The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-24

with Florence Nightingale among pa
triotic women.
Miss Goulds formal entrance to so.
ciety did not take place until she was
twenty-five years old. Her debut was
delayed by the deaths of her father
and mother, to whom Miss Gould was
devoted. After her debut in $685. how
ever, Miss Gould took little part in
social affairs. When she came into
possession of the fortune left by her
father, her time was taken up entirely
with the administration of her prop.
erty and her charitable activities.
Her method of doing good was prac.
teal. From the very beginning Of her
career her charitable work was per-
sonal in it's character. 1t was not her
practice to send check to this or that
society and then rest content. She
acted as Sunday school worker and
as volunteer parish worker, and then,
when her benevolences became larger,
the institutions and philanthropic pro-
jects which she founded were all I'M
DER ner personal ulrectlOn.
1t was not until 1893 that the Ameri
can public learned of the extent of the
work Miss Gould had done The homes
she had established for the cure Of sick
children at Woodycrest and elsewhere.
her personal charge Of philanthropic
institution in New York and the num-
berless gifts she had made to different
charities were all so unobtrusively
managed that they had remained COM
paratively unknown until the blaze of
popularity burst upon her for her work
in behalf of the American sailors and
soldiers during the Spanish-American
war.
Her Care For the Sick and Wounded.
At the first call to arms she respond
ed in the only way in which she then
thought she could be of service to her
country-by giving 100000 to the gov
eminent for war expenses. Then she
became interested in the Red Cross
society and was active in the auxilia-
ries of that organization. She was an
honorary member Of the Women's
War Relief association and. donated
sums of money from time to time to
that body. But this did not satisfy
her.
Her first really active participation
in the war relief work started with
her visit to the wounded and sick SOL
diers at the Marine hospital, the Smith
infirmary and the Fort Wadsworth
hospital, on Staten Island The per
sonal contact which she experienced
that day, the insight into the suffer
ings Of the first men brought home
wounded from Santiago, seemed to
map out her work for her. She at
once assumed control Of the Women's
War Relief association and reergan
lied it, making its object the care of
the wounded and sick, who were COM
ing from Cuba In transports by the
hundreds.
At one time when, through some Off
cial blunder, supplies were wanting at
Montauk camp, where numbers Of the
sick and wounded were being receiv-
ed, she prevented the suffering and
death which would have been involved
in delay by wiring $25,OOO to the camp
for instant use. Her checkbook was
open for every movement for the ben
eft Of the American fighting men, and
when she had done all that money
could do she gave her own personal
services. Many a wounded soldier in
Montauk camp owed his life to her
nursing.
Her services did not go unrewarded.
The whole nation, through congress,
honored her by ordering gold medal
to be awarded to her. The states of
New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois
thanked her in resolutions. More than
1900 soldiers and sailors wrote her
personal letters of thanks, and all these
were placed in an album, which is one
Of Miss Gould's most priced posses
sions. From the veterans Of the civil
war Miss Gould received the official
badge of honor
Won Fire Department Badge.
Another mighty prizet. gift which
Miss Gould received at about this time
was solid gold badge Of the New
York fire department. This was for
what she had done when the Windsor
hotel was burned. Miss Gould then.
turned her home into a hospital for the
treatment Of the injured, and she her.
self worked so hard with the suffer-
ers that for some time she was on the
verge Of nervous prostration.
The SpanishsAmerican war left her
the popular idol in America. This en-
viable position had not few draw
backs. One Of the greatest Of these
was that It made her the object Of
thousands and thousands Of begging
letters and crank letters. The applica-
tons made to her for charity became
90 great that Miss Gould found 1t nee
essary to organize bureau to investi-
gate appeals and systematic her char
liable work.
For this work Miss Gould was emil
nently fitted. She had deliberately