Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-19

scene, and wait on tho invalid night ana
day as long as she was able. Sometimes
my uncle himself would take dash at
the nursing. and each time after TINS oe-
votlon on his part the patient would nave
n backset. Finally, heard or nurse
not a trained nurse, as we now ca'i
them-but a woman who had been en-
ployed In a family FOR years as nurse
maid TO the children, whom we could ger
TO care for our invalid. The children she
had tended had grown up, and the wo-
mans services were al our disposal i
went to my aunts and preached tho sub
feet as gently as / could. / told her that
there could not be any intelligent ad-
ministering OF the medicines as long as
her nurses were changed 50 frequently,
and were OF such divers descriptions. that
we wanted her to have the best Of care
and to allow this good woman 10 win her
back TO health. The vigor with which she
sat up in bed on hearing this frightened
me. / feared / had overexcited her and
that had worked evil.
" 'OIiviag she exclaimed IN a tone OF
CONSERVATION, do you think IL possible
that a paid attendant could take the
place Of my own flesh and bloodY
LADIES TAKE TO NURSING.
1--WE got around her afterwards some
way, however, and she consented 20 have
the nurse Just after the Florence
Nightingale craze. and the publication
of Va and Her Paupers and other works
on nursing had aroused public interest
in the subject, we got TWO Maryland
women, sisters. as nurses at the hos
pital. When trained nurses first came
into vogue il was taken up by ladies al
most entirely. Afterwards there was a
change; the ladies seemed 10 drop out,
and a more ordinary element crept IN.
In the last few years the gentefolk have
taken 1t up again.
well, happened 10 be in the hospital
kitchen one morning, soon after these
Maryland women were installed, and one
Of them came in; noticed that she did
not speak to the matron. You did not
say good-morning TO the manager l
said afterwards; why was thatT The
manager did not say say good-morning
TO me-, she answered. / tried 20 intimate
that she was In a subordinate position,
and must show the matrOn proper re-
spect; but I could make no impression
on her. We never could do anything
with either OF those women, and yet they
were intelligent and refined, and were
cultivated in a degree. At night they
went to bed and 10 Sleep. and resented
being called up for anything. i recol-
lect there was an i'll, delirious patient
and upon calling one morning l asked
after her condition. She is as well as
could be expected after walking about
IN the cold hall all night the doctor told
me- Those incomprehensible nurses had
taken themselves off to bed and left that
III woman TO her own devices.
Some trained nurses have a hard time
Of il, and some patients have hard time
with the nurses. 1 know an elderly
invalid now, who has had a regular pro-
cession of nurses, and only one has
given anything like satisfaction. y
friend at a hotel here who was recovering
nicely from severe Illness, was ali upset
because her nurse left suddenly, and for
what? Because she could not get a
tomato for lunch. When the patients
tray came up there was a tomato on il,
and when the nurse went down to her
lunch she asked for tomato. There
isn't any tomato served to-day shs was
told. But there IS tomato; Mrs. j. had
tomato for her lunch, and I wish tomato
for mine she demanded; and, although
the head waiter explained that they had
sent hther and yon TO get that tomato
for Mrs. p, the nurse got out Of sorts,
and left, and then created more confusion
By trying to have her trunk carried
away on the patients private carriage.
INYALIDS CAPRICIOUS
'Invalids are markedly capricious ana
often hard to get along with. l know one
who took a dislike to an excellent nurse
simply because she did not Ike the way
the girl fixed her hair. She could not bear
it, she said. Another will object TO some
little trick of expression or trivial man
nerism. There was a nice girl who really
did excellently. but she had a way Of say
ing 'and-er between her sentences that
pTejudiced her with a certain patient who
would have been almost a life job for her.
THE question Of the serving Of meals
is generally a knotty point in private
family, unless the nurse thinks to say that
doubtless tho family would not care TO
have a stranger at the table and she would
prefer to wait or makes some allusion that
puts things on an easy footing. The trained
nurse has a difficult profession. but an
honored one, and one calculated TO win her
firm and fast friends"
IL is estimated that by working Sundays
and holidays and all days a nurse can
make 81, 200 q year; that the average nurse,
who looks 20 her health and takes needed
rest, cannot make more than 500 in the
twelve months. Il want a nurse for two
hours this afternoon 10 be sent TO No. 80
Blank street" says a lady at nurses head
quarters. '"There is TO be a slight opera
ton; she will not have much TO do. What
charger give dollars" she IS told
"Then I must look elsewhere. / am sure
the parties are only prepared TO pay s."
"Are they in poor circumstances" It Is
questioned. yes" "Well, then, q nurse
win so for 90"
Five dollars is not exorbitant when you
consider the facts" the president of the
Nurses Club explained. "Often when a
nurse is away on such a mission she loses
call that would insure her employment
for weeks; besides the cost OF laundering
her uniform has TO be considered. also her
car fare, and the sum that must be con-
coded as her due for experience and the
responsibility she assumes. The charge at
first glance seems high, but it is not so in