Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-05-01
THE NATIONAL SANITARIUM
DIR. Roberts Writes OF the American
Invalid Aid Society and Its
Plans.

Mr.. Thomas Curran, the photographer,
than whom no one is better example of
the benefits accruing to those seeking
restoration to health from a residence in
this climate, is in receipt Of highly in
teresting letter from DR.. ". P. Roberts,
of Minneapolis, the founder of the Ameri-
can Invalid Aid society of Boston, which
seeks to establish national sanitarium
on the Fort Marcy reservation. Extracts
are appended:
$50 far as know" writes DR.. Roberts,
81 am the only one of the old resort asso-
citation of which DR.. Duncan was at the
head, who persisted in the rescue work Of
consumpt ptive invalids. Perhaps thisg
ont of having once been consumptive
myself, and being restored to health by a
timely change of climate. 1t was at my
suggestion that DR.. Duncan, with the help
of few others, organized and procured
charter in Illinois for the American
Resort association, of which he WAS the
president, and was made a special com
missioner to travel and gather data re-
garding climates and mineral waters.
"After my first trip to New Mexico, in
August, 1891, report which l made to
the association was published in pamphlet
form, as was also one of j. +. Danter, M.
D, of Toronto, Canada, and WAS sent to
Now England, while DR.. Danter went to
Canada. My orders in New England we're
TO visit physicians, hand them my report
ana get them interested as far as possible
in the climate cure work. While doing
this, took it upon myself to visit the
editors of the public press in nearly every
place l stopped and got them to give us
write-up.
"Duripg my first trip through New
England, learned from many of the
physicians that there was large class of
consumptive invalids whose lives might
be saved only for lack Of means with
which to give them the needed change
Thus it was that conceived the idea OF
the American Invalid Aid society, and
took steps during the early winter OF
1892, with the sanction of my friends in
the resort association, to organize the
society. In this work came to my aid
Mr.. Clement, of the Boston Transcript
Rev. Edward Everett Hale, of the Boston
Comm onwenlth, Mr.. Hezekiah Butter.
worth, one of the editors OF the Youths
Companion, Hon. Jacob H. Gallinger, now
U. s. senator from New Hampshire, and
several other gentlemen. On the 18th day
of a pril, 1892, We held our first informa
meeting in the parlors of the Tremon,
house, Boston. There were at that meet
ing representatives from
FIVE DIFFERENT STATES.
"New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Con
necticut, New York and Texas. Iu Febru
ary, '93, we received a charter under the
laws of Massachusetts, and commenced
soliciting for funds, which came in quite
freely at first, but the more acute calami
ties, the Sea Island sufferers in 1898 an6
the great army Of the unemployed in ths
same year and the winter of 1894, greatly
hindered our work, 80 that was com
pelled to give up for time and find en-
loyment elsewhere. In the summer oi
| 1894. took q trip, with my wife for Z
com panion, to New Mexico, going
through to California, and on my return
visited Santa Fs and saw you for the frs,
time. came to Minneapolis in October
1894, aud so strongly was ! impressed
that unless something could be done, th,
good work that we had already don,
would be dropped and perhaps never re-
sumed, that was led to start the publ
cation which we called Folklore ant
Best Thoughts.
"Since that time the work has beer
gradually growing. Many invalids hav,
been assisted and Hon. Jacob 81. Gallinge
has pressed forward the work in the sen
ate and his efforts now seem to be sue
cessful in obtaining Fort Marcy for tn,
society.
II have just received aletter from Dr
Nichols stating that meeting has beef
held in Boston this week, and