NURSES IN ENGLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 143, 12 March 1919, Page 2

NURSES IN ENGLAND

THE'tK ..POSITIOX DISCUSSED;."X:; ThOjio'u'nial.' of. the- inirs.es .of'.'New-.Zea-'. land,- "Ka.i.. Tiak.i," . says;— Whil- un-. doubtedly .'nurses.of the highest-standing, and .position...tiik'c' their-'proper 'place,, iiL society and are acknowledged to be- above pati;6hags aiid,c'harjty > them.' is,,.we .fear,, no doubt that the position of • tho- nurse .in a-general,..\yay is not in "'the- Home Country by any .means' equal to -tliht'.she - holds in.the eolouiqs. This is noticed by ,tho niu'scs, from ..tlie colonies ivho, havo been sen'ingdu'ring\-the'War. -The controversy,-now going oil -between. ■ the supporters /of the three-.rival, -bodies,.'the Royal British .Nurses' •'Association- and tho Society or.the' State Registration of' Trained Nurses on-the one side and the College of Nursing, .Ltd..-, on thq other, very plainly shows that .there-is. a very large and influential socinl parly which, desires to keep.timrses.Jkii.a-subordinate position and to treat them as objects of charity and patronage rather than .to-, allow them suclireasonable pay for their services as would enable them to maintain themselves properly in the present nnd provide for the'future when they can no longer work. Many nurses'who uphold the dignity of their profession and of.themselves as independent women are very sore indeed at the efforts 'of, somo well-meaning but 'mistaken friends'who are helping lo raise funds for what is known as (ho "Nation's- Fund- -for Nurses." They'object to' the. widespread, advertising for this fund which has been used in npoenling for funds .which tho nurses consider are more .needed for the sick and wounded than for (heiiisnlvcs. While rherp is no objection to such a fund nronerly raised mid without public appeal, it is felt that tho means taken to riush it are not worthy either nf the nurses, who have done, such splendid work during the war. nor of the profession in general. The last straw has been the project for n "victory ball" i;i aidof the Nurses' Fmiii which was b«inß oreniiiprd bv the British Women's pi f, il Committee. We nj-'i-cc with those who protest .-nijninst.il Mmt this is no) ithc- time for such an evidence of reioieiug, and syiupalhise with the nurses' objection to beiiiij used fnr such n nurnos? put by a writer in the "British Journnl of Nurs. Kovemb?r S.l:— "Surely the dominant thought in thu jn-ihitl -nf'all tvie nntriots in t!iii<; ronnee- ■ Vion is that.this large mensure of victorv lms been won, for ns : by-.Uin,incomparable, vnlrmr of.njir sa.ilovs and soldier 5 —v.'OU'lded and otherwise—and, above nil, by the '"rent.sacrifice' of those unconqnenh'e soul" who Ml in their tf.ns of thojisrinr 1 -! on .the battlefield. AVas'there ever such a strnnge. way of. celebrating their passing? . "If people like to dance on such an occasion they are,.l suppose, at liberty to do so; but they are'not at liberty to' do so in the iuime oF and much against the wishes of patriotic, nurses (fome 400 of whom have also made the great sacrifice). Jt is an act of sacrilege towards the dead, and an insult to the great' profession of i nursing.. This was the ■ substance of my conversation with . a lady who could not see my point of view. We are certainly entitled to rejoice, but. our hearts are full, 'and we incline.more towards the giving of unbounded thanks to the 'only Giver of nil victory , for the conquest of an evil power in the world.— Reverence for tho Dead." - .

Let us hope that tho nurses may succeed in their protest against such desecration. In the defeat" of Major Chappie in tho recent elections the nurses , have lost an anlenl champion in their fight for State registration, the gaining of •fl-hjeh should much improve their position. -. •'- .-■:■■