The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-07
TO HELP SUFFERERS.
Mrs. Lathr0p to Found Home for
Cancer Patients.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's Daughter Gives
Up Her Old Work.

Mrs Rose Hawthorne Lathrop has gore
30 live at / Scanned street. New York,
that she may do something to tighten the
woes Of those who suffer from cancer.
Mrs Lathrop is the daughter of Nathaniel
Hawthorne and the wife of George Par
sons Lathrop and she herself has won
considerable fame in literature. Her house
in Scanned street is an old and small
four story brick tenement, almost the on
ly merit of which Is cleanliness. Scanned
street is narrow lane that runs from
East Broadway, below Gouverneur street,
to Water street. Each side Of 1t Is lined
with poor tenements, and the people who
live there are Of the poorest class. The
house that Mrs. Lathrop has chosen for
her work Is just south of East Broadway.
The beginning of this work by Mrs. La
throp Is not the result of any newly form
cd purpose. AS early as last spring she be-
came interested In the poor cancer patients
Of the city and determined to do some
thing for them. She went TO Dr. Bull for
advice. He told her the best thing she
could do was to take q course Of nursing
at the Cancer hospital at One Hundred
and Sixth street and Central Park West
She went there In June and staid for
three months, doing the work Of nurse.
Her experience there only confirmed her
In her purpose to do something for the in
curables There Is an incurable ward in
the hospital, but that has not sufficient ac-
commodation for all the applicants. She
therefore decided to start a home for In
curables In the poor part of the city, where
patients could receive the comforts so
necessary to them and yet be within easy
reach of their friends.
From physicians she received little en-
couragement They told her that to start
such a home and maintain Ii would re-
quire large Sim Of money, and without
sufficient Equipment she could not get
capable physicians TO attend the patients.
Moreover, they represented TO her that the
first requirements for incurobles were rest
and quiet and pure air, and these could
not be got In 6 densely populated section
Of the city. They advised her II she was
going to do something for cancer patients
TO bend her energy toward securing great
or facilities for incurables at the already
admirably equipped cancer hospitals.
Mrs. Lathrop was not to be turned aside
from her purpose. She first went to friends
to secure the necessary funds to start u
home on a small scale. This she failed TO
do although she got promises of help
when she had demonstrated that her idea
was good one. 80 she decided to start
alone and show what she could do.
The next obstacle that met her was the
unwillingness of landlords to let a house
or part of house for such purpose.
Poor people," said Mrs Lathrop,
"have such horror of cancer patients
that they do not want to be In the same
house with them"
This fact of itself strengthened her in
her purpose, showing her how badly help
was needed. Finally she found the house
in Scanned street and rented the second
floor, that consists of four rooms The
house, as to its halls, was very clean, but
when sho took possession Of her rooms the
dirt accumulated there almost unnerved
her. Having made up her mind To live
among the poor, she resolved 20 live as
the poor do, and in order that she might
have the moro money for her work she set
about sorubbing and cleaning the rooms
herself. She did IL all, too, except for tho
help she received from the women folk in
the house, who have, after "A fashion, taken
hor under their protection and who do for
her all they can. When the rooms were
clean. she set to work Frightening them