Evening star., 1917-10-28

bounds. the reserve force being drawn from
the enrolled nurses of the American Red
Cross service.
The surgeon general of the Army, fol-
lowing the rules covering such an eMgen-
cy. has, at various times this summer
made requests of the Red Cross to nom
mate an additional number Of nurses
from the lists to which they have access,
and these. as well as the regular mem
bers Of the corps. await assignment for
active duty. few nurses. now at Wal
ter Reed Hospital. Washington. came up
from border duty, expecting TO be sent
to France without delay. but as yet the
call has not come. There are few bu-
reaus of the War Department more rush
ed with work and problems In this emer-
gency. and date as to when Army nurses
might be sent over to our forces on
French soil is not determined.
1t is quite possible that the service
so filed with imaginative possibilities
by the romantic, nursing soldiers on a
transport may come to pass, IL the
Huns do not give up in despair. For, 1t
Is understood, that as many as practicable
of our soldiers on the way to recovery
after battle will be brought back to
American shores for convalescence.
Even a person with a limited imagina-
tion can sit and see many a motion
picture in the suggestion of a group of
Army transports heavily laden with
weary, wounded boys in khaki coming
back with the glory of war enyelop-
ing them and a gentle. dignified wom-
an ministering to every need. while the
city of Havre grows DINNER and the
statue of Liberty in the harbor at home
gets closer and closer
There is shortage Of nurses in
civilian hospitals Many nurses have
joined the colors and promised Uncle
Sam in his hour of need their skilled
hands and sympathetic hearts. There
will be no need for mothers to worry
about the care of the young patriot
who offers his life to the newer and
fuller meaning of the word democracy
what the medical department of the
United States Army hasn't learned
since the sinking Of the Maine isn't
worth learning. If appearances are
correct and officers msistances a
proof There was a great deal of
typhoid and typhus thea, and far more
men are said to have died from Illness
than bullets.
One of the nurses on duty now at
Walter Reed Hospital, which is a gen
eial and NOT ii base hospital for sol
Giers. had been out of training. but
few weeks when. a girl not more
than twenty she contracted with
sent and nurse among the troops sent
to Cuba. She accompanied the first
trainload of i'll and wounded which
came up from Cuba to Swinburne Island
y. Y. These were mostly typhoid
cases. This member of the Army
Nurse Corps was also in Porto Rico and
the Philippines. and. with all this ex-
perIcnce behind her, was one of the
twelve nurses on duty at Laredo, Tex.
last year.
She told some entertaining tales of the
work on the border. none of which she
showed more delight in than the Christ
mas the dozen representatives Of the
corps made for the homesck soldier pa
t3ents under their care. Laredo, she
said. was typical Mexican town. There
was no American air about il. There
was Mexican cook and maid al the hos
pita1. there were Mexican customs and
even some Mexican cooking These
Mexicans Joined in the Christmas spirit
and worked more diligently than usual
In helping the American women fix up
all sorts of things for the Christmas tree,
where an active. young nurse did her best
to initiate Santa Claus early Christmas
morning.
There was gift for every patient in
purses or 4 product from the skillful
fingers Of the handful of women who
tried TO forget there might be a Nillsta
raid most any night. and as patriotic
servants Of the War Department duty
must come before anxiety. So keen was
this constant possibility of bandit treach-