleasant day, and Miss -Barton was not ill an hour and did not miss a meal. Toward the close -of the voyage she was called upon to address the passengers, who -greeted her with great interest and listened to her with marked and -reverent attention. She reached Liverpool on August 26, 1884, and had a -happy and prosperous journey to Geneva where the Congress convened in -December. - -Four hundred distinguished delegates and representatives of the -signatory powers to the treaty assembled at Geneva. There were titled -rulers, distinguished representatives of nobility, eminent surgeons, -noted scientists, and philanthropists whose names were known around the -world. - -It is not too much to say that Clara Barton was the most noted delegate -to that convention and the recipient of its highest honors. There was -not one among the four hundred delegates who did not know that it was -she who brought the United States, last of all the great nations, to -occupy a place in that gathering. Popular interest centered about her; -she was pointed out and sought out as the most celebrated delegate to -the congress. Not all of her associates were strangers to her; chief -among the royal persons present to claim the honor of her acquaintance -and introduce her as their friend were the Grand Duke of Baden, the -Grand Duchess, and her imperial father, the Emperor of Germany. - -It was the direct influence of Miss Barton which caused the -introduction of what is known as the “America Amendment.” This -amendment was to the effect-- - - That the Red Cross Society engage in time of peace in humanitarian - work analogous to the duties devolving upon them in periods of war, - such as taking care of the sick and rendering relief in extraordinary - calamities where, as in war, prompt and organized relief is demanded. - -The adoption of this resolution was a high compliment to Clara Barton. -She brought to the congress not only the prestige of America’s -accession to the treaty, but a new and notable enlargement of the -sphere of Red Cross activity which she had invented, tested, and found -practicable in America, and worthy of recommendation to all the world. - -At Geneva she was joined by Antoinette Margot, whom she sent for as -a companion and interpreter. For, though Clara Barton was fairly at -home in conversation in French, she was glad of assistance at times. -Antoinette had written her in the years of their separation. Her own -life had been none too happy, and she had passed through a religious -crisis that led her, though born a Protestant, into the Roman Catholic -Church, and later into a cloister. Even this change she credited to -Clara Barton! This amused Clara, but Antoinette said that but for Clara -she would have remained “a crushed-down little unhappy baby in my -father’s house”; Clara had given her courage and strength to face great -questions and decide them: - - Dear, dear Miss Barton [she wrote]: Never, never I shall forget what - I owe to you. I owe you even my perfect actual happiness of being - a Catholic, for, without your strong teaching, and your nerving of - my heart, I could never have dared to take the step of following my - convictions, when I had convictions to follow. - -Clara’s comment was: - - Poor, simple child! It is all for the best, I think. Hers is one of - those unsteady, unbalanced minds that must be controlled. She has no - mastery over herself, and nothing but a priest and a confessional can - make her happy. - -Antoinette poured out her impulsive love in extravagant protestations -of devotion. She wanted to see Miss Barton, to kiss the feet of the -woman who had done so much for her, and who stood in the mind of -Antoinette as the realization of the noblest ideal of womanhood. - -We owe to this impulsive girl, who later entered a convent, a really -fine description of Clara Barton as she stood among the representatives -of all the nations that were joined in the league of the Red Cross at -Geneva: - - The Government of the United States has done itself no greater credit - than in selecting Clara Barton to represent it among the nations - abroad. During the last week I have looked on as she has sat day by - day in one of the greatest and grandest assemblies of men that could - be gathered--men representing the highest rank among the civilized - nations of the earth; men of thought, of wisdom, of power, called - together from all over the world to deliberate on great questions, of - nautical import, military power, the neutrality of nations, humanity - in war, wisdom in peace. In the midst of this assembly of gray-haired - men, glittering with military decorations, with national honors, won - and conferred, sat this one woman--calm, thoughtful, self-possessed, - recognized and acknowledged as possessing every right and privilege - belonging to any member of the conference; not merely permitted to be - there, but there by the sovereign right of nations; not merely allowed - to sit there by the courtesy due to a lady, but by the right due to a - nation’s representative; her vote not merely accepted as a matter of - form, but expected and watched for; grave questions referred to her - as the representative of a great nation, and all deference paid to - her judgment: her demeanor so unobtrusive, her actions so wise, that - it could not otherwise than reflect merited credit upon her and her - country. - - But the crowning recognition of her philanthropic labors at home and - abroad was given when one of the Italian delegates, springing upon the - platform, proposed to the assemblage to vote, by acclamation, that - “_Mademoiselle Barton bien mérite de l’humanité_”. - - Even Miss Barton was moved from her usual composure by the thunders - of applause. I do not know whether you in America are familiar with - the peculiar significance of that phrase. It is an expression of the - highest approbation, honor, and esteem that the French language can - convey. It is probable that Miss Barton is the first woman in the - world who has ever received such a tribute. - -After her return from Geneva, Miss Barton made a journey to California, -in 1886, returning by way of Charleston, South Carolina, where she had -a share in the relief of that city after the earthquake. - -In September, 1887, occurred another international congress of the Red -Cross. This was held in Germany, at Carlsruhe, the ducal capital of -Alsace and home of the Grand Duchess Louise. Here she met her friends, -the Grand Duke and Duchess of Baden and the Emperor of Germany, and -besides these the Empress Augusta, Bismarck, and von Moltke. Her honors -here were scarcely less brilliant than they had been at Geneva, and her -personal joys were more, for she was near the scenes of her labors in -the Franco-Prussian War. There she was the guest of royalty; crowned -heads bowed respectfully to her. From Baden Baden she wrote a letter -home just after the close of the congress: - - BADEN BADEN, GERMANY, Oct. 28, 1887 - - The International Red Cross Conference has closed. Most of the - delegates have left Carlsruhe, unless, like ourselves, remaining - for after-work. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, with their Court, - have retired to Baden Baden for the customary birthday festivities - of Her Majesty the Empress, and the Emperor and his suite would, as - also customary, make his yearly visit in honor of the occasion, thus - making that lovely and historic old town for the moment, the center of - interest for the Empire. - - Dr. H. and myself were at breakfast when the hotel porter laid a - telegraphic dispatch on my plate. It will be remembered, at least - by personal friends, that three years ago, while in attendance at a - similar international conference, the honored pleasure of a meeting - with His Majesty the Emperor of Germany had been given me. This - dispatch informed me that a like honor again awaited my presence in - Baden Baden. Trunks were packed, adieus made, and the midday train of - the following day took us in time for the appointed hour. Whoever has - visited the interior of the “New Castle,” the Baden Baden palace of - the Grand Duke, and been shown through its tasteful apartments, rich - in elegance, tradition, and history, will require no further reminder - of the _place_ where the interview would be given. - - This was, as well, the birthday of the Crown Prince; and in tender - paternal sympathy, for the painful affliction resting upon a life so - treasured, and for the great anxiety of the German people, His Majesty - the Emperor would pass a portion of the day with the beloved daughter - and sister, the Grand Duchess, at the castle; and in honoring memory - of the occasion, its halls were thronged with visitors who came to - manifest both respect and sympathy. - - At half-past one o’clock we were ushered in at the great castle - doors, by their attendants in livery of “scarlet and gold,” the - national colors of Baden; our damp wraps removed--for it was a - pouring rain--and after a half-hour sitting by a cheerful fire, among - pictures which quite called one out of personal consciousness, we were - escorted to the grand reception and drawing room, to the center of a - magnificent apartment with no occupant but ourselves. By another door - one saw the Emperor surrounded by guests, who paid formal respects. - Scores of visitors with coachmen in richest livery had entered while - we waited and registered titled names on the open pages. - - At length His Majesty turned from the group about him, and, taking - the arm of the Grand Duchess, entered our apartment. It was difficult - to realize all the ninety years, as he stepped toward us with even, - and steady, if no longer elastic, tread. He approached with cordially - extended hand, and in his excellent French expressed satisfaction for - the meeting. “In the name of humanity, he was glad to meet and welcome - those who labored for it.” - - In recalling the earlier days of our acquaintance, Her Royal Highness - the Grand Duchess alluded tenderly to the winter in Strassburg of - ’70 and ’71,--which I had passed among its poor and wounded people - after the siege,--and, selecting two from a cluster of decorations - which I had worn in honor of the present occasion, drew the attention - of the Emperor to them. The one he knew; it was his own, presented - upon his seventy-fifth birthday. The other he had never seen. It was - the beautiful decoration of the “German Waffengenossen”--the “Warrior - Brothers in arms” of Milwaukee. - - It was puzzlingly familiar, and yet it was not familiar. There was - again the Iron Cross of Germany, but it was on the American shield. - The “American Eagle” surmounting the arms for defense; and the colors - of Germany, the red, white, and black of the Empire uniting the two. - His Majesty gazed upon the expressive emblem, which, with no words, - said so much, and turned inquiringly to the Grand Duchess, as if to - ask, “Does my daughter understand this?” - - The explanation was made that it was from His Majesty’s own soldiers, - who, after the “German-Franco War,” had gone to the United States and - become citizens; and this device was designed to express, that, as by - its shield they were American citizens, and true to the land of their - adoption, so by its “Iron Cross,” they were still German; and by the - colors of the native land for which every man had offered his life, - and risked it, they bound the old home to the new; and by the American - Eagle and arms, surmounting all, they were ready to offer their lives - again, if need be, in defense of either land. - - The smile of the grand old Emperor, as he listened, had in it the - “Well done” of the benignant father to a dutiful and successful son. - “And they make good citizens?” he would ask. “The best that could be - desired,” I said; “industrious, honest, and prosperous, and, sire, - they are still yours in heart, still true to the Fatherland and its - Emperor.” - - “I am glad to hear this; they were good soldiers, and thank God, true - men everywhere,” was the earnest and royal response. - - His Majesty continued, speaking of America, its growth, its progress, - its advancement in science and humanity, its adoption and work of the - Red Cross, which meant so much for mankind; and when assured that its - people revered and loved the Emperor of Germany, that his life was - precious to them, and that thousands of prayers went up for him in - that distant land he had never seen, the touching and characteristic - response betrayed the first tremor of the voice the ear had caught in - its kindly tones. - - “God be praised for this; for it is all from Him. I am only His. Of - myself I am nothing. He made us what we are. God is over all.” - - We stood with bowed heads while those slowly spoken, earnest, holy - words from that most revered of earthly monarchs fell upon us like a - benediction. - - At length His Majesty gave a hand to both Dr. H. and myself in a - parting adieu, and walked a few steps away, when turning back, and - again extending a hand, said, in French, “It is probably the last - time,” and in pleasant English, “Good-bye.” And again taking the arm - of the Grand Duchess walked from the room, leaving His Highness the - Grand Duke, one of the kindest and noblest types of manhood, to say - the last words, and close the interview; one of the most impressive - and memorable of a lifetime. - -In another letter she told of her parting with the imperial party as -follows: - - BADEN BADEN, Oct. 24, 1887 - - I do not know if I have written since coming here or if my last was - from Carlsruhe. We were here for the “Baden season.” We were invited - by the Duke and Duchess to spend a few weeks at Baden Baden, and of - course all the Court proper would come. The Empress came also; and - the Emperor. They will be here till next Friday, when she goes to - Berlin. The Crown Prince’s health is very poor. The Emperor is better - than ever--bright and cheerful like a young man. We went the other - evening to see him take the train for Berlin. The station reserve - rooms were like a drawing-room and all the Court and royal persons - were in them, to wait the coming of the Emperor, and the town. The - Emperor shook hands with all, saying good-bye, made pretty gifts to - some special persons, then entered the royal train, to ride all night. - The day before yesterday the Empress sent for me to come to her. I - spent a most delightful hour. She had a great deal to say, and made me - a lovely parting gift of a ruby brooch. She insisted that we should - meet again, that I should come to Europe again, and she should see - me. In the P.M. the Grand Duchess sent for us to go to her and we - went and spent two lovely hours. She is charming as ever. Then next - evening (last evening) she sent for us to come to dine. We went and - had a beautiful time. We are to go again to-morrow for a visit. After - the end of this week we go to Strassburg to spend a little time. Shall - most likely go to Berlin and back to Strassburg and down the French - side of the Rhine to Basle, Bern, Geneva, Paris, London, Liverpool, - and then we shall be on our direct way home, but it is some little - time yet before we can go home. - -From her journey to attend that international congress at Carlsruhe -she returned in January, 1888, and was quickly called away to Mount -Vernon, Illinois, to care for the sufferers from the tornado. When -she returned from this campaign, she went on a short tour delivering -addresses before influential bodies. She spoke in Montclair, New -Jersey, addressing a State conference of Congregational churches. She -then delivered a lecture in Philadelphia, and was received with every -consideration and honor. Then she went home to Washington and did her -washing. This combination of her work as a world leader and a woman -concerned with domestic affairs is contained in two letters to Mrs. -Stafford, dated May 4 and May 8, 1888: - - DEAREST MAMIE: - - I had intended to write you just a line on the train to and from - Philadelphia, but one was in the night--the other so full of other - things and the trip so short, I did not get to it. - - I can’t think it was a week ago, but so it seems. The first day I - met the Society on its Annual Meeting, and spoke to them a little. - I attended a lunch party before the meeting and a reception after - the opera at the elegant residence of Dr. ----, president of the - Philadelphia Red Cross. That made four things after twelve o’clock. - - The next day we had informal meetings with officers of the society - until two o’clock P.M. Then attended a lecture given in the regular - course of the Red Cross Society. Then I gave a lecture. Then home to - dress for the reception to commence at eight. - - This was given in Union League Hall, very large, with a band of music. - The dignitaries of the city attended in bodies. The physicians--the - clergymen--the lawyers--the judges--the military army and navy in - uniform. I received and shook hands with all. They left after eleven. - It was a splendid reception. There was still a meeting at the hotel - (The Colonnade) after our return, so we are only in bed by two o’clock - next morning, got a hasty breakfast and hastened to the nine o’clock - train for home; found a large mail, and I was very sleepy. I did sleep - a day or two mainly, and that is what makes the week seem so short, I - think. - - Then just think what a washing there was on hand; had never had time - to have a full wash done since our return from Mount Vernon. The - Woman’s Council came directly on that, and an address to write for - it. Then the conference of churches at Montclair, and another address - to write. Then Philadelphia, and another address to write, with all - that came between. The wash went to the wall till this week, when it - was taken up in its turn and put through in one day, and all ironed - yesterday, and clothes put away this very minute, and I haven’t left - the warehouse yet, but am just dropped down at the table in front - of the window, near the store (Gaby will know all about it) while - Alfred brings compost from the stable alongside ready to make up some - flower-beds, etc., and I direct him from the window as I scribble, to - lose no time. It is just as lovely as it can be. Tell Gaby we have - moved the rosebushes all down to the front of the yard, and they - didn’t mind it a bit, and went right on putting out buds, and he will - appreciate how much better chance we had with a washing of twenty - sheets, thirty pillowslips, and other things in proportion, and he - knows how quickly and easily it all went out of the way, and no one - got much tired, and not any sick. - - I haven’t time for more than a word. We are making out our foreign - conference accounts for the Government and I have the report to make - out directly and a bill to draw up for Congress this next week and a - host of correspondence, and we are having Alfred make up our garden, - in front of the warehouse, and a pretty little plot it is too. I - found time one night by moonlight to plant lettuce and peppergrass - and radishes, and in two days they come up and are green and pretty. - Yesterday we set out two dozen tomato plants a foot high, and all - of our dozen grapevines are growing; splendid varieties; and when - Alfred makes up the flower-beds to-day, we shall find time to plant - all the seeds I have. I have no bulbs to set, but I have a dozen nice - hollyhocks, fifteen inches high, and all the rosebushes and fleur de - lys in bloom and bud. I can’t get time to hunt over the house for the - little seeds we want to plant. I have nice seeds for kitchen-garden - things from Dansville, but can’t remember where to look for them. I - want a pinch of caraway seed and twelve great sage roots and I want - some catnip seed for Tommy. There is not a stalk of catnip anywhere - about, and I can’t get any seed. Have you some in your catnip herb - bag? I like saffran, and red balm such as Julian raises; I can - get plenty of elegant plants, but the old, old things are hard to - find--and I have not time to look, but should so like to stick a few - out in my nice beds. So here is a place for small contributions. I do - hope Johny is better. Please give him all the love I can send, and - try, all of you, to keep well. We are well, the Saturday work is all - done up, and everything is lovely as spring can make it. - - The great “Council of Women” is now over [she writes a little later]: - the meetings are ended, the people are mainly leaving the city, and - this hour my house has had its last visitor. Every day till now my - space, and my table, has been filled to the utmost, and in addition to - my full part in the “Council,” its meeting, committees, and speeches. - - The next morning (yesterday) I had to meet a Senate committee at the - Capitol and address them at ten o’clock. Then I go with Mrs. General - Logan and others to the War Department to manage business there. And - now it is eight-thirty the next morning, and at ten I must be at the - War Department with another committee. - -Her domestic affairs attended to, she hurried to Boston to deliver -an important address and attend a reception. From there she went to -Wellesley and delivered an address: - - My cold entirely left me, and I have had no trouble with it. So much - for right living, and good cool blood. This is the last day of the - convention. I am to speak to-night. I did say a little yesterday, - and they all laughed at me; I wish you could have been here. There - is to be a reception given me next Friday evening. Steve and Lizzie - and Myrtie are invited. I go to the Wellesley College to take tea and - speak to the five hundred girls there on Saturday evening. Some things - I must miss. I get back as soon as I can, so as to go on home. I am so - glad of Sunday; it was a glorious day; so good to see so many together - again. I hope the children are well, that you don’t wrestle too much - with imaginary dirt, and are getting a little real strength. - -Besides her tours abroad she had some interesting journeys in her own -country, including a happy camping trip in the Yellowstone Park and the -Cascade Mountains, in the autumn of 1891. - -The following winter she spent in the Red Cross Headquarters in what -had been the home of General Grant in Washington. It was a strenuous -winter and an expensive one. She drew upon her personal resources for -fuel for the large building, as well as for rent and the care of the -home. She wrote to Mrs. Bullock: - - 17 EAST F STREET, WASHINGTON - January 7, 1892 - - I have wanted to talk with you about coming to see us, but when I - think how cold it is here, and how far from nice and cozy it is, I - feel reluctant to invite you from a small, snug, pretty home, to this - so large and, as it seems to me, less inviting one. If you did not - know it, I should not dare to say you might try it, for we are having - an exceptionally cold, hard winter. The ground is covered with snow, - and the winds have blown an old northeaster these last days, and you - will know this is not an easy house to heat. My expenses have been - so heavy, and receipts so “nothing,” that I cannot afford to take on - more help. I am obliged to have a woman for the work and the house, - a man for the fires and walk,--shoveling snow and all the cold rough - work,--and an amanuensis as my clerk and typewriter. They are drawing - steadily every month; then my rent is high and no one to help share - that, and, besides this, all the world expects me to give it something - if it can get through the door and get a letter to me. I have had to - economize on myself. - -In 1893 she was led into an experiment which caused her much anxiety -and proved to have been a mistake. A man and his wife, who had been -associated with her in her work along the Ohio River, expressed a -desire to dedicate, as a thank offering to humanity, a tract of land -more than one square mile in area, or specifically seven hundred -and eighty-two acres, as a home for the American Red Cross. This -offer deeply touched Miss Barton, who accepted it in the following -appreciative letter addressed to the donors: - - AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS - WASHINGTON, D.C., March 18, 1893 - - DEAR SIR: Referring to your letter of February 10th, made public - February 23d, permit me to reply as follows: - - In accepting the gift of land, in the State of Indiana, that you so - generously dedicate to the American National Red Cross as “the almoner - of humanity,” and by which you have so touchingly complimented me - personally, allow me to say that the friendship expressed on this - and many other occasions by yourself and wife, and the personal aid - you have both given of time and labor in great calamities, make me - free to accept this gift without reservation, assuring you of my best - endeavors to attain the humane results for which this benefaction is - intended. - - This land, as the property of the American National Red Cross, will be - the one piece of neutral ground on the Western Hemisphere protected - by international treaty against the tread of hostile feet. It is a - perpetual sanctuary against invading armies, and will be so respected - and held sacred by the military powers of the world. Forty nations are - pledged to hold all material and stores of the Red Cross, and all its - followers, neutral in war, and free to go and come as their duties - require. - - While its business headquarters will remain, as before, at the capital - of the Nation, this gift still forms a realization of the hope so long - cherished--that the National Red Cross may have a place to accumulate - and produce material and stores for sudden emergencies and great - calamities; and if war should come upon our land, which may God avert, - we may be ready to fulfil the mission that our adhesion to the Geneva - Treaty has made binding upon us. - - I will direct that monuments be erected defining the boundaries of - this domain, dedicated to eternal peace and humanity, upon which shall - be inscribed the insignia of the Treaty of Geneva, which insignia all - the nations of the earth are bound by solemn covenant to respect. - - Not only our own people, but the peoples of all civilized nations will - have published to their knowledge that the American National Red Cross - has a home and a recognized abiding-place through all generations. - - For this I have striven for years, mainly misunderstood, often - misinterpreted, and it is through your clear intuition and humane - thought that the clouds have been swept away and my hopes have been - realized. - - In accordance with views expressed by you in your letter of gift, I - appoint an adviser, which I insist shall be yourself, leaving you - free to appoint another to work jointly with you, knowing that in the - future, as in the past, your heart will be in the work. - - CLARA BARTON - - President American National Red Cross - - -The gift, as it developed, was not without its conditions; the -donors could not quite afford to give it outright, but would sell -it for a sum very much less than its value in consideration of the -philanthropic purposes to which it was to be dedicated. This seemed -not unreasonable, and the deed was accepted subject to the specified -conditions. It seemed to Clara Barton a beautiful achievement; there -was to be one spot on the Western Hemisphere where in case of war the -rights of humanity would be accepted as supreme. Located as it was in -the interior of the country, and removed by rail only a few hours -from the great cities of Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, -Indianapolis, and Toledo, and surrounded by fertile farms, it could -become in an emergency a vast storehouse of supplies, a great base -hospital for the suffering. - -Unfortunately, it did not prove to be all that she had anticipated. -The conditions specified and implied proved to be of such a character -as to render the gift unsuitable for the purposes which she had hoped -to accomplish. The manager into whose hands she committed its care -proved incompetent and, in the end, ungrateful. The gift had to be -relinquished and the money paid toward it was written down as a total -loss. - -In 1896 occurred Miss Barton’s experience in Constantinople, where -the Red Cross had its headquarters during her memorable work for the -Armenians. There she visited Scutari, and gave an address on the scene -of Florence Nightingale’s great work. She returned overland through -Vienna, Strassburg, Paris, London, and Liverpool. She left London -October 8, 1896. On her return to Washington she was given a great -banquet attended by some of the most distinguished people in Washington. - -The following year, 1897, she was appointed by the President to attend -the International Red Cross Congress in Vienna, Austria. - -In 1898 she did her notable work in connection with the -Spanish-American War, and for the next two years was fully occupied -with affairs at home. - -In 1902 she went abroad again, this time as a delegate to the -conference held in St. Petersburg, the last of the great conferences -which she attended. This journey has its record in two letters, one -to her niece, Mrs. Ida Barton Riccius, and the other to her nephew, -Stephen E. Barton: - - _En route_ FROM ST. PETERSBURG - TO THE GERMAN FRONTIER - June 18, 1902 - - The conference is ended, Russia has been visited, and we are well, and - well on the way toward home. It has been a most fortunate journey, no - accidents, no illness. Attended a great and harmonious conference, - royally met and cared for, with nothing to be regretted. - - We went first to Havre, France, to Paris for a few days, then to - Berlin a few days, then on