Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-26
As ONE WOMAN sets Il
supsrintsndsrt Clayton Has . Quiet
Y Way with Her, but Hsr ouIstnsss
10 Born of Knowledge and
Eff7ctancv *
ny SARAH D. LOwRIE

WAC thihknB To-Day ds Sat taikink "
Mis- Ss,,n. csys0n re PS.Ss
phias General Hospital and OF the Training
School, that the best Of humans have to 70
through mighty special training, either BY
choice or BY chance, before life takes the
httest and places them where they will hll
the greatest need. ~
In Miss ,Clayton's case It was decidedly
more choice than chance that prepared her
for her great position, for to be the head
nurse OF Blocklcy is to hold one Of the score
OF commanding places open to the profess
sion IN this country, and In certain respects
one OF the five Of highest rank in the score.
It was quiet room to sit In, that blue,
gray sitting room OF her apartment and
Miss clayton is very quiet person that is,
she possesses the power Of stiffness. There
is now and then teacher who never has to
raise her voice, but is heard perfectly with.
out any outward effort. I imagine that the
head nurse Of the Philadelphia General is
likewise always heard without either tense
ness sosn,.a, or waste Of effort have observed her
Advisory Committee meets out there. and
nave been struck by the quality Of her per-
sonality. Her fellow members are all Of
them important women in their way. some
Oh them personages, hut she Is an authority
which In the end even the most important
or them show no tendency to override Her
opinion. given. In all probability. last of all
ana with the utmost brevity, is accepted as
A LII this interested me, taken in connec.
tion, too, with the great possibilities
that she holds in her grasp of ministerlng
to the necessities Of the city's Ill folk, 80
that wanted to discover, II possible, how
she got to be what she is, where her finish
ana technique and control came from:
whether, in fact, life had been a chance for
her or choice. So asked her If she would
mind telling me.
Until she was fourteen she grew up
~ pleasantly and naturally and religiously
on her Grandfather's plantation in Mary
land. without much remembered thought an.
parently about future or career, or any
scheme for life or responsibility for any
cholce. Then her grandparents died. and
Tor various reasons she suddenly felt re.
ssponsib!e and impelled to choose for herself.
She decided that she must have an education
ana anu that she must provide 1t for herself. and .
that she must meanwhile quickly acquire a
sure way OF supporting herself.
She had an aunt here in Philadelphia 2
whom she greatly trusted and under whose
outside outside austerity she felt both nobility and
k,naness. KIM ness so to her she came during the
where she perfected herself as an account.
ant. " ">>'""'
1t was during this time-about her six.
teenth year-that she came across, in the
century Magazine. an article with illustra.
tions on trained nurses. In 1t was a picture
OF Isabel Hampton Robb, the graduate of
the original Bellevue School and the organ.
izer Of the Nurses Training School Of Johns
hopkins and biographical sketch Of that
great sia an and splendid woman, The girl. who
had never known trained nurse, nor had
mad anything to do with hospitals, nor, I
thinK. SICK people: but she made up her
mind then and there to be trained nurse.
od NJ =
OF In Philadelphia. but she was too Young
TO De accepted in any training school.
Finally she heard that the Children's Hos.
pttnai. ppn then opening under DR.. Starr and
U,ner Or.s, great specialists, would take pupil
nurses, although there was as vet no train.
ing school. She persuaded her aunt to 70
with her to vouch for her when she apniied
ana then. curiously enough, the sight Of the
Iong, steep steps up to the front door and
perhaps a premonition that her very success
would close all other avenues OF life tn This
straight, immensely responsible one made
her pause In kind of panic and then turn
away to 60 back home.
81 do not want to be nurse" she sa,d
to her aunt. '"''
1T WAS here that the older woman came
L UNDERSTANDINGS to her rescue Sbo had
never urged such a choice on herSindead
she mad discouraged it so as to make sure
It was real and not n girls fancy, and then
having assured herself that it was real. she
now stemmed the wavering panic by a quiet
gesture OF reinsurance.
Now you arc here. you had better apply.' ;,
was all she said. They went up the stems
and at the top the girl said. with a little
gasp. WELL will you apply for me?"
NO, indeed. said her aunt. 'It ia not
/ who have talked so long about being a
trained nurse. 1t is you who want to be
one.' ' " oe
50 Lillian Clayton went into the Office and
made her application ana was accepted and
tod TO come back 'to begin on Monday
And 1t was Lillian Clayton who walked
down those long, steep steps as though she
walked on air. '"e
7 ASKED her how she liked the nursing
u once she got into it.. She considered for
glory all went out of it." She had rheu.
matlsm very severely during most of the
hrst winter; at times she had to get nm
before any one else was stirring and timber
order to be able when the bell rang 70 actu.
ally dress herself and to go on duty. She
never told any one because she knew she
would not be allowed to stay, and she never
wavered IN her desire to nurse. even though
the hardships had taken away certain
fervor of enthusiasm.
After time she felt less main and finally
grew strong. The then head nurse of the
Children's Hospital, Miss Hogan. advised
her on reaching eighteen to apply out at
Blockley; which was then under Miss smith.
remarkable woman. and to At herself at
what was even. thirty years ago, one of the
best training schools of the country. She
must have done unusually well at Blockley,
for on graduating two years later she was
made night superintendent nurse. She snid.
when, I asked her, that she was not un
usually competent, but that she supposed
sne was what might be called very faithful,
She also said that from the first il was mot
the technique or even the science of the work
that held her, but the desire to care for the
patients. '"'
A II THAT time she supposed that she was
- to be a missionary nurse and 20 out to
China under the China Inland Mission and
by WAY of nrenaratian she studied a4 n x.is