Geneva which opened on Oct. 26, 1863 and lasted four days. Fourteen governments were represented and several philanthropic societies. In August of the next year -1864-the Committee at Geneva formulated "The International Red Cross Treaty-For the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded Soldiers in Armies at the Field." France was the first nation to adopt the articles of the Convention of Geneva-so the formulating body was called-on Sept. 22, 1864. Of the other great powers, Italy adopted them on Dec. 4, 1864; Great Britain, Feb. 18, 1865; Prussia, June 22, 1865; Austria, July 21, 1866; Russia, May 22, 1867; The United States (Senate ratified), March 16, 1882; Japan, June 5, 1886.

The United States was the thirty-second nation to adopt the articles-eighteen years after France. The official action of the United States Government was due largely to the force and enthusiasm of Clara Barton exerted to that purpose. The supineness of American government officialdom during so many years when the Red Cross of Europe had become the great symbol of humanitarianism in that continent, is a cause for regret approaching shame in the heart of every true citizen of this nation. The story of how the International Committee urged the United States Government to adopt the Articles of the Geneva Convention, and of how the matter was buried by Washington bureaucrats, and of how Clara Barton persisted and finally won, is told by Miss Barton herself in her book, "The Red Cross," published in 1898. She gives the largest degree of credit to James G. Blaine, Secretary of State in President Garfield's cabinet, for finally bringing about the adoption of the Red Cross treaty by the United States.

Miss Clara Barton was born in a small country house -a story and a half-at Oxford, Mass., on Christmas Day, year 1821; she died at Washington, D. C., April 12, 1912, at the age of ninety years. Her father, Captain Stephen Barton, was a soldier. The family adopted the

Universalist creed. According to Eppler's "Life of Clara Barton," in 1824, at the age of three years, she was carried to school by her brother—probably to be admired as the school baby. At eleven years she was the nurse of her brother David. She began her work for sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War. She went to the battle-fields of the Franco-Prussian War (1870) where she worked with the International Red Cross. Though far advanced in years, she went to Cuba in the SpanishAmerican War (1898) as the field commander of the American Red Cross. On June 16, 1904, she resigned the presidency, having held the office continuously for twenty-three years-since the founding. Her career profoundly affected the social life of this nation, and no woman in all American history ranks higher in the minds and hearts of the citizenry of the United States.

May 21 (1902)—The United States army and public administration officers retired from Cuba, turning over the government to the newly elected Cuban government, year 1902.

May 22 (1865)-Last bloodshed in battle of the Civil War, year 1865. A man named Bordunix and two other Virginians under him, scorning their fellow Confederates who had quit before the advance of Gen. Stoneman's Federal cavalry after the surrender of Gen. Lee, defied a force of 500 Federals at Floyd Court House, Va. The three men marched boldly to meet the Federals, who were amazed. Suddenly they deployed into a clump of bushes and fired, wounding two Union men. Quickly they delivered another volley, wounding others of the astonished Federals, and then retreated. The Federals did not fire upon them, but pursued for six miles through rough country to take them alive, while the three kept up the battle. At last they took a position in a graveyard and delivered a final volley. Then the order was given the Federals to fire, and 300 muskets were discharged, riddling to instant death the three last mus

keteers of the Confederacy. They were buried in the graveyard where they fell.

May 23 (1872)-First National Convention of Workingmen as a political party or group, at New York, nominated for President Gen. U. S. Grant and for VicePresident Henry Wilson, year 1872. These were the regular Republican candidates.

May 24 (1819)-Steamship Savannah sailed from Savannah, Ga., for Liverpool, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, year 1819. The ocean passage was made in twenty-two days. It was a little craft of 350 tons, with a 90 horse-power engine; the fuel was pitch pine wood. It was rigged as a sailing vessel with three masts and square yards. It was built at Elizabethport, N. J., by a syndicate of which William Scarborough of Savannah was the chief.