toward Russia. At the crossing on the - frontier, we were met by a Red Cross escort, and taken on, for - transportation to St. Petersburg, about the 15th of May. Went into - Hôtel de France, where we have remained till yesterday, nearly three - weeks. The conference opened on the 16th with two sittings a day, and - entertainments at evening unless it was necessary to take the day for - some excursion, or visit to some royal entertainment. The conference - lasted about eight days; it was composed of delegates from nearly - fifty nations; subjects of a humanitarian character were discussed - as connected with the work of the Red Cross. In Russia everything is - Red Cross, all hospital work, all emergency work, nearly all relief - work, care of children, orphans, foundlings. The women are educated - to do this work. They enter the schools in the hospitals at eighteen - to twenty, serve one year on probation, two as novices, then they - may receive and wear the Red Cross and be nurses, at a small sum in - money per month, board, clothes, care if sick,--a good home as long - as they live. When too old, or no longer able to work, they have - pensions given them and may remain _in_ the hospital and be cared for - always if they choose, or if they have relatives and _want_ to live - with them they can have their pensions and go to them, and _return_ - always if they like. The hospital is _always_ their home, if they want - it, or they may marry if they choose; then they leave. They _seemed_ - so happy, looked so healthy; many of them are orphan girls who had - no home; nowhere else _to_ be. They are not Catholic, but of the - Protestant Church of Russia, though _I_ see little difference between - it and the Catholic. The churches are magnificent,--such wealth of - ornamentation. The bishops seem like Catholic priests. The people are - very devout, but still very lively, and _kind_; they seem to me to be - the kindest people I ever saw. All the royal persons look kind; they - have good faces; but the kindest face of all is that of the Czar. He - is young, handsome, looks like a mature college graduate. The Czarina - is also handsome; she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria; they - have four children, are very fond of them, and of _each other_. - - We went on an excursion to Moscow, saw the city Napoleon went to - capture, and which he found trouble in getting out of. We went to the - Kremlin where he stayed; the rooms he lived in the few days while the - city was burning, and the ways by which he retreated. We visited the - Grand Duke, who is the Governor-General of Moscow, and whose wife - is sister of the Empress, another granddaughter of Victoria, the - daughter of Alice of Hesse, who died many years ago of diphtheria - while nursing three children through it. The Grand Duchess is said - to be the handsomest woman in Russia. I think that may be true, and - after I returned to Petersburg she _sent me her picture_--beautiful!! - Everybody was so kind to us all, but I felt they were especially kind - to me. I never saw such treatment of guests; they wouldn’t _let_ you - spend money. Carriages were at the disposal of all the delegates, all - places of amusement free, guides provided; lunches, like dinners, - provided each day at the conference, a hundred persons fed somewhere, - two or three times a day, and _such_ feeding!! Very many of the - delegates were old friends of mine. I had met them in five other - conferences; they were so genial and attentive. - - As I am going to ask you to let Ada and Mamie read this, and _Harold_, - too, I must tell you about the horses, the finest I have ever seen. - They have two choice kinds, the “black Orlorf,” and the dapple gray, - good size, carriage horses, and they go like the wind. The Orlorf - was brought into St. Petersburg (perhaps into Russia as well) by - Count Orlorf a good many years ago. The males are not changed, kept - as stallions in full strength and spirit, and, when past active or - first-class service, are kept for breeding purposes. They are not - allowed to be _sold_ out of Russia, it is said. They weigh from one - thousand to fourteen hundred pounds, are jet black, have glossy hair, - high arching necks, step as proud as war-horses, with full even - tails, trimmed at the bottom to keep them from touching the ground. - The Russian harness is not half the weight of ours, and much less of - it; the shafts are kept away from the body, and _all_ horses are round - and fat. I have not seen a poor horse in Russia. The grays are much - like the black, only dappled, as if painted, so dark, and distinct - dapples, with also the heavy beautiful tails. I asked to go through - the Royal stalls--the Czar has eight hundred horses in his stud; a - part are in Peterhof, ten miles away. The horses were in stalls about - two thirds as wide, big stalls as Baba’s, say six to seven feet, - with wooden floors, a narrow crack running the whole length to keep - them dry, half a foot of clean dry straw in each, a little manger - for grain, a little wire rack for hay, a good blanket on each, and - you have the entire outfit of this beautiful “stud of Royal horses.” - They were gentle and didn’t mind a strange hand on them, and the - gentlemanly uniformed groom encouraged it, and smiled at their quiet, - good behaviour. Some of the carriages are for two, some four, and - some eight horses. The gilded and gemmed carriages are especially for - Coronation occasions, some of them one hundred and fifty years old, - bright and beautiful as yesterday. Ordinarily the Royal people ride in - common carriages and drive a great deal, to hospitals, to all houses - of charity, schools, orphanages, and churches. They are the patrons of - all these, and give great sums to them. - - The Empress has schools of hundreds of young women and young ladies - in St. Petersburg studying from the lowest to the highest branches, - art and literature, which she visits every week; they are fitting - themselves, not alone for society, but to go all over Russia to teach. - The Russians have all the societies we have, “Prevention of Cruelty - to Animals,” which they don’t seem to need as much as we do. I might - except temperance societies, which they do not have, and probably need - about _as_ much as we, only the Russian doesn’t fight and quarrel when - he gets drunk; he goes to sleep. - - Have I told you that there is no real night in northern Russia at this - season of the year? Ask Saidee to trace it on her atlas and she will - find that St. Petersburg is in the _same_ latitude of the southern - ends of Alaska and Greenland, consequently they have long days and - short nights in summer, and long nights and short days in winter; it - being summer now, we have no real night. The twilight lasted till - eleven-thirty sure, and the sun rose at two-thirty. I went to bed by - daylight, either at one end or the other of the day. I wrote without - a lamp at eleven o’clock at night. The people are in the streets all - night, but there is no disturbance, no one is hurt or attacked. The - police are always on duty, not in the saloons, waiting to be called - to some disturbance, but in the middle of the street, to _see that - there is no disturbance_, and there is none; no people are killed in - dark alleys here. The would-be killer would be killed first, unless he - threw a bomb, and then he would be killed after. - - This is an unmercifully long letter. I wish you would let it go to Ada - and Mamie. If I had a typewriter I would duplicate it, and send to - each, but I have none, and write all by hand. I will take this on to - Berlin to post, where we shall arrive at ten to-morrow morning, for a - few days’ stay. - - With greatest love to all, - - Your always loving - CLARA - - This is my “howdy” to all the loved ones, from Europe. - - HÔTEL SCRIBE, RUE SCRIBE - PARIS, July 26, 1902 - - MY DEAR STEVE: - - This is Saturday, and I sail to-morrow. I did not intend to write you - in time for you to receive it, and perhaps feel that you must fly - around to meet me in New York. I only wanted to tell you _that_--and - _when_ I would sail so you could calculate in what country I should - most likely be. I go to Boulogne to-morrow, Sunday morning, July 27th, - to catch the S.S. _Pennsylvania_ as she steams on for New York. I - expect to find Mr. Tillinghast on board, as he has arranged to finish - his month’s tour of southern Europe in time to take the _Pennsylvania_ - at Hamburg. Boulogne is her last point of land, and any one knowing me - would conclude I would stick to the _land_ as long as possible. - - We had a glorious conference, and were gloriously received, no - kindness or courtesy, and sometimes it seemed as if no luxury, was - omitted. There were no errors, and perfect harmony prevailed. We went - on an excursion to Moscow for three days, returned to Petersburg, - finished all up, did nothing carelessly, nor in too great haste; - wrote my report of the conference, some twenty pages, sent it to - President Roosevelt; made out all my accounts with the Government - ready to present on my return; and when all was finished, left with - Mr. Tillinghast, who took the place of secretary, for Berlin; remained - a week, when Mr. Tillinghast started on his journey of sight-seeing. - The other delegates had long gone, and I made for Carlsruhe for a - stay of two weeks. My time was divided between the Grand Duchess and - Princess Salm Salm, who, at present, resides there. The Salm Salm - was one of the old high houses of Germany, and greatly venerated for - patriotic and noble qualities. The husband of the Princess you will - remember historically, perhaps. Prince Felix left Germany to fight in - _our_ war; raised a regiment, became its colonel, till the close, then - followed Maximilian to Mexico, stayed by him, with the Princess, till - he was shot, then returned to Germany to his estates at Gravelotte. - Not a bad record! - - I remained at Carlsruhe till the “close of the Court Season,” was - present by invitation at the closing of the Parliament, heard the - Grand Duke deliver his splendid address, spent the evening after - socially, and alone, with the Grand Duke and Duchess, till eleven - o’clock. At two they started for the _mountains_, the Princess two - days later; and between them I slipped off to Strassburg, then to - Geneva, then _via_ Strassburg again to Paris, to wait for my steamer. - The _Pennsylvania_ is not a quick but is a steady-going sailer, and - will, D.V., get us over in about eight days, when I will quietly slip - down home, as if I had never been away. No mistakes have been made, no - bad luck, not a day’s illness of any one that I know of. Well enough - managed, it seems to me, and fortunately ended, if it does end well - the rest of the way. - - I didn’t intend to write so much. What you haven’t time to read you - can put in your pocket. Love to all. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -CLARA BARTON IN CUBA - - -For many years before the outbreak of the war with Spain, Clara Barton -had been interested in the situation in Cuba. In a letter written from -Washington, February 8, 1874, twenty-four years before the outbreak of -the war with Spain, she said: - - Spain is still fighting her only or almost sole remaining colony, - Cuba. Spain had once immense colonies, but she has been so tyrannical - and so careless of their welfare that she has lost nearly all. And - Cuba, you know, “has an insurgent army,” of so-called rebels fighting - for their freedom. If she ever gets free, she must come to the - United States, as she is too small to stand alone against the greed - of great powers which will try to gobble her up for her riches in - soil and products. The Spanish authorities have just published a new - list of orders, very stringent, and they hope to crush out the Cuban - insurrection in six months. You must keep watch of that, too, and see - how it ends. It will be history by and by to whom Cuba belongs, and, - while one has to study so hard to learn past history, it is not worth - the while to let slip that which all the time is making in our own day - and generation. Comprenez vous? - -Her forecast of events proved to be reliable. The relations between -Spain and Cuba grew more and more strained. A part of the Spanish -policy for stamping out the rebellion in Cuba was the concentration -of that portion of the civilian population believed to be hostile to -the Spanish Government, in concentration camps, from which the cry -of distress was continuous. Sympathy in America grew more and more -pronounced, but for a long time there appeared no way in which the -United States could offer relief. The difficulties of the situation -were the greater because the Spanish Government believed, with some -reason, that a considerable part of the American sentiment favorable -to relief in Cuba was intermixed with political designs. There were, -indeed, two groups of people demanding relief for Cuba. Clara Barton -thus describes them: - - They might have properly been classed under two distinct heads. The - one, merely the friends of humanity in its simple sense; the other, - friends of humanity also, but what seemed to them a broader and deeper - sense, far more complex. They sought to remove a cause as well as an - effect, and the muffled cry of “Cuba Libre” became their watchword. - Naturally, any general movement by the people in favor of the former - must have the effect to diminish the contributions of the latter, - too small at best for their purpose, and must be wisely discouraged. - Thus, whenever an unsuspecting movement was set on foot by some - good-hearted, unsophisticated body of people, and began to gain - favor with the public and the press, immediately would appear most - convincing counter-paragraphs to the effect that it would be useless - to send relief, especially by the Red Cross: - - First, it would not be permitted to land. - - Next, whatever it took would be either seized outright, or “wheedled” - out of hand by the Spanish authorities in Havana. - - That the Spaniards would be only too glad to have the United States - send food and money for the use of Havana. - - Again, that the Red Cross, being international, would affiliate with - Spain, and ignore the “Cuban Red Cross” already working there and - here. As if poor Cuba, with no national government or treaty-making - power, could have a legitimate Red Cross that other nations could - recognize or work with. - -Miss Barton had but recently returned from Armenia. Her experience with -the Turkish Government made her keenly aware of all the obstructions -which an unsympathetic government can put in the way of philanthropic -relief. It was useless to attempt any assistance for the sufferers -in Cuba unless Miss Barton had the full approval of the American -Government, and in addition the sympathetic coöperation of the Spanish -Government. But if she secured the consent of the Government of Spain, -there was real danger that her work of relief would result less in the -succor of the distressed people of Cuba than in the aid and comfort of -the armies of their oppressors. Spain could not be expected to look -with favor upon any kind of relief which promised to strengthen the -Cuban rebellion. At length, however, the situation grew intolerable; -it became evident that the United States must go into Cuba either with -an army of occupation or an agency for the relief of suffering. As a -matter of fact, the United States went in both capacities, but the Red -Cross went in before the Stars and Stripes. Miss Barton herself has -told the story of the invasion: - - This state of things continued through the year of 1897, but as the - present year of ’98 opened the reports of suffering that came were not - to be borne quietly, and I decided to confer with our Government and - learn if it had objections to the Red Cross taking steps of its own - in direct touch with the people of the country, and proposing their - coöperation in the work of relief. I beg pardon for the personality of - the statement which follows, but it is history I am asked to write. - - Deciding to refer my inquiry to the Secretary of State, I called at - his department to see him, but learned that he was with the President. - This suiting my purpose, I followed to the Executive Mansion, was - kindly informed that the President and Secretary were engaged on a - very important matter, and had given orders not to be interrupted. As - I turned to leave I was recalled with, “Wait a moment, Miss Barton, - and let me present your card.” Returning immediately, I entered the - President’s room to find these two men in a perplexed study over the - very matter which had called me. Distressed by the reports of the - terrible condition of things so new to us, they were seeking some - remedy, and, producing their notes just taken, revealed the fact that - they had decided to call me into conference. - - The conference was then held. It was decided to form a committee - in New York, to ask money and material of the people at large to - be shipped to Cuba for the relief of the _reconcentrados_ on that - island. The call would be made in the name of the President, and the - committee naturally known as the “President’s Committee for Cuban - Relief.” I was courteously asked if I would go to New York and assume - the oversight of that committee. I declined in favor of Mr. Stephen - E. Barton, second vice-president of the National Red Cross, who, on - being immediately called, accepted; and with Mr. Charles Schieren as - treasurer and Mr. Louis Klopsch, of the “Christian Herald,” as the - third member, the committee was at once established; since known as - the “Central Cuban Relief Committee.” - - The committee was to solicit aid in money and material for the - suffering _reconcentrados_ in Cuba, and forward the same to the - Consul-General at Havana for distribution. My consent was then - asked by all parties to go to Cuba and aid in the distribution of - the shipments of food as they should arrive. After all I had so - long offered, I could not decline, and hoping my going would not be - misunderstood by our authorities there, who would regard me simply - as a willing assistant, I accepted. The Consul-General had asked the - New York Committee to send to him an assistant to take charge of the - warehouse and supplies in Havana. This request was also referred to - me, and recommending Mr. J. K. Elwell, nephew of General J. J. Elwell, - of Cleveland, Ohio, a gentleman who had resided six years in Santiago - in connection with its large shipping interests, a fine business man - and speaking Spanish, I decided to accompany him, taking no member of - my own staff, but going simply in the capacity of an individual helper - in a work already assigned. - - On Saturday, February 6, we left Washington for Cuba _via_ - Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West. - - Thus, with that simple beginning, with no thought on the part of any - person but to do unobtrusively the little that could be done for - the lessening of the woes of a small island of people, whom adverse - circumstances, racial differences, the inevitable results of a - struggle for freedom, the fate of war, and the terrible features of - a system of subjugation of a people, which, if true, is too dark to - name, was commenced the relief movement of 1898 which has spread - not alone over the entire United States of America from Maine to - California, from Vancouver to the Gulf of Mexico, but from the Indias - on the west, to the Indias on the east, and uniting in its free-will - offerings the gifts of one third of the best nations in the world. - -Miss Barton with her cargo of supplies reached Havana on February 9, -1898. Her supplies were unloaded and stored in a convenient warehouse. -She began her work of visitation and found scenes beside which, as she -wrote, some which she had witnessed in Armenia seemed humane. Six days -after her arrival the _Maine_ was blown up. The appalling news reached -the United States and brought with it the practical certainty of war. -The one cheering message that came as an echo of the explosion was -Clara Barton’s telegram, “I am with the wounded.” The comfort of these -words found expression in a little poem by James Clarence Harvey, which -was published immediately in the “Christian Herald” and widely copied: - - “I am with the wounded,” flashed along the wire - From the isle of Cuba, swept with sword and fire. - Angel sweet of mercy, may your cross of red - Cheer the wounded living; bless the wounded dead. - - “I am with the starving,” let the message run - From this stricken island, when this task is done; - Food and money plenty wait at your command, - Give in generous measure; fill each outstretched hand. - - “I am with the happy,” this we long to hear - From the isle of Cuba, trembling now in fear: - May the great disaster touch the hearts of men, - And, in God’s great mercy, bring back peace again. - -Miss Barton thus related the story of the sinking of the _Maine_, and -of the work that followed: - - The heavy clerical work of that fifteenth day of February held not - only myself, but Mr. Elwell as well, busy at our writing-tables until - late at night. The house had grown still; the noises on the streets - were dying away, when suddenly the table shook from under our hands, - the great glass door opening on to the veranda, facing the sea, flew - open; everything in the room was in motion or out of place--the - deafening roar of such a burst of thunder as perhaps one never heard - before, and off to the right, out over the bay, the air was filled - with a blaze of light, and this in turn filled with black specks like - huge specters flying in all directions. Then it faded away. The bells - rang; the whistles blew; and voices in the street were heard for a - moment; then all was quiet again. I supposed it to be the bursting of - some mammoth mortar or explosion of some magazine. A few hours later - came the terrible news of the _Maine_. - - Mr. Elwell was early among the wreckage, and returned to give me news. - - She is destroyed. There is no room for comment, only who is lost, who - has escaped, and what can be done for them? They tell us that most of - the officers were dining out, and thus saved; that Captain Sigsbee is - saved. It is thought that two hundred and fifty men are lost, that one - hundred are wounded, but still living, some in hospital, some on small - boats as picked up. The chief engineer, a quiet, resolute man, and the - second officer met me as I passed out of the hotel for the hospital. - The latter stopped me saying, “Miss Barton, do you remember you told - me on board the _Maine_ that the Red Cross was at our service; for - whenever anything took place with that ship, either in naval action or - otherwise, _some one_ would be hurt; that she was not of a structure - to take misfortune lightly?” I recalled the conversation and the - impression which led to it,--such strength would never go out easily. - - We proceeded to the Spanish hospital San Ambrosia, to find thirty to - forty wounded--bruised, cut, burned; they had been crushed by timbers, - cut by iron, scorched by fire, and blown sometimes high in the air, - sometimes driven down through the red-hot furnace room and out into - the water, senseless, to be picked up by some boat and gotten ashore. - Their wounds are all over them--heads and faces terribly cut, internal - wounds, arms, legs, feet, and hands burned to the live flesh. The hair - and beards are singed, showing that the burns were from fire and not - steam; besides further evidence shows that the burns are where the - parts were uncovered. If burned by steam, the clothing would have held - the steam and burned all the deeper. As it is, it protected from the - heat and the fire and saved their limbs, whilst the faces, hands, and - arms are terribly burned. Both men and officers are very reticent in - regard to the cause, but all declare it could not have been the result - of an internal explosion. That the boilers were at the two ends of - the ship, and these were the places from which all escaped who did - escape. The trouble was evidently from the center of the ship, where - no explosive machinery was located. - - I thought to take the names as I passed among them, and, drawing near - to the first in the long line, I asked his name. He gave it with his - address; then peering out from among the bandages and cotton about - his breast and face, he looked earnestly at me and asked: “Isn’t this - Miss Barton?” “Yes.” “I thought it must be. I knew you were here, and - thought you would come to us. I am so thankful for us all.” - - I asked if he wanted anything. “Yes. There is a lady to whom I was to - be married. The time is up. She will be frantic if she hears of this - accident and nothing more. Could you telegraph her?” “Certainly!” The - dispatch went at once: “Wounded, but saved.” Alas, it was only for a - little; two days later, and it was all over. - - I passed on from one to another, till twelve had been spoken to - and the names taken. There were only two of the number who did not - recognize me. Their expressions of grateful thanks, spoken under such - conditions, were too much. I passed the pencil to another hand and - stepped aside. - - I am glad to say that every kindness was extended to them. Miss Mary - Wilberforce had been at once installed as nurse, and faithful work - she performed. The Spanish hospital attendants were tireless in - their attentions. Still, there was boundless room for luxuries and - comforts, delicate foods, grapes, oranges, wines, cordials, anything - that could soothe or interest; and no opportunity was lost, or cost or - pains spared, and when two days later the streets filled with hearses - bearing reverently the bodies of martyred heroes; and the crape and - the flowers mingled in their tributes of tenderness and beauty, and - the muffled drums and tolling bells spoke all that inanimate substance - could speak of sorrow and respect; and the silent marching tread of - armies fell upon the listening ear,--the heart grew sick in the midst - of all this pageant, and the thoughts turned away to the far land, - smitten with horror, and the homes wailing in bitter grief for these, - so lone, so lost; and one saw only the - - Nodding plumes over their bier to wave, - And God’s own hand in that lonely land - To lay them in their grave. - - -In the days after the sinking of the _Maine_, Miss Barton led an active -life. She journeyed through the nearer provinces, established bases of -supplies and returned to Havana, not only unmolested, but with every -evidence of appreciation on the part of the Spanish authorities and -the Cuban people. The Red Cross supplies were distributed, though in -places their distribution was impeded. Miss Barton tells of a delayed -distribution at Matanzas, the delay apparently having been accomplished -with intent, and how well-meant private philanthropy undertook direct -action: - - It is not strange that from this event went out the cry of “starving - Matanzas,” although at that moment, in addition to our four tons of - goods previously sent, the _Fern_ lay in the harbor under the American - flag, with fifty tons of American supplies, and fifty rods away lay - the _Bergen_, under the same colors, bearing a cargo of fifty-two tons - from the Philadelphia Red Cross, faithfully sent through the New York - Committee, by request. So uncontrollable a thing is human excitement - that these facts could not be taken in, and the charities of our - whole country were called afresh to arms over “starving Matanzas,” - which was at that moment by far the best provided city in Cuba. The - result of this was an entire train of supplies from Kansas, which, - remaining there after the blockade, not being consigned to the Red - Cross, was, we were informed, distributed among the Spanish soldiery - by the Spanish officials. Goods bearing the mark of the Red Cross were - everywhere respected, and we have no record of any of _our_ goods - having been appropriated by the Spanish authorities. - -When the methods of relief had been well organized, the work of -distribution went mainly to others while Clara Barton devoted her -own energy to the maintenance of pleasant relations with the Spanish -authorities. This she was able to do until the very end; but events -far beyond her control were inevitably driving the two nations into -war. Miss Barton tells the story in the following record based upon the -entries in her own diary: - - I met the Spanish authorities, not merely as a bearer of relief, but - as the president of the American National Red Cross, with all the - principles of neutrality which that implied, and received in return - the unfailing courtesy which the conditions demanded. From our first - interview to the last sad day when we decided that it was better to - withdraw, giving up all efforts at relief, and leave those thousands - of poor, dying wretches to their fate, there was never any change in - the attitude of the Spanish authorities, General Blanco, or his staff, - toward myself or any member of my staff. One of my last visits before - the blockade was to the palace. The same kindly spirit prevailed; - I was begged not to leave the island through fear of them; every - protection in their power would be given, but there was no guarantee - for what might occur in the exigencies of war. I recall an incident - of that day: General Blanco led me to the large salon, the walls of - which are covered with the portraits of the Spanish officials for - generations past, and, pointing to the Spanish authorities under date - of 1776, said, with a look of sadness, “When