Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-25

1
DIR. Toner
| The fifth annual meeting of the Washington
| Training School for Nurses was held Monday
| night at Marini's hall, on E street the presi-
dent, DR.. ]. NJ. Toner, in the chair On the
stand were DR.. Flordofado Howard. DR.. d. w.
| Prentiss, DR.. Murphy, DR.. Ashford, Dr. King,
and others; also, Judge Macarthur, of the Dis
| trict Supreme Court. The audience was unusu-
ally numerous-compOsed largely of ladies' and
sprlnkled among them several eminent phys-
clans OF this District and prominent citizens.
THE ANNUAL ADDRESS.
PRESIDENT Toner opened tho meeting with his
annual address. He said that, approaching the
progress of the times in its humane care and
regard for the sick, the Washington Training
School for Nurses had been founded to supply
the community with body OF persons instruc-
ted in the art and mystery of nursing the sick
at their homes or in hospitals.
Inc qualifications are only those which are
found necessary for efficiency and success in the
faithful discharge of the duties of this respOnsi-
Ole calling. 1t was gratifying to the school he
SAID. that no complaint of neglect or inefFciency
on the part of the graduates has been made by
physicians or patients to the trustees. The
school has had a number of applications for
trained nurses to serve as matrOns or head
nurses in hospitals of other cities which they
had been unable to supply. They had also
.lad Application for nurses to go to Baltimore
TO care for sick in private houses. but the
graduates We're all employed at the time.
lnese Facts give pretty conclusive evidence that
the trained nurses are appreciated, and that they
have found employment
Inc office OF the trained nurse is as honorable
and praiseworthy calling as any omen tn wo-
man. ana more certain than most other ayoca-
tloiis OF pecunlary reward and reputation Their
sphere OF duty, with its high responsibilities.
deserves to be ranked as profession. and af-
ioruS scope 1Or the exercise OF the nOblest ambi-
tons of the truly good No duty to the SICK
performed by the nurse is mental or seryile. To
relieve the afflicted and administer comfort tO
the SICK ana dying is. and ever must be- a high
ana molly office. 1t is recognized fact that
trained nurses are now in demand in all parts
OF the country, and will be more so i'm the future
as their value becomes better known This
humane movement will not be satisfied until
the almshOuse and prison, and the CITY and
county pOOrhouse. and wherever the sick
are found. be provided with trained nurses He
thou@ht that it was not an over estimate to
suppose that from three to five hundred women
suited to the calling and trained to the duties
0! the nurse would within few years find en-
pioyment as nurse in private families and the
puollc institutions WITHIN the District From
various causes there are greater proportiOn
Oh educated and cultivated young ladies' to the
Total population in this city than i'm almost any
other In the country, and it is probable that
numbers of them may turn their attention to
this field of labor in which Florence Nighten-
gale won imperishable honOrs
HOW MISS NIGHTENGALE LOOKS AND TALKS.
The speaker referred to an article in the
November number of the Century entitled
New Profession for Women" giving an admir-
able history OF the rise and progress of the Belle
Vue Training School for Nurses, illustrations
ana among them what purports to be portrait
OF Florence Nightengale The object the sneaker
said OF referring to the matter was to cali atten-
ton TO the fact that these engravines did no
KIM, OF justice to the personal appearance of
MISS NiSnlenGale, 1t is picture which exhibits
none OF the traits of character for which she ia
so emlnentiy distinguished. 1t was stated in
the article that it was copied from a PHOTOGRAPH
furnished by some noted person. fit ever was
likeness, IT must have been taken shortly after
the Crimean war, when Miss Nipbten-
gale was about thirty-six years of age slen
der In figure and broken down in health
1T Will be remembered by some present to-
night, said Dr. Toner, "who were at our OPEN
Ing exercises last year. that attempted TO rive
an account of visit l made to Miss Nighten.
gaze during the summer of 1884, and that T
stated That she charged me to deliver to this
schoOi her best congratulations You will bear
IN mind that stated she was then in her sixty
nrst year But, Judging from her bright and in
telllgent face. which is full and unwrinkled mo
one would take her to be fifty Her Character
is SO Identified with NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. for nurses
that feel justified to again describe her as she
appeared 10 me. particularly SO since this I'M
satisfactory likeness has been given such prOmi
hence Her features are regular and of English
cast, and her complexion fresh and with that
rudlness peculiar to the English people. Her
mar Is brown with no perceptible intermnsling
OF gray. lt was worn plain, with only small |
lace trimming ON the top Of the head She has
good teeth and bright, brown eyes. which looked
you full in the face while talking Her body
was well nourished, and, am confident would
weigh at least one hundred and sixty pounds
50 tnat she Is not now. am GLAD to say, the
delicate. fragile creature represented by the
picture referredtO. She has soft. pleasantyOice
ana Is We'll informed on every subject; is a good
listener and talker, and is quite eloquent on the
subject OF nursing and the art of caring for the
sick at their homes and of hOspital MANAGE.
ment to which she has devoted so much time |
and Thought. Although she is an invalid and |
rarely ever leaves her house. she has lost none
of her interest in these subjects.
she received me in her reception room while |
reclining on lounge near which stood table |
with books and writing materials and a glass
OF milk. She sat up several times to omen let |
ters and books but did not move her lower ex- |
tremities, which were covered with a shawl |
:" nat Is the character OF her invadness do not |
know, but certain it Is it has not i'm the least |
degree marred her intellect or lessened her svm |
pathies for suffering humanity, nor left trace |
OF pain upon her frank and benevolent counte- |
nance.
l sincerely hope Miss Nightengale NAV re- |
tain health and intellectual vigor to good old |
age, and continue through her life to devote her
accustomed interest to the extension of the |
measures she has so ably inaugurated for sun |
plying trained nurses for the sick poor in their
own homes. now in successful operation in Lon |
don and other large cities in England
And | trust she may live to see her views |
adopted in other lands, and the trained nurse |
everywhere recognized as aids to the physician |
and gurdian angels to the afflicted and the pres
ervatlon OF order and good management of the |
NURSES SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.
The speaker, having obtained his information.
he said, through the courtesy of Gen. John |
Eaton, commissioner of education gave the fol-
lowing list of schools for educating trained
nurses which have been organized in the United
states, beginning with the earliest founded: LIST.
Lying-in Charity and Nurse School.
1885 Cd Nurses Training school |
OF the "Omans Hospital, Philadelphia, 1868. Sd.
training School for Nurses, New England Hos.
pital: Boston, Mass, 1872 4th. Training School
Ior Nurses, House aud Hospital of the Good
shepard, Syracuse, N. Y, 1872 5th. Boston
training School for Nurses. Massachusetts and
nj De-