Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-03
A MlNIsTERiNG ANGEL.
| ,iercstinq Stories OF the Famous Heroine
Florence Nightingale, who Reyolutionlzed
Nursing.

Apropos OF the serious illness of Flor
cnce Nightingale, the heroine OF the
Crimca whose advanced age almost pre-.
cudes the possibility of recovery, ii is
seldom recorded of a great public charac-
ter to have so completely fuihliea the
lived up to its demands throughout life
.ime as exclusively and completely as in
the case OF this idol of the British soldier.
Although generations nave passed since
1s5i when she went at the age OF "a TO the
British army in Crimea as superintcnd-
ent of corps OF women volunteer nurses,
her work ard influence there has never
leen forgotten and her name, handed
down from father TO son. represents all
that is helpful and lovable in woman
Miss Nigh tingale, out of the pity and
sympa thy of her heart ard~a noble phil
hcsnitaI at Scutari for sick aiksf wounded
soldiers. She began with a force of leu
volunteer nurses, ninety of the number.
oens Women T rs hespt s ON m t Fs isc
wounded soldiers We're received. those
who participated iifsthe battle of mixer
man. and within month the number in
creased TO 1900 So admira BILE was the
executive ability OF this grand woman
that she made her hospital a model for
good nursing and PERFECTION Of arrange~
.nent while She moved among the sick
and dying soldiers like 4 minister ing "a nz
gel, which indeed She proved stQxbe,%
one wounded private soldier SAID NJ her :
1--WE watched for hercomnigsas teie child
watches for its Enouher. When. we wefe
too weak to speak to her as Sa4e assea 4
through the wards we would kiss her
shadow where it fell on Our pillows ana
feel comforted,
Such an example of devotion to the
cause of suffering had many followers
The young English girl renounced the
drawing-room and its luxuries for the
hospital and It's priNations. and there
was 70 lack of young women nurses. for
the impetus of i real nobility carried with
ii an earnest of success. That nursing
is the honorable profession ii Is today Is
owing TO Florence nightingale, who did
not believe. as the majority of sick people
and even physicians Of that day pretend
ed to, that amy old woman would do
for a nurse SaireN Camp and her triee
disappeared before the trained forces o.
The Nightingale and fcr bard Of asSis-
tants. never to return. and superstition
made way for science.
When the nurse-in-cnief of the British
forces returned to England she received
the joyous welcome of a conqufror. a
gold medal of rare workmanship ana
studded with costly diamonds Was pre-
scented to her by the queen rs symbol
of her maiesty's gratitude to her distin-
guished subject. Among branches Of
palm in green and gold enamel,,green
bossed by band of black, are The word
inscribed in Letters Of gold:
Blessed Are the Merciful"
\ pretty story has been told of Miss
Nightingdle's journey to the Crimea be
ing the result of an unrequitted attach
rnent for a young officer in the Crimean
army. and the hope of ~ ing and as
sistlng him in his career. This is not
true Her labor of love was not inspired
by one soldier but by many. 1t was a
love for humanity that sent her on that
difficult and dangerous mission, for even
if there had occurred a romance in her
iife 1t mad been at a much earlier date.
She had entered upon the serene estate of
single womanhood some years before she
went to the Crimca.
Florence Nightingale received her
Christian name from the town in which
/ she was born--Florence, Italy. Her name
is not Nightingale. but Shore, her father
j being a Nottingham banker. who inheri-
ted the estates of Peter Nightingale on
condition that he assume the name.
! Florence, a tall handsome girl, was high
!y educated, both III the solid studies OF
the time and the accomplishments but,
strange as it may seem, her faVorite
study was the care of the sick. She first
| took a course of training in Pastor Flied
ner's school of deaconeSses at KaiSers-
werth. This was in 1919. In order to gain
practical experience she took care of a
sanitarium for invalid governesses in
London. making such special Innovations
| in its management as to call forth favor
| able comments from the physicians, who
| yielded slowly to conviction that here
was woman who understood the neces-
! sity of sanitary reforms. 1t must have
| been 4 qualification TO those who admit
! ted her ability to hear from her a few
years later as superintendent of all the
/ hospital system on the Bosporus.
| Miss Nightingale never recovered from
| the severe attack of hospital fever which
| closed her public labors and resulted in
! Years. of suffering, which she has borne
/ with the greatest patience and with hero
! ic fortitude. Her home in London fur
nished heF with every comfort, and she
has divided her time between it and the
home of her sister. Lady Verney. in
! Buckinghamshire. whore she was always
/ a welcome and beloved guest. She sur
rounds herself with books when she Is
able to read. which has been until very
| recently. Her personal appearance is
most agreeable she being majestic in
height with fine gray hair and a cheerful
smile. which is wnsome and attractive
While an earnest advocate of sunlight
and fresh air Miss Nightingale dared te
| draw upon herself the dispieasure of the
doctors by declaring the general opinion
that night air is injurious. fallacy OF
the most absurd sort 1t is through heI
influence and publicly expressed belief
| that London sick people dared to sleeI
with their windows open. Said this adj
vanced and thoughtful woman:
| what mir can we breathe at night but
night air? The choice is between pure
night air without and impure night ain
from within. Most people prefer the lat
lter--a most unaccountab bic choice II
great cities night air is oftea the best ana
purest to be had in the twenty foul
iours.
mean war Florence Nightingale received
not n dollar of pay above the actual ex
pense which she incurred. and the $3.50
600 given to her by the British govern
ment was donated by nor to the estab