your country was in - trouble, Spain was the friend of America. Now Spain is in trouble, - America is her enemy.” I knew no answer for this but silence, and - we passed out through the corridor of guards, he handing me to my - carriage with a farewell and a blessing. I could but recall my - experience with the Turkish officials and Government, where I entered - with such apprehension and left with such marks of cordiality. - - During this interval of time important business had called me to - Washington, and I only returned to Cuba sometime during the second - week of April. - -On April 25, 1898, Congress declared war against Spain. For two weeks -it had been apparent that such a declaration was to come. American -citizens were ordered by the United States Government to leave Havana -some days before the outbreak of hostilities. This situation sent -Miss Barton out of Cuba and quickly sent her back again. She was not, -however, permitted at once to continue her relief for the distressed -Cubans. The military and naval authorities of the United States were as -anxious not to aid Spain as the Spanish authorities were anxious that -she should not aid the rebellious Cubans. Miss Barton tells the story -of her departure and return: - - The order was for all American citizens to leave Havana, and the order - was obeyed, but not without having laid the matter formally in council - before my staff of assistants and taking their opinion and advice, - which was to the effect that, while personally they would prefer to - remain for the chance of the little good that might be accomplished, - in view of the distress which we should give our friends at home, - and, in fact, the whole country, when it should be known that we - were inside that wall of fire that would confront us, with no way of - extricating or reaching us, it seemed both wiser and more humane to - leave. And the 9th of April saw us again on shipboard, a party of - twenty, bound for Tampa. We would not, however, go beyond, but made - headquarters there, remaining within easy call of any need there might - be for us. Here follow the few weeks of impending war. Do we need to - live them over? Do we even want to recall them? Days when the elder - men of thought and memory pondered deeply and questioned much! When - the mother, patriot though she were, uttered her sentiments through - choking voice and tender, trembling words, and the young men, caring - nothing, fearing nothing, rushed gallantly on to doom and to death! - To how many households, alas, these days recall themselves in tones - never to be forgotten! - - Notwithstanding all this excitement and confusion and all the - pressure that weighed upon him, our good President still remembered - the suffering, dying _reconcentrados_, and requested that a ship be - provided as quickly as possible, loaded from the warerooms of the - indefatigable Cuban Relief Committee in New York, and be sent for the - relief of the sufferers in Cuba whenever they could be reached. One - need not say with what promptness this committee acted, and I was - informed that the _State of Texas_, laden with fourteen hundred tons - of food, would shortly leave New York _en route_ for Key West, and - it was the desire of that committee and the Government that I take - command of the ship, and, with my staff and such assistants as I would - select, undertake the getting of that food to its destination. - - Some members of the staff were in New York, and with Dr. Hubbell in - charge sailed from that port on Saturday, the 23d of April. A hasty - trip from Washington, gathering up the waiting staff at Tampa, and - pushing on by the earliest train brought us to Key West in time to - meet the _State of Texas_ as she arrived, board her and take charge of - the snug little ship that was henceforth to take its place in American - history. She was well built, but by no means new, nor handsome. Her - dull black hull could in no way compare with the snow-white, green and - red striped hospital ships, those heralds of relief that afterwards - graced the waters of that bay. Still she was firm, sound, heavy-laden, - and gave promise of some good to some one at some future day, that day - being only when the great war monsters should have pealed out to the - world that an entrance was made on the coast of Cuba, and we would be - invited to follow. - - By the authorities at Washington, the _State of Texas_ had been - consigned to the protection of the navy, and accordingly we must - report our arrival. This was done to the senior officer, representing - Admiral Sampson, in the port, Captain Harrington, of the monitor - _Puritan_. This brought at once a personal call from the captain - with an invitation to our entire staff to visit his beautiful ship - the following day. The launch of the _Puritan_ was sent to take us, - and not only was the ship inspected, but the dainties of his elegant - tea-table as well. - - When all was over, the graceful launch returned us safely to our - ship, with grateful memories on the part of the younger members of - our company, who had never chanced to form an intimate acquaintance - with a piece of shipping at once so beautiful and so terrible as that - death-dealing engine of destruction. I record this visit and courtesy - on the part of Captain Harrington as the first of an unfailing series - of kindnesses extended by the navy to the Red Cross from first to - last. There was no favor too great, no courtesy too high to be - cheerfully rendered on every occasion. - - The memories of pitiful Cuba would not leave us, and, knowing that - under our decks were fourteen hundred tons of food, for the want of - which its people were dying, the impulse to reach them grew very - strong, and a letter was addressed to Admiral Sampson. - - This brought immediately the launch of the _New York_ to the side - of our ship, and Captain Chadwick, the gallant officer whom no one - forgets, stepped lightly on board to deliver the written message from - the admiral, or rather to take me to the _New York_. Nothing could - have exceeded the courtesy of the admiral, but we were acting from - entirely opposite standpoints. I had been requested to take a ship, - and by every means in my power get food into Cuba. He, on the other - hand, had been commanded to take a fleet, and by every means in his - power keep food out of Cuba. When one compared the two ships lying - side by side and thought of a contest of effort between them, the - situation was ludicrous, and yet the admiral did not absolutely refuse - to give me a flag of truce and attempt an entrance into Havana; but he - disapproved it, feared the results for me, and, acting in accordance - with _his_ highest wisdom and best judgment, I felt it to be my place - to wait. - -The delay which resulted was annoying but not wholly unprofitable, and -there came a time when the army and navy were glad enough to have the -American Red Cross in Cuba. On June 20th the _State of Texas_ sailed -from Key West with orders to find Admiral Sampson and report to him. -They found him a few days later off Santiago, in time for their share -in the stirring events which accompanied and followed the destruction -of Cervera’s fleet, the battle of San Juan Hill, and the surrender on -July 17th of the harbor and city of Santiago. - -When the city had been formally surrendered and a sufficient number -of mines had been removed from the harbor to permit American vessels -to enter, a very gracious compliment was paid to Clara Barton by the -victorious United States Navy. The first vessel to enter the harbor was -not the flagship of either of the Admirals Sampson or Schley, but the -_State of Texas_ under command of Clara Barton. - -Perhaps that may be called the crowning moment of her life. Clara -Barton was more than seventy-eight years old, but she stood erect on -the deck of her vessel, modestly appreciative and quietly thankful, not -so much for the honor that had come to her as for the opportunity of -serving. - -Miss Barton returned to Washington in November, 1898. The work -which she went to Cuba to perform, that of relieving the Cuban -_reconcentrados_, was never wholly accomplished. That relief came -with the freedom of Cuba, and for this she was profoundly thankful; -but she never ceased to feel sad when she thought of the people who -suffered during those weeks of waiting while her vessel was packed -with the supplies which the people so sorely needed. “Cuba was a hard -field, full of heartbreaking memories,” she wrote. “It gave the first -opportunity to test the first cooperation between the United States and -its supplemental hand-maiden the Red Cross.” - -While this coöperation was incomplete, its results were most -beneficial, as many an American soldier and surgeon can testify. - -At the close of the war, the Congress of the United States tendered -the thanks of the Nation to Clara Barton in the following resolution -which was introduced in the Senate by the venerable Senator Hoar, and -unanimously adopted: - - Resolved, That the thanks of Congress be presented to Clara Barton, of - Massachusetts, founder of the institution of the Red Cross, and to the - officers and agents of the Society of the Red Cross for their humane - and beneficent service to humanity in relieving the distress of the - Armenians and other suffering persons in Turkey, and in ministering - to the sufferings caused by pestilence in the United States, and for - the like ministration and relief given by them to both sides in the - Spanish West Indies during the present war. - -An even higher mark of appreciation was contained in the annual message -of President McKinley: - - In this connection it is a pleasure for me to mention in terms of - cordial appreciation the timely and useful work of the American - National Red Cross both in relief measures preparatory to the - campaigns, in sanitary assistance at several of the camps of - assemblage, and later, under the able and experienced leadership - of the president of the society, Miss Clara Barton, on the fields - of battle and in the hospitals at the front in Cuba. Working in - conjunction with the governmental authorities and under their sanction - and approval, and with the enthusiastic coöperation of many patriotic - women and societies in the various States, the Red Cross has fully - maintained its already high reputation for intense earnestness - and ability to exercise the noble purposes of its international - organization, thus justifying the confidence and support which it - has received at the hands of the American people. To the members and - officers of this society and all who aided them in their philanthropic - work, the sincere and lasting gratitude of the soldiers and the public - is due and is freely accorded. - - In tracing these events we are constantly reminded of our obligations - to the Divine Master for his watchful care over us and his safe - guidance, for which the nation makes reverent acknowledgment and - offers humble prayer for the continuance of his favor. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -CLARA BARTON’S RETIREMENT FROM THE RED CROSS - - -It would have been well if Clara Barton had retired from the active -work of the presidency of the American Red Cross at the close of -the war with Spain. She had accomplished in her lifetime an almost -incredible total of heroic work. She had completed seventy-eight -years of service; she had created the American Red Cross and led it -successfully in peace and war. On twenty different fields on both -sides of the ocean she had raised its banner over areas devastated by -fire, flood, famine, and pestilence. She had won the support of her -Government to an enterprise till then unknown and but little regarded. -She had made the Red Cross in America so useful in times of peace that -the Red Cross societies of the world had widened their spheres of -operation to incorporate her plans of service. She had crowned her long -and arduous career with an achievement that won for her the heart of -the American army and navy in Cuba, and brought to her the thanks of -the Congress and of the President of the United States. She could have -retired with honors such as no woman in America ever had won. If her -judgment told her that this was the time for her to transfer her burden -of active supervision to some younger person, her heart triumphed over -her judgment. - -She was eighty years of age when, on September 8, 1900, a tornado and -tidal wave submerged Galveston, Texas. Five days later Clara Barton -was on the ground. Difficulties of transportation held her back for -twenty-four hours or she would have been there a day sooner. - -Her plea for lumber, hardware, and other materials for providing -temporary shelter met with a nation-wide response, and supplies of food -and clothing, as well as considerable sums of money, were placed at her -disposal. - -After six weeks spent in Texas, Clara Barton returned, worn out by -her exertions, but bringing the grateful thanks of the people of -Galveston, and, in addition, an official letter of thanks from the -governor of the State of Texas and also of its legislature. The Central -Relief Committee of Galveston also tendered her a series of engrossed -resolutions, declaring that she deserved to be “exalted above queens,” -and that her achievements were “greater than the conquests of nations -or the inventions of genius.” - -In the following year occurred the seventh International Conference of -the Red Cross, already referred to, held at St. Petersburg in Russia -and extending from the middle of May until near the end of June of -1902. Clara Barton headed the delegation from the United States. The -conference was held under the high patronage of Her Majesty the Empress -Dowager Marie Feodorovna. Miss Barton was the guest of the Emperor -and Empress. No delegate to the conference was treated with greater -consideration than Clara Barton. At the close of the conference she was -decorated by the Emperor, who conferred upon Clara Barton the Russian -decoration of the Order of the Red Cross. - -Two of her letters concerning this journey have been quoted in a -previous chapter. Clara Barton returned to her own land crowned -with additional honors, but confronting new and wholly unexpected -difficulties. - -The American Red Cross had been reincorporated by Act of Congress -June 6, 1900. Under the new form of organization the board and its -executive committee possessed large powers. There was a feeling on -the part of some members of the board that the American Red Cross was -too exclusively under the direction of Clara Barton. Her work for -the relief of Galveston had been undertaken almost the moment that -she first learned of its great need. She had not waited to call an -executive committee meeting. While her work in that field was most -heartily commended, there was a feeling on the part of members of the -board that the Red Cross, being now virtually a representative organ -of the United States Government, its fields of service should be -determined, not by the judgment of an individual, but of the governing -body of the organization itself. There was further criticism growing -out of the fact that, when emergencies arose by reason of any great -national disaster, a considerable part of the money was sent direct to -Clara Barton on the field, and expended by her without passing through -the hands of the treasurer. - -Miss Barton admitted that she had made these decisions at times without -the formal authority of her executive committee, and that she had -received and expended money according to her best judgment when the -emergency was at hand. She did not desire to be bound by burdensome -restrictions; she wished to be at liberty to meet the need whenever it -should arrive, and in the way that seemed to be necessary. - -If everything had gone well with the Red Cross during the absence of -Clara Barton at St. Petersburg in 1902, it may be that she would have -consented to retire on her return from that notable experience. It was -hardly likely that any further honor could have come to her higher than -that which she had already received. Theoretically she ought to have -been training up assistants who would act effectively in her absence, -and in time succeed her. It was in some respects a limitation on her -part that she had not found assistants to whom she could delegate -authority with confidence that it would be properly used. On the other -hand, she had made some experiments in training up associates, and -found reason to regret it. - -While Clara Barton was on her way to St. Petersburg the disastrous -Mont Pelée earthquake occurred. She had left the American Red Cross -organized with a board of control which gave it authority to act -in such an emergency. She returned from St. Petersburg bitterly -disappointed because the American Red Cross played in that disaster, -as she felt, a wholly insignificant part. It seemed to her to have -displayed a complete lack of that initiative which had always -characterized her action under such conditions. - -Rightly or wrongly Miss Barton felt that this inability to act promptly -and decisively was in some measure the result of a divided authority. -She thereupon set in motion an effort to amend the by-laws so as to -increase the power of the president. These changed by-laws were adopted -at the annual meeting of the American Red Cross in Washington, December -9, 1902. Clara Barton was elected president for life and given the -authority which she deemed requisite for effective action. - -An earnest protest was made against Miss Barton’s increase of power, -and the disaffection increased throughout the year 1903. On January 2, -1904, President Roosevelt notified Miss Barton that he could no longer -serve as an officer of the Red Cross in the condition of unrest which -had developed. - -Three weeks later, on January 29th, the minority of the American Red -Cross presented a memorial to Congress charging that under the new form -of organization practically all power was centered in the president -of the society, who was elected for life and permitted to choose her -own executive committee. A committee of investigation was appointed to -inquire into the affairs of the Red Cross. Of this committee Senator -Redfield Proctor was chairman. - -It would be difficult to describe the emotions of Clara Barton when -she knew of the appointment of this committee. She was shocked and -horrified. She felt as if it had been a personal disgrace; and what -was worse, as she viewed it, she feared that it would result in a -dissension that would ruin the American Red Cross. On the other hand, -she had no mind to retire while the investigation was on. Whatever -happened, she would not resign until the investigation ended. - -The committee of investigation appears to have been a very sensible -body. It set about gathering such material as it needed, and the -examination of such witnesses as were produced by the remonstrants. - -The remonstrance did not contain any charges of any dishonesty on the -part of Miss Barton in the administration of the affairs of the Red -Cross; or, any charge of misappropriation of any property or money by -Miss Barton; or any improper act or conduct of any kind which involved -any element of moral turpitude. - -The charges were, in brief: - -(_a_) That proper books of accounts were not kept at all times; and - -(_b_) that the property and funds of the Red Cross were not at all -times distributed upon the order of the treasurer of the society, as -alleged to be required by the by-laws of the society; and - -(_c_) that a certain tract of land in Lawrence County, Indiana, had -been donated to the society by one Joseph Gardner; that the society -was reincorporated after such donation, and such donation was never -reported to the new corporation. - -The reply to these charges, in brief, was that, in the main, proper -books of account had been kept, but, in so far as accurate books of -account had not been kept, it was due to the impossibility of keeping -them while active work was in progress on the field of disaster, and, -in so far as the by-laws of the society had not been complied with in -the making of disbursements through the treasurer, it was impossible -to do so during the stress of active relief work in the field; that so -far as the Gardner donation of Indiana land was concerned, no Red Cross -money had ever been invested in it; that the title to the real estate -was always in the Red Cross and in the then existing corporate entity -of the Red Cross, but that the land had not been found to be suited to -the work of the Red Cross and the title thereto had been allowed to -lapse because of the accumulation of taxes and charges for maintenance -which were found to be in excess of the utility of the land to the Red -Cross.[4] - -The committee of investigation held three meetings, on April 12, April -26, and May 2, 1904. Clara Barton did not attend in person, but was -represented by counsel. It never became necessary for her to present -her defense. At the close of the third meeting the chairman of the -committee adjourned the hearing without day and the investigation -came to an end. The committee never presented a report; there was no -occasion to do so. The proceedings of the committee are obtainable -by any one who cares to read them, and they indicate with sufficient -clearness the reasons which presumably influenced the committee in -terminating the hearing after one side had been presented. There was no -reason why the committee needed to hear anything in defense of Clara -Barton. - -The investigation having ended, Clara Barton presented her resignation -June 16, 1904. The resignation was accepted. The American Red Cross -came under its new form of organization with the President of the -United States as nominal President of the Red Cross. The committee -of the opposition had proposed that Clara Barton be made honorary -president for life with a salary to continue as long as she lived. She -did not accept either the office or the money. She retired from the Red -Cross, leaving it to the management of those who with her resignation -came into its control. Her own relation with the organization ceased -entirely. - -Clara Barton was normally responsive to praise and abnormally -sensitive to criticism. In all the years of her public life she never -recovered from that supersensitiveness which had characterized her -childhood. Fulsome and excessive praise disgusted her, but she enjoyed -discriminating appreciation. Straightforward opposition she could meet -and bear, but she shrank from criticism at the hands of those who had -been her friends, and such criticism hurt her far more than any one -could imagine who beheld her self-possession and outward calm. She -seemed to the world to take opposition somewhat lightly, but she bled -within her armor from wounds which the world never suspected. - -She retired from the Red Cross broken-hearted. Her common sense ought -to have saved her from nine tenths of the suffering which she endured -in that unhappy experience. She felt that she had been denationalized, -repudiated by her own country, expatriated. She thought for a time -that she could not continue to live in the United States. She turned -her eyes toward Mexico, and thought of going there partly to escape -from the sorrows which confronted her, and which she painfully -exaggerated, and partly with the thought that she might there establish -something corresponding to the American Red Cross. She had a friend -in California, Mr. Charles S. Young, who knew much about Mexico. On -January 13, 1904, after the appointment of the congressional committee -and before any of its hearings, she wrote the following letter which -came as near to being hysterical as anything that Clara Barton ever -wrote: - - You will never know how many times I have thought of you, in this last - hard and dreadful year to me. I cannot tell you, I _must_ not, and - yet I _must_. So much of the time, under all the persecution, it has - seemed to me I _could not_ remain in _this_ country, and have sought - the range of the world for some place among strangers, and out of the - way of people and mails, and longed for some one to point out a quiet - place in some other land; my thoughts have fled to you, who could, at - least, tell me a road to take outside of America, and who would ask - the authorities of Mexico if a woman who could not live in her own - country might find a home or a resting-place in theirs. - - This will all sound very strange to you--you will wonder if I am “out - of my mind.” Let me answer--no. And if you had only a glimpse of what - is put upon me to endure, you would not wonder, and in the goodness of - your heart would hold open the gate to show me a mile track to some - little mountain nook, where I might escape and wait in peace. Don’t - think this is _common_ talk with me. I have never said it to others; - and yet I think they who know me best _mistrust_ that I cannot bear - _everything_, and will try in some way to relieve myself. - - To think of sitting here through an “investigation” by the country - I have tried to serve--“in the interest of harmony” they say, when - I have never spoken a discordant word in my life, meaningly, but - have worked on in _silence_ under the fire of the entire press - of the United States for twelve months,--forgiven all, offered - friendship,--and still am to be “investigated” for “inharmony,” - “unbusinesslike methods,” and “too many years”--all of these I cannot - help. I am still unanimously bidden to work on for “life,” bear - the burden of an organization--meet its costs myself--and am now - threatened with the expense of the “investigation.” - - Can you wonder that I ask a bridle track? And that some other country - might look inviting to me? - - Mr. Young, this unhappy letter is a poor return to make for your - friendly courtesy, but _so long_ my dark thoughts have turned to you - that I cannot find myself with the privilege of communicating with - you, without expressing them. I cannot think where I have found the - courage to do it, but I _have_. - - I know how unwise a thing it seems, but if the pressure is too - great the bands may break; that may be my case, and fearing that my - better judgment might bid me put these sheets in the fire--I send - them without once glancing over. You need not forget, but kindly - _remember_, rather, that they are the wail of an aching heart and - that is all. Nature has provided a sure and final rest for all the - heartaches that mortals are called to endure. - - If you are in the East again, and I am here, I pray you to come to me. - - Receive again my thanks and permit me to remain, - - Your friend - CLARA BARTON - - -In conversation she said: “The Government which I thought I loved, and -loyally tried to serve, has shut every door in my face and stared at me -insultingly through its windows. What wonder I want to leave?” - -In another conversation, referring to the abandonment of her dream of -going to Mexico, she said: “There were but two countries where the Red -Cross did not exist, China and Mexico. I did not want to go to China, -but did want to go to Mexico, and fully intended to go. My friends -finally dissuaded me and perhaps it was for the best, for if I had gone -I probably would not have been alive now.” - -From this distance it is possible to view the whole situation in -perspective. The present author has no hesitation in saying that the -time had come for Clara Barton to retire from the active work of the -administration of the American Red Cross. The organization had grown -well beyond the ability of any one person to manage it in the way that -Clara Barton had managed it so successfully in its earlier years. -On her return either from Cuba or St. Petersburg, she ought to have -retired, accepting the honorary presidency, and giving over the control -and active management to younger people. The author has witnessed in -not a few instances the pathetic struggle which goes on in the minds -of elderly people on their prospective retirement from positions which -have outgrown them. It is a situation nothing less than tragic. A -person long identified with an organization comes easily to believe, -either that he cannot get on without it, or that it cannot get on -without him. Clara Barton had come to believe the latter concerning the -American Red Cross. She was mistaken. - -There comes a time in the life of almost any organization when, if it -is to prosper and enlarge, it must accept new leadership and adapt -itself to changed conditions. A woman as sensible as Clara Barton -was in most things should have realized this situation and not have -permitted herself to be heart-broken by a change as necessary for her -as it was for the Red Cross. - -Nor is it necessary at this time to refer to the fact that the -change might perhaps have been brought about in a kindlier spirit -and with less of distress to a noble woman. If there was any lack of -consideration for her, it will do no good now to remember it, nor to -ascribe unworthy motives to any who had a share in it. - -One thing, however, ought to be said concerning this tragic experience. -If Clara Barton did not bear this sorrow like a philosopher, she bore -it like a Christian. The author has searched her diaries and most -intimate papers of this period without finding in any of them any -spirit of personal resentment or desire for revenge. She felt that she -had been deeply wronged, but she felt it not so much as a wrong done -to her as an injury to the cause she loved. Her constant question was -not, What will become of me? but, What will become of the Red Cross? -Her books had been kept honestly and she knew it; but she also knew -that, when money came to her on the field, she had been accustomed to -spend it for the necessities of life for those she had come to help, -and that not all of it had passed through the hands of the treasurer. -She knew that no committee of Congress could find any of this money in -her possession, but she also knew that her system of book-keeping had -not been established with a view to a possibility of that kind of an -audit. How would it affect the Red Cross if any scandal arose out of -her unbusinesslike book-keeping? - -She came in time to realize that she had taken this matter too -seriously. She came to know the relief of lessened responsibility and -to be glad that the Red Cross, with its cares and responsibilities and -widening sphere of influence, had been safely transferred to other -hands. - -The author may be permitted to add a personal word. In his personal -conversation with Clara Barton concerning these unhappy events he -never heard her speak uncharitably of any of her opponents. He was not -with her during the time of the actual difficulty, and has sometimes -regretted that he was not there. Had he known all that he now knows -from months of labor spent in the examination of her most intimate -papers, he would have advised her to retire in 1898 or 1902, and to -turn over all her records to her successors, and enjoy for herself -a few years of unofficial honor before her long life closed. He did -not at that time possess the intimate knowledge which now is in his -possession, of the whole life and method of work of the American Red -Cross under her administration. He is of the opinion that she ought to -have accepted her retirement, not only willingly but gladly, and that -she was far more troubled than she had need to be concerning the events -which led to her retirement from office. - -But this fact he records with sincere admiration for this noble -woman, the author’s friend and kinswoman, that in her conversation -with him in the years that followed, and in her diaries and intimate -self-revelations of her private papers, he has found no word that -seems inspired by selfish ambition, by personal resentment, or by any -unworthy motive. