New Britain herald., 1915-02-02
Bellevue Hospital Is Joy Palace
 for New York's Many Sick Children Miss Rhena Anita Pugsley, Kndergartner, Has Kindly Task in Making Pain Hacked Little Ones Forget
 Their Woes-She Is a Bit of Sunshine

seems, is to receive adulation. The world owes it to him. and he needs it, even if he is in a nice, cOSeH, pri- vatc room, with a nice nurse all his own. But Whon a child is surround od by children who are all little bet CT or worse in health than ne is. and when his mother cant come to see him, his lot is truly pitiable. He worries the nurses and the doctors, because he won't get we'll as rapidly as his condition should warrant. But how can he? He has no desire to, for ne has forgotten all about his health. He is simply weighted down by the load of gray room and rows of cots and the emptiness of his heart.
 Miss Curtis saw just the same con- trast between the lucky i'll child who is played with all day long so he will forget the pain in his head and the child who languishes all day long as the atmosphere of two of the three children's wards presented not long ago. In the upper ward, where the very young children were. they were dancing. and singing their little rhyme:
 If you want to meet a smile,
 Take one with you all the while,'
 
 "Goodby. Miss Rhena.''
 They hustled and pushed the table to the center of the room. Tne chairs were put in place, the pretty green cloth was brought over by the gir. whose other hand was bandaged bulk fly, and then they all sang, "GoOdby, Miss Rhena," trying to compass a full octave in the name, and laughing at the funny squeals and grunts that came when they failed. And those who were still too weak to get up joined in Justify. Away oevr in the corner tiny boy, with his face all most covered by enormous spectacleS, chanted mischievously, ''If you want to meet a smile, take one with you all the while," and laughed softly.
 Down another flight of gloomy stairs, through another white painted iron door and into a really truly play room. The children who were up were bustling about in happy groups doing all sorts of interesting things which you, being merely grown person, could not possibly un- derstand.
 "I am only an experiment. ex- plained Miss Pugsley. No other hospital has anything like this. In the others the poor little ones are not amused and behave just as they di in the other ward. Miss Curtis has placed me here as pioneer. She wants to see just what can be done. And I have to blaze the new trail. My problem is a peculiar one. l have to deal with children who are in bed and those who are up. The games I play must interest both and make neither impatient And I have children of all ages, so that the plans must not be too old for the youngest or too babyish for the big school child. Another difficulty is the fact that we have a floating population and no definite course can be planned. Each lesson must be complete in it. self, and must not be held over to the next day.
 Must Not Be Overexcited.
 And there is the far Sraver prob lem to be worked out. These chill dren are in a weakened and highly nervous state. They must be stimu lated by the mental exercise, but they must not be overexcited. I have to be very careful and never allow any thing to appear to them as other than a mild form of play. Of course. it is all based on the llinderga rten system of teaching, but 1t must be highly modified and amplified."
 Miss Pugsley and her able young assistant Miss Ruth Campbell, are the most cheery and popular mem- bers of the entire institution. Why" exclaimed one of the nurses, hugging Miss Rhena, 1T don't know what we should do without them. Neither do the children. When people know of this they will realize what splendid opportunity has long been neglected"