Show THOUSAND DISASTERS RECEIVED mm in CHOS AID IN 50 YEARS TEARS american society to celebrate its birth year with nationwide observance tornadoes floods rest orest fires and other calamities and upheavals ot of n na states ture tare have visited the united states more than one thousand times in the last halt hal century all ot of these were of severe intensity causin causing gloss loss ot of life and great property damage minor catastrophes were not counted in this list of 0 disasters which has been mads mada public by the american red cross in connection with the celebration this year ot of its birth day it was on an the evening of 0 may 21 1881 1831 jn the modest home ot of miss clara caw barton in washington D C that the file american Asso association ot of the red cross was cirit toi ined before the year was was out and before indeed the united states government had officially moved to approve the treaty ot of geneva adding this nation to the company ot of thirty two others adhering to the treaty to protect wounded bounded in warfare warfare miss barton had plunged the small society into a disaster relief task first red cross cro unit this was in the north woods of michigan where orest forest fires swept the homestead farms of pioneering tami illes alles miss Bar barton cartonas tonas as president ot of the red cross had bad organized a branch in dansville new york where she was sojourning sojo this little group immediately raised money money food clothing and other supplies and sent them to the forest ore fire victims in rochester and syracuse new york nearby word spread ol of this charitable enterprise and red cross auxiliaries were organ teed there to help so began the lisas dasas ter relief bork ot of the red cross fifth fifty years ago in the intervening ayedis years millions ot of men women and children have havel been aided thousands ot of homes have been restored thousands ot of persons overwhelmed by floods tornadoes and fires bres until all they pos hessed had been wiped away have been rehabilitated and prosperity and happiness again smiled led upon them this year has been dedicated by the red cross and its chapters in communities to commemoration ot of the events which led to the birth ot of the society in the united states president hoover speaks the celebration of the anniversary was inaugurated in washington at a dinner attended by many distinguished men and women at which chief justice charles evans hughes presided and president hoover who Is the president ot of the american red cross was the chief speaker judge max alax huber of geneva genea switzerland 11 the president rel lel ot of the international corn coin of the red cross in which fifty seven nations are joined irined in d a red cross brotherhood also was a sp ealier as were chairman jolin payne of the american Ameil cao lied ked cross and miss misi mabel T boardman ardman Co secretary and veteran leader or of the so society clety the reil red cross standard which flies all around the world where mercy is I 1 needed was vas first introduced as an ideal in our modern civilization in when geneva in 1 athen tle the international red cross convention afterward after waid to be known as the treaty of geneva was a as signed by kvelve countries agreeing that on the battlelle ld the wounded voun ded should be given aid by doctors nurses and others who shoo should id wear the sign of the red cross and be treated as neutrals in tbt ali warfare two to Amor teat leans 1 S attended this first convention the american minister george 0 fogg and charles S P bowles Boft les representative in europe of 0 the united states sanitary commie slon a volunteer organization of sym sm with the north in our civil war facts they gave resulted in adap tion ot of some of the american ideas returning to the united states fogg and bowles sought bought recognition ot of the geneva treaty but the grant adain admin 1 took no interest under hayes the same lethargy was encountered clara barton founder but there had emerged from the civil war period a middle aged woman who had seen much service on the battlefields around washington this was clara barton ill health caused her to make a trip to europe ID ln 1869 there she became interested in the red cross idea and joined a unit which saw maw service in the franco prussian war upon her return home she launched an active campaign tor for the treaty but met the same opposition as 28 her predecessors however dent garfield when he c came a into office recognized the berm merm merits it ot f the movement and when death by by estassi es assassa sassi nation removed him his successor president arthur sought approval by the U S senate of the treaty thus was consummated a seventeen year fight in this nation tor for a humanitarian ideal clara barton wai was recognized as the socie tys founder and was its prest preal dent tor for twenty three years she died in 1912 at the age ot of 00 90 yepis it Is not generally thought of but the flag io BO familiar in every civilized nation as the emblem of the red lied cross had a simple derivation because tho the originator 0 of the movement genrl dunant canant was a swiss sad aud the first treaty to protect wounded in battle was drafted and sg ie 1 in switzerland the flag of at that republic a white cro brosi upon a red background was reversed tind and the red cross came into being |