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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



cial problem of such a transaction as 

 this. Possibly, in speaking of this as a 

 magnificent gift, 1 may have thought 

 of the many vouchers which you gave 

 me the responsibility of approving for 

 payment, (as a matter of fact, I can 

 never forget them). But I beg to assure 

 you that we will all remember, even 

 with greater emphasis, the magnificent 

 thought and spirit that inspired this 

 gift. Can one think of aiding, even in 

 a minor way, such an institution as 

 this without being overcome with the 

 kindliest spirit of compassion for suffer- 

 ing humanity, and being inspired with 

 the hope that the longed for relief may 

 here be found by many? You. 1 

 know, have had this inspiration, and 

 especially your hope has been that 

 those, whose opportunities are few and 

 with whom the means of relief are 

 meager, may here find that medical and 

 surgical skill is waiting and at the call 

 of human needs, and that the comforts 

 which can be extended by the kindly 

 nurses and the cleanly bed are not 

 withheld from them. 



"In order that there should be no 

 doubt as to safety, you have insisted 

 that this hospital should be absolutely 

 fire proof, and it has been your justi- 

 fiable pride that, so far as building and 

 equipment could make it. this hospital 

 should be a model one, which would 

 assist those inspired as you have been, 

 and which they could well afford to 



copy. 



"It will rest with this Association, its 

 medical and surgical staff, and its corps 

 of nurses, to carry on the work which 

 your generosity and kindly thought 

 have made possible. I assure you that 

 we realize the responsibility, and have 

 made the firmest resolve that your de- 

 sires in this regard shall be fully carried 

 out. We believe that, not only the 

 facilities of this institution, but its man- 

 agement, will be the pride of our town. 

 and the comfort of many of its people, 

 •and also that it will attract the attention 

 and patronage of the medical fraternity 

 of the nearby city, with which many of 

 us are so intimately connected. 



"One other feature of your plans has 

 appealed to me, personally, more than 

 it would to many. There is hardly an- 

 other person in this room, excepting 

 you and myself, who knew the life of 

 this town of fifty years ago. It has 



very largely passed away, and another 

 life, perhaps a broader 'life, has taken 

 its place. But those old roots were 

 strong, even if perhaps narrow. The 

 love of the town and pride in its insti- 

 tutions were as great, if not even great- 

 er, than at the present time. It is no 

 mere chance that this town is such a 

 peculiarly beautiful residential com- 

 munity, the benefit of which is being- 

 enjoyed by many who never give a 

 thought to the why and the wherefore 

 of it all. It may have been narrow to 

 insist that a gas plant should not be 

 established here nearly fifty years ago. 

 But no other manufacturing plants, 

 with their polluting smoke and ugly 

 smoke stacks, were able to take root 

 here. The pride of the land-owning 

 class made it impossible to establish 

 anything here but homes. But there 

 was a deep, strong character in these 

 people. How else could a congrega- 

 tion, made up entirely of farmers, not 

 one of whom had ever employed an 

 architect erect a church, employing 

 the most reputable architect in the land 

 and adorn it with one of the most strik- 

 ingly beautiful spires to be found from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Yes, 

 some of them mortgaged their farms to 

 pay for this thing of esthetic beauty. 

 it has seemed to me that many of today 

 do not give due appreciation to the 

 things and affairs of the past. If desir- 

 ing to add something to the facilities of 

 the town, they have ignored that which 

 existed, and, in effect, have throttled 

 the old in order to plant the new. in- 

 stead of grafting the improved variety 

 onto the roots which existed, you. in 

 looking for a channel through which to 

 make your gift to the town, took an 

 existing organization, which you graft- 

 ed and pruned, and broadened and made 

 to absorb. 



"Your modesty and good judgment 

 did not call for a Benedict Hospital : 

 you simply desired to make sure that 

 the Greenwich Hospital should include 

 all interest, and should extend its bene- 

 ficent aid to all classes. Your insis- 

 tence that the competition between two 

 existing hospitals should cease was, in 

 my opinion, one of the most valuable 

 portions of vour gift, and one which 

 will Iwingf a lasting benefit to the town 

 A comforting thought, when a fear has 

 arisen that the consolidation and sup- 



