Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-12-27
sOIDTFRS'-A AID SOCIETY.
s5 BAxK ST., CLrvrLAxD, Dec 2sth, 1866

Through the kindness Of the officers OF
the C. C. & c. R. R. we have this week
shipped by passenger train car load of
hospital goods, designed for distribution
at hospitals along the Louisville and Nash
vile railroads, where many hospitals are
needing sanitary stores.
Distributing rooms have been opened at
Gsllatin and Bowling Green, and the sick
in the latter place are now made eOmpar-
stively comfortable, although among SO
many needy hospitals it is impossible to
send full supplies to any one without in
justice to the inmates Of others.
The supplies sent by this Society to
Lexington and Frankfort have been par
tally directed from their course by the adj
vice Of agents, who considered them
more needed elsewhere. Lexington has
received fully its share of hospital goods,
and the sick there are reported improving
steadily.
In the regimental hospital of the 10Sd
Ohio, at Frankfort there were, on the
18th, thirty-six sick men.
From lady of this city, new attending
her sick son in that hospital, we have re-
oeived letter, of which the following is
an extract:
" The goods that you sent came safely.
presume the Surgeon has written to you
about them. The beef soup. in cans, was
very nice. They need dishes here to serve
up the soupin. This being 8 regimental
hospital they cannot apply to the Quarter
master for any of these things, and if any
Of you ladies have small bowls, cheap veg
etable dishes, tin pans Of almost any size,
cups and saucers, plates, spoons, knives
and forks that are too shabby for their
own use, they will be very acceptable here.
DR.. GrisWOld was not willing to put his
men into the Post Hospital, fearing they
might not be comfortable, 90 he obtained
this house, and is doing very well by
them. never saw so kind man as he is.
Remember me to the ladies Of the Society
and tell them that if all hospitals get their
donations as promptly and as equally dis
tributed as does this one, they need not
fear to send ell they can. write this for
my own satisfaction, and not at DR.. Girls
wOlds suggestion"
We have also received from Miss Allen,
faithful nurse in hospital No. 4, Nash
vile, letter which is valuable as testl-
monial to the careful use Of sanitary stores
The letter is dated December 18th, and
says:
DEAR Mrs. ROUSE - l have
been connected with this hospital for near
ly eight months, and its interests are my
first, my moving motive. Knowing and
feeling truly grateful from the kindness Of
our friends in Northern Ohio, venture
to mention our most pressing needs at the
present time. We need special diet for
our sick men, who have had lately very
little but tea and toast. Our men also
need warm woOlen sOcks-many have
none at all, and those that have socks find
them much the worse for wear. No socks
came in our last supply of Government
clothing, and the prospect is that the men
will have to 60 without, unless the ladies
of the North will furnish them. l have
heard that story has been circulated to
| the effect that hospital stores are improper
ly used. Our hospital is the only one of
which l know anything, but during the
entire time have been here all the stores
received have been used for the sick and
for them eIelusiVsly.
Yours sincerely,
We have had within the past month an
increasing number of boxes and parcels
sent to us to be forwarded to particular
surgeons, wardmasters or nurses. 1t is
our sincere desire to Oblige our Branch So
cieties in this matter, but the trouble, care,
and responsibility of such commissions
are immense, and the irregular distribu-
ton thus occasioned is hurtful to the cause,
and really opens the door to the very
abuses which it is intended to counteract.
The fact that donors are so anxious to
give their stores into the hands of the hos
pital officials whom they knAHs % Tlair.
proof that many Of the stories Of knaVery
which float about to the discouragement Of
those who would work for the comfort Of
the soldier, are based upon hearsay, and not
upon actual knowledge of the fact. For
example-the ladies of Aid Society No. l,
carefully prepare and willingly entrust
their supplies to the hospital official whom
they know, confident that among q band
of sharpers and harpies, he alone is faith
full to his charge. Aid Society No. 2, in
the next town, has its own immaculate
surgeon or steward by whose honest dis
tribution the donors are willing to abide,
while Aid Society No. 8, with firm dis
trust in all the usual avenues Of disburse-
ment, is zealously working for another
one of the suspected and illuminated class.
The distribution thus effected is often most
unwise, giving to one point a variety of
articles which are useless there, but
which would be invaluable elsewhere, and
Withholding supplies that are worth their
weight in gold to the sufferers here, while
they accumulate there till waste and mis-
use are tempted, if not unavoidable.
This could be remedied by trusting all
donations to a common stock, from which
an agent familiar with the wants Of each
locality can draw the precise articles that
are needed there-and this might be done,
if each contributing Society would also
make common stock of its confidence in
stead of findividualizingit it, as shown above.
The officers Of this Society are not slow
70 recognize the peculiarvalue Ito the sick
sOldier) Of q gift that comes from home and
well known friends, and so far as possible
it is our aim to send donations to the point
indicated by the giver, but the difficulties