Evening star., 1898-11-19

plant the prlvations incident to an active
campaign.
From the very beginning of the war the
surgeon generals office was over flooded by
applications for service in the hospitals
from all parts of the country. The material
10 select from was enormous, but the task
OF making a careful selection proved to be
difficult. The surgeon general was over
burdened with the various details of his i'm
portant office and in his desire to supply the
sick with competent nurses he assigned this
duty to DIR. Anita MCGEE of Washington.
who was commissioned acting assistant sur
geon. The services of DR.. MCGEE proved of
the greatest value in selecting from the
thousands of applicants sufficient number
of trained, competent female nurses for
duty in the hospitals at different points.
Tribute to the Red Cross.
The American Red Cross Society did ex-
cellent work not only in furnishing sup
plies of all kinds where and when they were
nest needed, but also in supplying nurses
when emergencies arose. Miss Clara Rar-
ton, president of the society, has perform
ed her onerous duties during the entire war
with devotion and earnestneSs that merit
recognition at home and abroad. She has
been treless in her efforts to bring comfort
to the soldiers at a time when her services
were most urgently in demand. The state
of Texas and the little steamer Red Cross,
under her command. made their appear
ance at Siboney at time when outside
help most required. Ice medlclneS.
dressings and hospital supplies were freely
distributed among the sick and wounded.
Miss Barton and Mrs. Porter, wife of the
secretary of the President, went to the
'front.' a distance of eight miles, over one
of the toughest roads imaginable, In an
army wagon and extended the work OF the
Red Cross to the very trenches before San
tiago A female nurse and number OF
male helpers ministered to the sick In the
division hospital in charge of Major wood.
I found representatives Of the Red cross
in FL Caney, in the vestry of the old vii
lage church, dealing out hard tack and
flour to the hungry crowds of refugees.
After the surrender of Santiago the state
of Texas was the first vessel to enter Its
harbor on it's errand of mercy in bringing
food to the hungry Cubans and medicines
and delcacies for the sick of the victorious
and vanquished armies. The Red Cross So
ciety established supply depots In all OF
everywhere will live in the memories of
all who were engaged in the conflict. l
was told by a representative of this So
ciety that in Montauk alone for num-
ber of weeks supplies to the amount of
$1,000 were distributed daily. Several of
the Red Cross nurses at Siboney were
among the first of the yellow fever victims
and had to be taken to the fever hospital
for treatment. After peace was declared
Miss Clara Barton Immediately sailed for
Havana to bring much needed aid to the
starving reconcentrados of the long-be-
sieged city, while her numerous helpers
continued their faithful work in the home
camps.
Extension of the Red Cross.
Recent experience has again demonstra ted
that this society is most important aux
iiary in war as we'll as in other national
disasters in bringing prompt relief to the
sufferers. 1t seems to me that the Red
Cross Society is the proper organization
from which to recruit the nursing force
should we be confronted by another war.
THIS society should be made stronger and
extend it's influence to every Part of the
country. Under the supervision of its rep
resantatives, educated. trained nurses
should receive additional training preparing
tfem for military service and other emer-
gency work. A list of names of nurses who
had satisfied the proper authorities of their
special proficiency for this kind of work
should be kept and the selection made from
it should a request be made by the medical
department for service in the army.
Provision for competent a,;4 nurses for
army duty should be made by a more
thorough training of the hospital corps of
the different states, a much neglected duty
among the National Guard west of the AL
legheny mountains. In addition to this, it
would be advisable to establish training
schools for young men in the principal
cities of the United States on the same
plan and for the same purpose as the Sa-
maritan organization in Germany. The
training of such men should be of the most
practical nature, including the .ranspOrta-
lion of the sick and wounded, first aid
dress, the art of working and cooking, with
special reference to diet for the sick An
educati of this kind would be of the
greatest value and profit to the pupils as
waN as to the resp pactiVe communities, ard
would be the means Of furnis hing desirable
material for the hospital corps in case Cf
war and efficient aid in of accidents
and national catastrophes necessitating a
sudden call for competent nurses
Work of Sisters of Charity.
The Sisters of Charity stood in the front
rank of volunteer nurses in the Spanish
war, as well as in nearly all of the great
wars during the last two hundred years. 1t
Is the Oldest and best working order in the
Catholic Church. President Mckinley be-
came familiar with their efficient and faith
full services during the civil war and>gladly
accepted the offer of the order to furnish
nurses soon after the war broke out. Ali
of The principal hospitals in charge Of the
Sisters of Charity sent representatives to
the front. The first six sisters were sent
to the naval hospital, Portsmouth, Va
July 16 The whole number of sisters on
duty September "a was go The annex and
surgical wards and operating tent at Mon
tauk ware exclusively in charge of 100
members of the order. Their work in that
great camp was a source of qualification
and admiration to the medical officers and
to all OF the visitors and relatives of the
sick. Several of these brave sisters have
of their country and others are lying dan
gerously i'll in the different hospitals.
Among the distinguished lay nurses spe-
cial mention must be made of Miss Chanler
of New York. l met Miss Chanler in
Ponce Porto Rico, where she did most ex-
Cellent service in the military hospitals.
Her numerous patients will always remem-
Der with deepest gratitude her arduous un-
selfish work. The Misses Wheeler daugh-
tcYs of Major General Wheeler, accompa-
nieG their heroic father to Cuba. nursed
him when he was i'll and laoOred earnestly
among the sick of his command. They con-
tinUed their labor of love at Camp WikOff
where many sick soldier owed his resto-
ration to health to their unremitting care.
Diet kitchens were established at Camp Wi
koff under the supervision of Mrs. NJ H.
Willard of New York, which proved of the
greatest benefit for the sick and conva-
lescent soldiers. l take the liberty of quot
ing from a letter recently received from
Mrs. Willard dealing with this subject:
Success of Diet Kitchens.
For six weeks I was at Montauk repre-
senting the Red Cross Society, which to-
gether with the Massachusetts Volunteer
Aid Association, established diet kitchens
in connection with the general and division
hospitals. On my arrival at Camp Wikoff
l found the kitchen department in a very