The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-01-15

church life has came to stay, the cause
is firmly established in many centers,
but everywhere the women are fewer
than the needs. The steps by which
women enter this work, their Qualiica.
tons, their assignments are interest
here. l do wish however to answer a
few questions which have arisen and
try If l a to show the responsibility
of the institution to it's women and
the women to it.
THE deaconess is an unsalaried
worker receiving from the institution
she serves a small monthly allowance
and some other considerations such as
a months vacation out of every year
of service, care when sick, and in some
institutions a vacation allowance to
be used in carfare if necessary. There
are two assessments made upon the
institution for each deasoness con-
nected with it for a term of six months
One goes to the general deaconess
board and the other to the relief fund.
Railroad fare is paid by the institution
for the deaconess coming to it for SER
vice. / have tried to follow the law
of the church and these established
~precedents as l have come to know
them in my thirteen years as a dea-
coness.
THE bylaws of this association
places the responsibility and duty of
securing workers upon the superin-
tendent. No easy task it is. l can
best tell you of my success and failure
by telling you of the ONE who have
come, those who are here and those
who have gone. Only a very unusual
condition makes this advisable or
justifable. That such condition is
upon us | am well aware.
Miss Winifred Crouch, d~eaconess in
this conference, was asked by those
in the conference to assume the duties
Of the field secretary before l came as
superintendent. She began her work
in October, 1912, working most of the
time until May Is, 1913, when she was
given a vacation with vacation allow.
ance. She went to Chicago but re-
turned no better for her rest. The
heat was exceedingly trying upon her
and it was found necessary for her to
have extra time at home. She was
able to keep seven or eight appoint
ments during the summer returning to
the hospital the last of August. Early
in September she vas taken Ill and Is
now at her home in Fedora, S. d. Re-
lief has been granted her by the relief
committee of the Methodist Deaconess
Association. 1t should be said that
Miss Crouch was not strong when she
came to the institution and the stress
Of public work was a severe strain
upon her. I am sure 40 n regrets
more than Miss Crouch her inability
to successfully carry forward her
work during the year. No one a
doubt that she spent herself to the
utmost.
1.-The question of graduate nurses has
been a most perplexing n from the
beginning. The d%eaconess Nurse who
was thought available at the time the
effort was being made to secure the
hospital was persuaded to remain with
the New England Association. Twice
l asked them to release her but she
holds an important position in the
largest d%eaconess hospital in Boston
and they could not see that our need
equalled theirs. With her not avail.
able attempt was made to secure some
one else. After some delay Miss Kel-
logg came to stay until such time as a
deaconess nurse could be secured.
About that time Miss Emma Moberg
~deaconess at Great Falls heard of our
need and wrote to us. After some cor
respondence with her superintendent
it was arranged that she should come
helping in our surgical work and II
possible becoming the supervisor of
nurses later. Every opportunity was
given her and we hoped she would be
equal to the responsibility. She came
in March, was given a vacation in July
and left the institution the first of
November.
1.-TWO deaconess pro%bationers came
to us from Cincinnati. All desiring dea-
coness license are required by our
church to serve a years probation be-
ing subject to dismissal or change at
any time. One Of these prObationers
has been transferred from this asso-
citation to the work in Minneapolis. I
am sure that as an association we not
only hope she may do acceptable work
but find the service she most delights
in rendering. Her transfer weakened
our force somewhat as she was acting
as our anaesthetist.
"The other probationer came for
nurse training. She left with others
under conditions which were SO SER
ious that only the Providence of God
saved from serious harm to our pa