The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-12-29
SAYING THE Chill
DREN OF VERMONT
How the Children in One Town
Were Helped.

painted OH the uDpi, rs ldHiiiidi ntSfs
these days on our highways and stand
ing in front of our farmhouses. No on
can estimate what her efficiency, he
helpfulness, her encouragement mean
to the women at the head of thes
country households, and what presen
and future benefits the little children
reap from her surveillance.
/ The nurse advises and suggests wilma
| should be done in each individual case
She usually has the entire corporation
Of the village doctor and the village
authorities; and wherever there is. !
! hospital in the vicinity; its staff ans
equipment are generally at the dispos
al Of the district nurse and her mos'
urgent patients.
In our Vermont communities, the
nurse has greater obstacles to over
come than in many other parts OF the
country. Our settlements are very old
lying along the water courses, and ALEC
| frequently hugging the stony sides Of
I the mountains; antedating the rail-
roads, which thread the valleys, by
many, many years. This is very diff
y ltitftl tiik w Qif% litdf tiit
4 great cities, or in the fiat lands inter.
sectcd everywhere by the inter.urban
trolleys OF the middle west; and il
makes very different task.
Dorset is one Of Fermont's loveliest
viilagps--but it is eight miles from the
railway. Perhaps that indisputable
fact, those extra eight miles may tell
the tale of the cause and effect Of the
e-day Dorset emergency hospital,
last summer. Take busy !. farmers
wife, with her house and her life full
Of small children--it may seem almost
impossible for her to get hold of the
Ford. or the horse, and then Of the
children who need it--and most of
them dol-for the drive over 10 the
railway, on their last lap Of the weary
ing journey towards getting rid Of Of.
Tending tonsils and adenoids. Doctors
cannot eonscientiously operate, except
in emergency cases in the usual condi-
tions of any home; and the county
nurse, Miss Clark, found that it was
beyond her power TO do what she real
lied was necessary
With the earnest cooperation OF DIR.
Little OF Dorset, committee was
formed of interested women: Mrs.
West. Mrs. Haven, Mrs. II. r. Gill
bert, Mrs. Barrows. Mrs. Atkinson and
Mrs. Harrington. There was one man
on the committee, Mr.. Bateheider, not
only Of particular help in advising and
directing the whole movement, but
who also did valiant yeoman service In
carrying and moving cots and the re-
Quired equipment. They promptly
found an ideal location for their work,
in the basement Of the Congregational
church, the large audience room to be
used as ward, the kitchen for opcr-
ating, and the little library for the
children's dressing room.
The women Of the committee made
themselves responsible for the cots and
bedding, the sheets and towels, all the
old soft rags they could gather togeth-
err, and with Mrs. Little's help, what
ever nourishment would be required
for the little patients of day. Miss
Clark attended to the thorough stcrili- |
cation Of the rooms and dressings. And
the committee also made some half
dozen little night gowns for the chill
dren. which proved very present help |
in trouble, these gowns now carefully |
Numbered are laid away for possible
future use.
DR.. Marshall, the surgeon, came
down from Rutland, for the appointed |
DAY; and was willingly assisted by DR..
Little, BY DIR. Elliott, health officer
from Manchester; Miss Clark, two 9th
r. nurses, and practical nurse from
he village. The committee were gal
antly on hand, and some of the anx-
Gus mothers, TO assist with nurse,
n helping the children out from ether;
most Of them seemed to revive
Il about the same time. which made a
'ery absorbing, really scrambling,
ask Of il
There we're Is small patients, for
onsils and adeuoids; and not room
Tor time for several more, unfortu-
lately, who came bravely without
heir breakfasts, and sat patiently, I
nally having 70 70 back home. taking
heir tonsils with them. Later in the
ay, in the fret stages Of GONZALES
ence, Mrs. Little supplied the ward
cry generously with ice cream. In
act, the moral value of that ice cream
annot be over-estimated, as each child ,
'as assured OF all that it was possible
D eat afterwards. Most of them could
e taken home that night. Those who
tayed until morning, under the con- |
oy of Miss Clark and one or two :
iothers who requested permission,
ERE given a breakfast, by the com !
littee, of soft, cooked cereal before J
hey left. c
The surgeons charges were $40 an u
peration. -Four children paid the $40 c
hose children were able TO go to [
ospital elsewhere. or to have excellent
ire and surroundings at home; but \
icy were brought to the church hos !
ital, in order to help make the expert r
tent a success. The other children
aid exactly what they could. in each
use. The rest OF the money was raised J
y subscription in the village. and }
ade up by the local Red Cross organ
alton.
II is generally hoped that this ex- =
sriment viii be tried again. For the y
~ was considered by the whole cont p
unity, TO have been tremendous
lccess; busy parents and little chill
rem are now reaping an inestimable z
sneft; and perhaps at this safe dis a
nee. the ehilGren-remembering the
bowls Of ice cream--are will
& to admit il. too. One mother OF b
any, who was very fearful about n