Evening star., 1925-05-12

Tomorrow is the birthday of the
Lady of the Lamp" who came to
earth May 13, 1920. Her parents were
wealthy and chanced to be sojourning
while in the city of Flowers" when
the little girl was born. So they named
her Florence, in memory Of her Ital-
ian birthplace. Blossoms and birds
should ever remind one of Florence
Nightingale, for never was there a
name that SO fittingly suggested what
life should bring to one so sweet In
person and character-so gentle and
sympathetic and kind and pure and
beautiful.
Her father was a wealthy land own.
era great man in his own county or
England, for he was Squire of Embly
Park, Hampshire and Lea Hurst. He
was an aristocrat whose lineage
traced back through the centuries.
Noble suitors sought the hand of his
daughter, Florence, as she grew to
womanhood.
1t is unnecessary to recite the bi-
ography of Florence Nightingale. the
best loved woman of all England, or
perhaps Of all the world. Her example
and spirit of sacrifice for others drew
all civilization almost to worship such
womanhood. She turned aside wealth
and high social privileges, and for the
first time in the history of the race
she and her little band of nurses went
to where men were fighting and dying
of plague as we'll as wounds that
they might bring the touch of woman
ly sympathy, the tender soothing and
Intelligent care of nursing. Her eX-
ample and spirit lived through not
only the Crimean War, but every war
since. 1t lived in the Salvation Army
and Red Cross and ambulance nurses
in the World War, as millions or vet
Grams testify with grateful tears
Let the veterans call pack the
Lady Of the Lamp"-the one who
was ever moving from bed to bed
through the dark hospital wards at
eyerv hour. Let her be their guest in
Washington. Her eyes were dim
when, at the age of 90. she passed on
Is years ago. She never knew the
great World War, with its gas and
submarines and unheard-of cruelty
But in Washington today, what
would she read?
go to war, IL you want to!
What strange expression-if you
| want to! - she would exclaim. Does
anybody who knows the bitterness oi
sacrifice-the heartburns of mothers
the suffering of wounded, as 1 have
seen in the miserable hospitals of the
Crimea-does anybody who is human
| who is sane, who is devoted to love
and the uplift Of fellow men, ever
| want to go to warp Why does this
sav. Go to war if you want to?' What
| further does it say? But know this
we have pledged ourselves not tc
give you our children
Imagine Florence Nightingale as
| she read that defiance.
"Who have pledged not to give
| rive me?-their children? Why, ii
was to bring back their wounded
and sick sons who were dying in the
Crimean hospitals-bring them back
to life and the love of mothers and
wives, that we nursed them-that we
carried the lamp into the gloomy
hospitals. That is how they came tc
call me The Lady of the Lamp. Blu,
this pledge goes on to say, not to
| encourage or nurse your soldiers.
Hark! I was sick and We ministered
unto me- But this pledge says the
pledger is superior to such an obli-
CATION. She pledges that she will
not knit a sock nor roll a bandage!
"Oh, the spirit of the Crimea! How
it lived in America throughout the
World War. See the millions oi
American women knitting socks and
wooden helmets and sweaters, and
the many American women at the
front-in France-scrubbing hospita
noors-women of wealth. in many