The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-13
MRS. LATHROP'S SAD TASKS.
ZEN WORK AMoSG EAST SIDE
WOMEN VINO HAVE CANCERS.

audlthe Pationts She Has Tnken:Thers-
The Pathos OF the Suffering She Sees ON
Her Daily Rounds and the Need or
Money 60 Relieve the Worst of the Cases.
When Mrs. Rose Hawthorne Lathrop AM
nounced her intention OF going down into the
slums to live, people were very much wrought
up about II. When sho added that her special
ambition was to take care OF cancorous patients.
they were still more excited. And when sho
actually did 60. their interest knew no bounds.
Mrs. Lathrop lives at l Scanned street. A
great many New Workers., even the oldest ones,
are not acquainted with the neighborhood.
so IL may be well to DO explicit. At
a point about half q mile cast Of Third avenue,
Grand street and East Broadway meet at an
open square. 1t Is from ono side Of this square
that Scanned street starts on its short course to
the East River. This is, therefore,. not the very
"slummicst" of the slums. In fact, 1t is airy
and quiet. and there is an old-fashioned re-
spectability about tho neiGhboring portions of
East Broadway, where dozens OF doctors and
lawyers of various nationalities occupy the pro-
tentious houses of u byRone generation.
No. SCANNED street is half way down tho
first block. and tho surroundings are far from
repulsivo. There 10 n yard on the corner and
another across the street. Both have grass and
trees, but the grass Is brown and the trees bare
now. The house itself Is shabby and dirty and
forlorn. The door stands open in the accepted
tenement house fashion. The door of the hall 10
bare. and q rumpled piece OF old burlap serves
tho ground floor tenant as a rug. There Is car
pet on the stairs, however. This is unusual
magnifcenco for the slu aus. But 1t ia decayed
magnifcence. The plastering has fallen from
the walls, too. so that the house itself looks as
II It had one OF tho skin diseases In which Mrs.
Lathrop is so intereated.
Her own rooms are on the second floor and
are q pronounced contrast to the rest of the
house. In the nrst place, there Is a knocker on
the main door OF each apartment in the house.
That of Mrs. Lathrop's door is newly painted:
the rest are old and dull. On her door there is
also a shining brass plate bearing her fun name.
BY this door one enters n good sized room.
Everything 10 plain but srrupulously neat. The
floor is bare. cave for some strips Of carpotinR.
which are tackled down 80 as to cover the prin-
cipal paths about the room. This Is evidently
not by way of luxury, but as n means Of pro-
tecting the scrubbed white floor. The main
piece OF furniture In this room is a cook
ing stove; q comfortable friend, with its
simmering pots and the occasional CLEAN
OF the open "draught." A kitchen table is
on one side OF the room. 1t has been secured to
such an extent that II rivals in whitcness tho
plain linen cover Of the centre" table over
between the windows.. There is n shaded lamp
on the table. and there are a few papers. and
fewer booka. The chairs are simple wooden and
cane affairs, with one or two folding ones of
carpetinE. There Is not a pretentious thing In
the room, not a hint OF luxury: not q reminis-
cence of any different mode OF life. This room,
again in tenement fashion, Is the kitchen, din
ing room. living room. reception room. From
1t one may pass into three tiny bedrooms.
In ono of these there is a patient who is sut-
fering with cancer. She was In the hospital
six months and then ihad to go, that being the
limit OF stay allowed. The hospital authorities
said there was n chance OF her recovery II she
could have the treatment she needed, so Mrs.
Lathrop has taken charge of the case. Her own
room is n wee bit OF u place. quite dark except
for the light which comes in from the living
room. When O woman reporter for THE Sun
called the other morning Mrs. Lathrop was
again in bod as a result of She has
not yet recovered from an attack OF pneumonia
brought on by exposure and exhaustion. aid
every time she goes out ia wet weather she SUI
fers for it
II enthusiasm could cure cancers, Mrs. La
throp would make hospitals unnecessary. Her
whole soul seems to be in her work; her whole
mind given to her patients. present and pros
~pective; her whole energy to plans for their re-
lief. She has one settled am bition, and that Is
to organize a hospital for charity patients sui
fering with cancerous complaints. She wants
to build 1t right among the poor and consecrate
It to their use. Probably the realization OF this
dream is a long way in the future. In the mean
time she is going on with her work and dong
tine beet she can against odds.
"How do you spend your time 2' asked the
reporter.
We'll. in the morning | start out at about 0
o'clock to visit my patients. ! go the rounds
and dress the cancers and sores, do that | can
for the incidental cases meet, and get back
here about . o'clock. an supposed TO have
my dinner then, but ~ that Ia also the hour ut
which ! am at home" to my poor people. |
don't aiTSys maze "a en- mrGh OF a ,hG Snc, \ meyer 6,
my people TO know absolutely that they can find
me here from = until 3. The otner day went
out into the country TO see my brother. but cot
up at o O'Clock In the morning In order To be
here again by p. In the evening | 20 around
necessary. | have an assistant now: Miss Ma
honey and her sister live here with me. She
was a nurse In u Boston hospital, and does II
great deal of visiting for me-"
Have you many applications from outsiders
who would like To do the same thing Z"
"Quite u number. but most OF them are from
women VINO want Il" be pald for II. and | nave
no money with which to pay them. | have one
or two who do help me q great deal. They are
women Of means who 90 1t tor love of the work.
But the one who does mort IS 20 frn.l shat her
physician will allow her TO visit only II rec days
out OF the week. Another woman, who has had
cancer herself. would gladly, help me. but tie
do 1t. One woman applied TO me and | would
have been delighted 10 have had her help. for /
am sure she would be invaluable. She asked no
remuneration. simply wanted her board. but
even tina, j was unable TO give. She Is ali elderly
woman and did II good deal OF nursing during
the war. She would be. as ] say, Invaluable,
and yet am not able to take her.
lean do 80 little for my people. and they
need 20 much! AT ono time ! had about forty
patients under my care. OF course not all OK
them had cancers. but almost always In visiting
one patient | find others who need help. For
instance, ! have one woman. Mr-. H., tho has
an Internal cancer, which causes her terri
BILE pain. Besides this she has a tumor in her
foot. 80 that she Is lame. She is very small, n.
white as "a sheet. with hollow eyes, with deep
black shadows around them. she had IA littIe
w~Ork-thIHk of that wnmau's wurkinp!- hut
the mar did not pay her for it.. She has u boy
who has a bad sore on his leg, but IN spite Of
that he would be glad TO limp of ard work
II he could get any. They arc starving.
- hBv" another patient, y woman VINO WAS In
the hospital but had to 90 at the EXPIRATION OF
che six months limit, Tho doctors Say she may
live suuIe time. or che may dio any day. she,
TOO. has n son who has been out of work for
months. ana she, too. was starving. Well, |
had an old woman patient who could not yet
work be'ausc she had such u tprrihle sore on
her nose. thought i over, and finally con-
cluded to do this wHy:The woman with a cancer
needed care. and did not have Il; the old woman
with the sore nose could WORK, but uODody would
give II To her. so brought the wuunu Win