The National tribune., 1910-08-25
Florence Nightingale Dead.

Florence N1ghtlngaie, known as the
heroine Of the Crimean War and tho
army field hospitals, died Aug. IA at her
home. Lea Hurst, near London. She
was in her 91st year and never mar
ried, having devoted her whole life to
the cause OF saving life and administer
ing to the suffering in the times of war
and pestIence and to the general i'm
provement of hospital service every
where Miss Nightingale began her
work long before the day OF the active
and militant suffraget and at a time
when IL was considered very bad form
for a woman to undertake to do any
thing outside of her home. Under pro-
test from friends and with sneers and
slurs from her enemies, Miss Nightin-
gale pursued the even tenor of her way.
accom- plished her work and made her
name great and enduring. She battled
not only with the sickness at Sutari,
but with the cholera at Balaclava.
There were many of the officers with
whom she had to deal who considered
her an interfering busybody, but she
went straight ahead with her work,
having the approval of her own con-
science, and having once earned her
place never lost 1t.
Miss Nightingale was wonderful
woman in many ways. She was born
in Florence, Italy, the daughter of an
English gentleman. and Lea Hurst is
the home of the Nightingales in Eng
land. and it was there she grew up. 1t
is said of Miss Nightingale that before
she was II she was skilled in science
the classics and mathematics, had a
wide reputation with standard Itera-
ture and was q fair artist, clever mu-
sician and an excellent linguist speak
ing French, German and Italian.
She had a society career before her,
ND H. h.
London TO be presented at court. After
her presentation she met Elizabeth Fry.
the reformer, who had done so much
for the betterment of conditions in
English prisons. From her she was at
tracted toward hospital work, leaving
her home and the ailurements of Eng
Iish court life. She spent nine years
visiting continental cities and studying
their nursing sisterhoods. In 1851 she
enrolled herself as voluntary nurse in
the training home at Kaiser Worth in
Germany. Later she studied in Paris
hospital, but her health broke down.
and she had to return to her home at
Lea Hurst.
When the Crfmean War broke out it
was soon learned that disease was the
enemy which the British troops had to
fear rather than an armed foe, and that
the conditions of the camps and hospi-
tails were vile. Miss Nightingale in
1854, at the request of Sir Sidney Her
bert, then at the head of the War De-
partment. took party of 81 nurses to the
Crimea to take up the work of cleaning
up the camps and hospitals 1t is said
that the greatest work she encountered
was fighting the surgeons and officers
who did not want her there, but she
fought back with all her force and with
the War Office to support her. and won
them all over. SO great was her ser
vice considered and so highly honored
was she in the minds of the British
people that on her return from the
Crimea they raised fund of $3.50, 900
which was given her. She accepted the
sum, not for herself. however, but ap-
piled it to a school for nurses which
she esta blished in London. She super
intended this training school until the
early sos, when she retired to her an
cestral acres near Derbyshire. Here
she was visited by high officials of all
Nations.
Particularly are we indebted to Flor
ence Nightingale for the suggestions
and advice asked by our Government
and received from her during the war
of the rebellion, when our own women
nurses were patrioticaily going into the
field to care for our sick and wounded
soldiers. 1t is said that the advice she
gave Miss Dorothy Dix, who was our
Florence Nightingale. was highly ap-
preciated. Miss Dix was the head Of
our army nurses appointed by President
Lincoln
In 1907 Miss Nightingale was the re-
cipient of the Order of Merit for Brit
ish subjects who have won conspicuous
distinction in the navy and military SER
vice or in letters of art or sci ence, and
she was the first woman to be 50 hon
Ored. In 1905 she was given the free
dom of the city of London. The only
other woman to receive the freedom Of
this greatest city of the world was
Baroness Burdett-Coutts. She was also
one of the order of the Lady of Grace
Of st. John of Jerusalem. On the occa-
sion of her Goth birthday, which oc-
CURED May II, the King sent her a
message of congratuiation. and it was
signed simply The King" King Ed
ward had been one of her warm admir-
ers and friends, and fearing that the
intelligence of his death would be too
much of shock to her. her friends had
never permitted her to find it out and
so she never knew that it was the son
Of her friend. and not her friend him
self. who was the King.
Miss Nightingale was inferred with
the simplest ceremony at Wellow
Hampshire, where her parents are bur
led. The British Government wanted
a public burial in Westminster Abbey,
dHlOhS Ine nlSlOIlC great OF EHSldnu,
but the executors of the will Of Miss
Nightingale declined that honor. A
great memorial service was held at
noon on Saturday last in st. PaufS
Cathedral, in which the King was di-
rectly represented. There was a large
gathering of military men, the War
Office having arranged all of the de-
| tails. Florence Nightngale's life pre-
sents 4 rare study to women who would
succeed against all opposition. Sweet,
forgiving, talented and eminently fitted
for society life. Miss Nightingale pre-
fered the sterner duties and attending
| disagreeable features of a refOrmer'S
| life, and many rare battles will be re-
| ported in her biography, but she fought
and won, and therein lies her glory.
Infantile Paralysis.
Washington at the present time is
very much worked up over infantile
paralysis While there are only 20
cases really on record. 1t is stated that
there must be 200 cases in the city, and
| up to now nobody can tell what causes
lit. The death rate has been about Is
per cent. The United States Govern
| ment has taken hold Of the matter,
and will make an exhaustive investiga-
ton and will find the bug, If there is
one, that-is causing it.. The very latest
case to be reported is that of Heinrichs
| the famous young pitcher with the
Nationals He was brought home and
carried to the Georgetown University
Hospital, supposedly with a slight at
tack of rheumatism in his salary
| uyinp'-jn wnr1S in, pitchinp