The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-21

the pretty uniform" which designates
you as a nurse, you feel suddenly
overwhelmed with the responsibility
of your self-chosen life. But to this
you grow accustomed after a while,
and take pleasure in thinking that
the patients in the ward look upon
you as their mental support, as it
were, and that a pleasant manner on
your part may serve to shorten the
weary hour of pain, while one of
hurry and impatience may make
these same hours drag woefully.
1t may be that as novice, you will
be surprised and dismayed for the
moment,on finding yourself in ward
full of people in no way your social
equal. Perhaps your life has hither-
to been so guarded that you have
never come in contact with the
masses" and the revelation that you
must care for these people may come
upon you with shock. But re-
member if you are not willing to min
lister to any and every one of your
fellow creatures in distress, you are
not fulfilling your highest mission
as nurse. Keep in mind Ian Mac
laren's creed: Love the man next
to you," and you will be astonished
to find how much more good in the
heart of man-even the lowest than
his fellow creatures give him credit
for.
Once your hospital course is fin
ished, an entirely new field of pro-
fessional action opens to you. You
are confronted with the fact that
hereafter you are not only RESPONSE
BILE for the success of your own pro-
fessional career, but are also charged
with maintaining the reputation of
your school. AS you enter on the
work of private nurse, you will
realize that for the time being you
are reigning power in the house.
You may cause the family to regard
you as perfect godsend, bearing
responsibilities with which they find
themselves unable to cope-or, on
the other hand. you may upset the
whole household, Inconvenience every
member, create discord among the
servants, and even uproot the faith
heretofore placed in the family ply
sician.
In other words, you are a great
power in household of sickness; let
that power be for good.
Again, you will find loyalty to your
doctors a most important factor.
While in your hospital career you
may have worked with one or two
doctors, outside you will find your
self the aid to many. The true nurse
faithfully endorses and carries out
the orders of each, no matter how
much his methods and ways may
differ from those of his predecessors.
All this requires adaptibility.
If you enter the profession merely
for financial profit, great will be your
disappointment. There is SO much
more in nursing than the mere meas
uripg of medicines and ministering
of food-as the patients needs are
often quite as much mental as ply
sical-that unless you can supply
those wants you will be disappoint-
ment to yourself as we'll as to others.
Nurses must be ministers in every
sense of the word.
True, all can not be Florence
Nightingales, and the world will
never know of all the good deeds
done and self-sacrifices offered, but
to one who loves her profession, the
knowledge of work we'll done brings
its own reward.
Thus, viewed with all the high
possibilities involved, no other calling
can be greater or nobler than that of
the trained nurse.
Consider we'll before choosing it,
and then. having chosen, throw your
self into the work with your whole
soul.
NEW YORK CITY.