IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1907, Page 3

IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD.

' '--t-VISIT "10 WELiNGTQN i HOSPITAL; ,:<■ ;. ■.;.- ■ ..i\:\t?y,\xr ■ ■'■> "'-'■ .- - r - - .:-.■.-. .-{,•;.. ■.-.,-..-; . - - ■ ; .: ''. .-(For "Tho '' ■; !' . ■-■■flbwi'onr heartsi'acho :at the cry. of -.Buffer-' •'.' tag childh'ood 1 jThejailmehts-of'older people can never' 'awaken" in'- iis r quite -such' tenuer ', solicitude;: s TJiey have become inured, by rea- , '!' ; son of years.an ;-to-the"ways 'of: •'.,'. .theworld.'ißut children) -ioyoung' and tender '"■''aiid-,trusting—thai'-'tiiey.'should-suiferl': i'et . little boys will climb-trees arid:will plaiy -with : fire;, some, parents' will- neglect their children;; , arid-'there'-iis "always-''siciiness{and;'disease. ■What woJuld.beVthe.ifate of -liUlpisuf- '; ■' ferers;in''the Dominion fwere: it not 'for -the . chiHren'sthospitals ?' Hospitals! How 1! used ! ■ to. it,-as-I did;: ■'rl'with.misery: So'wheh, t "• last week', I set b/ut-to.'visit- the little mites in-' : -the ;Wol)Lngton ward, I was;ready to lavish;bn '■•'them .pity/ :Th'o ; matroivcanie,| ■;' : to.me.-^ith;heresies -i ( u)l ; of the care-o'f her j great oKaf geyi bidding;a nurse acr compaiiffl m.p4ri'niy;round of;the"'place. , -: ■' '" '--;.: .Tho c'hildreii-have now a separate 'building, far removed from the'general hospital, - and . have for neighbours' on the:" one hand the stately Nurses' Homo, and on-the other ; the fever ward..-Thus the older patients are not 'disturbed;by the hilarity or petulauco of the little ones J for.; I'.found children in- hospitals | are just samp as'children the , .'world over. .As 1 drew'near I heard'the pleasant sound of ' ' busy tongues chattering,' and I soon came iii .'-■ view of 1 an building,"for all the /world" like ' a .liouse 1n; v a street of housps." On the J spa'cioua verandah were seven beds, whoso inmates .reclined- in various uri- . conventional- attitudes.' 7These",were the : convalescent patientii who were being most successfully :eriterta{ned ! ';b'y;''atte'ntiyo'' visitors.The.' atmosphere -"breathed!' freedom;- - oven, jollity; and'Tb'eganto think the hospital;'for ■ childrdn';at!'least,'was'"not : thQ;forbidding insti-' tution,,.after' all; that, I'had-'pictured it. ! -'-- =••'. . 'Across the threshold/in.the corrido'r,'from .which radiated'"two 'large airy, wards, -one Btnall f6pm'j"and.the' I came across a little, boy iyingVo'n-.a i settee; -and"'his '■ sad ' plight [called "of"that";sympathy • with TvhicK'-'I: had 'embarked. l on my visit;.for ■'.' ,he must.Kencefdrth'limp'through'lifeon one> leg..; In\tfie'righVhand-ward', a" little' 1 girl; was : ■ jrying lustily,, l but yielded'readily to the tenjer solicitudeTof iin'attendant:-••-In , 'th'e'same , v ;»'ard with -this little lass" were about.-twelve »6her>beds.i Ono. plump'little fellow,-with • bis head all ba'ndag'edi.up^'was'.ivaihly'endea- ■'-. ■'. vouririg;. over. the', edge',of -his ..bed, to. grasp" ..-■. something' on. the .floor, 'lopking , for 'all 'the world like, ;:'thVr.]itt;K boy!', who ! "won't be happy. tiir,hd,gets, jit.",.. THe' .had to be. : coaxed ; back "into "cpmfptt.andjSat. up ih'bed,, a de-, : mure little picture of ..patience: He was nbi! . -in luck's way, like a little girl near by who had four visitors to brighten her afternoon. The luridly, disposed coulddoeven more than is now. done to-hrighten the lot of : the.chil- • dren.y-^.i''- J:!:.::-.- ■;;!*;- .i'-,, '•:;.,. ':;■,.-:■ . A,,,, The other ward looked;quite.empty; owing to thevmerryigrPupioni.tlie ■verandah;rbut, ; there were'some childronihere, as in the!fellow -compartment',-, who were too , ill. to'ias- ■ ,!sert: their, native.jocularity; .-andi-lay-thero,. eolemn-faced ' iiiites," ; 'puzzlmg. their little ';.-■ beads,-perhapsj'wliy' there should 'be such . things 'as - pain; ; and' sickness/' I • peeped into jfP, kitohenj-^'and^my-ifirst thought was, I ' , , «hy,.-its'quito;homeliko," from the shiny . black stove'and .cheery, fire'to : the piled up plates'of bread and-butter in readiness for tca.v And-so,' all through the!building. There , seemed" no ■restraint;: childish ' litter ■ evefy- .. where, and ■the children themselves 'as happy as: possible , under the circumstances.'.More- ..'' D.-nr,: thW v scemed fond of their;nurses, of' .'whom 'Mere were' two r to "minister to' their 1 : . vants[ Hi;the day time, and ono at night _ TheVe^were; : twenty-five'-i beds : altogether/ ■■.. These;' hPweycr'; ; used ; .for children under twely'6 'or thereabouts,' and,'of course; •; no children suffering .from any infectious disease are placed there. A happy idea, this, of separating the children, from;;the awe-in- • spiring solemnity of the general hospital and ■under- : such 'circum'starices■"■'illness' : -for.'them" lose''fid]f,'<)f--its'-'woes:'' : " i '. '•'"■• w •'■'■'■■ : ',' ; :.