The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-12-08
IS ANGEL 70 [UNBERMEN
NEW WORK OF MISS RUTH OIL.
NEY, FORMERLY OF NORFOLK.
TO sooTHE FEvERisH BRoWs

" SUI HE feNEhloFi bhOWo .
Minneapolis Journal Contains Picture
and Good Account Of the Missionary
Work Which Miss olney is to do in
Minnesota.
With an excellent picture of Miss
Ruth Olney, formerly a Norfolk girl
and sister of Miss May Olney of this
city, the Minneapolis Journal publish
es the following interesting story of
Miss Olney's missionary work among
lumbermen:
Miss Ruth Olney. 500 University av.
enue, Sc, leaves Dec. 4 for Bemidji
to engage in work which has no coun.
terpart in state or country.
Rev. f. Il. Higgins, whose methods
are as original as they are effective,
and whose work as "The Lumbermen's
Sky Pilot" has attracted the attention
of the great northwest, has engaged
Miss Olney to visit sick or injured
lumbermen in the hospitals at Bemidii,
Keller, Walker, Cass Lake, Blackduck
and possibly Duluth.
Her headquarters will be at the
Markham hotel Bemidji and she will
make the rounds every week The
five men in charge Of districts orga-
nized by Rev. Higgins in the lumber
region will report to Miss Olney every
case sent to the hospitals, so that no
time may be lost.
lumbermen's Missionary"
The title upon her white ribbon
badge will be "Lumbermen's Mission.
ary," but she is not to be in any sense
their spiritual adviser, and religious
instruction will not be attempted.
Perhaps the title of visiting nurse"
would better describe the nature of
her work.
1t will include the writing of letters
for the men, reading to them, taking
them flowers fruit and miscellaneous
reading matter as the cases may de-
mand; but above all, it will include
the creation of that indefinable atmos-
phere of friendly interest that even
the best hospitals lack, of necessity.
These five hospitals are all under Ro.
man Catholic auspices and are said
to be unusually good.
The Sisters have co-operated with
Rev. Higgins in his efforts to assist
lumbermen in their hospitals, and will
welcome this innovation. Miss o.
neys ministrations will be confined to
the winter months; what her work will
mean to the men only those may know
who have been i'll away from home
and friends.
OF New England Stock.
Miss Olney is of New England stock,
though born in Norfolk Neb. She has
spent most of her life there. She
graduated from the Norfolk high
school and attended the state univer-
sity at Lincoln, leaving before gradua-
tion to spend three years in teaching.
The family removed to Cincinnati in
1879, and about three years ago came
to Minneapolis to live. Miss Olney
has spent sixteen months in CalifOr-
mia and has been a frequent visitor in
Connecticut where her parents were
born She is a member of the First
Congregational church Of this city and
has been the efficient chairman of the
lookout committee of their Christian
Endeavor society. Recently she was
elected to the same Office in the
Christian Endeavor City union.
Evidently the New England strain in
the blood still enables it's possessors
to do pioneering, though in this case
of so mild a type that Miss Olneys
heroic ancestors might have deemed
the term misapplied. Success will go
with her That goes without saying.