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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (June 16, 1890)
h i heart overflowing with sympathy and pity for tlic distress about her. It is not strange that the soldiers loved her nnd called her the "Angel of the Battlefield." The Union sol diers were not the only ones whose suffering was relieved by her. The rebels also blessed her for her gentle touch nnd thoughtful care. She treated friend nnd foe nlikc, thinking only of the relief she could give to suffering humanity. When the war was nearly ended she was appointed by Presi dent Lincoln to attend to the answering of lcttcrn from the friends of soldiers who were missing or in prison. Three dnys after the appointment was announced she found about four bushels of letters awaiting her attention. She went at the work in her usual energetic, methodical way, appointing clerks to assist her and paying them from her own money. Indeed, she bore the whole expense of her investigations till she had ex pended several thousand dollars, when congress wisely voted that she should be reimbursed and supplied with money to continue her work. She neither asked nor received anything for the lime and strength she devoted to her work during the war. She gave all shc had to give as a free-will offering to her country. She spent about four years in tracing out the whereabouts of missing soldiers in identifying and marking the graves of the unknown dead, and in answering the many letter that continued to pour in to her. Shortly afterward she went to Switzerland to recruit her strength which had been expended without stint in the past few years, and was now greatly reduced. While she was still there, a slowly recovering invalid, the Franco-Prussian war broke out. Again, the misery and want attendant upon war appealed irresistibly to her warm heart. As soon as her strength permitted she went to the place of conflict. Her efforts were now united with the efforts of the Red Cross society. This society was organized at Geneva in 1864. Its object was to secure protection from capture to those who cared for the wounded as well as to those who sheltered them, and to give them freedom to go where they wished in the armies of cither side and carry on their work. The badge of the soci ety is a red cross on a white ground. This was everywhere recognized and those who wore it were free to go anywhere among the wounded of cither army. The society was thor oughly organized and under its efficient management an im measurcable amount of suffering was made less or prevented. Miss Barton found this society doing so thoroughly the work that she, unassisted, had carried on so successfully in America, that she turned her attention to a branch that was quite neg lected by others. After the scigc of Strasbcrg was ended and she had gained admittance to the city she found the poorer classes of the pop ulation in a most pitiable condition of squalor and destitution. Promptly and systematically she began working to relieve them. It is said that the change in the condition of these people brought about by her in a short time seemed scarcely less than miraculous. Miss Barton was deeply grieved that such an organization as the Red Cross society had not existed in America during our war, for,th-oughit,untold distress might have been relieved that she alone could do nothing for. Her first effort on return ing to America was to secure the acceptance of the Red Cross treaty by our government. She was unsuccessful for some time and it was only through unceasing cflort that she at least succeeded. President Garfield was on the point of signing the treaty when he was struck down by the assassin's hand. It was signed in 1882 by President Arthur. We should never cease to be grateful to the woman whose untiring effort secured the adoption by our government of one of the wisest and most humane treaties ever made. Miss Barton was appointed president of the American As sociation of the Red Cioss, organized shortly after her return from Europe, by President Garfield and to-day holds that oflicc. The original purpose of the society to help sufferers in the war has been extended to cover calamities to which we arc liable by lire, flood, and pestilence. The society rendered efficient aid to the sufferers in the recent floods of the Mississippi liver as well as to those in the great fires of Michigan. Miss Barton's whole life has been devoted to philanthropic work. She has expended time, strength, talent, and money in her labor of love, and has asked nothing in return. She has worked till her strength was spent and she was prostrated for long periods. She seems never to think of herself, or to think ol her work as anything unsual. She does it all in the simplest most matter of fact way possible. Her strong deter mination, her irresistible energy and perseverance, her re markable fncult) for business and executive affairs, coupled with her warm sympathy, womanly dignity and modesty, and her self sacrificing love make her one of the strongest, as wel as one of the most lovable and womanly of women. LITERARY SOCIETY EXHIBITIONS. I'AM.AOIAN. The nineteenth annual exhibition of the Palladian society was given in the chapel Wednesday evening, June 4. Music was furnished by the Ad :lphian quartet of Doanc College. These young gentlemen are very popular with Lincoln audi ences and the Palladians were fortunate in securing thicr services. At their first appearance upon the platform they were cheered by the audience and were encored several times. The literary part ol the program was as follows: An essay, "J. J. Rousseau," by T. F. A. Williams. Mr. Wil liams was not at all graceful upon the stage. His delivery was rather slow and lacked somewhat in force. His essay was an excellent one, however, as may be inferred fiom the following brief synopsis: 'Mahomet and Rousseau were similarly constituted, mor ally and intellectually. The meditations of the one resulted in the publication of the Koran. The other's devout con templation caused thcjpublication of his social contract. The secret of Rousseau's influence lay in his eloquence and in his hatred for oppression which he had felt. What made his work so revolutionary was his appeal for an immediete return to the state of nature, the former existence of which he as sumed without evidence. It is not to be concluded from the results wrought in France and other countries by this theory of a former golden age, that the French arc inherently less cap able than other peoples of self-made rule. The excesses of the French Revolution were ducchciflyto political ignorance pio duccd by centuries of despotism. At present few men would have the presumption to attempt to legislate for the whole human race witli such slight qualifications as Rousseau pos sessed. He in his prcsumptous ignorance brought the French nation to dissolution in pursuit of a phantom. Following Mr. Williams was a recitation by Miss Donna Wilsons. The lady seemed entirely at case, but she lacked animation and at times her words could not be heard distinct ly. Here the quartet favored the audience with music .and with such good effect that they were encored. The oration of Mr. F. D. Hyde followed. Mr. Hyde spoke upon "Prohi bition a National Issue." Mr. Hyde is an enthusiastic pro hibitionist and looked as if he meant every word he said. Below is an outline of his orotion.