The Remarkable Miss Clara Barton

Announcer #1: Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our presentation,“The

Remarkable Miss Clara Barton.”

Announcer #2: Today you will learn about her courageous work as a
nurse during the Civil War that earned her the title “Angel of the
Battlefield” and who went on and founded the American Red Cross.

Announcer #3: So now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show as we
present, “The Remarkable Miss Clara Barton.”

Narrator 1 : Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born near the town of North
Oxford, Massachusetts, on Christmas Day in the year 1821. As a child,
she was shy and somewhat withdrawn.

Narrator 2 : Her father was a hard working farmer and a prominent

member of the community. He had fought for General “Mad Anthony”
Wayne in the Indian Campaigns of the 1790s and held the honorary title
of “Captain.”

Narrator 3 : Her mother, Sarah Stone Barton, was very pratical and
taught Clara many chores around the house. She was strict and would
not even let Clara have a toy doll. However, Clara's mother taught her
many important things. She was a very strong and determined woman,
and was full of common sense, traits that were both passed on to Clara.

Narrator 1 : Clara Barton had two brothers and two sisters. They were all
much older than her. She learned many skills from her siblings. Her
sisters taught her how to read before she was even three years old
while her brother, Stephen taught her mathematics, and David taught
her how to ride a horse.

David : Clara, Clara, Let us go ride a horse.

