The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-06-17
AARTHA BALL
|. .ANlIHERtF0RD
ALWAYS BUSY
'onfort and Help for
Community IN
fortunates

INth Maae. IN tnls city: wen, l
ban't seeawhat Miss Ball has to do
anyway. She just rides around in
That little Ford and enjoys her.
[8eltts
MISC Martha Ball is the Public
Health Nursing Service, bag and
baggage There may be others Of.
iclaliy concerned In this organiza.
ion hut Miss Ball is the main rib
I'm the umbrella as all Fairmonters
Should Know. And that umbrella,
|ss the Public Health Service may
be called, gives shade and
Srotection OF a hundred sorts, gives
Comfort and much needed help to
IAozens and dozens Of poor, afflict-
~. suffering. human beings in this,
ir iInobserving, sometimes mis-
understanding large sized town.
Rat How is the name of a street,
For instance, which runs abruptly
away from the Country road and
lhen-when this fashionable thor.
nlgIfare is not looking, 1t sneaks
uiong right under its wing as 1t
were, meandering close under the
potnpots feathers OF the nice,
smooth payed, aristocratic high,
Way Tucked below, just under the
'ei, = of the Country club, lies this
.tatnahaclslety line Of about 25 shan
s,ins. Does even half Of Fairmont
Aiow how the other part lives? Do
The lovely ladies gowned in crisp,
ielicate Wearing apparel, seated on
he big Country club veranda on a
beautiful day realize that Just be.
ow them lives a young woman suf.
iering severely with tuberculosis
lives Ia q shanty as bare as the
mead ot q new born baby and not
half as clean. The house Is one
Visited frequently by the Public
Health nurse and soon, IL all goes
tgeil tile Sick woman will be taken
70 Terra Alta for treatment. Miss
eqil has been endeaVoring for
md fiis TO have her removed to the
sanifarirtn hut It is very difficult
10 get patients there as the instl.
.uticn issaiways crowded. We're It
not lof this Public Health nurse
who desotes very nearly ysevery wax.
Ing hour9 Of her time to one OF the
very uoblest Of works, hundreds Of
suiIeretg would be sorely up against
It.
Each morning very early Miss
Bail starts on her daily rounds. Any
where sfroms15 to 20 cases must be
visited. Some are very Ill while
Others need only small attention,
Some require instruction In how to
keep rooms in a clean, sanitary
state frequently the homes she Wis
n are In fearfully bad condition
rom every Viewpoint. In the win.
ter time especially Miss Ball must
enter seldom aired novels, shan
lies and numerous one-room homes
which house many members Of a
family She visits all manner and
style Of abiding places some no bet
er than pig pens. Some are in
good condition, the owners merely
Unfortunate. Often she must
70 III and bathe a mem
her OF the family, clean
IA the home and cook a meal
'besiues Often she officiates at the
birth of a. new addition to an al,
eady oyer.burdened home. Some
Slmes she must comfort a very
Young mother who is left to bring a
child into the world, quite alone
and penniless.
Recently q home answering to the
following description was visited
ti'hree rooms with windows over
oolSing s9me Of the very prettiest
natural scenery In the whole Of
Fairmont: The wall paper has long
since faded and rotted to tatters
and hangs In stringy wisps on every
foot of wall space. The window
shades are crumpled and filled with
pin holes. They hang awry, the sun
Isliowing up dirty panes of glass
an three, rooms have bare, soiled
hoard floors. Two rooms contain
4 bed apiece which need clean lin
IN badly. Quilts lie in untidy
sSjaps-just as turned back after
occupancy. The third room holds
1 stove, and kitchen table covered
With brown, greasy oilcloth, soiled
iifsiies uncovered food, and flies
sWarm by the millions over every
thing There are a few chairs and
ib62esI
IA one Of the bedrooms is a bu
faiu and on this. stands cup filleo
with nasturtiums. ..
Somewhere IN this shanty some
body took the trouble to gather mas
ttirtiums. Who? A small framed
picture OF Jesus Christ stands next
S6e nasturtiums. A few magazine
Siats are pinned on the walls. In
mIddle OF that bare, fly.invaded
sorderiy room is a small. high
table and on this rests a shiny new
rnafogany victrola. A young girl
overly developed, winds it up and
n.ays record after record until they
aro All used. She then pays them
aii over again. Through the oper
door and window the music floats
|nlafntiyely and oddly TO the
strangeiy:green river tapping neal
fhis inmolested, rambling street.
Hlhe scenery from Rat Row ID
naenfficent, where Nature has
SFked nnhindernd. The river lies
hung with luxuriant foliage as
4 Is aye can see. Some distance
the opposite side OF the river Il
narrow brown road which winds
.ike spool Of thread over, around
and on. Coming back Rat Row
house after house, until you count
aver 2D. looks a1l alike, They are
Without plumbing with outhousss
lcensiauefss ssn pags fssD