The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-05-16

CARNATIONS which aid by active service
in the field is the American branch of
the International Red Cross league.
Miss Clara Barton, the Florence Night
| ingale of America, is at the head of the
work, being president of the national
! league. She but recently returned from
! Cuba, where as the chief representative
| of her society she superintendent the
! distribution of food clothing and med
| ical assistance to the sick and starving
recOncentradOs, and there, under the
protection Of the American government,
she almost Immediately returned with
shipload of provisions. The hospital
ships, too, all are fitted out with Red
Cross nurses and fly the Red Cross flag.
Miss Barton's chief aid is the sister
in chief of the Red Cross corps Of
nurses, Mrs. Bettina HOfker-Lesser
Mrs. Lesser or Sister Bettina, as she
is lovingly called by her coworkers, is
a young woman and a very lovely one.
OF medium height, slender, sweet of
face and gentle in tone and manner, she
is just the sort of woman that one can
imagine commanding the respectful
worship Of a hospital full of grateful
soldiers or the admiration and loyalty
perfect face, but one that wOmanly
sympathy, unselfshness and love of
humanity have nodded into beauty.
Sister Bettina-and America is inter-
ested in her because under Miss Bar
ton she has direct charge of all the wo-
men who care for our wounded soldiers
in the fields a German by birth and
speaks English with a slight accent In
the early part of 1883 Sister Bettina,
then Miss Hofker, became interested
in the poor Of New York city and de-
voted a portion of her time each day
to caring for the sick in their tenement
homes. That she might fit herself the
better for this work she entered the
Mount Sinai Training School For
Nurses. In 1893 she graduated, carry
ing off the highest honors in her class.
By this time she had become much in
terested in the work of the Red Cross,
but as there was no institution n
America, as in the countries of Eu-
rope. for the special training Of nurses
for the work Of the society the found
ing of such hospital in this country was
suggested To Miss HOfker. She inter
ested a number Of prominent people in
the idea. and fund for it was prom
ised Miss Clara Barton was then APP
preached and her interest enlisted. The
new institution was to be located n
New York and 10 be known as the Hos
pital and Training School For Red Cross
Sisters its work in times Of peace in one
department to be the care Of the needy
sick. The plan was pushed 10 rapid
success Such eminent surgeons rs Dr.
George F. Shrady and DR.. Galiard
Thomas are now on the hospitals list
Of consulting physicians. with DTs. a.
NJ. Lesser. T. 4. McNicholl. c. r. Eli
son. Steger and Zen in special lines.
1t was shortly after the opening q the
institution that DR.. Lesser, who had
long admired Sister In Chief Hooker in
duced her to become not only his assoc
ciate in Red Cross work. but his part
ner for life
The Red Cross headquarters il Wash (
ington are constantly thr0nged with
women eager 10 enlist II the work Il
the order. No less earnest IS the long
line Of serious faced women that wait
daily IN the reception room Of the New
York Red Cross headquarters or sit
through long hours Of lectures.
OF these women few 1inch when they
learn the arduous duties imposed On al
followers Of the Red Cross The soe.s-
y has nothing 70 do with circumscTI5ed 3