The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-07
AFTER FLU STORIES
As TOLD BY NURSES
Instructive Visiting Nurse Association
President Gives Account OF Work
OF Nurses and Soup Kitchens.
A DAY
Mrs. w. w. Morton Mentions Forty
Three Kitchens Which Helped the
Nurscs-Funds Needed for More
Nurses.

Interesting lights on the work OF the
Instructive Visiting nurses. who will
hold a tag DAY tomorrow for the sup
port of additional workers, are given
In extracts from the annual report of
the association president, Mrs. w. w.
Morton:
I'VE have heard and read OF the
pIague-strickea cities of the east. /
heard a physician In Richmond say
that no Bubonic plague or pest was
ever known to equal this awful "fu."
Not one call which came to this office
went unanswered. Though often out
on their districts as late as half-past
10. there was not a murmur, only the
feeling that no n must be neg
lected.
II would recall to you again the
meeting In October, when six members
of this board besides Miss Minor and
myself. met for our irst fall confer
ence. Finding there were three cases
of influenza in the house. we assem-
bled on the porch, wrapped In rugs
and coats. for 1t was a very cold day.
Miss Minor placed before us the aw-
full situation and the need Of nourishs
ment for the sufferers, often entire
families being stricken at n time,
a child from six to ten being he only
person up to give medicine and food.
After a short. discussion 1t was de-
cided that this association should offer
through the board OF health Ito open
soup kitchens through the churches
in all parts of the city. we little re-
allied at the time what we were I'M
dertaking. That afternoon St. James
Episcopal church was ready to deliver
soun to a limited number of patients
The rector, DIR. Peter, had h soup
made in his own Kitchen; said the
association was to call on St. James
for anything they needed. HI fol-
lowing day soup kitchens were opened
at the Second Presbyterian church. st.
Paul's church and the Woman's club.
quickly followed by many others.
AT one time there were forty-three
kitchens in Observation-Disclosures 1.T0o
and 1900 patients served daily with
soup. milk, custard and bread. This
means 100 to 1900 names were sent
each cay to the various kitchens
name Of family. address. number Ill
but often when q visitor called to leave
soup for two patients she would find
as many as three. four and five In ad-
dition had been taken Ill. so 1t lis i'm
possible to estimate the gallons Of
soup made and distributed each day.
Sometimes VIC would hear the cheer
ing news that some OF the family had
recovered, and it was gratifying to
nota thai even in the poorest homes.
when this. was The case. We would be
told. Take to some one worse off than
we are But it was not only the poor
to whom we went. Many of the best
known. often wealthy, families would
be III: ais their servants. The soup
kitchens were their only dependence
for he strengthening food it was SO
necessary for them to have. Caste,
creed and color were forgotten: rich
and poor worked side by side. \ lady
- ~-x - "a. @Attzlse4 xo Ia
to me one day: Mrs. Morton. this has
certainly made for church unity. Such
an ~outpourtrg of charity n Cooper
alton I never thought to zee And
j believe he words of comfort n
sympathy brought to stricken homes
at this time helped the visitor as well
az the visited.
The denominations represented in
the kitchens were Presbyterian. Zap
tist. Methodist, EPISCOPAL, English
Lutheran. Christian. The Roman
Catholics served thousands OF rolls
and "a OF bread to the various
kitchens ZACH day, to be distributed
with the soup: also opened a kitchen
on Church Hill. The ladies of the
Hebrew Benevolent association not
only sent chickens and pounds OF beef
to st. James church for soup, but
supplied the merge hospital with
VI t1}e Sa@ltLA kkiCS
outside patients. Splendid work was
done by st. Philips Episcopal church
tcolored) and the coIored Y. w. G. A.
The Colonial Danes, d~ehydration
= plant. Collegiate School for Girls
opened kitchens. The y w. c. a.
and Mothers club Of the william Fox
school also offered. Splendid work
was done in South Richmond. Rev.
Mr.. Dunville. OF the D~ecatur-Street
NfrthnAsuf -A,-rI ,4ntny ',ha tr~ "a - fnr
that district of the city. Z Porter,
Street Presbyterian church Mrs.
Gregory acting chairman. had a soup
Kitchen open for work. Many other
churches worked through these two
central Offices. One of tho nurses on
the stan told ME she considered the
soup Kitchens had done as much to
save life rs the doctors and nurses.
We have also had letters from some
Of the physicians telling us they did
not know how they could have met
the situation but for the association.
Mrs. Donnan, Miss Witt and Mrs.
- assisted in listing anne and
sending them to the Kitchens: theirs
was no light work. Every name sent
in was listed alphabetically, then list
cd to a soup, kitchen nearest to the
address given. AS the names changed
from day to day, it meant constant
itis 0ttt atN~iAbk vi ~ 0p0nS.
Many sad and pathetic cases came to
our cars A~1ndy reported to me one
day she had gone to a shanty on the
outskirts OF the city. found a mother
and baby mad beer dead for twenty
four hours; three other children were
i'll: one Of them was in the bed with
the dead mother. The father and a
small child OF three were the only
e ups .efo.one had been near them
for days.
we also had many funny incidents.
A family on the canal hank were re-
ported to US In. desperate circum-
s~tances-ive at ffrst WI, the in1u-
enza, then seven. For three weeks
they were being supplied with milk
and soup. One day when the visitor
called she found the baby dead. She
went to the bereaved mother to leave
the milk which had been ordered for
the baby to one of the other children,
rs we'll as chicken broth. The mother
met her by saying: We'll. we Is SO
gorged with SOU don't seem like we
can swallow no more. but I'll AXE II
to oblige YOU
Zone Of our greatest difficulties was
the enthusiasm with which these rood
Samaritans hunted up cases in the
nighborheods they were visiting. It