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[4] As this second volume goes to press, there is placed in my hands a -typewritten brief by General W. H. Sears, who accompanied Miss Barton -on many of her fields of service, and who, from his personal knowledge -and many compiled documents, answers in detail these charges. I have -examined this document of 162 pages with interest, but have not found -it necessary to quote from it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -CLARA BARTON AT HOME - - -Clara Barton loved a home. Although she went forth from her father’s -ample and generous house while still she was a young woman, and lived -as school-teacher, department clerk, and humanitarian for many years, -she never failed to make a home for herself if there was opportunity. -Hotel life had no charms for her, and, while she enjoyed entertainment -in the homes of her friends and was a gracious and appreciative guest, -she always preferred a roof of her own above her head where she could -be hostess rather than guest and could minister instead of being -ministered unto. While she was a clerk in Washington, she had her own -quarters to which she was accustomed to bring homeless women, girls -who lacked friendship, and others who were in need. While she was in -Europe during the Franco-Prussian War, although at times the guest of -royalty, she fled from the too abundant hospitality of her friends and -the excessive luxury of hotels, and lived in her own rented lodgings. - -She owned, and kept until her death, a summer home in Oxford. But -the home of which it is especially proper to speak is that which she -erected for herself and the Red Cross, at Glen Echo, Maryland. - -More than once Miss Barton had occasion to meditate on the prayer of -Peter offered on the Mount of Transfiguration, that the disciples might -be permitted to erect three tabernacles and remain with Jesus and the -spirits of the glorified saints. “Lord, it is good to be here,” is the -enthusiastic cry of those who, being caught up by the spirit of a noble -charity, see no reason why it should not continue permanently. Clara -Barton saw to it that her work was discontinued when the need for it -had passed. - -When she finished her work at Johnstown, she was requested by the -lumber dealers not to give away miscellaneously the material which had -been used in the erection of her temporary Red Cross buildings. Times -were returning to normal; there was employment at good wages for every -one who wanted to work; and there was no good reason why people should -not buy their lumber or why the lumber business should be demoralized -by a thoughtless form of charity. Miss Barton knew that this was good -sense. She learned who were the people who really needed and deserved -free lumber, and these she assisted; but a portion of the lumber she -shipped to Washington and erected at Glen Echo, a few miles out from -the city, a permanent home for the American National Red Cross. Here -she made her home during the remainder of her life. Now and then she -returned for a few weeks to her summer home in Oxford, but the Red -Cross Headquarters was where she lived and moved and had her being. -There she dwelt and there she died. - -It seemed to many to be far from an ideal home for her; it was a bare, -barnlike sort of place with two tiers of rooms, the upper tier opening -into a gallery as in the cabin of a steamboat. It was erected with -reference to use as a possible storehouse and emergency hospital, as -well as a central office building for the organization and a shelter -for herself and her assistants. One might have expected that a woman -who was at heart a tidy housekeeper would have preferred to put her -warehouse and office building under one sufficiently ample roof, and -to have erected for herself a little cottage adjacent; but Clara Barton -lived and died surrounded by all that went into the daily performance -of her work. - -[Illustration: CLARA BARTON’S SUMMER HOUSE AT OXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS] - -The author of this volume confesses to a certain chill and sinking of -heart when he first saw the interior of the Glen Echo home. He wanted -to take Clara Barton out of it and house her in a cozy little place -of her own, where for a few hours of the day she could forget the Red -Cross and all its cares. But Clara Barton gloried in those undecorated -board walls as if they had been palatial. There she hung her diplomas -and testimonials from foreign Governments as proudly as though they had -been backed by glorious tapestry of cloth of gold. Her sitting-room was -at the south of the house, overlooking the Potomac Canal; there she -worked late at night and watched the moon as it rode over the tree-tops -and reflected itself in the water. From the windows of her bedroom -just above, she habitually witnessed the sunrise. Her narrow bed was a -soldier’s cot, and beside it was a little table with a candle, a pad of -paper and a pencil. If, as often happened, she lay awake in the night, -she did not fret over her insomnia, but lighted her candle, propped -herself in bed, wrote down the good thoughts that came to her, and then -blew out the candle and went to sleep, and was refreshed for work at -five o’clock the next morning. - -But there was a certain appropriateness in the construction of the -Glen Echo home. One might look down from the bare walls that had seen -service in Johnstown to find his feet on a rug presented by a Turkish -Pasha; he searched the room in vain for relics, as such, for Clara -Barton had no fondness for dust-gathering mementoes, but he could not -fail to see about him inconspicuous trophies from hard-won fields of -service. There was no luxury, but there was a simple, homely comfort -in the air of the place. The main hall of the building was two stories -high, with a gallery around the upper tier of rooms. It was a place for -service, and that service was the joy and glory of her life. - -Glen Echo is on the banks of a canal along the Potomac, about eight -miles from the Capitol in Washington. This site she selected for -herself in 1890, but did not occupy it until 1897. Her reasons for -building there were that the location gave her convenient access -to Washington, with ample space and freedom for outdoor life and -opportunity for storage of Red Cross supplies without the excessive -cost which an adequate building would have required in Washington. - -At the time she erected her home, a Chautauqua Assembly was in -operation in Glen Echo, and her house adjoined the grounds. Indeed, -her home was almost one of the Chautauqua buildings, the front being -of native stone such as was used in the construction of the large -auditorium and Hall of Philosophy which stood within a stone’s throw of -her house. But the stone front which was the one picturesque feature -of the house gave it a prison-like chill on the inside and had to be -removed, and the Chautauqua Assembly itself went down and gave place -to a summer amusement park. Spite of the changes in the environment, -Clara Barton kept her home at Glen Echo. A Ferris wheel was erected at -her front door; the roller-coaster went thundering by her window; the -dancing in what had been the auditorium kept up till a late hour; and -the goddess of folly with cap and bells superseded divine philosophy -in the hall dedicated to the latter; but Clara Barton lived and died in -her home in Glen Echo. - -The inside of her house was not much more luxurious than the outside. -Few homes have been erected with so little attempt at display, or with -such modest provision for reasonable comfort. - -In one aspect the Glen Echo home was fashioned almost like a cathedral, -but in its practical arrangement much more like a ship. It had more -windows than either a ship or a cathedral. They were almost as thick as -they could be placed and leave any room for walls, but they were very -plain windows, except that one on the stairs had a little inexpensive -ornamentation and the glass in the two front doors had a red cross in -each. - -The front door faced north and led into a long wide hall, cool in -summer, cold in winter, with an elongated oval well, railed round on -the two upper floors, so that from the main deck one looked up to the -upper deck and the boat deck of the ship-like building. This central -three-deck cabin was ceiled with unpainted wood, not unattractive -but unadorned. Doors opened on either side at regular intervals, and -between the doors were deep closets where blankets, Horlick’s Malted -Milk, canned goods and emergency supplies of various kinds were duly -stored and catalogued. If a fire or a flood broke out in any part of -the country, Clara Barton was ready to start and had something with -which to begin relief. - -It was this attempt to combine in one a home, a storehouse, a place of -refuge for the needy, and a kind of organization headquarters which -struck the visitor so strangely and almost repellently. She might have -built a little bungalow for herself and her offices and housed her -supplies in a separate building erected for storage purposes and with -emergency sleeping-rooms attached, but she wished it otherwise and she -had her way. - -If the reader had been privileged to visit Clara Barton there during -her lifetime and had made his way down the rather long cabin to her own -quarters in the south end of this ship-like cathedral, he would have -found Clara Barton at home. It would have made little difference how -early or how late the call was made. She was up with the sun and often -before, weeding her garden, feeding her chickens, caring for her pets, -and looking after her house. She rarely went to bed before midnight. -Fourteen to eighteen hours a day of work she did steadily until her -death. - -Let us suppose that she has an important address to deliver to-morrow -night. This is the way she prepares for it. She rises at five this -morning and does her own room work. Her bedding is aired, her bed is -made, and the carpet sweeper is rolling over her floor before six -o’clock gives its warning to other members of the household. She eats -a simple breakfast with her household and guests and wastes no time, -but still is in no haste about it. She gives no intimation that she is -in a hurry, and enjoys the breakfast-table conversation, evincing a -keen sense of humor and a hearty interest in all human happenings. She -announces that she has attended to her most important correspondence -for the morning, and excuses herself to see to the ways of her -household. It is the day her curtains are to be washed, and she has to -superintend affairs in the laundry and make some changes in her garden. -She puts in very nearly the whole day in physical labor. She knows -well how to direct the work of others, but she does not scorn to take -the flatiron or the garden trowel in her own hands and show how she -wants things done. Moreover, she gets things done the way she wants -them. That is a habit of hers. - -She lingers after the luncheon and evening meal and engages in cheerful -conversation. Instrumental music has no charm for her, but good -singing she enjoys if there is a distinct melody and if the words mean -something. She likes to hear men sing better than she likes to hear -women, and she likes the songs she knows, and is willing to hear them -again and again. If among the guests is one who sings, she is a good -listener. But the greater part of the evening is spent in conversation. -Clara Barton was a good conversationalist. She could listen without -restlessness and talk without monopolizing the privilege of talking. -She was quick to see a point. She had a voice which was low, and while -not sweet or musical was pleasant, and its cadences were those of the -gentlewoman. Her sentences were always perfectly formed. Her grammar -never needed apology; her speech was precise, but free from pedantry. -Her talk was habitually cheerful. She was respectful of the opinions of -others and never failed to have an opinion of her own. - -After her guests have gone to bed, her light still burns. She sits -in her south room, where she said it seemed as if “it was always -moonlight,” and in her work she enjoyed the companionship of the -woods, the stars, and the many voices of the night. Even the racket -of the dancing and the whirl of the merry-go-round with the joyously -frightened squeals of the girls descending the roller-coaster was far -less objectionable than it would have been if it had been her habit to -retire early. - -But she is not yet working on her address. She is taking care of the -belated mail which the day has brought and which her duties in the -garden and laundry have kept her from attending to, but she has been -thinking about the address more or less during the day, although when -midnight comes she has not written a word of it. Beside her bed, -however, she places a candle, a pencil, and a pad. - -Clara Barton’s bed was a cot. It was not a very soft cot either. -She was never a poor woman. From her father she inherited a modest -patrimony, and she always had more than enough money of her own to -supply her needs. She could have had a wide and soft bed if she had -wanted it. She had just what she wanted, and she never cared to have -people tell her that she ought to have things differently in so far as -they related to her own comfort. - -Do not think she was an ascetic or slept in a hard bed because she -scorned bodily comfort. Comfort she had and exactly as much of it as -she wanted. Luxury she did not want. She thanked no one for wasting any -pity upon her. Her bed was as wide as she wished it, and as soft as she -cared to have it, and in it she slept soundly and was refreshed. - -Before it was light she woke and reached for her matches and her -pencil, and sitting up in bed she wrote her address as fully as she -cared to have it written. She rarely erased a word. Her mind was clear -and her speech came to her just in the form in which she wished it. Her -years of training as a school-teacher had laid well the foundations of -her composition and rhetoric. She wrote, not rapidly, but accurately, -and each word said exactly what she wanted to say. - -Her address is finished before daylight, and she puts out the light and -takes her final nap, but is up at her accustomed time, having enjoyed -a good night’s rest, and is out in the garden and looking after the -poultry until she joins her guests at breakfast. - -After breakfast she copies her address in ink. Her handwriting is like -copper-plate. When it is copied, she lays it aside. The process of -copying it has photographed it upon her mind. She can deliver it either -with or without manuscript. Although she trembles at the sight of an -audience, she has learned to face one with perfect composure and no -word of her speech escapes her memory. - -Perhaps she excuses herself from lunch to-day and works at her desk, -but not at the speech she is to deliver. It is her habit to keep free -from any needless accumulation of unfulfilled duties. She sees her -guests at the table and is herself within call, but for herself she has -ordered an apple, a slice of bread, and a piece of cheese. No member of -her household will suggest to her that she ought to eat more, and if -one of her guests feels some compunction at eating a more ample repast -while her hostess dines on homely fare, it is better that she keep her -compunction to herself. If the guest should rise from the table and -walk into the other room, carrying some delicacy, she would meet a mild -rebuke. “I asked for exactly what I wanted,” Clara would say. - -Outside the window at which she sits the mason wasps build their nests -of mud. Woe unto the man who molests them! The sparrow finds a house -and the swallow a nest in the shelter of the Lord of hosts, and the -wasps are as welcome as the birds to a home at Glen Echo. Two or -three wasps fly through the open window and light upon her half-eaten -apple. She will not permit them to be driven away. There is enough for -the wasps and for herself. Like Saint Francis and the birds, she is -at home with every kind of gentle life, and the wasps, she maintains, -are gentle if gently treated. She gently pushes them away from her -apple when she is ready for another bite, cutting off a piece with her -desk-knife and leaving it on the corner of her desk for the wasps. They -also have a further portion in the core. They light upon her hand, her -forehead, they buzz round her, but they never sting her. She and they -are friends. - -This is the kind of life Clara Barton lived in Glen Echo; and this is -what those were privileged to see who visited her in her home. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -CLARA BARTON’S RELIGION - - -Clara Barton was a religious woman. Her diaries, her home letters, -her intimate confidences, all breathe a deeply religious spirit. -But she was reserved concerning her personal religious feelings and -convictions. Once, when she was abruptly asked by a stranger in a group -of strangers what were her religious opinions, she answered that she -could not undertake to answer so large a question in so short a time. -She recorded this in her diary, with some resentment that she should -have been called upon thus to stand and deliver at sight. - -But sitting beside a dying soldier, she had no hesitation in praying -with him, nor of telling him unreservedly her own faith in God and -immortality. - -She was reared a Universalist. In that faith she lived the greater part -of her life. She did not, however, join the Universalist Church in her -home town, and she went away quite early and never established personal -relations with a church. - -Her satisfaction in church-going was almost wholly in the sermon. For -music she did not care, and there was nothing in ritual that appealed -to her. But a well-reasoned sermon she enjoyed. Henry Ward Beecher was -her favorite preacher, and she did not miss an opportunity of hearing -him if she could help it. A truly great sermon or great address of any -kind made a strong impression upon her; nor was it wholly intellectual. -She was remarkably receptive and open to spiritual impressions. -A woman of intellect and will, she was also a woman of unusually -sensitive feelings and of deep, though controlled, emotions. She was -ever eager to learn and had to the end of her life unshaken faith in -the discovery and application of new truth. - -It was reported in 1908 that Clara Barton had gone over to Christian -Science. The report was not wholly correct. She became interested -in Christian Science, but she never adopted it. The minister of the -Universalist Church in Oxford, the Reverend Mr. Schoppe, became a -Christian Science practitioner and reader, and she was much interested -through him and his wife in this change on his part. - -She was interested in Mrs. Eddy. It seemed to her a notable thing for -a woman, alone and against great opposition, to have accomplished what -she did. - -She once witnessed the wreck of a sight-seeing automobile filled with -Christian Science visitors to Boston, and she was impressed by the -fortitude with which they bore pain. - -Moreover, she had good reason to know that there is much reckless -use of medicine and much needless surgery. She had memories of years -in which she suffered many things of many physicians and was nothing -better, but rather worse. She saw, in war and in peace, much use of -the knife that seemed to her bloody and cruel. She saw women hurrying -to the operating-table, sometimes, as she believed, for no better -reason than to escape the risk of motherhood, and she scorned them. She -expressed herself to me in terms anything but gentle concerning married -women who willingly deprive themselves of the perilous privilege of -motherhood by resort to surgery. She believed that people who take -medicine usually take too much; and that cheerful and wholesome living -is better than medicine. - -Moreover, she was always ready for a thing that was new. Her delight in -the discovery of something hidden and now revealed was intense. - -For all these reasons she was disposed to give Christian Science a fair -hearing. - -In Dr. Epler’s excellent biography, free use is made of Miss Barton’s -correspondence with Mr. and Mrs. Schoppe, in which she expressed her -interest in their new faith. My own conviction is, that while Clara -Barton was thus deeply interested, those letters tend to enlarge the -degree of her permanent interest. I am confident that she was less -near to being a Christian Scientist than the letters themselves would -indicate if taken alone. Indeed, Mr. Schoppe himself gives what I think -is a wholly truthful statement, as recorded by Mr. Epler, under date of -December 17, 1914: - - Clara Barton’s connecting point with Christian Science was on the - positives it accented--not from its negative philosophy. She welcomed - its doctrine of the Divine presence of God working with us and in us - and working upon her own life--present to help. She was exceedingly - grateful to Christian Science for bringing out this point of the - Divine absoluteness. - - Further than that she could not understand it; she could not go. - She did not deny, but she believed (unlike the Christian Science - negativism) in a perfectly vast realm of material and human progress. - She traced it in the wonders of geological ages and historical - evolution. She saw God’s handiwork in a colossal complex material - creation. She never could bring herself to believe the material or - human creation a mortal error! - -I regard this as wholly correct. She read “Science and Health” and -endeavored to use the “absent treatment” of the Schoppes. The first -night it seemed to do good, and the next night the effect was gone. Her -effort to obtain whatever was good in Christian Science was sincere; -but her experiments did not make her a Christian Scientist. - -She employed physicians till the day of her death, and took medicine. -But she believed that spiritual things are the real things, and that -man is more than body. - -The two ministers whom she selected to have charge of her funeral in -the old home in Oxford were both Congregationalists. The Reverend -Percy H. Epler was chosen for his long friendship, and the Reverend -William E. Barton for that and for his kinship. She did not choose, but -would have been happy to have chosen, had her plans been worked out in -detail, the Reverend Doctor Tyler, an aged minister of the Universalist -faith, to have a share in the services. Happily, he was present, and -did participate. He had baptized and buried whole generations of the -Oxford Bartons, and it was a benediction to have him standing, like a -patriarch, above her coffin, and speaking words of comfort and hope. - -Her choice of Congregational ministers to perform this service did -not imply a lack of honor for the church of her childhood. Yet, in -some respects, her associations in later years were more intimate with -Congregationalists than with Universalists. - -I have no reason to suppose that she talked with any one more freely -than she talked with me about her religion, or about her relations to -the Universalist Church. I think I can represent her views essentially -as they were. - -She continued to believe all that was essential in the faith which she -had been taught in the church of Hosea Ballou. She trusted in a God -whom she believed too great and good to make an eternal hell necessary -to his government. If God was infinite and also desired the salvation -of all men, if He was not willing that any should perish, but that all -should come unto Him and live; if Christ tasted death for every man; -then, as it seemed to her, ultimately, sin must be eliminated from -the moral universe and with sin must go punishment. She believed, not -only with Ballou, but with Beecher, that God will not punish after -punishment ceases to do good. That sin brings punishment she believed -and knew, but that sin and punishment must go on eternally seemed -to her to imply either that God was not wholly good or not wholly -Sovereign. - -Her Universalism was essentially Calvinistic; it was based on the -sovereignty of God. She believed that God was great enough to - - “treasure up his bright designs, - And work his sovereign will.” - -She believed in the divinity of Christ. She was not a Unitarian. But -she held to Christ’s divinity as a divinity of preëminence and not -of exclusion. She believed that Jesus became the Son of God by moral -processes which are essentially within the reach of men, “that He might -be the first-born among many brethren.” - -I think I can give a truthful impression about her feeling with regard -to Universalism as an independent ecclesiastical organization. She -talked freely with me about this, and expressed the definite wish that -the Universalist Church and the Congregational Church might everywhere -be reunited. She had something of the same feeling with regard to the -Unitarian churches. She loved the memory of Theodore Parker, whom -she sometimes felt she recognized as guiding her long years after -his death. She honored him, and other of the Unitarian men of his -generation. She felt that both Unitarianism and Universalism had been -necessary protests against the immoral orthodoxy of the time of their -origin. - -But she felt that that protest was no longer needed, at least to the -same extent. She felt the waste of competing religious organizations. -The Universalist Church was the church of her father, but the -Congregational Church was the church of his fathers. She had more -friends in the latter than in the former. She told me she would be glad -to see the liberty of thought which Universalism had stood for sacredly -preserved in a union of those denominations. - -She said, “What I see in Oxford I see everywhere, a need that churches -shall forget old and past disputes, and come into more compact -organization, merging denominations, and preserving religious liberty.” - -It is a hazardous thing to repeat, after years have gone by, the -impressions left by oral conversations. Yet I am confident that in this -meager outline I give her essential faith. - -She did not talk glibly about her faith. But it was very real, and very -definite, and it remained with her to the end. - -Concerning revivals of religion she wrote to a niece who, in the -widespread religious interest awakened by Mr. Moody in the seventies, -had been asked by an evangelist to take a step which, as she looked -back upon it, implied more than she had intended: - - Thursday night - - If one acts with good intentions, believing they are doing rightly, - and later, concludes it was unwise or wrong--there is a mistake - somewhere, or has been. It may have been in the act, or it may be in - the later conclusion, but it is only a mistake, not a sin, you poor - little chick. - - Another time when you are requested in prayer meeting to act on a - double question, the putter of it mixing up your desire or willingness - to stand up before an audience and be made a subject for public - prayers with an act of personal courtesy or discourtesy to himself as - to whether you want to hear him or _not_, once leaves you free to vote - as you like, and then comes and questions your decision, and asks your - reason,--if you feel like answering him at all,--tell him to divide - his questions, put one at a time and you will act on each separately. - He put two questions together, as a dodge to get all up to be prayed - for, thinking and knowing it put every one in a hard place, as all - would see that it was a little impolite not to hasten to accept his - offer to come and preach. Oh, how tricky. - - You have done rightly in it all, my dear little girl. When he asked - why you did not side with the Lord you answered that you did. That - was right and all he could ask for. When he added, “Then why did you - not rise and kneel,” you might tell him you did not understand that - request as coming from the Lord, or you should certainly have done so. - - I send you a “Banner of Light” to-day. You will find two articles - bearing on your subject--the one a lecture by a good sturdy Briton on - Mr. Moody’s sermon on “Hell.” I think you will read it with interest - just now, and every time you get assaulted in public prayer meeting, - and followed by men, I should advise you to run home and calm your - hysterical nerves by re-reading that lecture from end to end. - - The other longer marked article on “Revivalism” is a fine sermon by - a sound Unitarian clergyman who does not believe in special revivals - of religion, as gotten up for the occasion, and to fill churches, but - thinks religion, as being the best part of man’s nature, will revive - itself like all else in nature, and feels that God does not need to - be implored to save from endless pain and loss the poor creatures He - has made, but believes that if we do our best to enlighten and elevate - those around us we do all we are called upon to do in the way of their - salvation. - - But read it well and carefully for yourself, or read it again with Ida - and “reason together” about it and see if you can find in your own - convictions some justification for the course you are taking with the - S.S. There is much to be read, before you decide, much to learn and - consider; take time and do it and don’t either fall into a trap nor be - driven into one.