A Hospital for the Poor, Not the Pauper House: Seattle General Prepares to Open

The Seattle General hospital will open its doors and be ready to receive patients by June 15. Its finances are in good shape, considering its nature, and the Avon house, a three-story building on the west side of Front street, near Cedar, has been leased for three years and is now being renovated and refitted. There are twenty-six rooms in the building, besides those on the ground floor and the basement and the space for the laundry, which will form an important part of the hospital. Already a great many merchants and professional men have promised their aid to its maintenance, and others have contributed generous sums, while the Woman's Auxiliary has been raising money in various ways.

The lunch rooms maintained by the women on Front street, in the Stevens hotel building, are being well patronized, and the venture is netting the fund a neat sum. These rooms will be open during the lunch hour during the whole week.

Now that the hospital is assured, the promoters take a justifiable pride in it and will take a greater pride in seeing that it is properly maintained. The aim of the managers is to make the hospital self-sustaining, but the main object is to give the poor medical and surgical treatment gratuitously. A great many people in needy circumstances are oftentimes in need of treatment, but have not the means to go to an ordinary hospital, conducted on a cold-blooded business basis. The county hospital at the poor farm is theirs, but many would prefer to drag along and finally drop before they would permit themselves to go to an institution for paupers. Another object of the hospital is to maintain a training school for nurses, there being nothing of the kind at present in this part of the country.

The manner in which the hospital was organized will always be interesting. On November 13 last Roger S. Greene, at the instance of the other promoters, issued a call for a meeting of the citizens who were interested in a proposition of the kind. The call contained a statement that, there being no hospital at hand to care for the wants of the poor free of charge if need be, and to still render such service as the well-to-do would be glad of the privilege of paying for, it was believed advisable to create such an institution. The meeting was held in the First Presbyterian church and was well attended. Everybody seemed to be in favor of the maintenance of a hospital of the kind in contemplation, and several other meetings were held. In due time organization was effected, and articles of incorporation filed naming the company the Seattle General hospital. Then the Avon house was leased and other details looked after in a quiet but thorough manner, and now the enterprise is assured.

The present officers of the Seattle General hospital are:

Board of governors—Roger S. Greene, president; Griffith Davies, first vice president; William D. Wood, second vice president; W. R. Ballard, treasurer; George A. Virtue, secretary. Ex-officio—Byron Phelps, mayor of Seattle; E. O. Graves, president Seattle Chamber of Commerce; E. C. Kilbourne, president Seattle Y. M. C. A.; Fred Gasch, chairman county commissioners. Elective—Rev. Alexander Alison, D. D.; Rev. David C. Garrett, D. D.; Rev. W. F. Taylor, Rev. W. T. Ford, Rev. George H. Lee, Rev. Martin E. Larsen, Rev. Clark Davis, H. C. Henry, esq., Joseph Shippen, esq., Samuel L. Crawford, esq., Willis D. Gordon, esq., W. S. Harlan, esq., Charles H. Black, esq., Andrew Chilberg, Esq., J. S. Goldsmith, esq., George B. Adair, esq.

Executive committee—Roger S. Greene, Rev. Alexander Alison, William D. Wood, W. R. Ballard, George A. Virtue.

The Woman's Auxiliary is an organization that will do much toward keeping the hospital on its feet and toward carrying out the aims of the incorporators. Its officers are as follows:

President, Mrs. J. M. E. Atkinson; first vice president, Mrs. John Leary; second vice president, Mrs. Belle Cook; third vice president, Mrs. J. B. Wright; fourth vice president, Mrs. J. H. Allen; secretary, Mrs. S. Aronson; treasurer, Mrs. F. H. Fehren.

Board of managers—Mrs. A. Guernsey, Mrs. G. K. Barrett, Mrs. A. Levy, Mrs. M. L. Harpen, Mrs. A. Johnston, Mrs. E. P. White, Miss Lizzie Gyger, Mrs. H. Baxter, Mrs. Ollie McDonald, Mrs. C. E. Vilas, Mrs. George Stetson, Mrs. Charles Fishback, Mrs. R. J. Ely, Mrs. John McDonald, Mrs. Grace Greene, Mrs. H. S. Parkhurst, Mrs. B. P. Daniels, Mrs. S. E. Briggs, Mrs. Clark Davis, Mrs. Alexander Alison, Mrs. S. J. Kennedy, Mrs. S. J. Crawford, Mrs. K. E. White, Mrs. Faber, Mrs. W. F. Taylor, Mrs. J. H. Allen, Mrs. Charles Black, Miss Nellie Beach.

Executive committee—Mrs. B. J. Ely, Mrs. B. P. Briggs, Mrs. A. Levy, Mrs. Charles Black and Mrs. E. W. P. Guye.

The Ladies' Auxiliary held a short meeting at Plymouth Congregational church yesterday afternoon with the president, Mrs. J. M. E. Atkinson, presiding. Mrs. G. W. Stetson, of the committee on entertainment, reported that $170 had already been realized from the luncheons which have been served for some days past. It is proposed to continue them the remainder of the week.