The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-28
ANOTHER "LRPER's BRIDE"
The Self-sacrificing Life Am bition of a
Trained English Nurse.


From the Pail Mall Gazette.
The other day lady, dressed in neat,
simple nurses uniform, called at this office.
On her dress she wore, to my surprise, the
order of merit which is awarded by the Rus
sian Red Cross Society, but which, in most
cases, is not bodily" bestowed. In her
hand she carried what presently found to
be one of the most important budgets of
documents that have ever been put inJo the
hand of woman by the Russian government
The lady was Miss Kate Marsden, who
hopes to start within few days for six
months tour through the wide dominions
of the great White Tar" there to study
the subject of leprosy, which has of late
aroused so much attention and interest.
what is It'll" | asked Miss Marsden,
after she had told me of her intention
"What Is it that induces you to turn your
attention specially to leprosy?' ut came
about In rather strange way, and long be-
fore leprosy had begun to attract much
much attention even in the medical world.
/ was nurse in the Russo Turkish war In
1S77-S, and one day at Sistova l saw two
lepers for the first time in my life The
sight Of the disease was so loathsome, SO
altogether appalling, and the suffering of
the poor men was SO beyond any thing that
l had ever seen, that there and then l vowed
to devote my whole life and strength to
lepers, If ever the opportunity was given
to me-
"And from that day forth have waited
for the opportunity to fulfill the VOW |
made at the sight Of two the Bulgarian Iep-
ers. The time was not yet, for many years
Several of my sisters were living, they
were very much opposed to my plan, but
they have all died Of consumption, one
after the other, and there is now no longer
any obstacle in my way, except one which
may, at the last moment, compel me to
give up my plan.
these yearsr II first became deputy SUI
perintendent of the Woolton Convalescent
Home, Liverpool. where l remained for
four and a half years. After a rest went
out to New Zealand, where my last sister
was dying of consumption. l week after /
arrived she died, and | accepted the place
as lady superintendent at the Wellington
Hospital. Then l heard Of the miners in
the South Island, many of whom live sew
eral days Journey away from any place
where they can get medical assistance in
cases of accident. You cen imagine what
a mans sutferings must be if he breaks or
Injuries a limb and has to remain IN
attended to for days and days TIL doctor
is brought to him or till he is taken long
journey to where the nearest medical man
lives. In order to enable them to help
themselves and each other till medical
assistance can be obtained, l went among
the miners all over the isla ID and gave
ambulance lectures. 1t was a strange ex-
perience. Sometimes l bad to travel four
or five days to get to them; then gave my
lecture, sat with them by their camp fire,
slept in tent which they had specially put
up for me, and rode off again next day to
another place.
son these tours saw a good deal of lep-
rosy among the Maories, and few months
ago l came home to England, thinking to
go to Molokai and there make further
studies Of the disease.
81 should tell you that my final object
has always been, and still is, to study lep-
rosy and it's various treatments as thor
oughly as possible, and then to go to India
to organize the care of lepers. who, in many
cases, are terribly neglected. Soon after
reaching London | went to the Hawaiian
consul Bond street, to see what assistance
he could give me. but he informed me at
once that only Roman Catholics could be
received at Molokai That. of course, put
an end to ir, as | belong to the Church of
England, AID once more my hopes seemed
to be batfied.
''At the first March Drawingroom this
spring | was presented to the Queen, and
rec days after the Princess of Wales
whom some of my friends had told of my
intentions, teiegraphed, asking me to come
and see her at Marlborough house.
Il cannot tell you how kin the princess
was; she promised to write at once TO her
sister, the Empress of Russia, from whom
was anxious to obtain the Red Cross Order,
which had n )minally been awarded to me
after the Russo-Turkish war, but which
had not received. A few days later l was
on my way to Russia, obtained the order
without trouble and was specially invited
to come and see the Empress at Gatschina.
And there again was received with
such simple kindness and sympathy that
could hardly believe l was really in the
presence Of the highest lady in the land.
The empress would not let me stand for
moment in her presence. So sat down,
even while the empress remained standing,
and she listened to all l had to say, and
when expressed the wish to study the leper
question is Russia she promised her help
and tins emperor's. The rest is soon told.
In this folio," continued Miss Marsden,
opening out one after the other the large
white sheets stamped with mighty official
seals, and signed by some of the
most important and powerful men
in Russia, II have papers emitting
me to 90 into all the hospitals, all
the prisons and TO all places where think l
UM.I