American National Red Cross; Red Cross and Red Crescent
There remains but one question more. To whom is this movement due? Who
instituted it? In what minds did it originate? I wish I could say it was
all woman's work; but the truth compels the fact that this great, humane
idea originated with men; the movement was instituted by them. They
thought it out, and they wrought it out, and it was only meet and proper
that they should, for the terrible evil that made it necessary was
theirs as well. Women as a rule are not war-makers. For centuries the
caprices of men have plunged the world in strife, covered the earth's
surface with armies, and enriched its soil with the best blood that ever
flowed in human veins. It is only right that at length, in the cycle of
ages, something should touch man's heart and set him humbly down to find
out some way of mending as much of his mischief as he could. Perhaps he
"builded better than he knew," for in that one effort he touched the
spring that sooner or later will mend it all. No grander or truer
prophecy has ever been made than uttered in that first convention: "_The
Red Cross shall teach war to make war upon itself._" It is the most
practical and effective peace-maker and civilizer in the known world. It
reaches where nothing else can. If proof of this be wanting, study the
action of Japan in its late war.
But is man doing this work alone? No--gladly, no! Scarcely had he made
his first move, when the jeweled hands of royal woman glistened beside
him, and right royally have they borne their part. Glance at the
galaxy--the great leader and exemplar of them all, Empress Augusta of
Germany, her illustrious daughter, the Grand Duchess of Baden, Eugenia,
Empress Frederick, Victoria and Princess Louise of England, Margherita
of Italy, Natalia of Servia and the entire Court of Russia, and to-day
the present Empress of Germany, and the hard-working Empress of Japan,
with her faithful, weary court, even now busy in the hospitals of
convalescing Chinese. The various auxiliary societies of women of all
the principal Red Cross nations are a pride and a glory to humanity.
These nations have all two important features in their movement, which,
thus far, have not been accorded to us. Their governments have
instituted laws protecting the insignia and name of the Red Cross from
misuse and abuse as trademarks by unscrupulous venders, and
appropriation by false societies for dishonest purposes. This lack, and
this alone, has thus far rendered general organization in the United
States impracticable and unsafe. For seven years the most strenuous
efforts at protection have failed; the loss has been to the people in
general.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account