The work of the Red Cross is born of a high ideal, from which it continually draws fresh life, but as it primarily consists of practical actions, frequently improvised, there is a serious risk that in the haste of charitable action and in spite of the purity of one's intentions, one may deviate from the guiding principles and unity of thought may diminish, the more so as the institution takes root in every corner of the world. It is therefore particularly necessary that the Red Cross possesses a well-defined and firmly established doctrine.