--Selah! - -She retained to the end of her life a high regard for the church of her -fathers, the Universalist Church. Of it she wrote to Mrs. Jennie S. M. -Vinton at Oxford: - - I am glad to learn by your valued letter of September 5th that the - old church of our fathers is about to be refitted and I thank you for - the information. It is thoughtful of you to name the facts of the - early history of the church which I am happy to corroborate, both by - tradition and recollection. My father was present at the ordination - sermon of Hosea Ballou (a white-headed boy he seemed). He was one of - the pillars of the church. His family came over the hills of extreme - North Oxford, five miles every Sunday, to sit in its high pews. When - I was a grown young woman it was decided to build the present church, - and no body of church people ever worked harder than we. We held - fairs, public and home, begged, and gave all but the clothes we wore; - we cleaned windows and scrubbed paint after workmen, bought and nailed - down carpets, fitted up the parsonage, and received the bride of the - Reverend Albert Barnes, our first settled pastor. And I carried their - first baby to the christening. - - There are few people there who have memories of harder church work and - better church love than I. - - Think this over, dear sister, and remember that I have never lost my - love for the old church of my fathers, my family, and my childhood. - -She believed whole-heartedly in immortality. Not only so, but she -believed that her friends were near. She never recovered from the -impression that came to her, after the death of her brother Stephen, -that he was an influence, a living influence, for good in her life. -That influence was exerted directly. As she woke in the morning while -it was yet dark, and faced the duties of the day, she was able to think -and plan with such clarity of vision that she felt that she was helped -by the presence of those whom she had loved and who had counseled her -in life. Through Stephen she felt the influence of her mother, as she -believed, and, less directly, that of her father. She said, “I do not -believe I am a Spiritualist,” but she could not shake off, and did not -desire to shake off, the conviction that those whom she had loved were -near her. - -The latest, and in some respects the most satisfactory, statement of -her faith, was written a year before her death, to Judge A. W. Terrell, -of Austin, Texas: - - I suppose I am not what the world denominates a church woman. I lay - no claim to it. I was born to liberal views, and have lived a liberal - creed. I firmly believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Jesus of - Nazareth; in His life and death of suffering to save the world from - sin, so far as in His power to do. But it would be difficult for me - to stop there and believe that this spark of divinity was accorded to - none other of God’s creation, who, like the Master, took on the living - form, and, like him, lived the human life. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE PERSONALITY OF CLARA BARTON - - -At the beginning of her public career, Clara Barton was short of -stature and slender as she was short. Her form rounded out in middle -life, but she never exhibited any approach to stoutness. She was so -well proportioned as to give the impression of being taller than she -was. When she spoke in public, if she stood beside a presiding officer, -it was seen that she was small of stature, but when she stood alone, -she gave the impression of being, and was often described as being, -above medium height. Her maximum height, attained in adolescence, -was five feet two inches in moderately high-heeled shoes. The author -measured her in her later years, and she was exactly five feet tall -without her shoes. - -Her carriage was erect, except for a slight stoop in the shoulders. -There never came any sag in her person, any letting down of her erect -standing. Her spine below the shoulders was carried to the end of her -life as erect as in youth. As she stood or sat, she never had the -bearing of an old person. When seated, she commonly kept her back well -away from the back of the chair, depending upon nothing external to -assist her in maintaining her erect bearing. - -She walked quietly, deliberately, and flat-footedly. She put her whole -foot down at once. There was a certain firmness in her gait which -indicated strength of character and resolute purpose. She did not dart -or rush or drift or flutter; she walked, and her walk was of moderate -speed and of marked decision. - -Her hair was brown, and in her younger days she had great wealth of it. -She took good care of it; and, while there was less of it in her later -years, it retained its fine texture, its soft silky wave, and its rich -brown color. The writer asked her once if she had a single gray hair. -She replied that she thought she had one, but had forgotten just where -it was. - -Her eyes were brown, and in some lights appeared black. I find at least -one description of her as she appeared on the lecture platform in which -she was described as tall, with hair and eyes black as the raven’s -wing. The reporter is not to be blamed for his departure from truth. -She looked tall when she stood alone, and her eyes and hair appeared as -he described them, when seen in some lights. - -Her features were regular. Her nose was prominent and straight. Her -mouth was large, and very expressive. Her features were remarkably -mobile. Her forehead was both high and wide, and in her middle life -she wore her hair so that its full breadth and height appeared beneath -the graceful parting of the hair. In her later years her hair was -combed down over the temples on either side, and remained parted in the -middle. Her chin was a very firm chin. It did not protrude, neither did -it recede. There was not the slightest suggestion of a lantern-jaw; -but there was a clear-cut prominence of the chin that suggested a firm -decision and a tenacious purpose. She said to the writer, “Every true -Barton knows how to possess an open mind and teachable disposition with -a firmness that can be obstinate if necessary, and no one can be more -obstinate than a Barton.” Obstinate she certainly could be, but she -was reasonable to a marked degree. No one who saw her shut her mouth -when she had made a decision could cherish any doubt of her tenacity of -purpose; and her chin was anything but a weak one. - -She did not stare, but she had a habit of fixing her eyes upon an -object or a person which did not put arrogance or pretense at ease. -She could, on occasion, look through a person as if she discerned his -inmost thoughts. But ordinarily her look into one’s face was gentle and -companionable and sympathetic. - -Clara Barton affected none of the arts by which women advanced in years -attempt to appear young. On the other hand, she had no intention of -growing old. She said to me that she did not see why people should be -so curious about anybody’s age; what did it matter? So far as she was -concerned, there was no secret about it; but when people had learned -the date of her birth, how could they know whether she was old or young? - -She did not greatly like to be asked for her “latest photograph.” The -photograph which she liked best, the one which she had framed and which -the author has just as it stood on her desk, was the familiar Civil War -portrait. - -On December 30, 1910, she wrote in her diary, concerning her friend, -Julia Ward Howe, whose death she mourned, and whose biography she had -read through with keen interest: - - I notice a strife over the placing of Mrs. Howe’s portrait in Fanueil - Hall. The art committee object to it, but the people demand that it - be placed there. No reasons on the part of the art committee are yet - given. The painting is by Mr. Elliott, husband of Maude. I wonder at - the idea of people having their pictures taken after time and age - have robbed them of all their characteristic features. I regard this - as a mistake. I want the last picture of the friends I love to show - them in their strength and at their best. Mrs. Howe’s picture as now - painted would have shocked even herself in strong middle life. Why not - show the world the writer of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as she - was when she wrote it? Is it the rush of the curious for the “latest - photo”? I think the idea wrong. I wish the art committee would insist - on a picture of Mrs. Howe at the age of forty years. - -When Clara Barton was in her eighties, she often, as was her custom, -would sit upon the floor, _à la_ Turk, with her work spread around her. -When her work was finished, she would rise, with the suppleness of a -girl, without touching her hands to the floor. - -She had an almost morbid shrinking from the infliction of pain, or from -the taking of life. She was not strictly a vegetarian. If she was at -another’s table and meat was offered her, she ate it sparingly. - -She carried through life a pulse ten beats slower to the minute than -that of an ordinary woman of her years, but her pulse beat steadily -and reliably. A half-cup of coffee stimulated her almost to the point -of intoxication, and a child’s dose of medicine was too much for her. -So simply did she live that when she died at the age of ninety-one -there was not a physical lesion, not a diseased organ in her body. Her -physician, who for thirty years had been her almost daily companion, -Dr. J. B. Hubbell, declared that, barring accident, or some acute -attack, such as that which actually caused her death, she could easily -have lived to be one hundred years of age and still not have been -technically old. - -There was nothing about her voice or manner that suggested a really -aged person. Senility was farther removed from her at ninety than from -most women at sixty. A California octogenarian was compiling a book of -personal testimonies by aged people and wrote to her asking for the -secret of her long life. Her answer was contained in four words, “Low -fare, hard work.” If to this she had added anything, it should have -been a self-forgetful purpose, a serene spirit, and an upholding faith. - -From her father Clara Barton inherited a spirit of broad philanthropy -and wide human interest. From her mother she inherited a warm heart and -a very hot temper. It was this temper that gave her self-control. She -kept it perfectly under her bidding, and that lowered voice was the -sign of mighty resolution and smouldering passion under the control of -a conquering will. - -Clara Barton was a lifelong believer in woman’s suffrage. She was a -close friend and a warm admirer of Susan B. Anthony, and shared her -aims and hopes for her sex. She believed in women receiving the same -wages as men for the same work. She was never as militant an advocate -of the rights of women as Miss Anthony, however. Temperamentally she -was of quite another disposition. In her later years she saw with -marked disapproval what she regarded as the unwomanly efforts of women -to advance their cause. This she believed hurt the cause more than it -helped it, and whether it helped or hurt she did not like it. - -A lady who was about to undertake a long journey by rail spoke to Clara -Barton of her dread of it. Railway travel, she said, always tired her -out and made her sick. Miss Barton said, “Travel rests me.” - -Her friend asked her how she managed it. She replied: - -“I delegate to the conductor and the engineer the full responsibility -for the running of the train. I do not overeat, nor take with me candy -or other needless food to upset my digestion just when I am getting -less than my usual exercise. I carry with me a book and a note-book. -When I think of something that I want to remember, I jot it down; when -I see something that interests me, I make note of it. I read as long -as I enjoy reading; and when I grow tired of that, I close my eyes and -rest, and let the train go on.” - -Her friend replied, “That all sounds very simple; I will try it.” - -She returned from her journey, reporting that she had had a delightful -time, and that she had alighted from the train at each end of the trip -less weary than when she started. - -The directions which Clara Barton gave were those which she herself had -tested. - -Clara Barton lived long, and her life had many changes. Account has -been given of certain episodes in her young womanhood in which she was -loved and did not return the affection of the men who loved her. The -question has been asked and should be answered whether in her later -years she had any experience which made up for the lack of love in -her youth. Some stories, nearly or quite apocryphal, have been told -concerning the men who are supposed to have loved her and whom she -loved, but whom she refused because she loved her work more. - -The lovers of her youth were all good, worthy men, as good as the -average New Englander. There is nothing to be said concerning any one -of them that is not to his credit; but no one of them was the equal of -Clara Barton. There was no tragedy about her experience, neither was -there any consciousness of the ecstasy of a love completely possessing -her. These affairs left her something of loneliness, but no memory of -bitter grief or cruel disappointment. She could write, and did once -write, some tender, sentimental verses about a sad parting, but the -sadness did not break her heart, nor permanently cloud that of any of -her lovers. - -The time came when all this was changed. She lived in Washington, amid -a wide circle of friends, among them men of every station in life. No -longer was she possessed of ambition beyond that of any man of her -age and acquaintance. There were men whom she knew and men whom she -liked, who had ambitions equal to her own and ideals with which her -own had much in common. During the Civil War she might have chosen any -one of scores of grateful men, as her husband. But she seems hardly -to have given matrimony a thought in those years. After she became -famous, she was less readily accessible to any multitude of lovers, -but at least one man to whom she had been kind sought to reward her -with his heart and hand, and, after she had returned from Europe, at -least one man whom she met abroad pressed upon her his ardent and -unrewarded affections. If she had married any one, she would have -married an American. No offer of matrimony from a man not of her own -land would seem to have made any appeal to her. This offer of marriage -she regarded rather with amusement than with serious consideration. It -was honorable, but in her judgment most unsuitable, and she refused -with a smile,--not the smile of contempt, but of good-humor and healthy -merriment. - -Among other friends in middle life there were two whom she would seem -to have considered in the aspect of possible lovers. - -In the days during and following the Civil War, she came to know -intimately an American professor of wide repute, who at that time was -pursuing extended researches in Washington. He was a widower of about -her own age, a profound scholar, and he became a dear and trusted -friend. For several months their paths were thrown together and for -a time they boarded at the same table. She was interested, not only -in his work, but in himself. The ardor and enthusiasm with which he -worked impressed her. Like herself, he was little bound by precedent, -and was engaged in a task which he confidently believed would increase -the sum of human learning. There was something in a task of this -character that made a direct appeal to Clara Barton. Much as she prized -any kind of useful knowledge, she especially admired the spirit of -the pioneer, and honored the man who blazed new paths and widened the -horizons of learning. Such a man was this friend of hers. He read to -her in many evenings the results of his investigation, and she shared -his enthusiasm for his task. Her two nephews, Bernard and Sam, then in -Washington, were wont to poke quiet fun at him and to joke their aunt -about the possibility of his becoming an uncle of theirs and swamping -the family with his knowledge of subjects which the boys cared little -about. She took their raillery in good part. But one day, when she -thought it had gone a little too far, she reproved her nephews and made -a spirited defense of the professor. She said, “You need not wonder -that, notwithstanding all your attempts to make fun of him, I admire -a man of his profound learning and high character.” Her nephews then -believed that their respect for each other had merged into affection, -but, as the years went by and he and Clara gradually lost sight of -each other, they came to think that they might have been mistaken, -that the two were good friends and nothing more. So far as the author -is aware, there exists no evidence from which an answer can be had to -the question of how much they really cared for each other, or, if they -cared, why they did not marry. The author has his own conjecture, and -it is only a conjecture, but it is this: Both he and she were at that -time at the beginnings of a great work. How long either one would need -to continue to labor and sacrifice before success was won, neither -could determine. - -The last and in some respects the most interesting, as certainly the -most distinguished, among Clara Barton’s matrimonial possibilities, -came to her late in life. During the Civil War she became acquainted -with a man who even then was held in high regard, and was attracting -the attention of his own State and to some extent of the Nation. Rising -largely by his own exertions to a position of eminence, he became one -of the leading men of the generation. Through all the years when she -was pursuing her war relief work, with scant appropriation for postage, -he cheerfully loaned her his frank and was her friend. Through many -long years they knew each other and always held each other in esteem. -He was in Washington and so was she, and there was little need of -interchange of letters between them; nor is there in the letters that -are preserved any indication of personal affection. Those letters -grew out of particular events when one or the other of them was away -from Washington, and for the most part they had no significance as -indicating the extent to which they may have cared for each other. - -But there came a time when his work and her work brought them into -close and more constant relations. They were both at the zenith of -their respective careers. At that time he was a widower. Both were free -and they could have married without the sacrifice of any important -interest. The home which they might have established would have been a -congenial one. - -At that time Clara Barton took a brief vacation and went to Oxford -where she prepared a new wardrobe, including a white satin dress. To -her niece Mamie she confided that an occasion of unusual significance -was in prospect, and that more would be known of it later. - -Just at this time this distinguished statesman died. His death was a -great shock to Clara Barton. She made no public lamentation; she never -hinted even to those who were nearest to her that her grief was other -than that which she might properly feel for an honored friend of many -years. Her nieces believed that his death prevented their marriage. Her -nephew, Stephen, says: - - Their friendship was long and intimate, and it would not have been - strange if they had cared for each other. In many respects their lives - would have been well adapted to each other. But if their regard for - each other ever expressed itself in terms of love, or approached the - prospect of marriage, I do not know it. It may have seemed to either - or both of them a pleasant possibility, but they were mature people, - each with a great work to do; and if his death cut short what was - growing from friendship into love, I do not know it. Such a feeling - either one of them might very worthily have held toward the other. I - know that she held him as a dear and trusted and honored friend, and - he esteemed her likewise. - -If Clara Barton loved this able and good man, she bore her -disappointment as she was accustomed to bear her disappointments, -in self-restrained and dignified silence. Her silence shall remain -unbroken. If they loved, it was a love worthy of them both; if they -were good friends and only good friends, it was a friendship honorable -to both. - -So far as the author has been able to learn from those who were closest -to Clara Barton during her lifetime, and so far as it is disclosed by -her diary and letters, this is all there is to be known concerning the -love affairs of Clara Barton. - -There were times when Clara Barton felt keenly her isolation. But, in -1911, she recorded in her diary some of the domestic trials of some of -her friends, and added, “After all, _Aloneness_ is not the worst thing -in the world.” - -While extremely modest, Clara Barton was far from being a prude. She -was never terrified by appeals to respectability, nor could she be -frightened by any warning concerning men or women whom gossip condemned. - -In 1884, when she was on her steamboat, _Joseph V. Throop_, assisting -in the Ohio River floods, the boat one night tied up at a landing, and -a goodly number of people came on board. Among the rest were two young -women. One of the prominent ladies of the town found opportunity to -whisper to her that these were young women whose social standing was -not above question. “Then they will need help all the more,” she said; -and she gave those two girls an hour of her evening. Such warnings -she often received, and, far from accepting them as her basis of -discrimination, she invariably reacted in the other direction. - -She never undertook any work without first carefully thinking it -through in an effort to discover just where it was to end and how it -was to be provided for. She had no sympathy with people who start good -movements for other people to support when their well-meant but poorly -reckoned endeavor fails. “They get hold of a log they can’t lift,” she -said, “and they make a great call for some one to come and lift it for -them.” That was never the way in which she did things. She thought them -through in advance. - -Clara Barton worked slowly. While she formed her decisions promptly in -emergencies, she formulated them carefully and with painful precision. -It was not by doing things easily she accomplished so much, but by -rising early and working late and keeping constantly at the thing she -wanted to do. She attempted to use stenographic assistance, but with -only moderate success. She had to work out her letters and addresses -in her own way. A certain kind of routine work her secretaries did for -her, to her great relief, but her real work she had to do herself. - -She coveted the ability to work more rapidly. She admired that ability, -and perhaps overvalued it, in others. She once wrote to me: “Where do -you find time to do so many things? One of the griefs of my life is to -see other persons getting things done--really _done_--and I accomplish -so little. I don’t see how they do it.” - -No more could they see how she did it; but she did it by working with -an industry and devotion that never found an easy way of accomplishing -results. - -A friend of hers was deeply interested in a movement for which he -wished the endorsement of Clara Barton. She believed in the work he was -doing, and was willing to commend it; but she wanted to know a little -more about it, and then she wanted time to think out what she wanted -to say about it. He became very desirous of having her commendation -in time for a particular use; and his wife invited Clara Barton to -their home to dine. She willingly accepted, and enjoyed the visit. She -knew the family, and held them in high esteem. After dinner, and some -conversation, the man produced a typewritten statement of some length -which he had prepared, endorsing his work. This he read to her, and she -liked it. But when she understood that he had prepared this for her to -sign, she was shocked. She refused to sign it. - -Her friend could not at first understand her scruples. Did she not -believe in this work? She did. Had she not expressed to him her -approval and signified her willingness to furnish him a statement which -he would be at liberty to publish? She had. Had she not listened to his -reading of this very statement with expressions of hearty approval? -She had. Was there anything in it she would like to change? If so, she -was at liberty to make any erasure or interlineation she desired. No; -there was nothing she cared to change, except that she cared to change -everything in it. - -He assured her that he was asking nothing of her which men of the -highest honor did not do constantly; that in a busy world people had -to avail themselves of assistance such as he offered her; that his own -standards of honor were high, and he would never think of asking her -to sign a statement which did not fully express her own convictions. - -All this she understood, and she did not censure him. But she could -not do what he asked of her. The statement which he had prepared was -not hers. The opinions expressed were in full accord with her own, and -the language was as good as any she could have chosen, and there was -nothing in the document to which she could object; but it was not hers. - -Her idea of a document which she could sign as her own was one which -she should have thought out on first wakening, perhaps in the middle -of the night, and sketched in pencil on the pages of the little pad at -the head of her bed, and then thoughtfully copied in her own hand with -careful weighing of each word and phrase. That would have been her own. - -Certainly that was a needlessly narrow conception of the extent to -which she might honorably have employed the minds and willing hands of -others in her own too heavy toil. But it was a conception grounded in -the highest possible conviction of honor. - -Clara Barton was a self-willed woman. So was Mother Bickerdyke. So was -Dorothea Dix. So, most emphatically and uncomfortably for those who -withstood her, was Florence Nightingale. If comparisons were in order, -which they certainly are not, she was not the least considerate of the -four of other people’s opinion, nor most reluctant to admit herself in -the wrong. Like Florence Nightingale, she had opportunities of marriage -in her youth, and resolutely turned to other work under force of a -strong conviction, and that conviction had mighty impelling power. -Lytton Strachey, in his remarkably penetrating sketch, says: - - Every one knows the popular conception of Florence Nightingale. - The saintly, self-sacrificing woman, the delicate maiden of high - degree who threw aside the pleasures of a life of ease to succor the - afflicted, the Lady with the Lamp, gliding through the horrors of - the hospital at Scutari, and consecrating with the radiance of her - goodness the dying soldier’s couch--the vision is familiar to all. - But the truth was different. The Miss Nightingale of fact was not as - facile as fancy painted her. She worked in another fashion, and toward - another end; she moved under the stress of an impetus which finds no - place in the popular imagination. A Demon possessed her. Now demons, - whatever else they may be, are full of interest. And so it happens - that in the real Miss Nightingale there was more that was interesting - than in the legendary one; there was also less that was agreeable. - -The disposition of Florence Nightingale lacked much of being angelic. -When she encountered the stupidity of official red-tape or the -brutality and indifference of army surgeons, her words blistered. -She hurled invectives and she employed sarcastic nicknames, and