HOSPITAL SUNDAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 135, 5 December 1904, Page 5

HOSPITAL SUNDAY.

ADDRESS BY SIR ROBERT £TOUT. , GIVING, AND THE LOVE OF GIV- ■ ING. There was a very large crowd, running into several thousands, on the Basin Reserve yesterday afternoon, when the Hospital Sunday demonstration was held , Bright weather favoured the gathering, > and the scene was an attractive one. . The, proceedings opened with an address t by. Sir Robert Stout (Chief Justice) at 3 p.m. Sir Robert Stout eaid he believed they ' had met on Sunday to engage in as re- . ligious an act as 'any people could meet , to celebrate ; the highest act of religious woiship being the service of man. They •were met to recall that there were sick and weak among them, and that they had s a civic responsibility to those iv their > midst. Would it be sufficient to recall to their minds what that really signij fiedV It was after all the test ot a civilised people that they cared ior other people tnan themselves. Some phiioso-' pheis called it by a long name, aitraibm, ', the real meaning of which was love for - otheis. They should look on this meeting not only a& ior the necessary money V raibed lor ho&pital purpo&es ; the day . should recall to them their duty as citizens one to another, which was alter all i the basis of a civijsed State, li there , was more of the feeling of civic responsibility, we would see our social reiorin '. very much enhanced. He believed that - if throughout the world there was more feeling oi love for others, it would make war cease ; there cou^d not be much of it when we read what was taking place on '» battlefields. We had social habits and * customs which would soon be abolished if in our hearts there was the feelmg of love for others. They had now meo to » recognise this duty as citizens ot the . State — that the concern of all ought to be the concern of each, and that none '» should be stranger in our midst. We | ought to feel the fact of our brother- » hood and our duty to better each other in the burdens of life. He congratulated the Hospital Trustees on the tact that, ' since last Hospital Sunday, they had |^ completed a new Nurses' Home. This was most important. Good nursing was, he believed, the most necessary thmg in hospital treatment. Trained, skilled, „ wise, and sympathetic nurses had done i j a great deal for patients. He recalled, in his boyhood's clays, the physician of c th.eir small town. The physician had c not the reputation of being highly educated or skilled; he had not taken any lf distinguished position in the University. a Yet not only was he beloved of all, but it was felt that his influence in the sick r room was more important than all the t> medicine and all the skill of other physicians. He brought into the sick room -. a ray of sunshine and love. So it was [. with wise and skilled nurses, and they c were not able to adequately carry out their duties if they were not carefully y looked after ; hence the need of the _ Nurses' Home. There was one other ij thing which the Trustees had not yet a carried out, but which he believed was in hand. That was a separate building r and home for chronic invalids, which he .. hoped would soon be opened and utilised. There again what was necessary was not so much medicine and medical skill, but careful and sympathetic nursing. This a meeting, recalling to them their civic „ responsibility to those who might be sick, was, he believed, good for them11 selves. If once we made the mind sym- :, pathetic, and instilled all hearts with love for others, we were raising the tone of i society and putting humanity on a higher 1- platform. This meeting should be utilised, not merely for the purpose of-rais-r ing funds, but to make us so to live as to extend our sympathy and aid to those ; who required it. This institution recognised no creed or country. It recognised ; simply this : that if one is sick or in want of medical advice and nursing, he c will obtain it. This was the most Cath- , olic foundation on which any institution | could be reared. What was needed was I to extend the same feeling throughout j society, so that all should live as good j !" citizens of a. good State. Be publicly * thanked the nurses for the part they had taken in the demonstration, the Naval » Brigade for their gieat enthusia&m in * collecting subscriptions, and the various musical bands who had given their sere vices on this as on previous occasions. n He thanked them for that love for others " which prompted their services. We must ' recognise our duty as expressed in the ' words of the old song, "Scatter seeds » of kindness by the way" ; which was " just as necessary in this connection as * in anything else. If there was this feel- * ing of brotherly love for others, a great j many social — yea, and even political — , problems, that distressed us sometimes, : would soon be in the way of immediate i. solution. Our duty to each other in- ,, eluded not only demands upon our means, but our attitude to the people among „ whom we dwelt. Hospital Sunday had , a deeper meaning than giving means for , the sick; it had something underlying. It brought home to us that after all we 'were brethren, and that as. citizens of the State we ought to inculcate love for ' others, which was after all the only cc- ' ment that could bind any society together. He was delighted to see so many present. No doubt their contributions I ' would enable the Hospital Trustees— I I who deserved great praise for the trouble and care with which they managed the institution — to make the Hospital , more effective to "help those requiring ~ it; and those who were sick would feel the sympathy of thohe outside, and that . would help them to bear their afflictions \ with resignation, comfort, and hope. He was glad to see that, in the musical pro- ' gramme to be presented, they had got all ' kinds of music. An able clergyman once t said that he did not see why the Devil ' should have ajl the best music. This . was said referring to the fact that church music was not equal to secular music. They were now about to have some of the best music by 'some of the best of 1 our composers, they would listen to this music with the thought that they had . met in the service of man, and they would go home with the feeling that they had taken part in an institution which had no bars of creed, but the purpose of which was the helpfulness of humanity; and he hoped they would all be better men and women for having been present. The bands played the following programme:—"St. Elmo" and "Recollections of Carl Rosa," Newton n Brass Band (Bandmaster Cummings); a glee, and an arrangement of S. Adams's songs, were played by Jupp's Brass Band (Bandmaster Jupp) • "Rimutaka" and "Alpha," Petone Brass Band (Bandmaster Martin) ; "North Star" and "Bellini's Works," Wellington Garrison Band (Lieut. Herd). Collections were taken up in the streets on Saturday, night and on Sunday by a d«tachment of the Wellington Navals, under P. 6. Harris. The City Mission Band played in the street on Saturday Hight. The collection at the Basin Reserve yesterday was made by members 'of the nursing staff, assisted by Navals. Altogether £208 6s 4d was collected, the amount 'obtained in and about the Reserve being £196 18s 6d (last year it was £140), while the Saturdvy night collection was £11 7s lOd. Sir Robert Stout donated a guinea, arod Lady Stout, who occupied a place on the platform, gave two guineas to the Home for Incurablis. The factory lists and the hotel ' boxes arc not yet in.

The Committee deserves every credit for its labours. The Chairman is Mr. H. Cummings; Treasuier, Mr. R. Janson j Secretary, Mr. J. E. Richardton.