The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1913-03-18
TAKES UP CUDCELS
FOR GREY NUNS I"
Writer Asks for Them a Square
Deal at Hospital.
Morristown, N. j.. March 1s, 1913.

tive with the Very Reverend Dean
Brown relative to the proposed
change at All Souls hospital.
do not doubt that your repre-
sentative reported the so-called in
terview correctly. In fact the con-
struction of the statement and the
appearance of almost indentical re-
ports in several papers strongly in
dicate that the article was not a
newspaper representative report of
an interview but rather statement
issued in an attempt to vindicate an
unwarranted and untenable position.
The principal reasons set out as
the excuse for the change seem to
be two:--firstly, the request of the
Grey Nuns that the hospital property
be turned over to them; and, sec
ondly, that the sisters are unable to
manage the hospital.
The grievousness which the state
ment attempts to impute to the re-
quest of the Grey Nuns that the hos
.pital property be turned over to them
yanishes when it is recalled (as it
should have been in the statement)
that an offer to so transfer the hos
pital property to the Grey Nuns was
made to the superiors of the order
by our late, lamented pastor, Mon
signor Flynn, in the fall of 1891,
when he travelled to Montreal for the
express purpose of procuring the ser
vices of these skillful women, famous
even at that early date for their
work in the field of nursing, and that
it was upon that condition that the
order consented to send some of its
members here. In support of this as
sertion | beg to refer to the report
of this understanding between Mon
signor Flynn and the Grey Nuns as
it is set out in the first annual re-
port of the hospital
In the autumn of 1891, Very Rev
Dean Flynn and Rev. James H.
Brady, visited Montreal, and, after
much persuasion, were fortunately
able to secure pledge from the Sis
ters of the Order known as Grey
Nuns to take charge of the hospital
as soon as completed. The order of
Grey Nuns will be Incorporated un-
der the laws of New Jersey and the
title to the property, at present
vested in Rt. Rev. Bishop Wigger,
will be transferred to them. Uuder
agreement with the bishop this and
all other property held by the Sis
ters for the hospital, shall be decided
back to him if for any unforeseen
, cause they should abandon their work
here"
/ In view of these circumstances, the
request of the Grey Nuns that the
hospital property be transferred to
them does not, in my mind, appear
i to be such fragrant or unreasonable
demand but rather request for what
was justly due them. The fact that
the Grey Nuns have not Incorporated
under our laws was no unsurmount-
able obstacle to the transferring of
the property to them, for such in
corporation is merely formal pro-
ceeding which could have been cas-
lily accomplished had any desire to
transfer the property to them been
indicated. / am not arguing that the
property should be granted or should
not be granted to the Grey Nuns but
merely stating facts which seem to
me necessary to the proper consider
alton of the matter
That the sisters are unable to
/ manage the hospital is a senseless
assertion in view of the fact that
the order owns and most successfully
manages over seventy institutions in
the United States and Canada. And
in the management of our hospital
the sisters have not complete con-
troll but are subject more or less to
the government of the board of di-
rectors.
No hospital can support itself upon
its earnings, but such earnings must
be augmented by contributions in
some form, because it renders too
much gratuitous service. And this is
the reason that hospitals are placed
in the category of "charitble insti-
tutions' by authorities, both lay and
legal. and are entitled to exemption
from taxation and such similar bur-
dens which are imposed upon other
concerns.
The claim that the action of the
board of directors in removing these
sisters was unanimous was undoubt-
edly an error, for | am reliably in
formed that at least one member of
the board did not consent TO the ac-
ton, ii he did not oppose it.
The statement goes on to set out
"that the people of Morristown,
Catholic and Non-Catholic alike, have
for twenty years made sacrifices to
acquire 100000 worth of property"
(for the hospital) True, it was the
people who acquired the property
and it is the people who are support
ing or greatly aiding to support the
hospital by their contributions and
assistance, and it is the people too
who will be expected to make up the
great and immense deficits which we
are led to believe now exist and to
help support the hospital as long as
it is in existence. Why, then. have
the people not been consulted in this
change, which is so unsatisfactory
to them? Why have they been dis
regarded? Why have they been ig-
nored? And why, when they under
take to request a reconsideration of
the decision, have they been informed
that it will not be re-considered?
These sisters came from their home
in Canada over twenty years ago,
not of their own initiative, but only
upon the urgent request of Mon
signor Flynn. And it is for estab-
fishing the hospital and bringing the
Grey Nuns to us that he is best re-
membered by the people of this com
munity.
That the sisters have worked and
toiled and labored increasingly for the
existence and Improvement of the
hospital is known to all; that they
have even begged from door to door
through the streets of our town to
help support this institution is known
to all; that they have bestowed skill |
full and loving care upon all who