New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-26
WORK OF ST. LURES HOSPITAL.
A SKETCH OF IT'S PROSPEROUS CAREER.

WOhd Of d. LCAEo AVcx 14AH"
A SKETCH OF ITs PROSPEROUS CAREER
RAPIDLY GROWING FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS TO
ITS PRESENT Size AND USEFULNESS.
During the last year tho msnagss Of st. Luke's
Hospital this city have been confronted with tho
question whether they should soil tho presens prop
erty and erect another larger and moro competebwm
| ing further up town An opportunity came TO them
to sell the property ut Fifth ave. and Fifty fourth ST.
for largo sum, but after much consideration 1t was
decided that the best interests Of the hospital required
| thas 1t remain where II IL for at least few years
In the first place, tho great majority Of the patients
who are brought to it como from below Fifty ninth
st., and II would be serious hardship for many OF
them to 60 to hospital further up town. Then, tho
tho largo and competent star Of physcIans who now
serve the hospital-many Of them gratutously-w
he unable to do SO II tho hospital weo moved from ta
present situation Tho legacy Of 100000 left to tho
hospital by William II. Vanderbilt has been partly de-
voted to tho erection of new building in Fifty
fourth ST., the need OF which has been felt for long
time. The remainder of this legacy has been placed
In the Permanent Endowment Fund Tho new build
Ing will provide home for the family Of the pastur
and superintendent the Rev. George g. Baker, and
rooms for tho nurses. The rooms now occupied by
them in the main building together with an unfinished
upper story, which will be properly finished by rails
ing the roof Of the main building to the height Of the
chapel roof. will give several private rooms for pa
tents ard much increased wand accommodation. IL
Is hoped that the 10000 required for these I'M
movements Will be soon contributed py Epls-
copalans and by the many friends of the hospital out
side of that denomination. When all these changes
are made it will be the largest private hospital in tho
city,
Tho history OF st. Luke's Hospital is extremely in
teresng. Its existence is due almost entirely to the
faith patience and executive ability Of its found
or, the late DR.. William A. Muhenbcrg. In o humble
way he opened small infrmary in 1850, although no
started fund for the hospital four years before that
With much fear and trembling order of deaconcsscs
or sisters instituted to act nurses the utto
lnfrmaiy, and 1t Is amusing to read how the good
church PEOPLE of those days looked upon those noble
minGei women with fear and suspicion. They were
even denounced as "Puseyite nuns" and DR.. Mullen
berg, who was evangelical of the evangellcals
almost suspected of having "leanlngs toward Rome.
In the an line DR.. Muhlenberg's idea Of q great
church hospital began to take root in the minds of
Epscopa.ians. The sum Of 100000 was soon raised.
Litlo of this required for the purchaso If tho
srOund three ourths OF the site which the hos
ptii stands was given on certain advantageous
conditions by tho Church of St. George the Martyra
churh which, by the way, Is no longer heard OF.
Work was at once begun On the buildings the corner
stone OF which was laid in May, 1854 by Bishop
Wainwright. Another hundred thousand dollars was
rael AMI Ascension Day, 1857, the chapel of the
hospital opened with divine service. Then the
ladies of ali the Episcopal parishes of the city met and
decided to accept the furnishing of the hospital as
their of the work. So that at last May IS,
$685. the hospital formally opened with religious
services and a sermon by the Rev. DR.. Samuel Cooke,
rector of st. BartholOmew's Church.
Dr. Muhenberg, of course, became the pastor and
super ntenuent position which he continued TO hold
until Ills Death in 1877. Tho present pastor and SUI
perin en- zen the Rev. George S. Baker, was elected
~ succeed him by the Managers and he has ably and
accepably carried out the IDEAS and policy Of the
fOunaer, which are best sunined up IN the motto OF
he Hospital, CORPUS Sanare, Amman salvare,"-
Tho Body to Cure, the Soul to Save" St Luhes is
there a religious hospital in tho sense that the
atoms Of religion as received by the Protestant
Episcopal Church provided for all tho patients
10 DR.. Nuremberg, spiritual healing was really OF
imp ortanoe than physical healing, and hospital
which dbl not provide such spiritual healing would
have been worse than useless In his eyes.
But nevertheless it is fact that St Lue's Hospital
been q sectarian hospital in any sen sc OF
the word. Up to October IL last 2o450 patients had
cen treated IN it, of whom only 1923 we're NOM
bers Of connected with the Protestant Episcopal
Church. Ever since its foundation 1t has received
sufferers without regard to nationality, color creed,
and has never turned away poor man or woman on
acc cunt of his or her poverty. During the last year
he exl cnditure $40 ,991 H. Of which only $780,
10 43 met by income from the invested funds of
tie hospi al and only 5000 81 was received from
ing pauents. The rest was made up by voluntary
ofcnnes. There is not cent Of debt on the hos
p.ta and under the present admirable management 1T
can confdentally look forward to long career OF
success and Usefulness Ever since it was founded
of the most prominent men In the city have been
connected with IL officers and Its house staff and
medic staff of physicians have always been composed
of able and slfl physicians.
Wien ST. Luke's Hospital was opened the popula-
ton OF New-York was about 500000 and the total
provided at that time In hospitals was
$40 beds. OF these $50 were in Bellevue, $50 In
the NewYork Hospital and 40 in St. Vincents Hos
pital. Now, probably, there altogether upward
OF 10000 beds in the various hospitals of New York
so that, while the population of the city Is a little
less than three times great 1t was in 1858, the
hospital accommodations are now about ten tunes as
great they then, and yet they hardly
adequate to meet the constantly increasing demand.
The peOpe OF this city have always been alive to the
Importance Of this great department Of philanthropy,
and the religious denominations have done no
mall part in the work. Tho institution of Hos
pnal Saturday and Sunday" few years ago a
happy thought, and 1t has been steadily growing in
favor every year. 1t is not yet, however, gener
ally observed it ought to be- largely because great
many churches have not had the matter presented to
them. 1t is hoped that this Hospital Sunday will
show that the people realizing more than be-
fore the paramount importance OF this beautiful char