May 24 (1844)-First public demonstration of the magnetic telegraph, year 1844. Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor, sent from Baltimore a message over the newly constructed line to Washington. The message, a quotation from the Bible, was, "What hath God wrought?" (From the Bible, Numbers XXIII, 23.) It was received by Alfred Vail, and returned at once. Prior to this, on May 1, 1844, during the period of private experimentation, a message had been sent from Baltimore announcing the nomination of Henry Clay as the candidate of the Whig party for president. On May 29, a message was sent announcing the nomination of Jas. K. Polk by the Democratic party.

May 24 (1861)—Col. E. Elmer Ellsworth, of the New York Fire Zouaves-a Federal regiment of the Civil War, was shot dead while pulling down a Confederate flag which was flying over the Marshal House in Alexandria, Va., by the hotel proprietor, J. W. Jackson, year 1861. One of Ellsworth's men instantly killed Jackson in retaliation.

May 24 (1875)—The American Bankers' Association

was founded by seventeen banking men, representing eleven cities, who met at Barnum's Hotel, Broadway, New York. The first convention was held at Saratoga, N. Y., July 20, 21, 22, year 1875, with 300 present. Chas. B. Hall, cashier of the Boston National Bank was elected first President. The association came into existence as a result of the great financial panic of 1873.

May 24 (1883)-New York and Brooklyn Bridge— the first bridge between the two cities, was dedicated and opened, year 1883. The construction was commenced. on Jan. 3, 1870. The cost was approximately $20,000,000.

May 25 (1803)-Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and philosopher, born at Boston, year 1803; died at Concord, Mass., April 27, 1882. He is ranked among the great philosophic writers of the world, and is supremely the highest in rank in America.

May 26 (1836)-First "gag rule" adopted by the House of Representatives at Washington, year 1836. It read: "Resolved, that all petitions, memorials, resolutions, propositions, or papers relating in any way to the subject of slavery, or the abolition of slavery, shall, without either being printed or referred, be laid upon the table." The resolution was ostensibly adopted "for the purpose of arresting agitation and restoring tranquility to the public mind." In plain fact, it was intended to suppress the discussion of the slavery question and it inevitably failed.

May 26 (1865)—Gen. E. Kirby Smith, Confederate general, surrendered the last army of the Confederacy, numbering 18,000, to Gen. E. R. Canby (Union), near Brazos, Texas, year 1865.

May 27 (1794)-Cornelius Vanderbilt, financier, ("Commodore" Vanderbilt) born near Stapleton, Staten Island, N. Y., year 1794; died at New York, Jan. 4, 1877. He was the first of the old Dutch family of that name to achieve success as a financier and was the founder of the present great fortune of the Vanderbilt family.

He was the son of a Dutch farmer. He began business at the age of sixteen years, carrying farm produce and passengers in a small ferry boat from Staten Island to New York. His chief accomplishment was the organization of the New York Central and Hudson River Ry. Of the capital stock of $150,000,000 at the beginning, he owned 51 per cent. At his death, his wealth was estimated at $100,000,000.

May 28 (1798)-Congress authorized President John Adams, in case of an actual declaration of war or invasion by an enemy, to enlist 10,000 men in a provisional army, year 1798. At that time, war with France was imminent. Ex-President Washington, then in retirement at Mount Vernon, was appointed lieutenant-general of this army, and, on June 17, accepted the commission. But a declaration of war was avoided and the difficulties settled with no bloodshed except in two naval engagements. (See Feb. 9, Feb. 25, and Oct. 19.)

May 29 (1848)-Wisconsin admitted into the Union, year 1848.

May 29 (1856)—First Republican State convention in Illinois met at Bloomington. Abraham Lincoln, one of the delegates, was the favorite for the nomination for governor, but he suggested that William H. Bissell be nominated and this was done. Lincoln addressed the convention for one hour, holding the delegates spellbound. It is said the reporters were so enthralled that they forgot to take notes and so this great speech by Lincoln, known as the "Lost Speech," was never reported.

MEMORIAL DAY
May 30

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, commanderin-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a general order to the comrades of the organization. The opening sentence was as follows: "The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with