The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-15
TRAIN GIRLS AS NURSES
1t Will Make Them Gentle, and
Strong, and Ready for an
Emergency.

old lady whose sole hostage to fort
une CHANGED to be a boy, and n not
very we'll trained at that, II would
have them all finish their education
in training school for nurses" AS
she uttered this wise remark she was
standing at the foot of a sick bed
watching the very a~mateurish attempt
of a well meaning but inexperienced
hand to arrange the pillows, ETC., to
the satisfaction of an invalid. And
her remark was heartily echoed by
both amateur nurse and the poor sick
one, whose nerves were being rasped
by the kindly meant but unavaiiing
attempts to render him comfortable.
In these days of thoroughness of
training in all lines of education, when
schools of manual training are regard
ed as decidedly the proper thing for
the education of BOYS who have no
idea of becoming mechanics, though
trained to handle the tools; when the
particular talents of the young of
either sex are sought out with serious
attention and their educational up
bringing all bent TO the n end of
unfolding and developing that talent
to a perfect whole, why should not
the idea prevail of training all young
women to such a point in nursing
that they may have confidence in
themselves when called upon during
life's pathway to care for the sick?
No matter what position a woman
takes or is born to in this world, Two
things which she cannot escape are
sickness and death. If the n comes
not-as in rare instanees-to herself, |
know no oma who at one time or
another has not been called upon to
nurse some suffering fellow creature
near and dear.
In these days of professional nurses,
when al who can afford theirexpense
bring them into their families at times
of long or violent illness, the quiet
peace and comfort which may be
brought into a sick room is fully real
lied. But the vast majority of edu-
Gated persons pecuniarily are de-
barred from indulging in such expen-
sive luxuries and their sick one suf-
fer. Suppose in the department of
physical training, which is being add
ed to most girls as well as boys
schools, a branch of nursing was in
Guided, how many mothers do you
suppose could be induced to pen a
letter of excuse to the head of the
school framed in some such language
as this:-.Kindly excuse my daughter
from the extra fatigue OF pursuing
this new study. | feel that she is al
ready sufficiently taxed" | hardly
believe that in all our wide land there
is one who would have so little
thought for her daughters future as
this; on the contrary, there would be
a general feeling that ven an impor-
tant study would best be given UP to
gain a little knowledge of how easy it
is to make the suffering more com
Portable.
But such a giving up would not be
necessary; the physical art of urs-
ing could be taught in connection
with the gymnasium exercise in the
departments of physical culture, and
O course of lectures on this subject
alone be added to the study of ply
sizes. Why would it not develop the
muscular power of the arms as per-
fectly to be taught how to take @
suffering frame on one arm and
arrange the hot and crumpled pillow
with a few deft touches of the other
tain system of weighted machinery
CIliGA ACNtltA AtAtot VI W 5WlliS O0Ch
and forth on rings suspended from
ceilings?
But such a little thing as fixing the
pillows, you say, why any one can do
that. Yes, SO they can. But if you
watch the look of expectancy and re-
lief on the face of a sick person when
he sees a trained nurse about to do
this simple thing. and the sigh of
satisfaction when she is finished and
he is put back to cool and absolute
comfort; and again the anxiety and
distress so visibly depicted when he
sees OF the family approach to do
the same simple thing, and hear the
fretful voice exclaim afterward, "Oh,
my pillows r not right" it is easy
enough seen that there are ways and
ways OF doing things.
There are persons, as we all know,
whom nature has endowed with a
wondrous gentle touch. a magnetic
vitality, a thoughtful, far seeing care,
and these persons we call natural
nurses. Strange as it may seem, they
are not in many cases dainty, gentle
little women, but great, strong and
often rough men, who seem to the or
binary observer better fitted for train
ing horses than for the care of an in
valid. | can think of such a one now as
/ write-an awkward uncouth, loud
voiced being, but who in sickness
changes as under some magic touch.
The most ~fastidious invalid gains
vigor and repose from his very touch
and his loud words subdue themselves
into the most encouraging and inspir-
ing tones
Perhaps it is his strength that the
invalid depends on; perhaps it is his
self esteem that inspires confidence. |
admit it, such reasons there may be,
but his nursing is a gift Hundreds
of Others just as strong, just as self
conceited, just as vigorous, are clumsy
and useless about the sick. And so
are hundreds of Others, dainty, easy,
quiet, low voiced, etc.
To one who has had experience with
many trained nurses q certainty sinks
into the mind that one need not
possess this gift from nature to be a
successful nurse. for the characters
and personalities are as varied in the
training school as in any other where
a number of human beings are
gathered together. One character
istic, however, they all require is
thoroughness, SO that each herself
may thoroughly depend on her pow
ers, in which case the patient is sure
to do so also.
| would have every girl and boy
taught the elements of massage rub
bling, so that when necessity demand