Letter to Alice Hepworth
1886-03-09

[Page 1 of 14]
10 South St. Park Lane W
March 9/86
Dear Alice Hepworth
Please accept the (Revised)
Bible which has been waiting
for you so long; not but what
I sent for it for you as soon
as ever I heard from you,
but I have been almost unfit
to do anything - & am still -
but what was absolutely
necessary - from illness.
I need not tell you again,
my dear child, to whom I
wish all the highest blessings
[Page 2 of 14]
of that book which tells us
how Christ loves us so much
that He will even come &
dwell in us & make us
live & love like Himself.
And you will be a little
mother to your very large
infant family - - - - - -
- - - I need not tell you how
pleased we were at the
School being worked up so
nicely, to a good standard
of usefulness - nor how we
feel sure that this year
will show a still higher
[Page 3 of 14]
standard. And perhaps
that very gain of a certain
assured progress in
essentials will enable the
nice lessons practised in
Thomas St. to be introduced,
if there is time for them -
e. g. the little moral tales
which you used to give
your scholars once a week
at Thomas St., tho' they
do not 'tell' directly on the
Examination.
You told me last summer
that there was no time
then for these & other things,
[Page 4 of 14]
which I could easily believe
then.
But now perhaps Mr. Butler
& you might think that
there might be time -
and e. g. for drawing maps
on the floor -
that nice plan that you
told me of in Thomas St.
& without which I do not
think the children, even
when they are grown up,
ever really understand
what a map means, do you?
I was reading the other day
the account by a Russian
[Page 5 of 14]

2
Prince who in his exile had
become a famous Professor
of Geography, that he feels
quite sure no Collegians
even ever understand
maps & plans, or what
they represent, or what
Geography represents, if
they have not drawn their
garden, their house, their
village or their district
to scale on the floor or
wall or the big slate.
It is curious that this
Russian who writes in French
[Page 6 of 14]
& who is one of the greatest
teachers of Geography
should find the same things
as we do.
And would there be
time now for giving the
religious morning instruction
in talk? Perhaps you
always do this. I do not
know exactly what the
Infants' religious instruction
is. It may be necessary
to give a good deal of
learning Scripture by heart
[Page 7 of 14]
But then if Scripture is
really to tell on the
children's lives - the only
thing that Christ cares
about & that Christ came
to live & die for - & still
lives for - the little 'mother'
must explain a good
deal by little tales &
illustrations.
We have a little boy of
6 years old in one of the
Male Surgical Wards of
our St. Thomas' Hospital
- we often have such children
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- it was brought in cursing
& swearing - [it had never
heard a good word in all
its life.] with an abscess
in its back - about a year
ago. It can only just
stand now - it will never be
well, tho' it is much better.
The 'Sister' of the Ward (Head
Nurse) did not scold or
preach to Bobby - he goes
by the name of Bobby, for
no one knows its name.
She was very gentle with
Bobby - & very loving - but
he must obey}
he soon found that.}
By degrees
[Page 9 of 14]
3
she taught him his little
prayers. And now if she
is busy, he calls: 'Sister, Sister,
I have not said my prayers'
And it is a real speaking
to God with him. And the
new Patients stop & listen
to hear him. And now he
has his real little mission
in the Ward - tho' he never
preaches - he is not goody
- he is quite a little "elf" -
but it is as Christ meant
when he said that the
little child might be the
best preacher of us all.
[Page 10 of 14]
So he is a little Missionary
& quite an influence
among the rough men Patients
And his little cot is run
in at night between two
of the men Patients. And
they take care of him. And
never a word is spoken now
before him which a little child ought
not to hear. And one of the
poor men who had to be
taken into a Medical Ward
where he died, sent a message
to Bobby from his death bed
- And the dying man's brother
made some playthings for him
[Page 11 of 14]
[He was a joiner].
Bobby has the real thing
in his heart, the true
religion.
I hope some Bobbies will
come out of Lea Infant School.
- with the talking classes -
tho' they, your Bobbies, will not
have to come out of the moral
mire that our Bobbies have
Pray give my kindest
regards to Mr. Butler. And
I beg him not to think that
we are not careful for the
"three Rs" first & foremost.
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- or that we want to judge
ourselves, instead of him
& you, whether there is
time now to introduce
the nice lessons of Thomas
St. or not.
My kindest regards to
Mr. & Mrs. Butler - I hope
she is pretty well. The
winter has been so very
severe.
Ask him whether any
books are wanted for
the boys' or girls' Library
I shall be writing to him
soon
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4
Miss Dexter will think I
have forgotten her. Tell her
why I have not written -
& that I will write. Never
was any one less forgotten.
God bless you all -
& all your children.
ever yours sincerely
Florence Nightingale
Do the "Infants" know that
Christ loved little children
& that He was always
meek & gentle? and are
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they more (or less) gentle
& loving with each other?
or do they tell tales
of each other, instead of
themselves?
FN.
How are Mrs. Butler's
own children? Pray
tell her I asked
particularly after them.