The Washington times., 1914-08-21
By MISS JANE A. DELANo.

BY MISS JANE A. DELANo.
The nursing service Of the Ameri-
can Red Cross is under the direction
of special committee. of when the
writer is chairman
Under this committee, known as the
National Committee on Red Cross
Nursing Service are large number
of branch committees. both State
and local. which make smaller units
of administration for this great RED
Cross service which is as broad as
the United States.
The State and local committees
are made UP OF graduate nurses who
are secured for the Red Cross
through the American Nurses Asso-
caation. This last organization par
takes of the character and standing
of the American Medical Association
mark ..Sterling'' on silver. Recon-
mended by this society, we know
that any nurse indorsed is duly
qualified, and that the association
is responsible for her fitness.
Six hundred nurses are serving
gratuitiously. These committees are
like the branches Of a telephone.
When service is needed in any par
ticular locality, the committee near
est Is directed to perform whatever
work is desired. The work done oy
the committees is under the direction
of the national committee.
Five Thousand Nurses Enrolled.
The nurses enrolled number 5000.
and are grouped under the State ana
local committees. Where States are
small the Red Cross membership
is not large. State committees only
are used. but IN large states; es. m 1bsr.
dition to the State committees, there
are often numerous local commit
tees which are situated in the large
cities and communities.
All the nurses Of the Red Cross
must come up to a certain standard
of excellence. They must be gradu-
ales of recognized schools OF nurse
Instruction which comply win , re-
ouiresnents laid down BY the Hed
Cross. The course must include at
least two years of general training,
and in States which have registra-
ton laws. Enrolled nurses must be
registered.
These nurses must be indorsed by
the schools from which they havo
graduated and by societies affiliated
with the American Nurses Associa-
tfon. They must be between the ages
of twenty-five and forty-fve. Of un-
blemished character, and before as
signrnent to duty must first undergo
a rigid physical examination by
physicians appointed by the Red
Cross.
Offering Services Abroad.
The worldwide war precipitated
in Europe has made it necessary
that adequate provision be made for
caring for the wounded and to assist
ir. this work in the hour Of great
reed the Red Cross is about to send
q ship and Red Cross units, consist
ing of physicians, nurses. and sup
plies TO tho seat Of war. The bel
ligerent governments have each been
offered a unit, which most of them
have accepted. the other acceptances
being delayed by the strained cable
conditions existing.
To meet this need, certain Of the
State and local committees have
been called upon for their proper.
tionate quotas to make Up a force Of
ten Units, each consisting OF three
physicians and twelve nurses. The .
committees called upon are from the
following localities: New York city,
Brooklyn, Boston. Philadelphia, Bal
timore, Rochester. Albany, Buffalo,
Cleveland. and Cincinnati. with the
State committee quotas of New Jer-
sey and Connecticut. Washington Is
held in reserve in case Of n sudden
neeced call for more assistance.
Nurses Mobiizing.
The ship will sail within a week
or ten days from New York, where
the nurses are being modified with
headquarters at the Central Club for
Nurses. "a East Thirty-fourth street.
The nurses are uniformed by the
Red Cross and in preparation for
possible exposure, all members of
the units have been required to SUBJ
nit themselves to anti-typhoid in
nocuiat1on and vaccination against
smallpox.
Each group of twelve nurses is
under the charge of a supervising
nurse, selected by the national COM
mittee on nursing service The
nurses will therefore always be un-
der direction, and over the entire
force Of 10 who are about TO sail
for Europe. there is a superintend-
ent Of nurses, Miss Helen Scott Hay.
Of Savannah. Ill. There have been
literally thousands OF applications
from nurses and others to go with
the expedition, but the enrolled
nurses have first call and the society
Is amply strong to send all that may
be necessary.
The selection of Miss Hay as su-
perintendent of nurses has an inter-
esting story behind II. After the
Balkan wsr, Queen Eleanora of Bull
raria conceived the idea that a
training school for nurses was neces-
sary for that country, and asked the
cooperation of the American Red
Cross. Miss Hay, an enrolled Red