The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-31
/ Y. 4. NURSES ARE
DOING GREAT WORK
Or. r. &. Levy COmmends Establish
ment OF Social Center Work on
Beech Street.

What promises to be movement
OF great importance to Richmond was
begun with the meeting held In Kan
doIph school last night y adtr the aus
pieces of the survey committee OF the
social workers of the Nurses Settle
ment DR. z. c. Levy, chief neaitn
officer. made the address. the nrst
Of series of public lectures 10 pc
held by the nurses on topics treatlne
OF general good health ana puphe
welfare.
y This survey committee has estab-
iished a settlement house at II South
Beech street, which will be used as
social center for the neighborhood
lying south of Main, between Meadow
and Linden streets. The keynote OF
the project lis to bring about an awak-
ening OF community spirit among the
& people living In this section. and to
show them how much any group OF
citizens can accomplish for their own
good by study Of their problems and
determined effort 10 solve them in
tho best way
The health of the people is one or
the foremost considerations. the COM
n,ittee think, but there are many 9TH
err lines along which similar benefits
Y can be obtained, such as in connec-
ton with parks, Fairgrounds, church
+ work charities. and, IN fact. all those
things which make for the good OF
the people.
Nurses Doing Great Work.
DR.. Levy stated in his address that
i. tho move OF the Instructive Visiting
Nurses association In starting TINS
community work was, in his opinion.
one of the most important things that
had ever been done IN Richmond.
MAN is a fiocking animal" he said.
.srhe dement's to be derived from men
gathering together IN groups are
many while, on the other side Ger
tain sacrifices in the way OF individual
liberty of action have to be made IN
order 10 gain these advantages.
Furthermore in order to gain
these benefits there must he intelii-
Rcnt-co-operation on the part or all
the people in the communty--co =
operation among themselves and with
the city departments and other agen-
cies
ITO secure such co cooperation on the
part of all the inhabitants OF city
20 large as Richmond is obviously a
thing which cannot be done quickly.
The object of the present work and
OF this meeting is. as see 1t. to show
tho people in this special section the
& tremendous advantages to be gained
& nv such corporation, and TO help
point out to them the way In which
this can be brought about.
THE survey committee OF the VS.
Ting Nurses association vas selected
this special area lying south Of Main
between Meadow and Linden streets
ms offering peculiar advantages. The
chief health officer has been consult
ed, and the plan appeals most strong
IL TO me.
Success Depends on People.
1T caano; he made too clear that
neither the visiting Nurses association
nor the Richmond health department
has any idea. OF forcing upon the peo-
pie of this section anything. however,
good from the outside II TINS move
~ 10 he a success, the residents of
this section must themselves under
stand what this experiment has in
mind and they must themselves or
game and work hard II success is
to come.
Taxing the question OF disease
prevention as ope OF the foremost
objects-~and naturally this is tho as
pect az the case which most appeals
TO met is utterly impossible to APP
ply to the entire population of Rich
,nond scattered over twenty-four
square miles OF territory. the inten-
: ssve methods which are needed IL we
would give Ia the people the full
Taeasure OF protection Of health and
life which sanitary science knows how
10 give them. The expense would be
prohibitive. Furthermore. as you
must know. the Richmond health de-
pSrtment has not been given the
means of doing health work OF a far
less pretentious nature The present
plan IL to get the residents In this
special section 10 band together in am
organization OF their own,
such assistance as the Visiting
Nurses association and the officials
OF the Richmond health department
can give will always he at your dis
posal but the movement must be
among yourselves and not forced on
YOU from outside.
whether or not this plan IL going
to succeed depends upon the people
themselves II the plan works out
well in this section. similar work will
be started In other sections. and Il
Is to he hoped that the example thus
set will be n powerful factor In get
sin~ the entire city to appreciate the
advantages to be obtained by COM
piete cooperation, in it's broadest
sense. on the part OF all the people
among themselves and with every
public and private agency working to
The same end