she -denounced everything and everybody who opposed her. But when she -arrived in Scutari forty-two wounded men out of every hundred were -dying, and when she left them her hospitals showed a death-rate of -twenty-two out of every thousand. Clara Barton had a tongue less sharp -than Florence Nightingale’s, but she had a will no less inflexible. -Both women had soft voices, which they never raised. Men fled from the -soft tones and vitriolic words of Florence Nightingale. When Clara -Barton grew angry, she lowered her voice. Instead of a woman’s shrill -falsetto, men heard a deep and determined tone quietly affirming that -the thing was to be done in this way and in no other. Few men withstood -that tone. - -Some readers of this book, I am sure, have been shocked to read the -opinion of Dr. Bellows of the Sanitary Commission concerning the -uselessness and worse of the ordinary woman nurse in war hospitals. -That opinion was shared by Dorothea Dix, by Clara Barton, and to an -even greater degree by Florence Nightingale. - -Not very long after Florence Nightingale had reached Scutari with her -thirty-eight nurses, and about the time when she was having to ship -some of them back, her official friends in England thought to win her -eternal gratitude by sending to her forty-six additional nurses, under -the personal direction of her old friend, Miss Stanley. But she refused -to accept them, and sent in her resignation. She would not have these -“women scampering through the wards” and upsetting all her regulations. -“They are like troublesome children,” she said. Even the religious -ones were given to what she called “spiritual flirtations” with the -soldiers; and, as for those who had not the fear of God or the dread -of hell-fire, there were drunken orderlies and dissolute officers and -unmarried chaplains to be considered. - -I have wondered what Dorothea Dix would have said if forty-six nurses -not of her selection had been suddenly dumped upon her; I think she -would have gone into hysterics and shipped them all back. Clara Barton, -I believe, would have set them to emptying slops and scrubbing floors -till she found the few out of whom she could make nurses. She would not -have written the kind of letters about them which Florence Nightingale -wrote. She would have scolded a little in her diary, and have written -the committee who had sent them a letter of thanks, requesting them -not to send any more until she asked for them, and meantime to send -her some bandages and some lemons. But she would have felt much as -Florence Nightingale felt. They were both self-willed women. They -needed all their will-power. It was well they had it. - -Many interesting parallels suggest themselves between the work of Clara -Barton and that of Florence Nightingale. - -They were contemporary in a remarkable degree. Florence Nightingale was -a few months the older and died a few months sooner than Clara Barton, -but both lived to be more than ninety years of age. Miss Nightingale -was born May 12, 1820, and died August 13, 1910; Clara Barton was born -December 25, 1821, and died April 12, 1912. They faced the question -of marriage in much the same fashion, and each one gave herself in -much the same spirit to her life-task. They were not unlike in their -religious faith and in its practical expression. The long, confidential -letters of Florence Nightingale, written painfully when she ought -to have been in bed, remind us of the detailed epistles which Clara -Barton found time to write, mostly late at night. Each had a love of -humor which stood her in good stead; Miss Barton’s had less sting in -it than that of Miss Nightingale, but otherwise it was not unlike, -and it was a great help to both of them. Each had a gentle voice, and -each knew how to use it effectively without raising it. Each protested -to the end of her life that her real work was not that of the popular -imagination, that of personally ministering to any considerable number -of sick or wounded soldiers, but a work of direction and organization; -and neither succeeded in making the public believe it. Not long before -her death, Clara Barton relieved her mind in her diary concerning the -sort of newspaper article which invented fairy-tales of this sort: -“Oh, these women reporters!” she said in her diary. “They never get -anything right. They are forever telling and inventing the same old -kind of gush!” Florence Nightingale also had a profound distrust of the -limitations of members of her own sex; but also she knew, as did Clara -Barton, the brutality, the stupidity, and the inefficiency of men. -Miss Nightingale often wondered if there were in all the army enough -officers of sympathy and conscience to have saved Sodom. Sometimes she -doubted if there was one. - -All the women who went to the battle-front and were worth their -carfare were women of strong will. Mother Bickerdyke, in her rough -and great-hearted way, was a lady; but when she faced an incompetent -surgeon and drove him out of the hospital and he appealed to General -Sherman, the General confessed himself powerless: “She ranks me,” he -said. Dorothea Dix was a lady to the very depth of her sensitive soul, -a devoted, consecrated Christian lady; but she could be very properly -disagreeable on occasion, and she brooked no interference with her -authority. Florence Nightingale was a lady, born and bred; but vitriol -was mild compared to some of her outbursts. Clara Barton was a lady -to her very finger-tips; and she had had enough of experience in -Washington among officials and men of influence so that she knew how on -occasion to be much more diplomatic and gracious than most other women -with her responsibilities. Moreover, she shrank from giving pain, and -was careful of her words. But she had as strong a will as had Florence -Nightingale, and, while she was as a rule more amiable than that lady -in her more violent moods, she got things done. People sometimes found -her arbitrary, impatient, and obstinate; had she been less so, it had -gone hard with the interests which she cherished. She was capable of -being arbitrary, impatient, and obstinate, and the same is true of each -of the other women whom her name calls to mind. But among them she was -not the least gentle, considerate, and self-forgetful. She required -that things should move, and move in the direction of her decision; but -she was at heart, and on most occasions in her demeanor, quiet, gentle, -affectionate, and calm. - -Clara Barton had many devoted and loyal friends. They were held by her -in warm and enduring affection; and some of them, for her sake and her -work’s sake, made generous sacrifices. She had other friends who came -to her in bursts of generous enthusiasm. These also were in good part -sincere, and if some of them found her habits so simple and her task so -heavy as to afford them smaller share than they had hoped in personal -association with her, they were none the less generally firm in their -friendship. It was not to be expected that every one could live -permanently on her high plane of single-mindedness. Some of her friends -were a trial to her, for it was not easy for her to understand why, -when they once knew the task she was working at, they did not manifest -stability of purpose and perseverance in well-doing. But these she -counted her friends. When one of these left her roof because the fare -was too plain, Clara Barton said, “She is not willing to wash herself -seven times in Jordan.” - -There were others--and in the course of her long life there were a -number of them--who came to her with ardent protestations of affection -and of devotion to her cause, who in time wearied of the strain, or -resented her strong hand in management, or who came to believe that -they themselves could do better the work which she had undertaken. Some -of them betrayed her most sacred confidences, and returned her evil for -good. - -Few women were so ill-fitted by nature to bear this kind of -disappointment as Clara Barton. She was morbidly sensitive, and given -to self-accusation. How unworthy she must be, she thought, if these -persons did not continue to love her. The wounds of their defection -went unhealed. Yet here was one of the finest triumphs of her nature. -She never cherished permanent resentment. - -One time a friend of hers recalled to her a peculiarly cruel thing that -had been done to her some years previous, and Clara Barton did not seem -to understand what she was talking about. - -“Don’t you remember the wrong that was done you?” she was asked. - -Thoughtfully and calmly she answered, “No; I distinctly remember -forgetting that.” - -Friends deserted Clara Barton, but she never deserted a friend. If -a friend of hers was evil-spoken against, that only increased her -loyalty. She would not believe evil unless compelled to do so, and, if -compelled, she interpreted the wrong, if possible, in terms of charity. -Only baseness and treachery and betrayal of trust won her scorn. - -At one time, in connection with her relief work on the rivers, a man -who had acted as her local agent was arrested for burglary. She was at -a distance and wires were down. She refused to believe him guilty. -When later details made it impossible to doubt that he had done -essentially the deed with which he was charged, she still believed that -there must be some explanation. Later it developed that the offense was -technical, and grew out of a dispute as to the ownership of certain -premises which he had entered, and the other claimant, instead of -suing him for trespass, sought to do him the greater injury by having -him arrested for burglary. How the question of the ownership of the -property was ultimately settled, I do not know, but her confidence in -the man as one incapable of willful crime was justified. - -Consul-General Hitz, of Switzerland, long her friend, became a banker -in Washington. Apparently he had little talent for the banking -business, and undertook to finance the Swedenborgian Church, of which -he was a member, out of the revenues of the bank. Of his guilt before -the law there appears to have been no question; as to his essential -honesty Clara Barton had no doubt. She did not condone the offense, -nor question that the amount taken must be made good; but she did not -believe that so good a man and so true a friend ought to remain in -prison. After high influence had been exercised unavailingly on his -behalf, she persisted, and he was released. - -Her voice has already been mentioned. Its key was about the average -pitch of a woman’s treble voice. In conversation it was flexible, and -very pleasant. On the platform it was clear and penetrating. Her tones -were not musical, but were distinctly agreeable. Her inflections were -those of the gentlewoman of the old school. There was a soothing, -conciliatory, almost caressing quality in her voice. It had no -harsh notes. It was diametrically opposite to all that was harsh and -strident. It was gentle, winsome, and in every accent suggestive of -courtesy and good-breeding. When she lived abroad, no one accused her -of a high, harsh, nasal American voice. It was a New England voice, but -as soft as that of any Southern lady of the old days. - -But when Clara Barton grew very much in earnest, her voice changed. -That change was one of the most remarkable things about her. It did not -rise. It did not grow harsh or self-asserting. It dropped a half octave -or, as it sometimes seemed, a full octave. It was a deep, full voice. -It was almost bass. Her eyes darkened as her voice went down, and -flashed lightning to her tones’ quiet thunder. She had a temper, which -she kept well under control, but when she spoke in a low tone, those -who heard her knew that its fires were red. - -She was modest in her dress, but she had an eye for bright colors. In -her youth she was a painter, and she learned how to mix colors on her -palette. She never felt so sure of her good taste in the matter of -dress as she did of her ability to make pleasing contrasts on canvas. -She trusted much to the good judgment of her friend, Annie Childs. When -she followed her own judgment, she inclined to green, which she loved -to set off with red. Red was her color, and she said, the Barton rose -was the Red Rose, all the way from the Wars of the Roses down. She -loved red roses. She loved red apples. She liked to wear red ribbons -and trimmings. With a background of green, red was always safe. In her -youth and young womanhood she often determined to vary her costume, -and repeatedly went to the stores determined to buy something beside -green. Her nieces said, “If Aunt Clara says she is going to town to buy -a brown dress, we know that she will buy a brown dress; for Aunt Clara -invariably does exactly what she says she will do. So we know that she -will select and pay for a brown dress. But we also know that by the -time she gets it home the color will have changed; when she opens the -package, it is sure to have become green.” - -In later years, dressmakers took her in hand, and widened the range -of her choice. But she seldom appeared in any gown that did not lend -itself to a little dash of red; and when she wore just what delighted -her own eyes, her dress was green, with a complementary dash of red. - -Something must be said about her habit of economy, and it must be said -with some care lest it give a very wrong impression. Clara Barton was -economical to a very marked degree. If a list of her actual economies -were here given, it would produce on many minds the impression that she -was stingy. This would be wide of the truth. If a valid distinction -may be made between two words that are nearly synonymous, she was -parsimonious, but was not penurious. - -She was reared in a community and in a family where want was unknown, -but where money was earned by hard work, and capital was accumulated -by thrift and economy. It was part of her birthright and of her -being. There was about her nothing that inclined her to waste or even -extravagance. - -She entered into life early as a teacher, at first at a small salary. -She had opportunity to save, and she did save. Her necessary expenses -were small, and she began at the outset to save money. She continued -to save money. She had good business judgment, and, excepting for a few -times when she permitted her sympathies or her friendships to get the -better of that judgment, her investments, conservatively made, were -remunerative. - -When she first went abroad in 1869, she knew that she had money enough -to support her as long as she lived. If she recovered her health, the -lecture platform was still open to her, and she could earn and save -above all expenses from four thousand dollars to six thousand dollars -a year. If she returned an invalid, she had the income on about thirty -thousand dollars, which was more than she needed. In no year of her -life, probably, did she spend upon herself as much as eighteen hundred -dollars. Even when she traveled abroad, her expenses were moderate, -and she never drew on her principal for her own support. But eighteen -hundred dollars or two thousand dollars a year, which was about what -her investments brought her, did not invite reckless extravagance, She -knew that she must exercise reasonable economy, and her tastes were -such that this was no hardship. - -When, therefore, she sat up at night rather than take a sleeping-car, -it was not wholly that she was unwilling to pay for the price of the -berth. She had been accustomed to doing so until an attempt was made -to rob her, after which she was greatly disinclined to the use of the -sleeper. Her prime reason for sitting up was that she disliked sleepers -after that night. But she was not at all averse to saving two dollars. -She slept few hours in the night, and was accustomed to sleeping under -unfavorable conditions. She thought she rested quite as well sitting -in a corner of her seat as lying in a stuffy and dark berth. - -Her lunch at home was often a few crackers and a red apple, and the -more nearly she regulated her diet when journeying in accordance with -her custom at home, the better life went with her. So her bag often -contained a little package of the kind of crackers which she liked, -and one or more big red apples. If she sat in her seat and ate these, -it was not primarily because she was unwilling to pay a dollar for -her lunch; she had the dollar, and she had no ambition to leave any -considerable sum of money behind her when she died. On the other hand, -she was not unmindful of the good she could do with the dollar in some -other way. And she did that good with it. She was parsimonious with -herself; she was generous toward others. - -To enumerate her economies would misrepresent her. It would seem that -she was niggardly. The contrary was true. She abhorred waste. She could -not tolerate extravagance. But she could draw her last dollar, and -did draw her last dollar from investment, to put into her search for -missing soldiers, and she could do it and did do it without whining and -without fear. Even the possibility that she might die a pauper did not -terrify her or win from her in her diary any more than a half-mirthful -recognition. She economized in things she did not greatly care for that -she might do the things that were to her of supreme importance. - -She did not hoard money. The amount which she had at the end of her -lecturing career, she did not greatly increase, nor, until she got deep -into the work of the Red Cross, did it materially diminish. In order -to support the Red Cross work in its earlier stages, she drew upon -her principal, and she did not to the end of her life restore it to -what it had been before. But she never complained of this, nor did it -in the least worry her. Year by year she had sufficient income, with -reasonable economy, to supply all her needs. Now and then she delivered -an address and received a hundred dollars. Occasionally she replied -to a request of newspaper or magazine for an article, and received a -check in return. For a year she received a salary from the State of -Massachusetts as matron of the Reformatory for Women at Sherborn. The -annuity paid to her by the Massachusetts General Hospital gave her a -little more margin. She was free from worry as to her own finances. -I have not found in her diary or her letters a single sentence in -which she expressed anxiety about her own financial future. There were -several times when she was not sure what she ought to do next, and -in her decisions she was not unmindful of financial necessities. But -she did not keep in constant thought her own need of saving money for -herself. She saved, because it was natural for her to save, and because -she had causes at heart which she wished to save for. - -Careful in her expenditures upon herself, Clara Barton lavished her -love upon others. She cherished her friends, and there was little that -she was not willing to do for them. More than once she jeopardized -plans of her own for the sake of unselfish ministry to others, some of -whom had little claim upon her. She received under her own roof, fed at -her table, sheltered at her fireside, and assisted from her purse not -a few people who later proved ungrateful; indeed, those who wrought -her most pain were those whom she had befriended and of whom she later -learned that they sought not her, but hers. - -Yet it would not be fair to give any impression that the number of -ingrates among her companions was large. Relatively, it was small. -Those who loved her loved with a fervent loyalty; and there are few -things more beautiful than the adoring and grateful affection which -those bestow upon her memory who knew her longest and best. A strong -individualist, she inspired in those who came to know her well that -perfect confidence and grateful devotion which are the crowning test of -leadership. There were those, who, for her sake and that of any cause -which she held dear, would have gone with her singing to the stake, and -she would never have permitted one of them to go there unless she went -first. - -The author was her relative, her friend of many years. He loved her -and admired her; but he has felt his own praises weaken and pale and -disappear in the presence of those who, working in intimate association -with her through the years, proclaimed to him her virtues in terms that -but for their sincerity and the knowledge of those who spoke would have -seemed extravagant. The surest proof of her genuine goodness is the -unfaltering devotion of those who knew her best, and for that reason -loved her most. - -Clara Barton was a woman of tact. She needed all the tact she had -and more. In every field in which she labored, she was flooded with -volunteer workers who wanted to help. Some of them were competent; more -were not. I recently talked with my long-time friend, Father Field, -sometime head of the Cowley Fathers, and learned that he was at the -Johnstown flood, and saw much of Clara Barton. They rode together in -a buggy over a road filled with trees and house-roofs and he feared -she would be thrown out, but she told him to drive on; she had driven -over worse roads, and with bullets besides. He said that her greatest -difficulty as he saw it there was the number of people of good impulse -but little discretion who rushed into Johnstown to help. Dr. Bellows -said a blunt word about the women who made their journey to the -battle-field, that most of them were in the way. This was unfortunately -true of many of the well-meaning people who rushed to the assistance of -Clara Barton in time of flood or fire. Assistance she must have, and -must take what was offered. But the handling of this untrained force -was a matter which called for the greatest tact as well as executive -ability. - -Not only so, but, when the work in a particular field was over, there -were always those who had come as volunteer workers who insisted on -bestowing themselves upon Clara Barton to make Red Cross work their -life-work. Some of them were competent, and she was glad of them. But -in the course of her years of experience she accumulated a series of -misfit volunteer assistants, some of whom it was not easy afterward to -get rid of. - -She had little love of music. She did not sing or play any musical -instrument. When traveling abroad, if forced to attend the opera, she -saved the time from utter waste by writing a home letter while singers -of world-wide repute performed and sang before her. Having a low and -soft voice, she disliked the high notes of women’s voices. Good, -melodious quartet music she heard with mild enjoyment, and if she can -be said to have liked any music it was that of male voices. A chorus -of men always pleased her. Some of the war songs always thrilled her, -though more for the associations than the music. There was one song, -popular during the later years of the Civil War, which she never heard -often enough. It was the song of an old slave, who, dying years before -the war, had believed that he would rise on the day when freedom came -to his race. The author also remembers it, as it was taught to him -almost before he could walk: - - Nicodemus the slave was of African birth, - He was bought for a bagful of gold; - He was reckoned as part of the salt of the earth, - And he died years ago, very old. - ’Twas the last word he said as we laid him away - In the stump of an old hollow tree,-- - “Wake me up,” was his charge, “at the first break of day, - Wake me up for the great jubilee.” - - _Chorus_: - - Then run and tell Elijah to hurry up, Pomp, - To meet us at the gum-tree down in the swamp, - To wake Nicodemus to-day. - -It was sung at the minstrel shows after the Emancipation Proclamation; -but it was not as a minstrel show song that Clara Barton enjoyed it. -There was a solemn dignity about the old slave’s faith that inspired -her; and the authoritative tones of the words “Wake Nicodemus” thrilled -her through and through. - -Her lack of love of music reached its climax in her abhorrence of -piano-drumming. For piano music she had some little love, but not -enough to compensate for the annoyance for having a piano where it -could be pounded by any visitor, skilled or unskilled. For many years -she refused to have a piano in her house. At last she permitted one -to be procured, and she gave it house-room, and sometimes heard it -played with satisfaction. But when she was hard at work and wanted to -concentrate her thought, she found no joy in the thoughtless hammering -which an open piano seemed to invite. There was a time for all things, -even for piano-playing, and in its proper time and place she could -permit it and enjoy a part of it; but she did not want the menace of -it from early morn till dewy eve and several hours thereafter. Her -home was a very open place of entertainment, and she could not well -inquire, before admitting a person who needed shelter, what were his -or her habits and ability with respect to the torture of piano keys. -So she would have preferred a home with only such music as was brought -in where,and when it was wanted. But she accepted the piano as in some -sort inevitable, and it did not annoy her as much as she had expected. - -If Clara Barton did not care for music, she did dearly love poetry. -From her earliest childhood she was reading it, committing it to -memory, copying it, and writing original lines of her own. There lies -before me, as I write, her first copy-book. The strokes and curves -she learned to imitate are there, then the letters, lower case and -capitals, then the first words, “thoughtful,” “Nation,” and “National,” -and the sentence, chosen perhaps for its varied arrangement of letters -with the simplest stem and curve, and partly because it was not well -for a New England child at school to begin life with any illusion about -its essential character, “Man was made to mourn.” - -Who was the teacher who set her these copies we do not know, but -she copied them well. The first poetic lines that she was given to -transcribe were these, melodious but not precisely soothing to the -juvenile mind: - - Then rose the cry of females, shrill, - As goss-hawks whistle on the hill, - Denouncing misery and ill, - Mingled with childhood’s bubbling thrill - Of curses stammered slow; - Answering, with imprecation dread, - “Sunk be his home in embers red, - And cursed be the meanest shed - That e’er shall hide his houseless head - We doom to want and woe!” - -This was rather strong sentiment for a timid and sympathetic little -girl, and she would probably have shuddered at it in prose; but in -verse she probably committed it to memory as she was in process of -copying it. - -This completed the childhood work, and the book is filled, in her more -mature hand, with complete poems, “The Pilgrim Fathers,--where are -they?” “The Burial of Arnold,” “The Hour of Prayer,” “Warren at Bunker -Hill,” “The Indian’s Lament,” “The Fall of Tecumseh,” and other poems, -heroic, patriotic, devotional, and ending with “Farewell to the Bride.” - -Later she procured a bound volume, and in it she copied her favorite -poems, and wrote others of her own, in her most careful and painstaking -hand. Her “copper-plate” penmanship was never more exquisite than in -this volume, in which her own poems and the poems she loved are written -in order as she found or composed them. - -No quality in Clara Barton was more marked than the breadth of her -sympathies. She shuddered at the thought of needless pain. I have a -crude little picture, a page out of a child’s book, which she found -in her childhood and preserved to the end of her life. It is entitled -“What came of firing a gun.” A dead bird lies on the ground, and is -approached on the one side by a boy with a gun in his hand and on the -other by a horrified girl. It is not a great work of art, but it tells -its story and conveys its lesson. - -She never gave needless pain. She regarded all life as akin to the life -of God, and sacred with the imprint of God’s own image. She looked upon -all life that can suffer or enjoy, the life of bird and beast and fish, -as something on which it is a sin to inflict needless pain. - -From the time she saw, in her little girlhood, the killing of an ox, -and felt that the blow that struck and crushed its skull had struck her -own head, she never saw pain without feeling it. She could have said -with Whitman of the suffering she saw-- - - My wounds on me grow livid as I lean - Upon my staff and look. - -She did not merely sympathize with suffering; she suffered. She not -only was glad of other people’s joy; it was her joy. She rejoiced with -those that did rejoice and wept with those that wept. Not often do her -diaries record her weeping; and the tears she records as having shed -are oftener for others’ sorrows than for her own. Her sympathy was -genuine, and of the sort which can truly be called vicarious. She took -it upon herself. - -Her sympathies were so strong that she would have been useless in -the presence of danger and pain but for her remarkable self-control. -I asked her once how she acquired this, and she said it was simply -by forgetting herself. She saw something that needed to be done, and -went about the doing of it so promptly, so completely absorbed by the -necessity of it, that she forgot to be horrified by the sight of blood, -forgot to faint as timid females were supposed to do. Days and weeks -and months and years of it she would endure and never once give way. -Then would come a revulsion and a horror and a weakness and a collapse. -Again and again she held herself in hand through nervous strain that -would have crushed most women or men, and when it was all over went -nervously to pieces. - -It appears a pity that, being capable of maintaining her self-control -till the end of the crisis, she could not still have maintained it when -the need was over. But it was a part of her delicately strung organism -to bear any manner of strain while the need lasted, and then to snap. -The remarkable fact is, not that she ultimately gave way, but that she -endured so long and so much. - -Clara Barton was a woman to her finger-tips. Nothing that she saw or -suffered ever coarsened her or made her oblivious to the finer things -of life. Nothing that came of her association with men--and rough -men at that--made her anything less than a woman and a lady. She was -distinctly feminine. She had her own way of ignoring any incident -occurring in her presence at which she might have been expected to -be shocked, but of stickling at any trivial act which implied that -she was indifferent to proprieties. Teamsters, with their wagons deep -to the hubs in mud, might swear at their mules and she would never -hear it; but at night by the camp-fire she could rebuke with a quiet -and effective word or look the slightest approach to impropriety -of word or deed. She was no prude when she had a duty to perform, -and conventionalities meant little to her in the presence of human -need. But on her return to home life, she was gentle, ladylike, and a -stickler for proprieties. - -She had no love for the mannish woman. She was much in the society -of men. In many respects she preferred the society of men to that of -women. She entered into their joys and experiences appreciatively. But -in it all she was distinctly feminine. She was a woman always, a lady -always. People who expected to meet in her a big, aggressive female, -with a long stride and a heavy voice and a domineering attitude, were -amazed. She was a little, undemonstrative gentlewoman of the old school. - -One of Clara Barton’s most outstanding qualities was her almost -complete disregard of precedent. The fact that a thing had always been -done in a given way was evidence to her that it could be done again in -that fashion, but was of almost no value to her as proving that that -was the best way to do it. She always had faith in the possibility of -something better. It irritated her to be told how things always had -been done. She knew that a very large proportion of things that have -been done since the creation have been blunderingly done, and she was -always ready to listen to suggestions of better ways. Having once -decided upon a course that defied the tyranny of precedent, she held -true to her declaration of independence, and saw her experiment through. - -In this she was not reckless or iconoclastic. She simply forbade -herself the cheap luxury of a closed mind. If no better way presented -itself, she was content with the old way of doing. But she was -eager for any new thing that might improve upon the past. Hers was -preëminently a forward-looking mind and a soul with face ever toward -the sunrise. