Litchfield enquirer., 1857-02-12

that the minds of the whele English people were more than unusually bent on excitement and pleasure-in 1851, when the prevalent idea with us all was, hos best 1s exhibit the mate rial advantages of England and feast our eyes on the productions of art of our own and for eign countries for season We were to give ourselves up to sightseeing and social pleasures-in this year Florence Nightingale left her country and pleasant home to place herself at the institution of kaserwerth, in Prus- sa in order to train herself for nursing the sick Here, under he guidance cf the Protestant Sisters of Charity engaged in the superntend- ence of large model hospital, she performed her novitiate employing herself practically in tending the sick, in witnessing and assisting at operations, and in going through course of medical study to enable her to pass an exalni- nation of no ordinary strictness.
 On her return to England, and on looking round for the most useful sphere in which to exercise her now matured experience, Florence Nightingale found that the establishment called the Ladies' Hospital, in Harley street, which had been founded especially for the reception of invalid ladies of small fortune, was in lin gering state for the want of assistance ant
 
 it the office of matron, and in a very short time raised it to condition of efficiency and great usefulness. To attain this her exertions were unwearied, and she not only applied to it the whole of her time and energies, but forsook every claim which her fortune and position in society might have otherwise made on her Fashionable society, the pleasures of literature, art, music-al were resigned in the furtherance of her purpose and this by one whose highly cultivated mind and faculties quickened to an intense appreciation of all that is beautiful and perfect rendered the sacrifice only the greater In plain, yet unprctending costume she might be seen in that old house in Harley street, bend ing at night over the couch of some suffering invalid, administering the prescribed medicine, smoothing the pillow, supplying little expedi- ents for comfort, or tenderly soothing the irri- table mourner-by day occupied with all the domestic\details of large establishment en quiring into the symptoms of patients, consult ing with medical men on each particular case, and attending to instructions from them, with table covered with prescriptions, letters of ap- plication, &c.
 This was her life when the breaking out of the war with Russia opened to her yet wider sphere of usefulness. When the need was deep ly felt of sending out an efficient staff of nurses to assist in the care of the sick and the wound cd, it fortunately happened that the capabilities and requirements, the fitness, in fact of Flor ence Nightingale for taking the lead in the en- terprise, was known to some members of the who had the power of appoint ment ill their hands. She was asked to under take the office of superintendent of the nursing department in the Eastern hospitals, and with little hesitation consented. Accompanied by a large party of paid nurses and lady volunteers selected by her, she proceeded to Scutari, and arrived there at the moment when the disorder and mismanagement in the large hospital there had reached it's height, while the sick and were constantly pouring in from the Crimca. Our papers at that time were filled with the heart-rendng accounts of the horrors which resulted not merely from the inadequate means at hand in the hospitals for the relief of the sufferers who came down in shiploads after each bloody engagement We read of the filth and want of every comfort in the transports which conveyed them from Balaklava to Scu- tari: of the difficulty in landing the diseased ical stores of their absurd adherence to rou- tine and military formalities in the presence of urgent and pressing necessities and into this chaos of mismanagement' and disaster Florence Nightingale and her band of nurses, with fresh staff of medical officers, had to restore order, decency and comfort. They succeeded in doing this, and, as the result showed, even more than this for at the close of the war it was seen that not merely the bodily wants of thousands of our fellow-countrymen were at- tended to by these good women, but that a high moral influence resulted from their labours An Irish soldier, in giving his rough testimony to what had been done by Florence Nightin- gale in the hospital of Scutari, said-' Before she come there was nothing but cussing and swearing, but afterwards the place was as holy as church' In addition to the surgical and medical care which the sick and wounded soldier now received came thousand comforts and al- leviations around his bed from the hands of ten der and sympathizing women. Refreshing drinks and nourishng dclicacies administered at all hours of the day and night when needed by the patient care for his bodily ailments and sympathy with bis thoughts and feelings as they wandered to home and wife and chil- dren or aged parents all this helped to cheek the roughness and soften the manners of the soldier, and make his best feelings prevail over his worst habits. He was full of grateful rev. erence for her who was doing so much for hin. As she went her rounds. through the miles of hospital wards filled with the sick and dying, [ she had a word and smile, now for this one and now for that and, as she could not speak to us all, we would kiss her shadow as it fell upon our beds' said one of her greatful pa tients with the true poetry of nature ill his un- taught heart. Over refractory and unaceom- modating and jealous officials, Florence Night ingale won like victories by her gentleness and firmness. She refused to be restricted by rules and routine when suffering was to be alleviated and pressing wants supplied. When the sick and wounded just landed from the Crimea were lying on the bare ground for want Of beds, she would take 10 refusal fron the stcre-kecper