And may I tell you, not for envy, but for a generous rivalry, that you will have to work hard if you wish St. Thomas’ Training School to hold its own with other Schools rising up.
Let us be on our guard against the danger, not exactly of thinking too well of ourselves (for no one consciously does this), but of isolating ourselves, of falling into party spirit--always remembering that, if we can do any good to others, we must draw others to us by the influence of our characters, and not by any profession of what we are--least of all, by a profession of Religion.
And this, by the way, applies peculiarly to what we are with our patients. Least of all should a _woman_ try to exercise religious influence with her patients, as it were, by a ministry, a chaplaincy. We are not chaplains. It is what she _is_ in _herself_, and what comes out of herself, out of what she _is_--that exercise a moral or religious influence over her patients. No set form of words is of any use. And patients are so quick to see whether a Nurse is consistent always in herself--whether she _is_ what she _says_ to them. And if she is not, it is no use. _If she is_, of how much use, unawares to herself, may the simplest word of soothing, of comfort, or even of reproof--especially in the quiet night--be to the roughest patient, who is there from drink, or to the still innocent child, or to the anxious toil-worn mother or husband! But if she wishes to do this, she must keep up a sort of divine calm and high sense of duty in her own mind. Christ was alone, from time to time, in the wilderness or on mountains. If _He_ needed this, how much more must we?
Quiet in our own rooms (and a room of your own is specially provided for each one here); a few minutes of calm thought to offer up the day to God: how indispensable it is, in this ever increasing hurry of life! When we live “so fast,” do we not require a breathing time, a moment or two daily, to think where we are going? At this time, especially, when we are laying the foundation of our after life, in reality the most important time of all.
And I am not at all saying that our patients have everything to learn from _us_. On the contrary, we can, many a time, learn from them, in patience, in true religious feeling and hope. One of our Sisters told me that she had often learnt more from her patients than from any one else. And I am sure I can say the same for myself. The poorest, the meanest, the humblest patient may enter into the kingdom of Heaven before the cleverest of us, or the most conceited. For, in another world, many, many of the conditions of this world must be changed. Do we think of this?