Milford chronicle., 1888-06-01
CHARITY HOSPITAL.
SAD SCENES AMONG AN UNFoR-
TuNATE CLASS OF PEOPLE.


two parties one to visit the penitemtiary
and do there the beautiful work which
Elizabeth Fry initiated the other TO the
Charity h, spital aud with the latter
went small room is set apart there
for the use Of the mission The tables in
It were already covered with baskets Of
fruit glasses Of jelly. bottles of beef tea,
cans Of oysters. and various other deli
cacies By each basket lay number of
papers and religious tracts After brief
religious services the ladies separated,
each taking her own basket and reading
matter TO the ward SIZE was assigned to.
Here under this one roof. are coo human
beings in every conceivable stage of
suffering The pangs OF poverty are in
creased a hundred fold when disease
seizes in its cruel clutches the unhappy
victim Few people are fortunate enough
to escape the knowledge OF bodily pain.
Most. indeed. can recOllect at least one
season of physical wretchedness To be
sure there was soft bed and shaded
windows skilled care and loving atten-
tions. doctors who said pleasant tsings and
disguised their doses. ,selicious trifes that
appeared by magic. and thousand in,
genious surprises TO create an appetite or
win smile With all that. something
like a shudder comes over one at the
thought Of a repetition Of the experience.
To 90 through ward in the Charity hos
pital convinces you tnat the primer Of
misery has yet to be mastered by the rest
Of US Imagine yourself on narrow and
lumpy bed. the light from row of big
windows beating in your eyeballs, the feet
Of the convalescents shuiiiing and scuf.
ding over the bare door. the whitewashed
walls. devoid of even a wall paper pattern
10 be deciphered. the callous young doctor
TO v hom you are but bit Of experience.
and the food such that if well your
stomach and senses would revolt at it.
As TO flowers. books. music and bright
solors. they come only in dreams.
After all no amount of moralizing brings
the truth home like single individual
case. and there vas one patient in par
licular that made profound impression
upon me-a girl in the last stages of con.
sumption Illness had robbed her face Of
the coarseness it may have had in health
Through the veil that death is drawing
over 1t shine splendid black eyes and a
skin painfully brilliant in coloring A
heavy mass of short black hair falls over
her forehead. nearly meeting the large
dark brows that seem to have been
painted rather than grown on tho marble
skin There is something curious and
shocking in this dread makeup" of dis
Z l.. 6 H., rfn Int
there is no counterfeit presentment of
health In the long emaciated hands that
lie so nervelessly on the bedquilt. BY
The side of the bed is little stand. upon
II q Bible and a mug Of water-that Is all
Mary was breathing in low gasps Her
lips we're parched her eyes despairing
Suddenly they fell upon the visitor. In
moment she was transformed When that
visitor laid on the little table a slice Of
ordinary white bread and butter and
big orange the girl half raised herself on
her elbow to look her gratitude The
luxury expressed in that slice Of bread
and butter nc one can imagine until they
looF at the dark. sticky stuff CREASED over
that is called by that name in the hos
pital Then the gentle missionary read
and talked to the girl. who listened
eagerly No one else comes to see me
but you. she said. simply, land the days
and nights are so long
lis there anything you would likef"
asked the lady
Yes am. If You please. should
&C like little mixed candy. said the dy.
ing girl "You see. the medicine tastes
so bad. and we don't have nothing to take
after it. The candy was promised. and
with her heart in her voice the lady ut
tered little prayer and left the sufferer
composed and comforted 1t is a dark
lay in patients life when the doctor
says she may have anything she likes
that is. that visitors choose to give her
and many and singular are the petitions
showing the sufferers idea of luxury
One sinking from the effects of an opera.
tion begs for taste OF mixed pickles.
another wants Just one bolOgny. ma'am;"
4 third asks for glass Of ginger ale. and
an old woman begs for "a cup of real
Tea
Going from one ward to another It is
the same story told over and over again
Of suffering. for the most part dumb. Of
moral blindness and mental misery 1t is
curious. though to note the difference Of
reception given to the mission visitors by
the new aud old ones
IN the surgical wards were many des.
perately III women One Of them near
the dool was nearly over the threshold Of
life Her glazed eyes were fixed upon a
,hild-her only one. brought to her for q
farewell kiss The little fellow crowed
and capered about meHrily in the lap of
the woman who held him. unconscious Of
the meaning of the scene. As his mothers
oyelids fell he was laughing outright
with delight II would DO painful and
ireary TO go even in pen from one ward
to another in this stronghold Of suffering
It seems as If the very walls Of it would
weep and the sights weigh down the
heart Of the outsider
A few Of the branch charities are the
loan relief. which lends rubber cushions.
Invalid chairs hot water bags and bed
rests 10 the poor cOnvalescent. the
mothers meeting where good advice and
Bible reading 20 hand in hand with sew
ing the Thanksgiving fund. which sup
piles hfty i've poor families with good
dlnner on that day the bucket trade.
which when the mother is working out
by the day. supplies her little ones with
I,ail Of good hot food. the kitchen garden.
where little girls are carefully taught.
and the protective work which aims TO
care for the female stranger from the
country OF abroad until she lnds work
Mrs Robert p Porter In New York
Press
The practice Of softening food for chill
dren is decried BY dentists lit is al the
bottom Of mary sot Of bad grinders"
one scientist declares