Evening star., 1897-06-09
TRAINED ANGELS OF MERCY
Glass of Six Graduates From Columbia School
for Nurses.
Report OF the superintendent shows
Two Entertaining Addresses.

Six angels OF mercy, as some appre-
ciative man dubbed trained nurses. grad
uated last night from Columbia Train
ing School. The exercises attending the
graduation took place in a veritable bower
Of flowers. in the nurses home on the CO.
!umbla Hospital premises.
Under the personal supervision of Miss
Underhll. the superintendent of the hos
pital. the arrangements were most happily
made. The exercises took place in the
middle parlor. while the friends and reIa-
tives of the graduates occupied the parlors
on either side.
The program opened with a report of the
superintendent Of the training school, i'm
whicn it was shown that the original class
OF fourteen had dwindled to six, and these
were presented for graduation. To gradu-
ate a nurse must obtain a percentage of
rot less than 73. The class of '3I had raised
the standard of efficiency, and had an
average of 93 per cent, three members
reaching an average of 30 per cent The
total number of the graduates of the school
has reached forty-siX. They OCCUPY hos
pital positions. and are said to be doing
we'll. Reference was made to the Column
bia directory for nurses. and II was stated
that this branch was still kept up the
practice of sending out nurses for emer-
gencies for even so short a time as an hour
still bein the custom.
Representative Barrows' Address.
Representative Barrows delivered an ad-
dress. He had been trying. he said, to rea-
son out why he had been selected to speak
1t was perhaps because he was the hus-
band OF woman, or maybe because his
wife was a physician, and he was by rea-
son of long service with her, a SORT of
nurse by breyet. He referred to the great
blessing trained nurse is to humanity
and pointed out Helen of Troy as the first
n he al 10,
Commissioner John b. Wight delivered
the diplomas. He supplemented ihs duty
by few brief remarks. in which he OBJ
served mat. as a layman, he had learned
ciate the tender help and sympathy a
trained nurse brought TO the sick room.
The graduates had chosen a noble pro-
fession, and Mr.. Wight invoked the blessing
mas he referred to the rose which accom-
panied each one. 1t was a remembrance
from the President and Mrs MCKINLEY.
Advice to Graduates.
Dr. Swan NJ. Burnett delivered the ad-
oress 20 the graduates, and was vigorously
appiauded He said many qualities entered
INTO the making OF a successful nurse
Ihere must be courage. readiness self-de-
nial. patience and knowledge. He referred,
10 the new civilization. and what IL had
oone Tor women. 1t has recognized them
as citizens. admitted their right to live In
dependent lives, and Acknowledged them
as a force to be reckoned with In the gov
ernment of society. These were gains the
value of which Is incalculable not only to
woman. but to society at large. They have
advanced humanity on its upward march
more than all the material progress of the
century, for they have had to do with the
development of the human SOUL beside
which all else is but as sounding brass and
tinkling cymbaL
Scores the New Woman.
DIR. Burnett referred TO the new woman.
and criticised her abuse of the high priyi-
leges Of woman. He wished to raise his
voice against all such heresy, and to utter
a word Of warning as to the danger that
lies in the path Of its acceptance. There
never was a time In the history of the
world, he said when the influence of true
womanhood was needed so much as IL is
today, and there never was an opportunity
to display that spirit in its highest and best
sense II is the recognition of this need
more than anything else that has given
woman the high position she has in this
age. In conclusion, he said:
Have yanquished Men.
"In this one fiele. at least. you have van
quished man. Before the rustic of your
soft white garment, he has fed. leaving
you victors in possession of the field. 1t Is
the full significance Of this that I would
nave you carry away with you as our Dene-
diction. I would have you realize that II is
this, quite much as the advance in sci
entific medicine. that has taken from hos
pital life its horrors. and made the hos
pital what 1t could never otherwise have
been. a home for the AFFLICTED of high and
low degree.
Imagine II you can what our own Chill
dren's Hospital would be without women
nurses. What Is II that has driven men as
nurses from every civil hospital In our
broad land? 1t is womanhood under the
guidance Of skill. training and knowledge.
Skill is much, knowledge Is much. training
Is necessary, but We must all remember
that we are men and women before we are
doctors or nurses. or lawyers and men OF
affairs, and that IL Is the full development
of our manhood and womanhood which
must unfold the mysteries of life and lead
Il toward its ultimate end OF perfection"
The graduates were: Miss Laura Buehler
Of this city, Miss Charlotte ]. Covert of IL
linois, Miss Edith e. Davis Of Maryland,
Miss Bernice Z. Hanson Of Ohio. Miss
Sallie F. Melhorne of Virginia and Miss
Julia A. Nichols OF Maryland.
II you want anything. try an ad. In The
Star. II anybody has what wish. yOl y.