The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-19
A RED CROSS LOVE STORY.
ROMANCE IN THE MARRIAGE OF
CHIEF SISTER BETTINA.

| New York, June H-Here is New
York romance:
The principals are DR.. A. Monae Lesser.
! executive surgeon of the American Ma
/ tional Red Cross, and sister-in-chief Bet
tina of the New York Red Cross Hospital
al. both of whom are now awaiting Clara
Barton's cali to go at once to Cuba or
wherever else she may direct, to take act
| i've charge of wounded fighting men.
The thread of this romance has been so
intimately entwined with the establish
ment of the New York Red Cross Hospital
that the story of the one can hardly be
related without virtually telling also the
story of the other.
In 1888 petite young woman. little more
| than girl in years. of attractive personal
! appearance and with laughing dark eyes
which yet showed much seriousness of
purpose, came to New York from Germa-
| ny. To those with whom she became ac-
quainted she said her name was Bettina
A Hofker. At home she had been much
| impressed by the good accomplished by
the Red Cross, and she had come to
America to see if it were not possible to
plant a Red Cross system here. There
| was no war to be sure, but it might be
| feasible to establish a training school for
Red Cross nurses, such as are constantly
maintained by most governments in Eu
rope, where war is likely to break out al
most any moment Her motives were as
praiseworthy as they were ambitious and
her energy was practically unbounded.
But, of course, she found, on looking
about her here, that the Red Cross pro-
paganda which she had mapped out for
| herself had been carried on for years be-
fore by an American woman, whom she
had never CHANGED to identify with this
country, yet whose name was known the
world over as one of the greatest of Red
| Cross apostles
So Bettina Hofker set about doing the
next best thing and busted herself from
day to day and week to week in nursing
the sick among the poor who dwell in
East Side neighborhoods There were
| then no university settlements" or, al
best, they were new and hardly in work.
ing order, and most of the societies now
doing such house toulouse work among
the districts of New York peopled solely
| by Europeans were yet unorganized. In
a sense, then BetAna Hofker's work in
| New York was that of a pioneer, and
| ing of a nurse, it was distinctly valuable
and helpful.
THE Little Sister Bettina," as some of
| her patients soon came to term her, had
| not been at work many weeks when she
| met a young doctor at the bedside of a
| patient. Between the doctor and anna
! teur nurse there was an interchange of
! condolences concerning their plans for flu
| ture work, for he, too had determined to
devote a large part of his life and energy
to work among those who needed profess
! sional care, but could not afford to pay
| for 1t. And, of course, he commended the
"IAttle Sister Bettina," and cheered and
| helped her in her work.
But" he said to her one day, you
| could be of greater use were you to study
nursing as a profession. Suppose you
| leave your post among the poor for
time to enter Mount Sinai Hospital? 9th
! ers will carry on your work among the
poor until you are ready to take it up
| again.
This advice was warmly seconded by the
| Rev. John Johns, since dead, who had be-
come as sincerely interested in Bettina as
was Dr. Lesser. So, in 1891, she entered
| Mount Sinai where she began to familiar
| ize herself with all the details of both the
DRY and practice in nursing. In the mean
time the nurses who had taken her place
! had encountered several cases requiring
surgical treatment, which had been at
tended by DR.. Lesser and DR.. Thomas Nc
Nicholl
This led to the establishment Of a little
hospital at No. 45 Bradhurst avenue, which
they named St. Johns Institute. There
patients Were regularly treated mostly
without charge. But the nurses and doc
tors could not attend to the hospital, sup
port themselves by outside work ard
raise money for its conduct all at the same
time; and so, after a little st. Johns In
Stitute was given up.
The Little Sister Bettina" was gradu-
ated in 1898, when she at once resumed
her nursing among the poor DIR. Lesser.
whose regard had grown from professional
admiration for her pluck and determine
ton, her kindness and the skill with
which she nursed her patients, to senti-
mentS of a tenderer nature, suggested
marriage. But she said him nay, and de-
clared that in no other way could he
make her so happy as to join again with
her in her work. Being in love he ac-
quiesced, of course
In 1894 Sister Bettina, having enlisted
the interest of Mrs. Charles A. RAYMOND
in the project for a Red Cross training
school for nurses, a start was made with
that enterprise, and little fund to begin
the school was raised. 1t was necessary
to procure official approval, however IN
order to use the name Red Cross. and so
before anything further was done DR.
Lesser and Miss Hofker went to Washing
ton together armed with a recommepda-
ton from Walter 2. Phillips, then score
tary of the American National. Red Cross
and laid the whole story before Miss Clara
Barton. She approved the scheme with
her whole heart in substantially these
words:
THE New York Training School for Red
Cross nurses has been founded by the in
telligence, 'sympathies, industry and sacri-
fee of a girl, Sister Bettina Hofker. born
under skies other than ours, speaking an
other language, but endowed with that
love of humanity that makes all mankind
kin. Pity has been her inspiration. good
judgment and principles her guide, and pa
tent perseverance In effort her success
and by these she has brought to her aid
the skin of the surgeon and the gentle
hand of woman"
The Red Cross Hospital was opened in
1894, at One Hundredth street and Lex
ington avenue, with William T. Ward
well president Mrs. George f. Shrady.
vice president, and a full corps of visiting
and attending surgeons. including DR..
Shrady and DR.. Lesser and with Miss
Hofker as sister-in-chief Its work from
that time has been constantly progressive,