The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-10
RULES THE EAST SIDE
INFLUENCE FOR GOOD OF A WOMAN
KNOWN AS "Boss CROKER"
Miss Lillian ID. Wald, Florence
NIGHTINGALE of the New York Ten
ements-The Nurses Settlement.
New York Press.

New York Press.
In all the movements for improving the
condition OF the poor Of the East SIDE one
figure stands out so clearly as to dwarf
all others by comparison. 1t Is that OF
woman whose influence for good, mani
tested at first In the most humble fashion
and in the most sQuaI:d quarter OF New
York. has become almost municipal In
scope and bids fair TO extend over every
MISREPRESENTATION section of the city.
Picture TO yourself a woman still In the
freshness of youth; tall, little above the
average height-and well proportioned; an
oval face crowned by dark, wavy hair
simply parted over a smooth, broad brow;
eyes so large and brown and soft that they
seem TO look at you almost tinidly. The
mouth is tender, sensitive. sympathetic
The chin says II will in every one Of its
firm lines. II you can add those delicate
touches of expression Indicative OF en-
thuiasm and high purpose you can gain
fair idea OF the appearance of Miss Lillian
ID. wald, founder OF the Nurses Settle
rnent
There are hundreds of women who have
consecrated their lives to aiding the poor
of the East Side Sweet, generous and
angelic, they have thought no sacrifice too
great IL made in behalf OF their fellow-be-
ings. Most OF them are unknown outside
the little circle to whose needs they minis
ter But among them Miss Valid is unique.
She is a natural leader. She has created an
entirely new line Of work In a field wnicn
had been worked by charity. supporters
for years. Militant to the last degree, reso-
lutte and unfiinching in all that she under
takes, her striking individuality makes her
the most commanding parsonage IN the ten
-
Her influence is more powerful than that
OF the police. Her slightest wish Is accord
ed respect which is never ACCORDED tne
law The would-be violator OF sanitary
regulations calls her "Bos Croker, or she-
who-must-be-obeyed. In the sordld saloons
of the East Side her name Is menuoneo
with reverence. The poor, Invalid flodlSn
mothers claim her as an intimate friend. 10
thousands OF little children she Is the incar-
nation of the spirit OF love
Miss Valid Is not a charity worker. Even
the broadcast acceptation OF the term implies
a certain amount of condescension, ana TINS
quality is lacking in her makeup she Is
simply friend of the poor.
Wonderful, indeed, is the work which she
has accomplished. Her Nurses settlement
now has nine branches in this city. she is
credited with originating the movement
for the better housing of the poor, wnicn
has resulted in establishing the tenement
house commission. For years she has fought
for public Fairgrounds for children. she
has established dozens of social clubs among
the poor and aided in educational work
from kindergarten classes to teaching ten
ement women improved metnoos OF mousse
keeping She has been the stanchest Zoe
of child labor, which is one of the curses OF
the East Side. Although she started In
her work unaided and alone, she has won
the friendship and cooperation of such
persons as President Roosevelt, Jacob A.
Riis, Jacob II. Schiff. James Speyer and
Miss Helen NJ. Gould.
The story of how she came to take up her
life work. its discouraging start and its hnal
triumph is one of the most beautiful IN
New York's history. A woman less actu-
ated by broad human sympathy, less I'M
bued with an indomitable, militant spirit
would never have undertaken 1t.
About ten years ago Miss Wald was giving
lessons in home nursing to a group of
women from the tenements. One morning
one of the women in the class was absent,
and her little daughter came 10 tell Miss
Valid that her mother was i'll and wished to
In spite of the terrible conditions Miss
Valid found that there had been attempts
at charity. Someone had sent bottle
of beef extract for the use of the sick
Yiddish mother, but as no one In the house
English, the broth had not been prepared.
Miss Valid Immediately gave the sick
woman bath. made up her bed and at
tended her through her illness.
This first sight of conditions on the East
Side determined Miss Walds future. The
appalling size of the task before her did not
cause her to falter. She had no funds
save her own slender resources, but she
did not think of appealing to people of
wealth to aid her. She saw her work and
set about in that simple, dauntless spirit
which has characterized her throughout.
She went to another nurse who was an
intimate friend OF hers and made this
Let us move into that neighborhood
let us give our services as nurses and con-
tribute our sense OF citizenship TO what
seems an alien group In So-called demo-
cratic community"
NURSES SETTLEMENT.
So they went, little realizing how they
were building for the future. For the first
two months they lived at the college set
Element They were not able to get into
as close touch with the people as they
wished, and soon they obtained rooms on
the top floor of a tenement house. Here
they stayed for two years. This was the
beginning OF the Nurses Settlement. In
making their home among the poor in this
simple, informal way they won their way
into the hearts of the people.
Before two years had passed the work
OF this little band of women had begun to
attract attention. Jacob H. Schiff became
interested, and urged the nurses to move
from their tenement quarters into a
separate house. Accordingly, he purchased
the dwelling at 265 Henry street and had
IL rehtted. Almost Immediately the house
was filed with resident nurses, and the
work was extended. Clubs and social fea-
lures were added and the scope or the
organization was widened
From this time on there was no lack of
offers of cooperation. Next year another
house was given TO the settlement by Miss
Helen Mcdowell, a lay woman who took
up her residence in the settlement. Other
offers OF money and workers poured in.
An uptown district was organized in the
midst OF the Bohemian settlement on East
Seventy-eighth street and house was pur-
chased by Mrs. Butler Duncan. In ii were
installed workers who had served an ap-
premiership in the downtown district
After this other districts were organized,
and now there are nine in all, with two
on the West Side.
But Miss Valid was not satisfied with the
mere extension of nursing. She wanted a
home for the convalescents where they
could have fresh country air and nourish-
ing diet Mrs. Sylvan Bier. young mar
ried woman. presented a home in Nyack to
the settlement. The demands on this were
so great that il Is TO be given up for a
larger one at Grand View which has
spacious grounds and every facility for
aiding the sick OF the tenements in the
rapid recovery of their strength.
Some idea of the magnitude OF the work
may be obtained when IS told that
more than four thousand patients are
nursed in the course OF year; that nearly
thirty thousand visits to the ill are made
annually. These figures will be surpassed
with the extension of district nursing
But this is not all. Miss Valid estab-
lished three first aid" rooms in the more
al iSfr Hara t.. T.,