Part 43

The first action of a country after the adoption of the treaty, is to form a National Society, or committee, through which the International Committee may communicate with the government of that country. To this National Society is committed the care of all communications from the International Committee to the government of a country, whether relating to the work of war relief in other nations, or to their methods of advancement, _e.g._ to observe if the provisions of the treaty are duly regarded by its military departments; if the suitable orders are given for the spread of such knowledge among the troops at the field; if the appropriate insignia is worn by them; the arrangement for attendance upon international conferences in which the government is represented, and reports to foreign powers on such occasions. Naturally, but one National Society or body of administration in a country is, or can be, recognized, either by the government at home, or the international authorities abroad, on the same principle that but one Department of War, or State, could be recognized. To this body is submitted the direction of such aid as shall be rendered by its country for the relief of suffering from the calamities of war in other countries, such aid always passing through the neutral hands of the “International Committee” for application; thus wisely avoiding national jealousies. The best inventions and most improved machinery and methods for the convenient handling, nursing, and treatment of disabled persons from whatever cause, in either military or civil life, for the last twenty-five years, are directly traceable to the thought and endeavors of the Red Cross, through its wise encouragement thereof, and the necessities revealed upon the fields of war which it sought to relieve.

To turn now to the little part taken by our government and people in this world-wide humanity, we shall find ourselves subjects for the adage of the “short horse soon curried.” As previously remarked, it was thirteen years, namely, from 1863 to 1877, before the attention of our government was awakened to the existence of such a treaty among nations, and its adhesion seriously recommended. Our great commissions, sanitary and Christian, had died and passed into history, and it was not realized that their embalmed memory would not be sufficient for all future exigencies,—old Egypt, relying upon its catacombs, great, but silent and past! It required five other years, namely, from 1877 to 1882, to bring the government to a clear comprehension of the subject, when, by a unanimous vote of both Houses of Congress, the Treaty of Geneva of 1864 was adopted and became a law, immediately receiving the signature of President Arthur, fully carrying out the decision of his lamented predecessor, Garfield, who had recommended it in his first message to Congress. The treaty was next sent to the Congress of Berne, Switzerland, which, by consent of all governments, is made the ratifying power for the treaties of the nations as they adhere. When ratified, it was proclaimed by the President of the United States, and directions duly given to the departments of the government to take the necessary steps for conforming to its provisions.

It is this which has changed all military hospital flags in our country to a red cross on a white ground; the same for ambulances, supplies, and attendants, and has instituted this insignia throughout the medical departments of the regular army, and gives the present impetus to the movement of the National Guard in that direction as well. Previous to the actual adoption of the treaty by the United States, but in view of it, our National Society had been founded at the instance of President Garfield, and the honor of its presidency unanimously tendered to him. This courtesy was declined by him in favor of its present president, who, without change of original officers, and with their concurrence, has conducted the affairs of the society from that time, July, 1881. In forming the constitution of the National Society of the United States, it was decided by the framers, in view of our liability to great national calamities, and non-liability to the exigencies of war, to ask of the ratifying powers of the treaty to accept the National Society of America, with power to extend its scope to the relief of great national calamities other than war. This was granted, constituting the only national society under the treaty having such privilege, and known among other nations as the “American Amendment to the Red Cross.” It is under this provision, or grant, alone, that the work of the Red Cross in national calamities in this country during the last nine years has been done. Within that time it has afforded relief at twelve fields of national distress. And while these scenes of active labor constitute mainly all that appears to the public eye as the work of the society, they are in reality the smaller and by far the less difficult and painstaking. The over-laden desks, translations from all languages, international correspondence, advices sought, and decisions to be wisely and delicately rendered, tell a different tale to the thought-burdened, weary officers at Red Cross headquarters.

