The Life of Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross (Vol. 2 of 2)Barton, William E. (William Eleazar)
History
The Life of Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross (Vol. 2 of 2)
Barton, William E. (William Eleazar)
American National Red Cross -- Biography; Barton, Clara, 1821-1912; Nurses -- United States -- Biography
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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