Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-06-27
WOMAN BOASTS
NURSE SERVICE
OF FIFTY YEARS
MISS Z. AUGUSTA ARTss GUEST
OF HONOR or DEACONESS
SCHOOL ALUBKNAE

When the Deaconess hospital Of
nursing al1mnae association honorec
Miss z. Augusta Ariss recently, she OBJ
served the 5Oth anniversary Of her
service as a nurse. She began her Ca
reer In Canada and in 1902, through
the influence Of Rev. William w. Van
OrsdeI. the beloved Brother Van" OF
earlv Methodist church history IN
Montana. she came to Montana as
first superintendent Of the Montana
Deaccness hospital
Those were the days when the Su-
perintendent helped with the scrub
bling. made the fires and relieved the
canning and was on duty day and
night. The first building was on the
outskirts Of the city VITA no sidewalks
leading to il, and doctors called st
the hospital on horseback or with
horse and buggy, tying up at the
hitching posts.
The little hospital Of 20 beds had a
debt exceeding the value OF the prop
erty and its credit was NIL, but MISS
Ariss and her assistants had dreams
OF q modern hospital, with Miss Ariss
going further by talking Of q modern
nurses school as well.
Within five years the institution had
outgrown its first building and was
housed IN a new one containing %
beds. These were sti1 the pioneer days
in Montana nursing and students were
sent out on many country cases. One
was sent to Helena to care for refer
Larson, pioneer lu1nberman, whose VIII
gave the hospital a gift of 5000. Later
Rev. and Mrs. Jacob Mills OF Helena
donated $4,000 for new building
dedicated in 1903. L. H. Hamlltons
gift of $4,000 then completed the
structure.
Miss Ariss saw another wing added
to the building in 1917, and a nurses
home had been built in 1910 at cost
of $4,000. And in 1917 an addition
to the home was completed.
The church at this time was work
ing for similar hospitals throughout
the state. In 1911 the hospital at
Glasgow was built and in 1912 the
Deaconess hospital at Bozeman was
opened. Butte's hospital was opened
in 1918, and in 1919 the church took
charge Of the hospital ali Sidney.
Havre's DeaconeSs hospital was COM
pleted in 1926 and the Billings insti-
tuition In 1927.
ALI these years the mother hos
pitaI in Great Falls had been expand |
ing until the building was overtaxed, |
with beds in halls and sun rooms.
with a gift from the Samuel Spencer
estate fine modern institution was
completed, known as the Spencer Me-
mortal Montana DeaconeSs hospital.
Miss AriSs' dream Of the modern
hospital and training school has been
realized. The training school Is cred
tied as one of the best in the north
west and Is affiliated with the Nom
tana state college. over 500 graduates
are employed In public health, indus
trial, army, Red Gross and other pro-
gessional nursing. Missionary nurses
have gone to China, Korea, India,
Thailand, Java, the Philippines and
Alaska.
The pioneer nurse was president OF
5he state examining board from 1920
10 1882. and was honored by "Trip
abroad by the Montana Nurses aSSo-
aation In 1888. Edith Long, her as
distant for 30 years, accompanied Miss
Ariss on the trip.
Members Of the alumnae associa-
ion. who honored Miss Artss, feel
hat her love of the profession, glld-
d by the ideal that all service to hu-
nanity is divine, has secured In the
Montana Deaconess hospital an en-
turing monument to her career. she
etired a few years ago but returns
.ach year to visit at the hospital.