Letter to Jane Senior
1874-02-26

[Page 1 of 7]
35 South St
Park Lane W.
Feb/26/74
My dear Mrs. Senior
In this to me disastrous
year, nothing has given me
such pleasure as your
confirmed appointment.
I am most thankful
that you are resting: and
I beg you for the work's sake
& for all our sakes not
to move till your restoration
to power (of work) is also
'confirmed'.
As for me, I vibrate
most painfully between
[Page 2 of 7]
London & my poor mother
at Embley, from which
home we shall have
shortly to remove her.
I believe I must go
back to her on March 9
for 2 or 3 a few weeks:
but if you are really
well enough to return to
London on "Thursday"
March 5, I would
gladly see you on Friday
or Saturday, (whichever you
please, if you can kindly
tell me beforehand) at 4,
if I can be of the least use,
or even you fancy that I can be.
[Page 3 of 7]
I am a very bad one at
giving an opinion offhand.
Could you not kindly
write me in a very few
lines of what it is
question? - if I am to be of
any service.
2. I do not know that I
ever felt more regret
than in my being compelled
to say that our rule is
against admitting any of
not unblemished character
or in whom is any temptation
to drink to be Nurses.
When I began Hospital
[Page 4 of 7]
work, the Hospitals were
literally nursed by these
two classes of women:
as they are still in other
countries, where not nursed
by religious Orders.
The experiment I made
was hazardous enough in
itself - that of trying to
drive out these two vices by a
secular Society: & of
inviting mothers to send
their daughters to us on the
ground that they would be
kept as safe as at home, or safer:
(gentle & poor are mixed
in our Training-School).
[Page 5 of 7]
2
[You who are honorable &
generous cannot conceive
how ladies have been sent
to us as to a Penitentary,
by the highest religious
names in the land; &
without the safe-guard of
a Penitentiary - viz. telling
what these ladies had been;
- no, not even to me]
But I am so very anxious
to serve if we could the
lady you mention that
I will, if you will allow me,
during the 2 months you say
[Page 6 of 7]
are still disposable,
devise some scheme, if
we can, to submit to you.
You probably know
Mrs. Vicars
of the Home
at Brighton -
She wished us to train
some of her Penitents as
Nurses -
We were obliged to decline.
What should you think,
if I could get one of our
best Trained Matrons (not
at St. Thomas') to take the
[Page 7 of 7]
young lady whom you
have saved for a year's
training: & for her then
to become a Nurse over
Mrs. Vicars' proposed Ward?
[This would entail no more
than my Matron & Mrs.
Vicars knowing the secret.]
I should think the young
lady not incapacitated
(but the reverse), from
doing great good in
Hospital Nursing: & so
extremely regret that we
cannot take her ourselves.
Believe me ever yours sincerly
F. Nightingale