Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-26

| but eternal vigilance is the prize:
OF It. or rather eternal
scrubbing. Los Fossos is the general
| sleeping place foi the whole of the
army of bcgga,s. mostly reconccntra-
| dos, who swarm the streets OF Havana
| by day seeking what they may dcvour
| At nightfoll they drag themselves back
! with all their sores, iilth and lniirmites
| to the only shelter they know; soup is
| dispensed, and they lie down and wait
| for another dny of beggary. Then the
/ pencil is worthy the, pencil Of bore
| Wrapped In their rags aud tatters. some
almost naked, men, women and children
! lie In long roYs On the floor in the
| courtyard. under the carts. wherever
| human body can find room. Many Of
! them are orphaned children--hora and
| there solitary little wretch alone in
| the weary world or Il bevy Of father.
| less and mothcrlcss brothers and slst-
| ers, clinging to one another for pro-
| lection. but Los Fussos is infinitely bet
ter than it used to be- since all are now
| tOlerably sure Of sonnet hing to eat at
| least once day through the bounty Of
| the United States. Formerly 1t was the
| morning task of the charitable to gu
| about among tho melancholy heaps OF
/ humanity and pick out the dead from
| the living-talting dead children from
the mothers arms or finding perhaps n
| dead mother with crying children
| crawling over her. Ae airs? Yes, we shed
shed them; and they continue to flow,
! day after day. But works are more to
the purpose. These poor souls demand
| sympathy--and more than that, they
| need substantial aid.
| The Red Cross Society continues to
| have more or less trouble with the
Spanish authorities in cuba. Unex-
pected obstacles are constantly pop
| ping up like Banquo's ghost, and de-
| lays are the order uf.the hour Just now
| there is a kick" In the custom house
| over an insignificant box of toys
| which would he regular God-send in
the new orphanage If the waits could
| only get hold Of them. Although Spain
subscribed to the treaty of Geneva long
before the United States came into the
! fold, she has never expected the Amer
| lean Amendment" the terms of her
treaty providing only for sick and
! wounded soldiers in time of war. If 1t
| were not for the worlds opinion IL IL
doubtful If she would admit the Ameri-
| can Red Cross at all into her island
! colony since the Cubans are about the
only ones to be benefited. For the
orphanage just established, Miss Bar
, ton leased a commodious house in a
| quiet suburb of Havana, a beautiful.
| old-fashioned casa, with large airy
| rooms and ample grounds, the once
| luxurious home Of titled Spaniard. All
| was ready, for the reception Of seventy
| five orphans when the first hitch" oc-
Cured. Unfortunately we had been
| speaking of IL as the "Children's Hos
| pital," because naturally all the starry
| ing waits are ailing. Just as the children
| We're about to be moved in, the Alcaldi
decided that 1t was against the law to
| establish hospital outside of certain
| limits but after few weeks delay the
! necessary papers were made out under
| the name OF an asylum" and things
proceeded exactly as had been first in
tended. Only thirty-five children be-
| tween one and six years of age are
there at present--all full orphans. most =
| ly taken from Los Fossos. Many are
too feeble from long continued hunger
to sit up. and number Of them will
probably die. When they first entered
the stately portals and saw the marble
floors and beautiful frescoes of the old
time palace, their delight and astonish-
| ment was unhounded. said one girl.
"Esta el Clelo ?"-'ls II heaven" The
work of preparing them for their new
| home was n tedious one for the nurses.
Most of the waits had never been prop
erly in their lives; all We're filthy be-
| yond degree; one boy of six years had
many had never before felt the
| touch of soap and warm water.
After all had passed under
the scrubbing brush and had been
| shorn of their tangled and densely
populated locks, they were arrayed in
| box of second hand clothing bearing
the sign of the United States Red
Cross. given n supper of oat-meal and
milk. and put to bed. About . o'clock
] went over to look at them 1t was n
sight for angels to see-the rows Of
neat white cots. each with its spotless
sheets and pillows, and under the soft
| blanket sleeping child who had never
before known the luxury of clean
bed. The beautiful but somewhat
dilapidated cherubs on the frescoed
| walls, seemed to look down with pity
1 on the suffering worn cherubs below;
| the fragrance of flowers floated in
| through the windows, the hallowed
bencdiction of the moon rested upon
all Never In its palmiest days did the
| old casa of the spanish aristocrat 50
richly merit the blessings of heaven
The new orphanage is under the direct
supervision of the we'll known DIR. A.
Monae Lesser and his wife. of New
| York City, DIR. Lesser. as everybody
knows. is the surgeon-in-c chief of the
| Red Cross hospital at New York-the
| only one in America. j believe--whiCh
was founded about four years ago by
| his wife. then Miss Bettina HoflSer
! When young girl this lovely lady be-
/ gan to nurse the poor In their homes.
She found that love for the profession
! was not the only requirement OF the
proper nurse aud IN 1891 she entered
the Mount Sinai Training School for
nurses. In two years she was gradu-
ated, received the prize medal of her
class. and, Immediately resumed her
| former work. Mainly through her
efforts. within one month little fund
was started for the establishment OF a
hospital, Which quickly developed into
| that most benefcent institution The
| New York Red Cross Hospital and
| Training School for Nurses. Doctor
Lesser leaves a large practice Mt home
among the wealthy class of our
metropolis. and Of course his unpaid
! labor of love in Cuba liz financially a
great loss to him: but be IS heart and
soul in the work and VIII remain here
/ until the orphanaEe is well under way
| Every afternoon he receives tho poor
| for grntuitous treatment. Although
| the institution is mt yet u week old
they come bysseornsla with an their
woes and inilrmities. to await their
turn in the cnusultinS-room. The
| physicians In Havana have been cor
| daily invited to co-operate, and many
lend their aid aud counsel,
| Or. Hubell, iAilss iBattbn's long time
right hand man. Is Of course one of the
| Rcd Cross psrty;g also Dr, n. Winfield
Egan, n well known young physician
| of Boston, who has accompanied Miss
| Barton on several previous expeditions;
| and two or three other trusted assist
ants, all giving their time and service
| grntuitously.
| Where does the money come from? Is
I hnT u hRN sNfFaF al los