Clara : Hurray ! I would love to. But I do not know how to ride a horse.
David : Don’t worry. I am willing to teach you.
Clara : Wooh ! Hooh ! This is so much fun. Thank you very much David
for those wild rides.
Narrator 1 : When she was eleven, her brother David fell off the roof of
a barnhouse. This incident had a large effect on Clara, who helped nurse
her brother.
Clara : David, are you ok ?
David : It hurts so much.
Clara : Don’t worry, I will take care of you and I will not leave you.
David : Thank you, Clara. You are so kind.
Narrator 2 : David suffered a severe injury in his head, and he was close
to death for two years. For two years however, Clara took care of her
brother, hardly leaving his bedside. She learned many medical practices,
including blood-letting, giving medicine, and applying leeches.
Neighbour 1 : That child is a born nurse.
Neighbour 2 : I agree. She makes sure that her brother is comfortable all
the time.
Neighbour 1 : But I think Clara should be freed from her shyness.
Neighbour 2 : Again, I agree with you. I think she should be a teacher to
cure her shyness.
Neighbour 1 : Oh Clara… I think you should try teaching.
Clara : Me, a teacher ? Hahaha …. Oh no, how will I teach if I am shy. I
will tremble. Oh no, no, no ….
Neighbour 2 : If you become a teacher, you might overcome your
shyness. Just try it .
Clara : Mmmmmm….. All right, I will give it a try. Thank you for your
concern, encouragement, and support.
Narrator 3 : Clara taught in a small Massachusetts town, where her
brother owned a factory. She was first terrified of this, but she soon
taught a class of forty girls and boys in a local school. She impressed the
children, who were barely younger than she was, and she felt happy at
earning their respect.
Boy / Girl 1 : Teacher, thank you for teaching us. And thank you for
your patience.
Boy / Girl 2 : We love you, teacher.
Clara : I have been teaching here for ten years. I heard no school was
possible in Bordentown, New Jersey because the children ran wild on
the streets. I would like to help. I will go there and talk to the town
official.
Clara : Good morning, Sir. Can I volunteer in teaching the children ?
Town official : Why ?
Clara : If you will let me try, I will teach the children free for for
nothing.
Town official : Are you sure ? Why are you doing this ?
Clara : Because I want to teach them. I want to help them by teaching so
that they will learn.. Please …. allow me to teach the children .
Town official : Ok. If that’s your desire, then do what you need to do. If
you need any help, I will be glad to assist you.
Clara : Thank you, sir.
Narrator 2 : With the help of the local school committee, Clara decided
to open her own school in Bordentown.
Clara : This is so disappointing. Only six students appeared on the first
day of classes.
Narrator 3 : But word soon spread of Clara's teaching abilities and by
the end of the school year, the students multiplied.
Clara : Thank you, Lord. This is great. I now have over 200 pupils.
Wooh, Hooh !
Narrator 1 : Clara recognized the community's need for free education,
and despite opposition, she set up one of the first free public schools in
the state.
People of Bordentown : We’re so impressed with you, Ms, Barton.
We’ll spent $4,000 to build a new and much larger school building.
Clara : Oh, thank you. This will be so great for the children. They will
love it.
Narrator 2 : When Schoolhouse Number One opened in the fall of 1853,
Clara was shocked to learn that she would not be principal of the school
which she had founded.
Clara : What ! Why can’t I be the principal of the school ?
Town official : I’m thinking that it would be better if a man leads the
school. So, I hired a man to be the principal.
Clara : This is so upsetting. With your decision, sir, I would like to hand
over my resignation. Thank you.
Narrator 3 : Instead a man was hired, at twice her salary, to run the
school. Upset over the loss, Clara resigned. In 1854, she moved to
Washington, where she became the first woman to work at the Patent
Office.
Narrator 1 : With the outbreak of war and the cascade of wounded Union
soldiers into Washington, Miss Barton quickly recognized the
unpreparedness of the Army Medical Department. For nearly a year, she
lobbied the army bureaucracy in vain to bring her own medical supplies
to the battlefields.
General : We are currently under the state of war against South. We are
having too much casualties.
Clara : Sir, please let me go to the frontlines. I will be able to save more
soldiers and prevent more casualties.
General : The battlefield is no place for a woman like you. You must
think of the dangers this work will bring you. At any time you may be
under the fire of guns.
Clara : I am not afraid of the battlefield. I must go to the front to care for
them quickly.
General : But still you cannot go.
Clara : Sir, please trust me. I can do this.
General : Fine. I will permit you to go to the frontlines.
Clara : Thank you, sir. I will not let you down.
Narrator 2 : Finally, Miss Barton was permitted to bring her supplies to
the battlefield. Hundreds of death were prevented.
General : Hello, Miss Barton. What can I do for you ?
Clara : Sir, I would like to request for more wagons. I would need them
to go back and forth for supplies because there many wounded soldiers,
and our medical supplies are fast running out.
General : Okay, you will be given ten more wagons with drivers and 60
mules to help move the medical supplies.
Clara : Thank you for granting my request, Sir.
Narrator : But, the drivers were rebellious because they were forced to
serve a woman as their leader.
Driver 1 : Why should we work under this woman !
Driver 2 : Yeah ! This makes no sense.
Driver 3 : Let us not follow her commands.
Driver 4 : Yeah, I agree.
Clara : Good day to you. All of you must be so tired and hungry. I have
prepared some food for you. Come and eat.
Driver 1 : Thank you very much. Please forgive us for not trusting in
you. We are really sorry.
Driver 2 : We are so ashamed. The truth is, we didn’t want to drive these
wagons with a woman in charge. We’ve been so mean. But you treated
us like a general.
Clara : Don’t mind it. I understand everything.
Driver 3 : This is the best meal we’ve had in two years.
Driver 4 : Thank you for your kind heart.
Narrator : As the war drew to an end, President Lincoln assigned Clara
Barton a special task.
President : Miss Barton, since you have more information than anyone
else, I would like you to list down all the missing soldiers.
Clara : The president trust me since I knew more than the others. I
will do my task well.
Narrator : And so, she helped with the effort to identify 13,000 unknown
Union dead at the horrific prisoner-of-war camp at Andersonville, Ga.
This experience launched her on a nationwide campaign to identify
soldiers missing during the Civil War. She published lists of names in
newspapers and exchanged letters with veterans and soldiers' families.
The search for missing soldiers and years of toil during the Civil War
physically affected Miss Barton. That’s why her doctors recommended a
restful trip to Europe. There she got involved with the international Red
Cross.
Clara : Now I know that Red Cross helps everyone without
discrimation of race or religion. This is exactly what I wanted.
Narrator : The United States was invited by the international Red Cross
for an alliance several times, but clinging to tradition forbade it to
happen. In March 1982 however, The United States organized a Red
Cross Society and Clara Barton became the 1st president and she served
for 22 years. She suggested that the Red Cross be prepared to give relief
in time of peace as well as war. Through her influence, the International
Red Cross adopted this American plan.