The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-04
VETERANS PRAY
 FOR MRS. NEWSOM The Florence Nightingale of
 the Confederacy WHEN SHE IS INJURED Secretary James Wilson Completes 13 Years As n Member of the Presi- dents Cabinet-Is the Agri-
 cultural Adviser
 
WHEN SHE IS INJURED
By RALPR NJ. wHITEsIDE

the COnfederacy, had met With a serious accident which imperilled her life.
 The daughter of a Mississippi clergy man and the young widow of an Arkan- sas doctor when the war broke out, Mrs. Newsom promptly offered her services to the Confederacy as a field nurse. They were as promptly accepted and she was n veritable angel of mercy to hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers.
 Less than ten years before the story of the heroism of Florence Nightingale had echoed around the world. the brave En- glish woman went to the fields of war In Turkey and in Russia and accom- plished such wonderful work In organiz- ing a hospital service that her name was on every tongue Tn America the name of Florence Nightingale was one to con- jure with.
 When the civil war started Mrs. New som was one of a group of southern wo- men bold enough to follow in the steps of Miss Nightingale. Shortly before she had lost her husband. She had wealth, youthful energy and social prestige to give to the cause.
 From the text of a paper on Life of the Confederate Nurse, Mrs. Ella K. New som, the Florence Nightingale of the Southern Army" the following compar- ison between her and the English hero- inc is made:
 'It may be interesting to institute brief comparison between the two hero inc Nightingales, Miss Florence and Miss Ella The notable feature of both Night ingales Is the highly endowed moral na- ture of each. This, considering the hu- mane mission selected by each, was es- sentially fundamental. Strong faith in God and love for Him; love for suffer- ing and distress in humankind on the field of conflict; alleviation of pain and sincere sympathy for beings in distress these constituted the foundation on which the whole superstructure rested.
 "Both kindled in their patients the most intense admiration and retained 1t tena- ciously as long as the patients lived
 Both had the capacity to organize and manage a. corps of workers, and to in spire them individually with the same de- VOt1On. ana Ztdl WhiSi ehcJ eiioiSSi'S" felt
 "Each labored from the standpoint of entire consecration and devotion to the work in hand, taking no account of the lapse of time or inconvenience encoun- tered.
 "Both endured bodily inflrmities pa tiently and uninterruptedy, and in this manner they became successful teachers of their fellow mortals in the great les sons of endurance and sacrifice for oth- CTS.
 .Each inspired during her active career in the field of war and suffering the most intense regard and admiration. This comparison may be closed with the ob- servation that Florence Nightingale of England became the model and ideal of Mrs Ella K Newsom, the Florence Nightingale of the Southern army"
 Seventy-five years of age and 13 years a cabinet minister. That is the record just celebrated by Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson, and there are no signs that Secretary Wilson will not continue for at least two years more as an ad- wiser to the President. It is doubtful If
  to fill the post he has held so long. "I have heard of many substitutes for currency such as tobacco in the early days of Virginia or wampum among the Indians, but a new one has been put across on me-" said T. o. Ward of Los Angeles the other day. "A young man In the employ of firm in which l am in- terested recently was sent to Central America on a business mission. His ttip necessitated a journey through some of the less densely populated parts of the country. He went first to Tegucigapa, the capital, and travelled by rail for some distance Then he had to go mule-back into the interior
 "When he returned to Los Angeles after successfully carrying out his in- structions, he submitted his expense ac- count The cashier of the company Is very particular. He never overlooks single item in such an account AS re- suit of his inspection the young man was called to explain a certain item. He had spent s1O for safety pins. The cashier seemed to think that this was consid- erable sum for man to use in the pur- chase of such a commodity. The re- turned travellers explanation soon cleared up the difficulty. It appears that there is not enough subsidiary coinage in Honduras to go round and that the natives in the country districts are com pelled to use various articles as substl- tutes. In the region which this young man travelled safety pins were employed as money in small transactions. He had been forced to invest in about $10 worth of these to use as small change"
 T., D. Barker, postmaster of Mobile,- is enthusiastic over his city and says that it has made wonderful strides in the last three years Being Alabama's only sea- port it is the outlet for her immense pro duction of cotton and other products.
 Folks up this way are under the im- pression that New Orleans Is 58ueen of the Gulf, but they are wrong. Mobile is slowly, but surely, gaining prestige abroad" said MT. Barker.
 s"It Is always interesting and popular for tourists to visit, as 1t contains many points of historic interest. The city is much improved in a sanitary way now, and the danger from yellow fever germs Is almost eradicated. Mobile has several fine hotels, and her newest, the Battle House, is one of the handsomest in the south.
 "The Mobile postoffice Is in a flourish ing condition, the money order sales being greater than for many years. The ship ping industry is improving rapidly, and Mobile Is maintaining her prestige as a seaport It is the winter home for a number of wealthy people of the north