Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-24
FOR NURSERY MAIDS.
Training School IN Connection With The
Babies Hospital.
WHAT THEY HAVE TO Be TAUGHT.
Maids That Are Being Turned Out Quitc
Slowly One by One, hut They Go Forth
TO Educate Ignorant Mothers.
lcorrespondence OF the pIspatch.)

Correspondence OF the Dispatch)
NEW YORK, June 23.-There is just one
training school for nursery maids In this
country. 1t exists in connection with the
New York Babies Hospital, on Lexington
avenue.
The hospital has nurses. but the nur-
sery maids II makes and sends out into
grateful world are another matter.
They are simply trained TO take care OF
young children. and though they are
taught how TO make poultlces and OIL
skin Jackets and TO meet the simpler
emergencies of the nursery, Miss Wheeler.
the head OF the school. says she does not
care TO have them know anything about
medicines. She thinks little such know
ledge Is dangerous thing.
There Is a great deal TO teach nur-
sery maid that lies strictly within the
range of her duties.
zone OF the first and most important
lessons" said Miss Wheeler. rs how TO
battle "A baby. Even mothers think. U,
baby always cries when IL is washed.
and then they go on hurting the poor
little mites and paying no attention to
their screams OF protest.
NO one knows what little babies SUI
fer" declared Miss Wheeler. with nun
gled pathos and Indignation In her voice
"You put il down that j say when niue
babies cry and fret IT is because they are
in discomfort and psin. My babies don't
cry when they are bothered even. though
all of them are sick-that Is, they never
cry because they are bothered. ana ne
quently bothering soothes them.
1--WE have long, soft flannel aprons. ana
when the babies are young we don't put
them in tubs. We lay them on our laps
and roll them about as we Ike, not by
handling them, but by pulling the apron
this way and that i don't see how In
the world any one ever washes such a
mite as this, for instance, any other
way"
The mite weighed four pounds. and
was wrapped in cotton and lying IN
basket before small open fire, Tor the
spring day was a little cool.
Hot and cold and mustard baths ail
have their place In the hospital routine,
and the girls not only have theoretical
instruction about them, but also nave
practice In giving them.
So it is with the lessons on infant~
feeding, and the care OF the skin, mouth,
eyes, and ears Of little children.
MOTHERS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO
FEED BABIES.
OF course. the matter Of food Is one OF
the most importance. Miss Wheeler does
not think most mothers know much
about feeding infants. My nurse girls
go out of here and educate the mothers,
she remarked, and the mothers write TO
her and say the same thing.
THE MAIDS CURE CROSS BABIES.
"a young Irish girl that never thought
particularly bright" Miss Wheeler mar
rated, cleft me last week, and she mas
made a perfect revolution In the lamlly
employing her. She found them feeding
the baby four ounces of milk every TWO
hours. and the child very cross and dys-
peptic in consequence. Our little nurse
maid urged that just half the amount
of food given in the same length OF tme
was quite sufficient and the mother
humbly obeyed her directions. The Daby
IS now both healthy and happy"
The maids are carefully instructed in
the laws of ventilation, temperature. ana
the use of the clinical thermometer, ana
last. but not least, teach the babies goOd
habits and quiet. contented ways.
If you don't believe contentment can
be Impaired by the nurse, you only need
to go through this hospital to be con-
WINGED. The pretty. bright. clean rooms
don't look like wards" but wards they
are. full of sick babies. from l day to
years old, and there is not as much cry
ing In the whole place as one well infant
Will often supply its own luxurious home
with. You say 20 yourself, III training
can teach women how 10 make children
behave like this, then all the women in
the country ought to have 1t at govern
ment expense"
The place is always quiet and at nap
ping-time, except for an occasional whim-
FRO,
blessed with regular habits, the wards are
soundless. The inhabitants are sleeping
like so many little machines.
However. there is nothing machine-lille
in Miss Wheeler's theories. The nurses
have kindergarten instruction and play
little games with the toddlers, many OF
whom are unable to take a step. but must
lie in their cots or sit in their tiny chairs
all day long.
THE MAIDS ARE A SELECTED LOT.
Miss Wheeier is very fastldious about
the applicants she accepts for her school.
More come than she could possibly take
in, and yet sometimes she Will keep
vacancy open weeks waiting to find just
the right person.
I'D rather be short OF help and work
much more myself" she says. than have
any one in the hospital unworthy Of my
fully who does not love the children.
talk to the girls when they come, draw
them out, and watch TO see how they
really feel about children.
81 have twenty applications from en-
ployers for every girl | am able to sup
ply. Mothers appreciate the school, and
I'd like to train double this number OF
maids, but I am still more anxious that
those | do vouch for shall be all / say
they are"
A pleasant-faced young woman came
into the room just then, and dear two
year-old girl sitting in her big rocking
chair lifted up her arms TO the maid,
calling, Mamma, mamma"
"Why. bless little Annie! tum here!
tum yite here" said the girl. picking the
child up and talking baby-talk as intel
ligently as II that were taught in the
training-school, too. But II is not; that
is the one thing left TO inspiration.
Not only are the children taught regu-
lar, orderly ways; the nurses must learn
the same lesson, for a hospital Is
place where the choice Is between order
ana anarchy; there is system In every
thing.
one lady wrote TO Miss Wheeler to tell
her how delighted she was with her new
trained nursery-maid before she had had
her twenty-four hours, because when she
went into the nursery after the baby
was put to bed, she found Its clothes
folded, the room in order. and the blue
gowned. white-aproned presiding genius
doing some nursery sewing. Plain sew
ing and mending she had been taught IN
the school.
THE summer hospital and training
school are transferred TO pretty cottages
at Oceanic n. j., and then the
nurses get the training of travelling 10
and with the babies as they are received
sick at the "old stand" in town, ana
sent back to their mothers well. when
one nurse will placidly take down nan
n dozen sick babies at once with ohiy
such help as the interested ueeh nanos
so'.n,,sI, Owe her. what greater evidence
co,,I1 there be of miracles wrought by
training.
AND uER EYE DROPPED OUT