Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-08-11
THEY FEEL GRIEVED.
TRAINED NURSES OBJECT TO
THE WAR BAN.
oens Barred from the Privileges of
'he cAmps Has Brought the Pro-
iess'on Into Observation-Disclosures
Srannis Speaks for Her Sisters. "

~ brought tho FRO
'ess'on Into Observation-Disclosures
srannis Speaks for Her Sisters. v
Inc action OF the secretary OF war
IN restricting female nurses from the
service or the United States has
orought a degree OF stigma to the pro-
'ession mat Is not at all relished by
sne unselfsh little creatures who want
10 go to the front and care for the sick
ana wounded-at so much per. The
per 10 Invariably an important factor
win them. Some of them complain
'oudiy OF the ban that has been placed
IN them. To a New York Journal re-
porter Elizabeth Grannis, by way of
complaint, said:
How different nursing soldiers is
now from what 1t was during the civil
war! was n of the volunteer nurses
1t the big hospital on Long Island
during the civil war, and I shall never
forget my experiences. They are as
fresh in my mind today as when they
occurred. There was no such thing as
a trained nurse in those days. There
may have been trained nurses in the
country, but / know we never heard of
them in connection with army hospi-
tai work.
There were hundreds of young
women, like myself, who volunteered
without the ~faintest notion of what
was to be done. There was a call for
women who were willing to try the
work, and / went among the rest.
MY chief duty for a long time was
to care for patients whose cases were
hopeless. / had to fan them and give
them nourishment and keep them as
cheerful al possible. Not a very hope
full task, but l remember the Joy l
telt when an occasional patient of mine
proved to have vitality enough to re-
cover"
Mrs. Grannis does not esteem the
trained nurse as highly as most people.
Il believe there are many upright,
kindly, intelligent women in this coun-
try who would make as good nurses
as those trained in hospitals" she
says. I'm care of the wounded n
needs to use common sense and good
judgment. The trained nurse from the
very character of her routine work I'M
der a physicians direction seldom has
any initiative. She can only carry out
orders. In army hospitals the nurse
must often do emergency work without
direction.
IT read that many of our wounded at
Santiago lay for hours without treat
ment, and, even after being operated
on, were laid upon the bare ground be-
cause there were neither cots nor
nurses for them. 1t seems to me that
our government makes a mistake in
drawing the line so closely in regard
to women nurses. Surely the wound
ed at Santiago would have been bet
ter off IL there had been women enough
to care for them, even If they were
not thoroughly trained"
Mrs. Grannis is very o~utspoken in
her analysis Of why women are no
sent TO the war. There seems to be a
notion that there is some improperly
IN sending women to the front" she
said. II don't see why ii should be SO.
We are so accustomed now to having
women mingle in every sort OF work
and In every place where men are
busted that | am surprised to see the
prejudice revived when it is a qGes-
ton of nursing those who have fallen
In the fight for their country.
"Of course, wounded men usually fall
in love with the nurse who brings them
back to health" said Mrs. Grannis,
with a smile. Hospital nurses are
always finding their patients mistak-
ing gratitude for love, but don't see
why that should constitute n valid
objection to the services of m
The sentiment is usually a pure one.
and one which does credit to the SOL
dier's feelings.
HE has been separated from his
wife. mother or sweetheart for a Ions
time. and he naturally thinks that the
woman who cares for him in illness is
the image of the one he loves best.
His affection is usually rather imper-
sonal. after all, and the tactful nurse
understands 1t and does not take 1t
seriously.
"In nv W case / remember when l
vent az q nurse I was only % years
old. NY first patient declared that he
loved me because / looked so much like
his ~favorite sister-a spinster OF 40.
The second would have it that was
the image OF his wife. He showed me
a daguerreotype Of his frau, and she
was a comfortable matron OF mature
age.
1.-THE third declared I reminded him
On much OF mis- mother. | don't think
anv of that vicarious affection did me
any harm and 1t may have comforted
The patient to fancy that he saw one
near him who reminded him Of home
and loved ones.
"It seems to me that the new
woman should Interview the war and
navy departments and point o that
such ~prejudices against her services
are old fashioned and entirely I'M
worthy of consideration"
Mrs. Grannis has not a high opinion
NJ men nurses. She thinks women
ebould be allowed to volunteer their
.n ;,st &C freely az men although