Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-03-27
TALMAGE>
SERMON
Ey Row.
FRANK DE WITT TALhfACE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presey-
terrain Church, Chicago

ngement 10 the trained nurse, whose
self sacrificing vocation he describes as
one of the highest and noblest to which
her sex can aspire. The text is Tim
othy v, 10, "Well reported of for good
works il she have relieved the
afflicted"
Wen, indeed. may a woman be re-
ported of for good works in such
world as ours if she have relieved the
afflicted. Such women are sorely need
Cd. There is suffering everywhere
I'm the rich mans palace and the poor
TO be well reported of for good works,
she can attain her ambition in no sur
or, better way than in relieving the af-
ficted. 1t is a glorious mission that
has been chosen by these noble wom-
en-, who are graduating as trained
nurses and are going forth in their
striped uniforms, like valiant soldiers,
to contend with fell disease. 1 want
to present to you my conception of
what such n woman should be, wheth-
bends over the invalid's bed or walks
through the wards of a hospital for
contagious diseases or sterilizes the
surgeons knives just before the limb
is to be amputated. Every year of my
residence in Chicago 1 have been asked
by the officials of the different training
schools TO speak upon this subject. /
take this opportunity to address not
single graduating class of trained
nurses, but to speak to all the different
training schools for nurses with which
my pulpit comes into contact.
The scope of my theme can best be
realized if the nearer is led into the
humble home of the most beloved and
internationally honored of all women
living at the present time. Who is she?
i will answer that question 10y relating
an incident which happened about the
year 1858. Lord Stratford was enter
tanning at n London banquet many of
the prominent military officers OF the
British army. who had led to victory
the queens soldiers in the Crimean con-
nict. As matter of curiosity, the no
BILE lord asked them, one and all, this
question: "Who do you think, of all the
participants OF the late war. will be the
most honored and revered by the COM
ing generationsT" lie asked his guests
60 write the names of their choice upon
slips OF paper and he would read the
same and announce the result of the
ballot. When the slips were collected.
the vote was unanimous. Wonderful
TO state, the name which Lord STRAIT
ford announced was not that of a gen
craL 1t belonged TO an untitled wom-
an. Her name was Florence Nightin-
gale. Who was Florence Nightingale7
She was not Joan OF Arc or Maria
Theresa. who achieved victories by the
sword. She won her universal fame
by the way she bound together the
bleeding lips OF the wounds which the
surgeons knife had opened. She car
ried in her hand not the battle torn
union Jack, but the white bandage.
She ignited no flame which burst forth
from the lannon's mouth. She simply
lighted Il little candle, with which she
went from ward TO ward I'm the field
hospitals, long after the tired men were
asleep.
The Ideal Nurse.
Who was Florence Nightingale? I
VIII tell you. She was the heroic nurse
who did not want the British people
TO rear for her n monument of cold
marble, but instead she took the $780,
600. which was free will Offering Civ
en- by her countrymen, and with Il built
and endowed. only n short distance
from Westminster abbey, the famous
training school for nurses which now
bears her name. This school, estab-
lished In 1850, is the foster mother OF
all the modern training schools for
nurses. When n woman so honored
by church and state as Florence Night
ingale thinks the Development of the
trained nurse a work so important that
she devotes 10 IL her fortune and her
consecrated energies, we need make no
apology Tor taking as our theme this
morning the qualities which are needed
In the ideal nurse.
The trained nurse, I'm the first place
must be intelligent. She is the right
arm of the physician. by that we do
not mean that the trained nurse is 10
De mere automatic machine and that
when the physician pulls the string she
is TO move and when he stops pulling
she Is to stand still. oh. no! She is TO
De Tar more. When Stonewan jackson
lay dying. after having been shot at
Chancellorsville, Robert Z. Lee turned
TO the messenger who brought him the
SAD news and said: Tell General Jack
son he cannot and must not die. If
StonewaH jackson dies, / shall lose my
right arm" When Robert f. Lee said
that he did not assert that General
jackson had no brain, no thinking DOW
er, or that. as Lees right arm, he mere
~ oDeyed the behests of Robert e.
Lees brain. He meant that Jackson
was, In one sense, absolutely essential
10 him for the best organizing and de-
velopment of the southern armies. as
well as for helping him in the LAYING
out OF campaign. So we find that to-
day the intelligent trained nurse is
more than the mere physical right arm
or the physician. She is his eyes, his
hands, his constant helper. What the
intelligent trained nurse is able to re-
port in reference to the progress of the
patient to n great extent decides the
physicians diagnosis. He sees the pa
uent but once in twenty-four hours.
While she is by the invalid's bed prac-
ucaily all the time. She can record the
progress of the disease by the flight of
minutes. He can only study it by the
morning and the evening call. The
value of the intelligent nurse Is to be
found in what she sees, as we'll as In
what she is willing TO do; her useful
ness is 10 be enhanced by what she
can tell, as well as by her willingness
90 obey orders
A FaiIacy Exploded.
1T Is high time" Florence Nightin-
gale once wrote, that the faIlacy
should be exploded that every woman
Is able to become competent nurse"
1t is high time that the standard Of our
training schools for nurses should be
raised, that unworthy institutions
should be crushed out and that the
question OF trained nurses efficiency
SlCull not no decided NV bar ohilifx, e.