Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-05-08
ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL.
The Ladies' Guild Decide to Close
it a Year Hence.
A Thankiess, DiseouragingT Task That
Has Been NobIy Carried on for
Years. and a Burden They Can Bear
no L0nger..-Lack of Public Interest.

The ladies of st. Luke's Cottage Hos.
pital at their meeting Monday afternoon
decided to close the hospital on April /
next the end of the year already entered
upon, and for which what subscriptions
have been pledged provide for. 1t can be
carried that long only by good deal OF
zeal and pluck on the part of the ladies
accompanied by the careful financiering
and management that has always charac>
teriZed their manner of conducting this
worthy institution. The ladies have found
their task thankless and difficult one
for some time. Public interest in the
enterprise has been gradually dimin-
ishing and subscriptions have been
found to be less each year, until this
year they don't amount to enough to meet
current expenses. Since the attack from
three of the pulpits CT Rock Island, which
resulted in the failure of the charity ball
have been discouraged, though they were
not disposed to abandon their work until
they found that subscriptions were to be
limited to an amount insufficient to cover
the actual running expenses.
An ARGUS representative called on
Mrs J. M. Buford, PRESIDENT of the Hos
pital Guild, at her home on Second ave-
nue. yesterday to learn as to the plans of
the guild and the facts which had
prompted them. Mrs Buford SAID:
The hospital year. the expenses
of which absorbed the subscrip,
lions of last year and more too. ex-
PRED May l. and the ladies went out to
renew subscriptions for second year.
They met with very poor success indeed
Last year our total subscriptions amour
ted to 81 900 in Rock Island, and $500
in Moline, and you can see how dIscour-
aging were the results of our efforts when
our list shows but $500 in Rock Is
land this year. and nothing in Moline.
Viewing these facts, our first impression
was to close the hospital at once, but
realizing that those who had aided us had
done SO III good faith. we thought it our
duty to continue another year, believing
that with what we had received, together
with a small bank account, and with
be available until Sept. /, and accom-
panying these funds by much hard work
and no little pluck. we can keep the hos,
pital open another year.
But We will make no further appeals
for subscriptions. Tie task has become
too Illuminating to the ladies who have
devoted their time and exertions to this
work simply in the interests of humanity.
If our people would visit the hospital as
we have repeatedly asked and urged them
to. they would see to what ends their as
sistance has been appropriated and to
what extent misery is being alleviated by
their means. Since April we have had
eight patients at tie hospital and there
nv SaA ehSiS hO". iuoSl vi "uOu dFe Sc
rious and critical. The doctors of Rock
Island have been extremely kind to us,
have given their gratuitous services reg
ularly and have been faithful in their at.
tendance upon the unfortunate But we
cant run the hospital longer than this
year and have decided therefore to aban-
don it on April next"
Mayor McConochie referred to St
Luke's hospital in his annual message at
Monday nights session of the city coun>
Gil, and it is to be hope indeed that some
means may be devised for continuing this
very deserving and worthy institution
The work that the ladies of st Luke's
hospital have done in Rock Island in the
interests of humanity is greater than will
ever be reali Zed and they can never be
properly thanked for their self sacrificing
zeal and pluck. 1t is to be deeply re>
GREETED that they cannot be encouraged
to continue their excellent management
of the hospital.
Mr.. Hass ut Home Again.
Mr.. Fred Hass, president of the Rock