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -CLARA BARTON’S LAST YEARS - - -Clara Barton lived for eight years after her retirement from the Red -Cross. After her first disappointment and the giving-up of her dream -of exile in Mexico, her heart turned to a form of work which already -had been much upon her mind. In establishing the American Red Cross, -she had determined from the outset that it should be of use in peace -as well as in war. The conviction grew upon her that it should be -broadened still further so that its activities should not be confined -to periods of calamity, but that there should be established under its -direction various forms of community service. Particularly did she -desire that in every community there should be organizations for home -nursing and first aid to the injured. - -Before her retirement from the Red Cross, she had proposed to her -associates the addition of a First Aid Department as a part of its -activities. This did not seem to her board of control an advisable -field for the Red Cross to enter at that time. After her resignation -from the presidency of the American Red Cross, she organized the -“National First Aid Association of America,” which was incorporated -under the laws of the District of Columbia and had its general office -in Boston. The plan included a large sustaining membership with a -nominal fee of a dollar a year, and an active membership composed of -those in every community who attended a course of lectures and passed a -physical examination. - -The plan of this new organization, as originally planned by her for the -Red Cross, was fully set forth in a brief manuscript which she prepared: - - During the entire period of the present differences among sections of - the members of the American National Red Cross, I have never once felt - that it was the desire of the American people that I should personally - enter within the circle of disturbance, and I have consequently - remained a silent and sorrowful spectator of a controversy that - appeared to me to be leading where no true, loyal friend of the Red - Cross would care to follow. - - Every effort I have ever made on behalf of the people of the United - States, during the long years of my work, has been met with friendly - approval or thoughtful response. These efforts have always been made - on behalf of suffering humanity, in times of dire distress and peril, - and I have administered with a free but careful hand the benefactions - of whatever nature that have been entrusted to me; and as freely I - have given of all I possessed of strength, health, and private means. - - Never once have I made a suggestion on behalf of myself or my - difficulties, and I have therefore had the confidence to feel that - nothing was expected of me but a straightforward advance along the - natural path of my life-work. So certain have I been of this, and so - confident in the firm loyalty, safe counsel, and moral support of - the eminent help surrounding me, that I have felt free to devote my - energies during the past months to perfecting a plan for so broadening - and strengthening the organization of the Red Cross that it may enter - on a new field of useful activity--on a work that will appeal directly - to the people everywhere, and prepare them, in these times of peaceful - well-being, to meet intelligently and successfully any emergency or - disaster that may occur, either nationally or individually. It is - my desire that this new work shall be the means of creating ample - funds to meet any great national calamity, and that the Red Cross may - hereafter enter the field fully equipped at the instant the call may - come. - - In times past urgent calls have come to us and precious time has - been lost through lack of funds and suitable equipment. It is most - desirable that this condition should be remedied, and it is to this - end that I am making an appeal to the American people--_not for - their money nor their substance_, but that they _coöperate_ with me - earnestly in this new work: this effort to benefit themselves, that - I am endeavoring to inaugurate. It will be borne in mind that, in - the twenty years of its existence, the American National Red Cross - has never appealed, never asked for, or sought the control of, a - dollar even for relief; but has, as it seeks to do in this, left the - people free in the exercise of their own choice and intelligence. The - only apparent suspension of this method took place during the active - service of the Spanish-American War, when the great committees, formed - at the instance of President McKinley, raised money for relief, in - the name of the Red Cross, and applied it; the society itself holding - its normal position under the attorneyship of the noble Cuban Relief - Committee, which did honor to itself and the Nation. - - Can it be too much to expect that this one appeal will meet a ready - response at the hands of the people? - - We are actively organizing a new branch of the Red Cross, to be known - as “The First Aid Department” of the American National Red Cross, - which department will be largely educational and will concern itself - in instructing the people everywhere throughout the United States - in the best modern methods of first aid treatment, in all cases of - accident and emergency. - - There will be two distinct branches of this work. For the first an - emergency case, similar to that in use in England, Germany, and other - Red Cross Treaty Nations, and this has been adapted to Red Cross needs - and methods under the direct supervision of the Medical Board of the - Red Cross Hospital. It contains material and surgical dressings of - the best class known to modern surgery. A most valuable part of the - permanent equipment of this emergency case is a series of emergency - charts, arranged for instantaneous reference, giving simple brief - instructions for dealing with every conceivable case of accident, - pending the arrival of the doctor. This chart is the combined work of - a committee of eminent physicians and surgeons; and, apart from the - admirable manner of its arrangement, may be regarded as the highest - standard of authority upon first aid methods of treatment known to the - world. - - The other branch of the department will undertake the formation of - first aid emergency classes in every city in the country. Ambulance - corps will be formed among the employees of mills and factories, - industrial corporations, railroad employees, the police, and employees - of public departments. These employees will be drilled and instructed - in first aid methods, and, apart from the value of the knowledge they - will obtain for local use and service, they will form an efficient - force to draw from as helpers in great national calamities. - - These methods are in no way experimental. In many European countries, - as Germany, Russia, and even Asiatic Japan, they form one of the - strongest features of the Red Cross. They are also in perfect accord - with its first principles, viz., the voluntary help of the people for - the Government, if in need, and the organized help of the people for - each other in misfortune. - - This practical work in the united hands of the whole American people - should raise the organization far above the need of charitable gifts - for its support. The Red Cross belongs to the people; they should be - their own almoners and administer their own charities. - - The intelligent thought of the philanthropists of the world is behind - these methods; tried, well assured, and successful. Do we need to know - more? - - I make a strong appeal for the formation of local committees - everywhere; to coöperate with the headquarters staff of the First - Aid Department in the formation of classes. I appeal earnestly - to physicians in every town in the United States to render their - aid. Next to the stricken victim and immediate friends will the - kind-hearted doctor appreciate this timely and intelligent help. - - I appeal to every employer of labor throughout the country on behalf - of this movement. I need not remind him that it is a duty, for his - own kind heart will call him with a tender care to the welfare and - safety of those whom circumstances and conditions have, for the time - being, made his own. Their well-being is his, and protection from the - inevitable dangers surrounding them will be his first care. My own - convictions assure me that this appeal will be heard and responded to. - I have known my country people--their good judgment, good hearts, and - generous natures--too well to permit a moment’s doubt. - - We have established headquarters for this department at 31 East 17th - Street (Union Square), New York City, where all inquiries relative to - the Red Cross Emergency Corps and the formation of classes should be - addressed to the General Superintendent. - - The plan of organization includes the formation of a finance - committee, consisting of men of national reputation, who shall have - entire charge of the funds of the Red Cross. This course is made - necessary by the increased scope of the work contemplated, and also - because it is desirable, when one returns, worn and weary, from - a field of work, that no question shall arise as to the proper - distribution of funds. - - I offer no excuse for making this appeal, beyond the vast importance - of the work and the strong, ever-present desire to see that work which - has been a part of my life grow into a great beneficent institution - that shall be worthy of this country and its people; to see the Red - Cross a badge of honor and distinction, and to know that the time will - come when the active members of the American Red Cross will form the - Légion d’Honneur of the United States. - -This peace-time and year-round activity of the Red Cross was a part of -Clara Barton’s programme from the first. It was a distinctive feature -of the American Red Cross, as she planned it, that its operation -should not be limited to the battle-field. Her work in time of great -calamity was taken over by European organizations, which in time went -beyond the development of the Red Cross in America, and exhibited the -full practicability of what she from the outset had believed. When -she retired from the Red Cross, she took up this work as a separate -activity; and she lived long enough to see the Red Cross, no longer -under her direction, taking up a plan which she had long advocated. -She made a little smiling comment upon it in her diary, and wished it -success. - -It would have gratified Clara Barton exceedingly could she have known -that during and after the Great World War there would be organized -throughout America, under the direction of the American Red Cross, -classes for the training of people, especially women, in these and -kindred lines of service. It is one more illustration of the wisdom and -prevision of Clara Barton. - -The years following her retirement found her active in the work of -the Woman’s Relief Corps, of which she had long served as national -chaplain. She was also a guest of honor at two or more National Grand -Army encampments, and was everywhere hailed as the friend of the -soldier. During these years she seemed to grow younger rather than -older. When she was past eighty-four, a newspaper reporter described -her as “a middle-aged woman.” - -She made two visits to Chicago in her last years, and the visits did -not greatly weary her. The last of these visits was in May, 1910. She -was guest at a continuous round of engagements. At the May Festival of -the Social Economics Club, she shook hands with nearly two thousand -people. She attended a breakfast with eleven hundred guests and shook -hands with nearly all of them. - -The author of this volume holds this visit in happy memory. It occupied -three weeks, one of which Miss Barton spent in the home of her cousin, -the author. He accompanied her to a reception given in her honor at -Abraham Lincoln Center, and saw her safely on her way to a number of -other engagements which she had promised to attend. She met innumerable -friends, many of whom called at the house to see her, and she answered -scores of letters. She rose very early in the morning and sat at her -desk until late at night, and was always calm, strong, and resolute. - -She had promised to speak to the young people at their meeting on -Sunday evening; but when this arrangement became known there was a -demand for a wider hearing. She cheerfully consented to speak in the -large auditorium of the church on Sunday evening. Her voice was clear, -and filled the great room; every person present heard distinctly, -although she was almost ninety years of age. Nor did she forget to -tease her cousin a little over the fact that she spoke to more people -in the evening than he in the morning; though his morning congregation -was not a small one. - -Between her engagements were frequent opportunities during that week -for visits with her. She talked calmly about all her experiences. She -reviewed her work on the battle-field during the Civil War, and spoke -with deep interest of her experiences in Constantinople where she had -been near to the scene of the earlier work of Florence Nightingale. -She talked of her religious convictions, and of the faith with which -she was facing the future. She spoke in detail about the American -Red Cross. It is only just to her memory to record that in all her -conversation there was no word of bitterness or resentment, or any -approach to jealousy as she saw that organization moving forward under -the direction of others. - -She was happy, full of fun, gracious, considerate, and interested in -all that was going on in the world. When she sat in her chair at the -end of a strenuous day’s work, she rarely leaned back to touch the back -of the seat; she had a back of her own, she said. - -If the author could give to his readers a truthful impression of that -visit, it would be the best possible insight into the character of -Clara Barton. She combined in the rarest possible degree self-reliance -and modesty. She knew that the work which she had done was a great -work, but it confused her when any one told her so. She responded to -every suggestion of appreciation, but she grew shy whenever she heard -herself praised. Throughout the whole visit she manifested the finest -quality of the cultured gentlewoman. - -One thing she deeply regretted, and that was that her retirement had -not yet brought her sufficient leisure to sort her papers and prepare -for the writing of her biography. That such a book would be written she -fully realized, and she cared much who wrote it. She was perfectly well -in body and clear in mind, and what she hoped to do was to go through a -vast accumulation of manuscripts and make the task of writing an easier -one. - -The author urged her to write the book herself, and she hoped to -continue the work which she had begun and to write the story of her -life in short sections. One such section she wrote and it is quoted in -the first volume of this present work. But she found too much to do in -helping the lives of others to pay very much attention to the record of -her own life. - -So the years went by and her life-work was completed and her biography -remained unwritten. She was always thinking of another thing that -needed to be accomplished, and saying concerning it, “Until that work -is done, I cannot go to heaven.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -CLARA BARTON’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION - - -Clara Barton died young. Even to those who were near her, she never -seemed to grow old. At ninety there was no mark of physical infirmity -upon her, nor was there any slightest slackening in the interest of the -object for which so long she had cared. On her ninetieth birthday she -wrote to the Reverend Percy H. Hepler: - - Notwithstanding the much and more that has been said of “age” and all - the stress laid upon it, I could never see and have never been able - to understand how it came to be any business of ours. We have surely - no control over its beginning, and, unless criminally, none over its - ending. We can neither hasten nor arrest it, and how it is a matter - of individual commendation I have never been able to see. I have been - able to see painfully that the persistent marking of dates and adding - one milestone to every year has a tendency to increase the burden - of “age” and encourages a feeling of helplessness and release from - activities which might be a pleasure to the possessor. I have given - the exact age as recorded, lest I be suspected of trying to conceal - it, but I have never, since a child, kept a “birthday” or thought of - it only as a reminder by others. - - Somehow it has come to me to consider strength and activity, aided so - far as possible by right habits of life, as forming a more correct - line of limitations than the mere passing of years. - -Something similar to this she said to the author. She had no pride -in her great age; she did not like to be thought of as an old lady. -Years were to her merely opportunities of service, not measures of -life. Notwithstanding this attitude, which prolonged her life and -kept her young in spirit, Clara Barton was nearing the end of life’s -journey. She had a heavy cold in the winter of 1908 and 1909, but fully -recovered, and never seemed better in health than in the summer of 1910 -when she made her journey to Chicago referred to in the last chapter. -Unfortunately, she reached New England in a cold summer storm, which -seemed almost like sleet, and her exposure seriously weakened her. - -She returned to Glen Echo in August, but did not fully recover her -strength. That winter she had double pneumonia, and her physician told -her she had but one chance of life. “I will take that chance,” she said -calmly. She took that chance and recovered. - -But she did not grow strong again. The news of the death of her niece, -Mrs. Riccius, was a great shock to her. Her heart almost ceased to -beat. Always her concern for those whom she loved affected her more -than anything that could happen to her. - -In the summer of 1911 she made her last visit to Oxford. She made the -journey with no ill effects, but the summer did not bring her permanent -improvement. Long years of constant work and the serious illness of -the winter had caused a slight weakness in the muscular action of the -heart. Otherwise, her physicians could find no organic ailment. - -When she was at work in Galveston in 1900, she was seriously ill. Her -physician whispered to her nephew, Stephen, that she could live only a -few hours. She overheard the word, and calling Stephen to her whispered -to him, “I shall not die; don’t let them frighten you.” In that spirit -she had met the numerous predictions of her death in the various -illnesses of the years. - -But it was not so after the summer of 1911. She went back to Glen Echo -without her usual invigoration from her weeks in New England. - -Still she did not give up. She had periods of old-time vigor. Here is -an entry in her diary for Friday and Saturday, February 11 and 12, 1910: - - At night I fold the wash of Monday for ironing to-morrow. Up at six: - commenced ironing and continued till all was done, at one o’clock. - At night took the clothes from the frames and put them in place, and - felt that for once one thing was done as it should be. ’Twas finished - before leaving. - -She commented on the bad behavior of the Suffragettes, whom she -believed to be injuring their cause by unwomanly conduct. - -A week later: - - We moved the large desk to my chambers from the dining-room below. A - spacious desk it makes. One should be able to write a History of the - World with such accommodations. - -She was concerned for her old and faithful horse, Baba; and, when one -night he was out in pasture and it turned somewhat cold, she could not -sleep, but got up at four o’clock in the morning, fed Baba a full feed -of corn, and some fruit from the table, and went back to bed. - -Her diaries of 1907 had been neglected. She tried to bring them up to -date from her pencil notes: - - It seems to have been a hard year for me. It makes me tired to read it. - -That spring she trimmed the rosebushes and set out flowers. A fire -broke out in her room; the floor grew hot from the burning-out of the -soot in a sheet-iron drum; and she got water and wet the floor till -the chimney and pipe had burned out. - -She mourned over the death of Mark Twain: - - We have lost something very precious in his rich vein of humor. There - are losses that are never made good. We have not another Whittier, or - another Mark Twain. - -The diary for 1911 begins with the multitude of Christmas greetings -received and sent. The process took her several days and left her -very weary. This led her to reflect that she was kept so busy with -inconsequential writing that she had no time to do the writing she so -much wanted to do, her Life and the story of her work. - -She had an invitation from the “Review of Reviews” to write an article -on “Hospitals and Hospital Nurses of the Civil War.” She declined, on -the ground that she knew nothing about the subject! She had not been a -nurse, and did not pretend to write as if she had been. - -This was in January, 1911, and in February she had pneumonia, but -recovered. - -That summer she had two or more visits from a man who expressed himself -with great emphasis on the subject of the immodesty of woman’s dress; -she agreed with him, but felt it was hardly fair to talk to her as if -she were to blame or needed to be convinced. “But really, he is not -without provocation. Huge hats, dangerous hatpins, hobble and harem -skirts, and the conduct of the Suffragettes are hard to defend.” - -Most of her visitors just ran in from Washington, and ran away, -hurrying back to the city. One day an old friend came and spent the -afternoon and the night: - - This day has been extremely social. It is really refreshing to see a - man who has a little time, and not always in a rush with a watch in - his hand to catch the next train. I fail to believe that these nervous - persons accomplish the most, or are actually the best business men. - Hurry is a habit with them. They make every one uncomfortable with - their own selfish plans, and all are relieved to get them off and see - them go. - -In April she began to feel that she could take up and finish her -History of the Red Cross. - -In that month, Dr. Hubbell was grafting trees. She had always coveted -the learning of that art; so she took lessons in tree-grafting. Also, -she began to learn the use of the typewriter, at the age of eighty-nine. - -She was interested in the trial of the Los Angeles dynamiters; in -the activity of Mr. Bryan, whom she wished the Democrats might have -sense enough to nominate; and, if a Democrat had to be elected, she, a -Republican, wished it might be he. - -She read a “Life” of the Brontë sisters. She read in good English -translations “The Apology” of Socrates, the address of Xenophon to -his army, some of the orations of Demosthenes, and other good old -literature. She read the daily papers, and commented on all important -current happenings. - -She provided a final home for Baba, eighty miles away in Virginia, bade -him a fond farewell, and sent money regularly to keep him well fed. - -In May she wrote her will; the same will that was probated a few months -later. - -She commented on the great Suffrage parade in London, with satisfaction -that the cause of Woman Suffrage was gaining, but with rather sad -reflection that, fallible as men were, she had found women even more -so; and she thought suffrage would be a blessing, but not an unmixed -blessing. - -She salted down eggs in early summer, and in the late fall they were -candled and found good. She oversaw the management of her household, -and part of the time she did her own cooking, in this, her last summer. - -These citations are given, not because they are important in -themselves, but because they give little glimpses of her life in her -last few months. Certainly she did not permit herself to rust out in -mind or body. A physical examination after her recovery from pneumonia -in 1911 found her with every bodily organ sound, but with a pulse -somewhat easily disturbed. - -On Christmas, 1911, her ninetieth birthday, she sent to the world -through the press this message: - - Please deliver for me a message of peace and good-will to all the - world for Christmas. I am feeling much better to-day, and have every - hope of spending a pleasant and joyful Christmas, my ninetieth - birthday. - -Her hope was fulfilled and she celebrated her ninetieth Christmas with -quiet but cheerful festivities. - -As the rigor of winter came on, she was taken again with double -pneumonia. In the weeks that followed, hope alternated with fear, -until, on April 12, 1912, at nine o’clock in the morning, she cried -out, “Let me go; let me go,” and the earthly life of Clara Barton came -to its close. - -A few days before she died, she talked with her nephew, Stephen, -concerning her funeral, and chose for herself the principal speakers. -She desired that her long-time and trusted friend, Mrs. John A. Logan, -should say the principal words in a preliminary service to be held in -Glen Echo, and that at the main funeral service to be held in Oxford, -the chief speakers should be her friend the Reverend Percy Epler, and -her cousin, the Reverend William E. Barton. She mentioned others as -those whom she would be glad to have share in the services, and her -wishes were carried out. - -On Sunday afternoon a brief service was held at Glen Echo. The -Reverend John Van Schaick, Jr., pastor of the “Church of our Father,” -Universalist, of Washington, read the Scripture and offered prayer. - -The Reverend W. W. Curry, a veteran of the Civil War, paid her a brief -and heartfelt tribute, which was followed by three addresses, by -Chaplain Coudon, of the House of Representatives, Mrs. John A. Logan, -and the Honorable Peter V. De Graw. - -The body reached Oxford in the early morning of April 16th, accompanied -by Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Barton; Francis Atwater, of Meriden, -Connecticut; Dr. Eugene Underhill, President of the Nurses’ College -of Philadelphia; and Dr. Julian B. Hubbell. It had long since become -apparent that no church in Oxford would contain the congregation. The -service was held in Memorial Hall, which was filled to overflowing, -and it was estimated that as many as five hundred people were unable -to secure admission. Delegations were present from many cities, and -representatives of various patriotic organizations were in attendance. -Floral tributes had been received from