In the early days, a few societies were allowed (but never invited) to form as auxiliaries, more for the purpose of familiarizing the people with the subject than for aid really expected; for after all, it is the entire people whom the Red Cross is designed to serve; they have direct and individual access to it; it is their servant at the moment of woe, which falls on all alike. With a National Red Cross on a field, the way is open to all; no special avenues are needed; and the capable personages as individual aids the country over, which it is constantly gathering to itself, ready for instant response to any call, leave no lack of help even for a day. However well auxiliary societies might do, and some have done grandly, it was the people at large, over the entire country, who solicited the Red Cross to become the almoner of their bounties in Johnstown. The great manufacturing companies which asked of it to put their tens of thousands of dollars worth of new furniture into the homes which had not one article left, were not Red Cross societies. The great lumber companies, shipping the material thousands of miles to construct new homes almost before the old ones had reached the bottom of the stream which bore them away, were not Red Cross societies nor ever sought to be. They wished to serve humanity, wanted their gifts to reach the needy in some direct and practical way, and chose their avenue. In this same spirit of self-forgetfulness, the Red Cross accepted and applied, faithfully we know, and acceptably we hope, with the only desire, under heaven, of safely and wisely transmitting those substantial tokens of sympathy and love from a pitying world to a homeless, bereaved, and terror-stricken people as a present help in time of trouble. It went to them in the same spirit, with the same regulations, and under the same discipline as if those thousands had fallen in human rather than elemental conflict. It found the military at the field, and reported for duty the same as at a field of battle. The relations thus at once established were incalculable in their benefits. Every courtesy from headquarters was extended; as by _right_, not favor; all passes, countersigns, and facilities of movement of any kind were given without asking. The character of the work was from the first understood to be in accord with the government and discipline of the field, and not a separate dynasty set up in its individual or ambitious and unskilled effort, to be guarded against, lest it commit some egotistical indiscretion which could not be tolerated. The same advantages over unrecognized aid were realized here as are enjoyed by the Red Cross on a field of battle. The work of the Red Cross in this country has thus far been rather a test than otherwise of its efficiency, usefulness, and possibilities; and so fully has it met, and even surpassed, all early expectations, that any limited description like the present seems rather an annoyance, leaving the subject where its best interests should commence; and although in our land we may never have need of its protecting arm on the fields of human warfare, it is enough for us to know that we _have_ needed it as no words can tell. Only the low lonely graves, the desolate homes speak more eloquently than words.

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A.

_Historical Memoranda for Reference to Article II., on Education in the Eastern States._

CO-EDUCATIONAL COLLEGES. ═════════════╤════════════╤═══════════╤═════════════╤════════╤═══════════╤═════════ STATE. │ NAME. │ LOCALITY. │DENOMINATION.│ADMITTED│ NO. OF │ NO. OF │ │ │ │ WOMEN. │ STUDENTS, │STUDENTS, │ │ │ │ │ REGULAR │ TOTAL. │ │ │ │ │COLLEGIATE.│ ─────────────┼────────────┼───────────┼─────────────┼────────┼───────────┼───────── Maine │Bates │Lewiston │Baptist │ (When │ 33│ 33 │ College │ │ │opened),│ │ │ │ │ │ 1863 │ │ │Colby │Waterville │Baptist │ 1871 │ 18│ 18 │ University│ │ │ │ │ Vermont │University │Burlington │Non-sectarian│ 1871 │ 20│ 20 │ of Vermont│ │ │ │ │ │Middlebury │Middlebury │Non-sectarian│ │ 8│ 8 │ College │ │ │ │ │ Massachusetts│Boston │Boston │Methodist │ (When │ 163│ 207 │ University│ │ │opened),│ │ │ │ │ │ 1869 │ │ │Mass. Inst. │Boston │Non-sectarian│ 1883 │ 33│ 33 │ Technology│ │ │ │ │ Connecticut │Wesleyan │Middletown │Meth. Epis. │ 1872 │ 15│ 16 │ College │ │ │ │ │ New York │Cornell │Ithaca │Non-sectarian│ (When │ 109│ 139 │ University│ │ │opened),│ │ │ │ │ │ 1862 │ │ │Syracuse │Syracuse │Meth. Epis. │ (When │ 63│ 244 │ University│ │ │opened),│ │ │ │ │ │ 1870 │ │ Pennsylvania │Swarthmore │Swarthmore │Society │ (When │ 55│ 79 │ │ │ Friends │opened),│ │ │ │ │ │ 1869 │ │ ─────────────┴────────────┴───────────┴─────────────┴────────┴───────────┴───────── COLLEGES FOR WOMEN. ─────────────┬────────────┬───────────┬─────────────┬────────┬───────────┬───────── Massachusetts│Mount │So. Hadley │Non-sectarian│Founded │ 85│ 188 │ Holyoke │ │ │ 1836 │ │ │Smith │Northampt’n│Non-sectarian│Founded │ 448│ 551 │ College │ │ │ 1871 │ │ │Wellesley │Wellesley │Non-sectarian│Founded │ 595│ 694 │ │ │ │ 1875 │ │ New York │Vassar │Po’keepsie │Baptist │Founded │ 227│ 326 │ College │ │ │ 1865 │ │ Pennsylvania │Bryn Mawr │Bryn Mawr │Society │Founded │ 124│ 4 │ │ │ Friends │ 1880 │ │ ─────────────┴────────────┴───────────┴─────────────┴────────┴───────────┴───────── AFFILIATED COLLEGES. ─────────────┬────────────┬───────────┬─────────────┬────────┬───────────┬───────── Massachusetts│Harvard │Cambridge │Non-sectarian│Founded │ 71│ 168 │ Annex │ │ │ 1879 │ │ New Jersey │Evelyn │Princeton │Presbyterian │Founded │ 7│ 25 │ College │ │ │ 1888 │ │ New York │Barnard │New York │Non-sectarian│Founded │ 24│ 45 │ College │ │ │ 1889 │ │ ─────────────┴────────────┴───────────┴─────────────┴────────┴───────────┴─────────

