held the office of President till her retirement
in the spring of the present year (1904), when
she was succeeded by Mrs. John A. Logan.
From the beginning the American Red
Cross, so long under the efficient leadership
of Clara Barton, has been in active relief
work in times of national woe and calamity,
finding its duties in such occasions as (to
mention but a few) the forest fires of Michigan
in 1881; the Ohio and Mississippi floods of
1884; the Johnstown disaster, 1889: the Russian famine, 1891-92; the South Carolina tidal wave, 1893; Armenian massacres, 1896;
and later among the "reconcentrados" of
Cuba and in field and camp and hospitals
during the Spanish-American War. The story
of these activities would fill volumes.
Referring to the work in Cuba, the Hon.
Retlfield Proctor, in a speech in the United
States Senate, March 17, 1898, said: "Miss
Barton and her work need no endorsement
from me. I had known and esteemed her
for many years, but had not half appreciated
her capability and devotion to her work.
I especially looked into her business methods,
fearing there would be the greatest danger
of mistake, that there might be want of system,
waste, and extravagance, but found she could
teach me on these points. In short, I saw
nothing to criticise, but everything to com-
mend."
The following extract from the official report of Lieutenant Colonel B. F. Pope, Chief Surgeon, Fifth Army Corps, battles of San Juan, El Caney, Santiago de Cuba, is additional testimony to the invaluable aid rendered by this distinguished woman: " In Major Wood's hospital over one thousand wounded men were received within three days; and, in spite of lack of shelter and the subsequent exposure to intense heat and drenching rains, the mortality rate was less than seven per cent. . . . Early after the battle the hospital was honored by the presence of Miss Clara Barton and her staff of four assistants, who immediately set up their tents and cooking apparatus, and labored incessantly, day and night, in the broiling sun and drenching rain, preparing sick food for the wountled and serving it to them, and in a thousand other ways giving the help that the Red Cross Society brings."
In his message to Congress, December 5, 1898, President McKinley .said: "In this con- nection it is a pleasure for me to mention in terms of cordial appreciation the timely and useful work of the American National Red Cross, both in relief measures preparatory to the cam]3aigns, in sanitary assistance at several of the camps of assemblage, and later, under the able and experienced leadership of the President of the society, Miss Clara Barton, on the fields of battle and in the hospitals at the front in Cuba. Working in conjunction with the governmental authorities and under their sanction and approval and with the enthusiastic co-operation of many patriotic women and societies in the various States, the Red Cross has fully maintained its alreatly high reputation for intense earnest- ness and abifity to exercise the noble purposes of this international organization, tluis justify- ing the confitlence and support which it has received at the hands of American people. To the members and officers of this society and all who aided them in philanthropic work the sincere and lasting gratitude of the sokliers and the public is due and is freely accorded."
It is estimated that the value of relief ex- tended under the direction of Miss Barton as president of the American Red Cross was nearly three million dollars. She represented the United States at several international conferences of the Red Cross in Europe.
Miss Barton is a quiet, unassuming woman in appearance, and never boasts of her achieve- ments. She is dignified in manner, self- possessed, and a tireless worker. Among the numerous decorations she has received in recognition of her meritorious services may be mentioned the Iron Cross of Prussia, a badge of rare distinction, and the Golden Cross of Baden.
In 1883 Miss Barton served as Superintendent of the Reformatory Prison for Women in Sherborn, Mass. While she has had but little time to devote to other work than that of the Red Cross, she is deeply interested in the Grand Army of the Republic and the
