Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-26
NURSES URGED TOSTTCK
TO PRESENT POSITIONS
Speaker Reprehends Patriotic
but Hysterical Rush to
War Volunteering
WAIT TILL DUTY CALLS
Peace Duties in Home Communities
Important to Entire
Nation

Don't wreck the health institutions NJ
che nation by patriotic but hysterical i'm
pulses to enlist In body for war service ;,
That was the message brought 10 the
oiiicers Oh tne three national organizat ions
Of nurses. the American Nurses, Assoo,a7 %
tion, the National League of Nursin. IA,
cation and the National Organization for
Public Health Nursing, in their executiyo
session at the Bellevue.Stratfordt TO-DAY W.
ceding the big joint meeting of the 1000
oeiesates 10 the three organizations rem
resenting $4,000 nurses in the country.
1t was brought by Miss Mary Reard
president Of the National Organization for
Public Health Nursing, who is director of
instruction of the Visiting Nurse Assocja- :
ton or Boston. considered by nurses ono
of the most important organizations of its
kind in America.
Health authorities and physicians all
over the country are united in believing
that one of the greatest dangers IN na,
tional health work is threatened" she
said "in the impulse which is sweenine
through the ranks of nurses. who quit their
peace organizations and join organizations
for war duty"
Miss Beard urged all nurses. who are
DONG pubic nursing to hold their positions
until called for war duty and refrain from
taking any hasty or ill-consdered action
In the matter of volunteering for military
services, and said she had been asked by the
Commissioner of Health of Massachusetts
TO impress this message on the nurses gath
cred in Philadelphia in their annual con-
ventlon.
ABNORMAL CONDITIONS
She pointed out that abnormal conditions
ere bound to exist at home in times of
war, and urged the nurses to remember
their responsibility to the nation and turn
the tide of opinion against having whole
COrnS pnIiStinD hnd, a..
the front and do duty. thus leaving a COM
nunity without proper health protection
IF we are doing our duty as public
health nurses she added, in pointing out
the need of health insurance legislation.
I'VE are serving our country every day
In these coming days that service is more
than ever needed"
p A movement to prevent Red Cross nurses
from being called out for duty unless there
is real need of their services on the battle
neids VIII be made at the joint annual con-
helds Will be made at this convention
There will be special meeting of the
nurses in the three associations who have
already handed in their names for Red
cross work. according to announcement
made at the convention headquarters today
AL the nurses are willing and more than
willing to go on duty, but they object to
being taken from their present positions
and sent forth to wait indefinitely before
getting into active service
The American Nurses Association has
10000 members, in every State in the coun-
try. This Is the twentieth annual session
The National League of Nursing Education,
d, composed of $50 nurses, who teach other
: women how to become nurses, is in its
twenty-third annual SESSION, while the Ma
tional Organization for Public Nursing, with
1000 members, is in fifth annual session.
SESSIONS TRULY JOINT,
This year an effort is being made to
make the conventions truly joint, according
81 TO officials, and instead of holding different
meetings at the same hour in different
rooms, all big meeting at which papers
are read will be held at the same hour.
The regular round-tabe discussions will be
held simultaneously, however. to give all
three organizations an opportunity to dis
cuss their various problems
Special trains arrived this morning at
the Pennsylvania stations with nurses from
Chicago and at the Baltimore and Ohio
with nurses from st. Louis and vicinity
Two cities, Cleveland and Providence, are
planning a hard fight to get the 1918 joint
session of the three organizations The
lobbying for the next convention city began
yesterday among the officers of the organi-
cations, who came to attend the executive
committee meetings.