APPENDIX B.—TABLE I.

_Historical Memoranda for Reference to Article III., on Education in West._

OHIO.—Incorporated in the Northwest Territory in 1787. Admitted as the State of Ohio in 1802.

INDIANA.—Incorporated in the Northwest Territory in 1787. Territory of Indiana in 1800. State of Indiana in 1816.

ILLINOIS.—Incorporated in Northwest Territory in 1787. Territory of Indiana in 1800. Territory of Illinois in 1809. State of Illinois in 1818.

MISSOURI.—Territory of Missouri 1812. Admitted as a State in 1821. (French Cession.)

MICHIGAN.—Incorporated in Northwest Territory in 1787. Territory of Indiana in 1800. Territory of Michigan in 1805. State of Michigan 1837.

IOWA.—Territory of Michigan 1834. Territory of Wisconsin 1836. Territory of Iowa 1838. State of Iowa 1846. (French Cession.)

WISCONSIN.—Incorporated in the Northwest Territory 1787. Territory of Indiana 1800. Territory of Illinois 1809. Territory of Michigan 1818. Territory of Wisconsin 1836. State of Wisconsin 1848.

CALIFORNIA.—Ceded by Mexico 1848. Admitted as State 1850.

MINNESOTA.—Territory of Michigan 1834. Territory of Wisconsin 1836. Territory of Iowa 1838. Territory of Minnesota 1849. State of Minnesota 1858. (French Cession.)

OREGON.—Territory of Oregon 1848. State of Oregon 1859.

KANSAS.—Territory of Kansas 1854. State of Kansas 1861. (French Cession.)

NEVADA.—Ceded by Mexico 1848. Territory of Utah 1850. Territory of Nevada 1861. State of Nevada 1864.

NEBRASKA.—Territory of Nebraska 1854. State Of Nebraska 1867. (French Cession.)

COLORADO.—Territory of Colorado 1861. State of Colorado 1876. (French and Mexican Cessions.)

NORTH DAKOTA.—Territory of Michigan 1834. Territory of Wisconsin 1836. Territory of Iowa 1838. Territory of Minnesota 1849. Territory of Dakota 1861. State of North Dakota 1889. (French Cession.)

SOUTH DAKOTA.—Same as North Dakota.

MONTANA.—Territory of Nebraska 1854. Territory of Dakota 1861. Territory of Idaho 1863. Territory of Montana 1864. State of Montana 1889. (French Cession.)

WASHINGTON.—Territory of Oregon 1848. Territory of Washington 1853. State of Washington 1889.

IDAHO.—Territory of Oregon 1848. Territory of Washington 1853. Territory of Idaho 1863. State of Idaho 1890.

WYOMING.—After several transfers Territory of Wyoming 1868. State of Wyoming 1890. (French Cession mainly.)

UTAH.—Ceded by Mexico 1848. Territory of Utah 1850.

APPENDIX B.—TABLE II.