many parts of the Nation, and a -magnificent wreath was sent by the Grand Duchess of Baden. The casket -was almost hidden with flowers. Above it was a great red cross made of -carnations, and upon the casket was a large bouquet of red roses, the -flowers which all her life she most had loved and which had belonged to -her family since the days of the Wars of the Roses. - -Appropriate music was rendered by the Schumann Quartet of Boston, -who sang sympathetically Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar.” The opening -words of Scripture, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” and of the -comforting sentences, “Let not your heart be troubled,” were recited by -the Reverend William E. Barton. - -The Reverend John P. Marvin read the Bible lesson. Mrs. Allen L. Joslyn -read a beautiful tribute from the Town of Oxford, and Mr. J. Brainard -Hall, of Worcester, a veteran of the Civil War, represented the Woman’s -Relief Corps in a tribute which included the placing of a silk flag -upon her breast as she lay in the casket. - -The two formal addresses were then delivered by the ministers whom she -had chosen, the Reverend Percy E. Epler, pastor of the Adams Square -Congregational Church of Worcester, and the Reverend William E. Barton, -of Oak Park, Illinois. - -For an hour after the service, the people filed through the hall and -past the casket for a last look at her face. - -The body was then borne to the hearse, escorted by a guard of the Grand -Army of the Republic, its chaplain, H. A. Philbrook, and the color -sergeant leading the procession. - -The North Oxford Cemetery has a beautiful and sightly elevation, -containing the largest lot in the enclosure where for generations the -Bartons have been buried. There her body was laid to rest, the hands of -old soldiers lowering it to its last resting-place. - -It was a glorious day in the spring. The services had begun at one -o’clock, and, as the procession entered the cemetery, the sun was -near its setting. The cemetery was thronged with people, the crowd -containing many who had been unable to secure admission to the hall. -The music in the hall had been rendered by a male quartet. Clara Barton -had never cared greatly for music, but the music that she liked best -was that rendered by male voices or sung heartily by a congregation. In -the cemetery one hymn was sung, “Nearer, my God, to Thee,” the whole -great congregation joining in the singing. - -[Illustration: - - CLARA BARTON - - “ANGEL OF THE BATTLEFIELD” - CIVIL WAR 1861-1865 - FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 1870-1871 - SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 1898 - ORGANIZER AND PRESIDENT OF THE - AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS - 1881--1904 - - DEC. 25, 1821--April 12, 1912 - -IN THE CEMETERY AT OXFORD] - -A prayer was offered by a blind soldier, Chaplain Simmons, of Worcester. - -The closing scene can hardly be described. Dr. Barton took his place at -the head of the grave, holding in his hand a large bunch of red roses, -and the place at the foot of the grave was taken by the Reverend Doctor -Tyler, “Father Tyler,” a venerable and saintly man, who had buried the -fathers and mothers of the Barton family in Oxford. He stood with his -long white beard and silver hair irradiated by the sunset; and, in a -voice tender, and reverent and comforting, spoke the following words: - - In the few words with which I am to close this service, I shall - indulge in no repetition of what has been said, and so well said, - by the principal speakers on this occasion, eulogistic of the life - and the life-work of the most celebrated woman of the world, whose - mortal remains we have here deposited in the resting-place of her - choice, among the beloved of her family. My thought will lead you in - another direction, which has hardly been alluded to, if at all, in the - eloquent addresses to which we have listened. - - As we look into the grave and bid farewell to the mortal remains of - Clara Barton, we instinctively are led to ask ourselves, “Where is - Clara Barton who for more than ninety years made them the agencies - of her great work in the world?” The life, the spirit, the soul--has - that been destroyed by death? Does utter annihilation follow the - development and growth of such a life? - - As a Christian minister I feel I give a voice to the scriptural - revelation of life and immortality when I say emphatically, “No!” She - still lives! She has entered the pearly gates of the Holy City and is - now walking the golden streets of the New Jerusalem! She has been born - again into the newer life, as Christ taught the inquiring Pharisee, - and our aged friend is now among the youngest of the Immortals! - - I feel that while the Nation mourns because of her going, all heaven - is rejoicing because of her coming! This great gathering of friends - who sorrowfully bid her good-bye is but typical of the greater - multitude of friends who have gone before her, and who, with smiling - faces and extended hands, have given her a heavenly welcome. In a - little while, after the pain of our grief has softened, we shall be - glad, and bless God that He has taken her to Himself. - - Now we know nothing, or but little, of the vocations and employments - of the eternal life; except concerning the angels as “ministering - spirits” they are nowhere revealed; but reasoning from analogy I am - convinced that as doing is necessary to our happiness here, so a busy - activity must be essential to the happiness of Heaven. In this regard - we may be assured that Clara Barton will not be found wanting. - - And so by faith beholding her as a happy spirit in the glorious life - to which she has been promoted, we may all join in giving to these - relics of her earthly life, as they peacefully rest for always in - their last home, a heartfelt, loving - - Good-Bye! - - -At the close of this brief and touching address, Dr. Barton spoke the -words of committal; and, as he uttered, “Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” -dropped upon the lowered casket the large red roses, and pronounced the -benediction. - -Just then a mother stepped up and whispered, “My little girl was born -in Clara Barton’s birthplace; in the very room where she was born. Will -you baptize her, and will you do it now?” - -“Bring her to me,” said the minister, “and I will christen her ‘Clara -Barton.’” - -So the name was bestowed in that hour upon another little girl, whose -parents sought that the spirit that had lived in Clara Barton might -live again in the life of their own daughter. - -Two years from the following summer, the world witnessed a desolating -war, and the months that followed wrought their inevitable destiny -by plunging America into the seething conflict. Long before America -formally entered the fight, the American Red Cross was active in -measures of relief for the sorrowing nations of Europe. When, at -length, the United States itself entered the war, the Red Cross blazed -forth in every community between the oceans. Churches and town halls -and private homes became dépôts where supplies were collected, bandages -rolled, and workers trained. Hospitals, in our own country and along -the battle-front, were erected and equipped. To them went thousands of -American young women, each one of them wearing, on her arm or cap, the -symbol which Clara Barton brought back to her own land after the close -of the Franco-Prussian War. In their heroism and their deeds of mercy, -Clara Barton lived again. - - -THE END - - - - -INDEX - - - Acquia Creek, I: 168, 209, 273. - - Alcott, Louisa M., I: 47. - - Amidon, George H., I: 314. - - Andrew, Gov. John A., I: 156, 159, 160. - - Andrews, B. P., II: 162. - - Anthony, Susan B., I: 1. - - Appia, Dr. Louis, II: 5, 11, 120; - letters from Clara Barton, 121, 130 _seq._; - letter to Clara Barton, 124. - - Armenia, II: 244. - - Arogo, transport, I: 240. - - Arthur, Chester A., expresses interest in Red Cross, II: 162; - recommends Red Cross treaty, 164, 188, 192. - - Atlantic Monthly, quoted, I: 143. - - Atwater, Dorence, I: 2, 317 _seq._; - arrested and imprisoned, 322 _seq._; - his list printed in New York Tribune, 327; - his subsequent life, 327. - - - Bardwell, Rev. Horatio, I: 57. - - Barker, Miss Louise, I: 60. - - Barton, Ada, I: 133. - - Barton, Anna, wife of Edmund, I: 13. - - Barton, Augustine de, I: 10. - - Barton, Clara, her autobiography, I: 1 _seq._; - her ancestry, 9 _seq._; - her parents, 16 _seq._; - her childhood, 19 _seq._; - her timidity, 20; - her education, 20 _seq._; - her dog, Button, 26; - her fondness for verses, 26; - her skill as a horsewoman, 27; - her horse, Billy, 30; - her presence at the killing of an ox, 34; - her youth, 36 _seq._; - her illness in childhood, 37; - nurse of her brother David, 37; - ceased to grow at 12, 38; - learned to weave, 38; - how she kept the Sabbath, 39; - did not learn to dance, 42; - a child’s party, 43; - her books, 48; - her first experience as a teacher, 50; - her “waifish dresses,” 56; - at Clinton Institute, 60; - teacher at Bordentown, 62; - her home letters, 68 _seq._; - her verses on the steamboat, 75; - her lovers, 76 _seq._; - her too great sensitiveness, 20, 85; - her work in the Patent Office, 89 _seq._; - her styles of handwriting, 91; - her home letters, 94-101; - cares for soldiers of Sixth Massachusetts, 107; - at Battle of Bull Run, 119; - her relations with her family, 131 _seq._; - visit to New England in December, 1861, 136; - return to Washington with supplies, 137; - letter to Frances Childs, 141-44; - her father’s last sickness, 145 _seq._; - letter to her brother Stephen, 147 _seq._; - decided to give herself to work at the battle-front, 154, 157; - letter after Fredericksburg quoted, 154; - letter to Gov. John A. Andrew, 158; - her father’s death and burial, 161-63; - her disappointment concerning permission to go to the front, 164; - permission and passes obtained, 164; - started for the front, 167; - letter to Corporal Poor, 169; - at Culpeper, or Cedar Mountain, 172 _seq._; - another letter to Corporal Poor, 174; - at Second Bull Run, 175 _seq._; - letter to sister Julia, 192; - starts for Harper’s Ferry, 194 _seq._; - at Antietam, 199 _seq._; - at Fredericksburg, 212 _seq._; - letter to Vira Stone, 212 _seq._; - how she dressed at the front, 220, 221; - received a box from Anna Childs, 221 _seq._; - at Hilton Head, S.C., 225 _seq._; - witnesses futile attempt to capture Ft. Sumter, 238; - serenaded as the Florence Nightingale of America, 242; - her views of peace and patriotism, 245-48; - her requisition for a flatiron, 248; - witnessed assault on Ft. Wagner, 248-50; - sick in summer of 1863, 250 _seq._; - met with official arrogance, 254; - declined to criticize Dorothea Dix, 255 _seq._; - her position in Patent Office, 258 _seq._; - returned to Washington, 262; - at Worcester, 263; - listened to H. W. Beecher, 263; - her political views in 1864, 264-68; - listened to George Thompson, 269; - her change of opinion concerning John Brown, 269; - at Spotsylvania and Wilderness, 272 _seq._; - returns to Washington to better care for soldiers, 278-79; - why she did not work under Commissions, 280; - returns to Washington in 1864, 282; - appointed superintendent of nurses, Army of the James, 282 _seq._; - describes Fourth of July celebration, 283-85; - letters to Frances Childs Vassall and Annie Childs, 286-96; - describes death of her brother Stephen, 298-99; - her verses on “The Women Who Went to the Field,” 301-03; - drew her salary as clerk in the Patent Office till August, 1865, - 304; - at Andersonville, 304 _seq._; - appointed by President Lincoln to find missing soldiers, 305; - assisted in her work by Pres. Andrew Johnson, 307-09; - approved and passes issued by Gen. Grant, 309-10; - sometimes had greater success than missing men desired, 311-13; - letter from grateful soldier, 313-14; - four years in work for missing men, 316; - appointed by Secretary Stanton to visit Andersonville, 317 _seq._; - devotes herself to release of Dorence Atwater, 321-25; - publishes his lists in _New York Tribune_, 326; - wanted to write a book, 328-33; - chose lecture platform instead, 342 _seq._; - her finances, 340-41; - bought a new home, 347; - nervous breakdown, 348; - first voyage to Europe, II: 1; - first knowledge of the Red Cross, 2; - in Switzerland, 8; - in Corsica, 8; - in Berne, 9; - accepts invitation to serve Red Cross in Franco-Prussian War, 11 - _seq._; - at Basle, 12; - at Mülhausen, 14; - at Strassburg, 17; - at Carlsruhe, 19; - letter to Frances Childs Vassall, 23; - at Paris, 31; - at Lyons, 32; - at Carlsruhe, 40; - at Belforte, 44; - declines gift and receives annuity, 53; - letter to her sister Sarah, 55; - at Montbéliard, 56; - in Italy, 64; - in London, 65; - at Isle of Wight, 73 _seq._; - in London, 77; - letter to Mrs. Vassall, 79; - letter to Bernard Barton Vassall, 81; - letter to Mamie Barton Stafford, 83; - returns to America, 84; - only person in America in 1873 wearing Red Cross, 88; - the nature of her sickness, 89-91; - letter to Mr. Dwight, 91-92; - at Dansville Sanitarium, 92 _seq._; - letter to John D. De Frieze, 93; - letter to the Grand Duchess of Baden, 95-100; - recovery of health, 100 _seq._; - letter to Mamie Stafford, 104; - letter to German professor, 106; - receives ovation on Memorial Day, 112; - letter to Dr. Louis Appia, 121; - his reply, 124; - further correspondence, 130 _seq._; - first pamphlet concerning Red Cross, 139; - her first attempt at publicity, 145-46; - correspondence with Pres. Garfield, 147-49; - interview with James G. Blaine, 149 _seq._; - interview with Robert T. Lincoln, 151; - letter from James G. Blaine approving Red Cross, 154; - her first public announcement of the Red Cross, 157; - elected president American Red Cross, 159; - organizes first local Red Cross society in America, 162; - interviews President Arthur, 163; - appears before Senate Committee, 164; - first work of American Red Cross, 169; - encounters opposition of rival organizations, 172 _seq._; - visits State Department, 179 _seq._; - sees the Red Cross Treaty, 179-81; - receives news of adoption of Treaty, 184; - in Mississippi floods, 196 _seq._; - becomes matron at Sherborn, 199-214; - her love of the color of red, 218, 347; - Louisiana tornado, 220; - Ohio River floods, 221; - Texas famine, 224; - Mount Vernon tornado, 228; - yellow fever epidemic, 229; - Johnstown, 231; - Sea Islands hurricane, 240; - Armenia, 244; - in Constantinople, 248; - decorated by Sultan, 254; - attended International Conference at Geneva, 260; - introduced the “American Amendment,” 261; - letter from Louise, Grand Duchess of Baden, 264; - letter to Mamie Stafford, 268; - address at Wellesley, 270; - is pressed for money for expenses of Red Cross, 271; - accepts Red Cross Farm, 272 _seq._; - in Cuba, 280-93; - receives thanks of Congress, 293; - at Galveston, 294; - at St. Petersburg, 296; - friction in Red Cross, 298; - Committee of Investigation, 300; - resigns from Red Cross, 300; - considers removal to Mexico, 301; - at home, 307-16; - her religion, 317-25; - her personality, 326-60; - her last years, 361-68; - her death, 369-74; - her funeral, 374-78; - her resurrection, 379. - - Barton, Clarissa Harlowe, aunt of Clara Barton, I: 15. - - Barton, David, brother of Clara, I: 20, 31; - his accident, 38; - his marriage, 53, 54; - letters of Clara to, 70 _seq._, 111, 225; - letter from, concerning her home life, 199, 200. - - Barton, Dolly, I: 15. - - Barton, Dorothy, sister of Clara, I: 132. - - Barton, Dorothy Moore, wife of Dr. Stephen, I: 14. - - Barton, Lady Editha, I: 10. - - Barton, Edmund, I: 13. - - Barton, Edward, of Salem, I: 11. - - Barton, Elijah Moore, I: 14, 15. - - Barton, Elizabeth Rich, wife of Stephen (brother of Clara), I: 132. - - Barton, Gideon, I: 14. - - Barton, Hannah, I: 15. - - Barton, Hannah, wife of Samuel, I: 12. - - Barton, Ida, I: 133. - - Barton, Dr. John, I: 11. - - Barton, Julia, wife of David, her marriage, I: 54; - her interest in Clara’s wardrobe, 56; - letters of Clara to, 94-100. - - Barton, Sir Leysing de, I: 9. - - Barton, Luke, I: 15. - - Barton, Mamie, niece of Clara, _see_ Stafford, Mrs. John. - - Barton, Martha, wife of Edward, I: 10. - - Barton, Matthew de, I: 10. - - Barton, Pamela, I: 15. - - Barton, Polly, I: 15. - - Barton, Samuel, of Framingham, I: 11, 12. - - Barton, Samuel, nephew of Clara, letter to her, I: 145; - letter from her, 227. - - Barton, Sarah, sister of Clara, _see_ Vassall, Mrs. Vester. - - Barton, Sarah Stone, mother of Clara, I: 17; - taught Clara to make pies, 36; - her death, 62; - Clara’s love for, 134. - - Barton, Dr. Stephen, grandfather of Clara, I: 14. - - Barton, Captain Stephen, father of Clara, I: 15, 16 _seq._; - Clara’s reference in her letters, 111; - his children, 132; - Clara’s love for him, 134; - last sickness, 145 _seq._; - encouraged his daughter Clara to go to the front, 154, 157; - his death, 161, 162; - funeral, 162. - - Barton, Stephen, brother of Clara, I: 30; - letter of Clara to, 91 _seq._; - in North Carolina, 101; - letter of Clara to, 102 _seq._; - his marriage, 132; - letter of Clara to, 147 _seq._, 225; - his capture, rescue, and death, 297-300. - - Barton, Stephen E., nephew of Clara, on Clara Barton’s lovers, I: 77; - letter of Clara to, 278; - in work for Cuba, 283, 370. - - Barton, Rev. William E., visited by Clara, II: 366; - conducts Clara’s funeral service, 320, 376; - baptises a little girl at Clara’s funeral, 379. - - Barton family, its origin and history, I: 9 _seq._ - - Bartonville, N. C., named for Stephen, I: 132. - - Basle, Clara Barton in, II: 11. - - Bastian, G., II: 162. - - Belle Plaine, Clara Barton at, I: 278. - - Bellows, Rev. H. W., I: 3; II: 2, 4, 117 _seq._, 165, 166, 353. - - Berne, Clara Barton in, II: 9. - - Bickerdyke, “Mother,” I: 296, 343. - - Bismarck, correspondence with Clara Barton, II: 20. - - Blaine, James G., II: 2, 149 _seq._; - letter to Clara Barton approving Red Cross, 153; - letter from Gustave Moynier, 154; - endorsement of Red Cross, 157; - submits recommendation on Treaty of Geneva, 163; - Clara Barton’s letter to, 201, 202; - assists in Russian famine, 239. - - Blaine, Walker, II: 159. - - Bordentown, N.J., where Clara Barton taught, I: 53, 62. - - Bowles, Charles S. P., II: 2, 117. - - Breck, T. S., Asst. Adj. Gen., I: 310. - - Bridges, Edward, I: 12. - - Brown, John, I: 101-03. - - Brush, A. P., II: 162. - - Buchanan, President James, I: 98. - - Bull Run, Battle of, I: 119 _seq._; - Second Bull Run, 175 _seq._ - - Bunnell, Mark J., II: 162. - - Burnside, Gen. Ambrose E., II: 30. - - Butler, Gen. B. F., Commander of Army of the James and friend of Clara - Barton, I: 282; - failed to secure Cabinet appointment, 339-41; - appoints Clara Barton superintendent at Sherborn, 205. - - Butler, M. C., II: 242. - - - Cameron, Simon, I: 128. - - Canfield, Mrs. S. A. M., II: 159, 198. - - Carlsruhe, Clara Barton at, II: 19, 40. - - Cedar Mountain, battle of, I: 172, 173. - - Chantilly, battle of, I: 179. - - Childs, Anna, letter to, I: 104; - letters of Clara Barton to, 221, 290-96; II: 32, 347. - - Childs, B. W., I: 109. - - Childs, Frances, _see_ Vassall, Mrs. B. B. - - Clinton Institute (N.Y.), where Clara Barton attended school, I: 157. - - Colvin, Mrs. Mary, II: 162. - - Conger, Omar D., II: 152, 167, 170, 198. - - Constantinople, Clara Barton in, II: 248. - - Corsica, Clara Barton in, II: 8. - - Cuba, Clara Barton in, II: 280-93. - - Culpeper, battle of, I: 173. - - - Dahlgren, Admiral John, I: 249. - - Dansville, Clara Barton at, II: 92 seq.; - first local organization of Red Cross, 93; - gives ovation to Clara Barton, 112. - - Davis, Hon. John, II: 193. - - Davis, J. C. B., II: 198. - - De Frieze, John D., letter of Clara Barton to, II: 93. - - De Witt, Col. Alexander, I: 89, 90, 95, 156. - - Diggles, Jonas, I: 192. - - Diggles, William, I: 192. - - Dix, Dorothea Lynde, superintendent of Army nurses, outline of her - work, I: 230-37; 296; - did not love publicity, 328-29; - did not desire to be imitated, 329; 343. - - Douglass, Frederick, II: 198. - - Dunant, J. Henri, II: 4; - establishment of Red Cross, 116. - - Dunn, Dr., I: 200. - - Dwight, Edward, II: 44, 50, 54, 91. - - Dwight, Rev. H. O., II: 244, 252, 255. - - - Eddy, Mrs. Mary Baker, II: 318. - - Edmunds, Hon. George F., II: 163, 179. - - Ellsworth, Elmer, I: 116. - - Elwell, Gen. J. G., I: 241 _seq._, 249 _seq._, 251. - - Elwell, J. K., II: 283. - - Epler, Rev. Percy H., author of biography of Clara Barton, II: 319; - at Clara Barton’s funeral, 320. - - - Falmouth, Va., I: 210. - - Faulkner, Mrs. James, II: 162. - - Faulkner, Riley, Ohio soldier, I: 219. - - Ferry, Thomas W., II: 164. - - Field, Father, of the Cowley Fathers, II: 352. - - Fitts, Nancy, schoolmate of Clara Barton, I: 24. - - Fletcher, Dr. J. W., I: 161. - - Fogg, George P., II: 2, 117. - - Fowler, L. W., I: 46 _seq._, 50. - - Franco-Prussian War, II: 11 _seq._ - - Franklin, Gen. William B., I: 197, 214. - - Fredericksburg, battle of, I: 154 _seq._ - - Frelinghuysen, Hon. F. T., II: 189, 192, 260. - - Fremont, Gen. John C., I: 98. - - French, Alice, II: 239. - - - Gallagher, Thomas E., II: 162. - - Galpin, Mrs. L. Q., II: 162. - - Galveston, tornado at, II: 294. - - Garfield, President James A., II; 3, - 147-49; - nominates Clara Barton President of Red Cross, 157, 159; - assassinated, 160. - - Garnett, A. Y. P., II: 159, 198. - - Glen Echo, Red Cross headquarters, II: 307. - - Golay family, II: 8. - - Gough, John B., advises Clara Barton to lecture, I: 342. - - Grant, Gen. U. S., requests printing of Clara Barton’s lists, I: 309; - issues passes for her, 310. - - Greeley, Horace, publishes Dorence Atwater’s lists at Clara Barton’s - request, I: 326. - - Green, Rev. Joseph K., II: 253-55. - - Gregor, Alexander, II: 239. - - - Hale, Judge Robert, I: 86. - - Hall, J. Brainard, II: 376. - - Hamilton, Charles, I: 180. - - Hamlin, Rev. Cyrus, II: 253. - - Hill, Hon. Benjamin H., II: 164. - - Hinton, R. J., II: 159. - - Hitchcock, Dr. Alfred, I: 161. - - Hitchcock, Gen. E. A., letter appointing Clara Barton for search of - missing men, I: 306; 309. - - Hitz, John, II: 3, 346. - - Hoffman, Gen. William, I: 309. - - Hooker, Gen. Joseph, I: 197, 200, 214. - - Horr, Hon. George A., II: 167. - - Hosmer, F. J., letter from, I: 313-14. - - Howard, Gen. O. O., I: 201. - - Howe, Julia Ward, “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” I: 144; - Clara Barton’s comment on, II: 328. - - Hubbell, Dr. Julian B., II: 216, 220-21, 240, 251, 260, 290, 329. - - Hunter, Gen. David, I: 241, 243. - - - Jackson, Chaplain, I: 189. - - Jackson, Rev. E. W., I: 170. - - Jackson, Dr. J. H., II: 162. - - Jackson, P. T., II: 50-52. - - Jackson, Gen. Stonewall, I: 173. - - Johnson, President Andrew, orders - printing of lists at request of Clara Barton, I: 307-09. - - Johnson, Mrs. Fannie B., II: 162. - - Johnston, John W., II: 164. - - Johnstown flood, II: 231 _seq._ - - Joslyn, Mrs. A. L., II: 326. - - - Kansas and the slavery question, I: 98, 104. - - Kearny, Gen. Phil, I: 188. - - Kennan, George, II: 156, 159. - - Klopsch, Louis, II: 283. - - Knapp, Rev. George P., II: 253. - - - Lacy House, Fredericksburg, I: 211, 214. - - Lamb, Capt. Samuel T., I: 241. - - Lapham, Hon. Elbridge G., I: 164, 179, 184. - - Lawrence, William, II: 159. - - Learned family, I: 13 _seq._ - - Lee, Gen. Robert E., I: 209. - - Leggett, Gen. M. D., I: 249. - - Lincoln, Abraham, inaugurated, I: 105 _seq._; - promised to free the slaves, 199; - appoints Clara Barton to find missing soldiers, 305, 336, 337. - - Lincoln, Robert T., Clara Barton’s interview with, II: 151. - - Logan, Mrs. John A., II: 374. - - London, Clara Barton in, II: 8, 77. - - Loring, George B., II: 159. - - Louisiana tornado, II: 220. - - Louise, Grand Duchess of Baden, II: 19; - letter of Clara Barton to, 95-100; - letter to Clara Barton, 264. - - Lowell, James Russell, quoted, I: 143. - - - Maine, sinking of the, II: 285 _seq._ - - Margot, Antoinette, II: 14 _seq._, 40 _seq._, 56, 262. - - Marvin, Rev. John P., II: 376. - - Mason, Hon. Charles, I: 90. - - McClellan, Gen. George B., I: 199, 209. - - McDowell, Gen. Irvin, I: 179. - - McKinley, President William, Message to Congress, in appreciation of - Clara Barton, II: 293. - - Meighan, T. W., Clara Barton’s letter to, I: 245 _seq._ - - Menseur, Rev. Mr., teacher of Clara Barton, I: 24. - - Miller, Hon. John, II: 163. - - Moore family, I: 13, 15. - - Morgan, Benjamin, II: 35. - - Morgan, Hon. J. T., II: 164. - - Morris Island, Clara Barton at, I: 250. - - Mount Vernon tornado, II: 228. - - Moynier, Gustave, II: 120; - letter to J. G. Blaine, 154, 190. - - Mülhausen, II: 14, 17. - - Mussey, R. D., II: 159, 198. - - - Norton family, I: 62. - - - Ohio River floods, II: 220. - - - Parthia, steamship, Clara Barton on, II: 84-87. - - Patrick, Gen. John H., I: 218. - - Peet, Rev. W. W., II: 248, 252, 253. - - Philbrick, H. A., II: 376. - - Phrenology, I: 46. - - Pierce, Dr. Delano, I: 29. - - Pierce, President Franklin, I: 89. - - Poor, Corporal Leander, I: 169, 225, 241. - - Pope, Gen. John, I: 179. - - Pratt, Major E. H., II: 162. - - Proctor, Hon. Redfield, II: 298 _seq._ - - - Red Cross, Clara Barton’s first knowledge of, II: 1, 11; - first pamphlet concerning, 139-43; - birth of movement, 144 _seq._; - her first attempt at publicity, 145-46; - in forest fires of Michigan, 169; - in Mississippi floods, 196; - in subsequent disasters, 219-58; - friction in, 298 _seq._; - Clara Barton resigns from, 300; - incarnates her spirit, 379. - - Reno, Gen. Jesse L., I: 197. - - Riccius, Ida Barton, II: 199; - letter of Clara Barton to, 275. - - Roosevelt, President Theodore, II: 298. - - Roses, Wars of the, I: 10. - - Rucker, Gen. D. H., I: 167, 207, 227, 273, 308. - - Russian famine, II: 237. - - - Sanitary Commission, I: 168. - - Schoppe, Rev. Mr., II: 318. - - Sea Islands hurricane, II: 240. - - Sears, Gen. William H., II: 299. - - Seward, Frederick H., II: 150. - - Seymour, Gen. Truman, I: 264, 266. - - Shaw, Col. Robert G., I: 249. - - Sheldon, Hon. Joseph, II: 260. - - Sheldon family, II: 64, 74. - - Sherborn, Clara Barton at, II: 199-214. - - Sherburne, Adj. Gen. John P., I: 316. - - Simmons, Charles E., I: 190. - - Sliney, William F., II: 159. - - Smith, Mrs. Mary R., II: 162. - - Solomons, A. S., II: 159. - - South Mountain, battle of, I: 197. - - Spain, war with, II: 290. - - Spotsylvania, battle of, I: 272 _seq._ - - Stafford, Mrs. John (Mamie Barton), letter of Clara to, II: 83; 104; - 268. - - Stanton, Edwin M., appoints Clara Barton to visit Andersonville, - I: 317-20. - - Stone family, I: 17. - - Stone, Colonel, teacher of Clara Barton, I: 26. - - Stone, Vira, I: 212, 213. - - Strassburg, Clara Barton in, II: 11. - - Stratford-on-Avon, Clara Barton visits, II: 84. - - Strobel, P. A., II: 162. - - Sturgis, S. D., II: 159. - - Sullivan, W. S., II: 260. - - Sumner, Hon. Charles, I: 98. - - Sumter, Fort, attempt to recapture, I: 238. - - Suydam, Mr., chairman Bordentown School Board, I: 62, 63. - - Sweet, George A., II: 162. - - - Taylor family, II: 64, 73. - - Terrell, Hon. A. W., II: 325. - - Texas famine, II: 224 _seq._ - - Thayer, Eli, I: 104, 105. - - Thompson, Rev. George, address in Washington, I: 269, 270. - - Tillinghast, B. F., II: 239. - - Tillman, Gov. Benjamin, II: 242. - - Tilton, Theodore, presides at Clara Barton’s lecture, I: 344. - - Tolstoy, Count, II: 239. - - Torrey, Susan, teacher of Clara Barton, I: 24. - - Trask, Spencer, II: 245. - - Treaty of Geneva, II: 161 _seq._; 188 _seq._ - - Tribune, New York, I: 326; II: 22. - - Tufts, Gardiner, I: 174. - - Tyler, Rev. Dr., II: 320, 377. - - - Universalist Church, in Oxford, I: 39 _seq._; - that of Clara Barton’s parents, 317. - - Upton, Mr. and Mrs., II: 9. - - - Vanderlip, J. A., II: 162. - - Vassall, Bernard Barton, I: 133; - letter of Clara Barton to, II: 81. - - Vassall, Mrs. Bernard Barton, formerly Frances Childs, teacher with - Clara at Bordentown, I: 65; - her memories, 66 _seq._; - Clara’s letters to, 114; - describes Clara’s Washington home, 121; - her marriage, 133; - letter of Clara to, 141; - description of Clara Barton’s attire, 221; - letters of Clara Barton to, 286-89; II: 23, 36, 77. - - Vassall, Irving, I: 134. - - Vassall, Mrs. Vester, Clara Barton’s sister Sarah, I: 133; II: 56, 65; - sickness and death, 89. - - Venice, Clara Barton in, II: 64, 72. - - Verona, Clara Barton in, II: 71. - - Voris, Gen. Alvin C., I: 249. - - - Wagner, Fort, assault on, I: 248. - - Ward, George K., II: 162. - - Washburn, Dr. George, II: 253. - - Wellesley, Clara Barton at, II: 270. - - Wells, Rev. C. M., I: 210, 227. - - Whiteman, Mrs. Reuben, II: 162. - - Wight, Isle of, II: 73. - - Wilderness, Battle of the, I: 273. - - Willard, Frances, Clara Barton’s letter to, II: 203, 204. - - William the Conqueror, I: 9. - - Wilson, Senator Henry, called on Clara Barton on her return from - Hilton Head, I: 264-66; - corrects abuses reported by Clara Barton, 278-79; - Clara Barton’s letters concerning her desire to write a book, - 330-33. - - Windom, Hon. William, II: 163, 167. - - Woodruff, Oscar, II: 162. - - - Yellow fever epidemic, II: 229. - - Young, Charles S., correspondence with Clara Barton, II: 301-303. - - - Zouaves, I: 116. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -Page 145: “no executive actio” changed to “no executive action” - -Page 146: “stanch friends” changed to “staunch friends” - -Page 254: “translaion of which” changed to “translation of which” - -Page 345: “selfa-ccusation” changed to “self-accusation” - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIFE OF CLARA BARTON, -VOLUME II (OF 2) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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