Page:Nurses for the sick.djvu/16

12 matters, that the institution did not meet with very zealous support; and it was not till the year 1856 that the last and most important object was accomplished, and the admission of the nurses of St. John's House to the wards of King's College Hospital was sanctioned. Facts prove more than arguments and theories in favour of a cause, and so it has been in this case; for after years of steady and progressive work, the soundness and excellence of the principles and the practice have been established, and at the present time the services of these ladies and nurses are demanded in several other hospitals, both in London and the country.

So far, then, the fact is established, that training is necessary for the office of a nurse for the sick, and few will now venture to dispute it.

There is scarcely a family where at some time or other the need of a nurse in sickness is not felt; and who can overrate the importance, not only to the patient, but to the whole household, of having one who is fitted for, and faithful to, her duties, or the misery of admitting one into the bosom of a family who, without conscientiousness or ability, has undertaken to fulfil them? At a season of distress, and amidst the solemn scenes of sickness and death, how greatly is the trial aggravated by the presence of one who is not only ignorant of her duties, but is without any moral or spiritual power to sustain and guide her in them.