Re: Sister Rose Gertrude (Amy C. Fowler) To Die For The Lepe
Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2018 8:32 am
In The Land of Lepers. Gossip and Truth About Sister Rose Gertrude
by The New York Times
-- © The New York Times, September 25, 1890
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
A great many good people of this city found vent for their philanthropic tendencies last Winter by interesting themselves in the mission of Sister Rose Gertrude, (Amy Fowler), a young Englishwoman who stopped in New York on her way to Honolulu, where she intended to devote her life to the care of the lepers. Her enthusiasm for her future work was the cause of an American Leprosy Fund Society being organized, with Richard F. Downing as its President, and Feb. 28, when Sister Rose Gertrude left this city for San Francisco, she carried with her $335 in cash and gifts valued at $2,200, to be used for her own and others' comfort in her new field of labor.
Since that time all sorts of stories have come from Honolulu regarding Sister Rose Gertrude. She has intended to go direct to Molokai, the leper settlement, but her journey ended at Kahili, the receiving station for the lepers. Rumor has had it that she was not allowed to go on to Molokai, that in fact her efforts were not received by the local Board of Health in the cordial spirit which letters previously received from that board had led her to expect that they would be. In short, it was reported that Sister Rose Gertrude's efforts were meeting with anything except success. These rumors were rather substantiated by a statement made in a letter from her received by a Brooklyn friend last week in which she said: "In this country the missionary societies are very strong and spiteful. Instead of practicing the gospel of poverty that they preach, they have grown rich by smuggling and by mortgaging the property of the simple natives."
The latest rumor from Honolulu regarding Sister Rose Gertrude is that she is about to marry Dr. Lutz, a young German physician who for two years has been in charge of the receiving station where Sister Rose Gertrude is now head nurse. For some time it has been stated that a very warm friendship had grown up between the fair young English girl and the young German doctor. It was said that their sympathies were mutual, owing to the fact that the ideas of both conflicted with the ideas of the missionary societies, and it was said that because of that conflict both were laboring under unexpected difficulties in pursuing their work. The announcement of their marriage engagement is the latest development.
Richard F. Downing, the President of the American Leprosy Fund Society, says that the society has no reason to believe, or disbelieve, that Sister Rose Gertrude is going to be married. She writes to some member of the society nearly every three weeks, and has not mentioned Dr. Lutz in any way except as a friend. Mr. Downing furthermore thought that the marriage story was "ridiculous," though, when asked to say why he so characterized it he only said: "Well, it is not like Sister Rose Gertrude at all." However, he did not care particularly. He saw no reason why Sister Rose Gertrude and Dr. Lutz could not carry on their noble work as man and wife quite as well as if single.
"An immense amount of nonsense has been printed concerning Sister Rose Gertrude," he said. "Any insinuation that she is not carrying out the noble work to which she dedicated her life is unjust. She left America expecting to go direct to the leper settlement at Molokai. That was in accordance with her instructions from the Board of Health there. A better field of work for her, however, was found at the Kalihi receiving station, and there she has since labored. The differences she has had with the representatives of the missionary societies there have not in any way interfered with the work which she undertook."
by The New York Times
-- © The New York Times, September 25, 1890
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
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A great many good people of this city found vent for their philanthropic tendencies last Winter by interesting themselves in the mission of Sister Rose Gertrude, (Amy Fowler), a young Englishwoman who stopped in New York on her way to Honolulu, where she intended to devote her life to the care of the lepers. Her enthusiasm for her future work was the cause of an American Leprosy Fund Society being organized, with Richard F. Downing as its President, and Feb. 28, when Sister Rose Gertrude left this city for San Francisco, she carried with her $335 in cash and gifts valued at $2,200, to be used for her own and others' comfort in her new field of labor.
Since that time all sorts of stories have come from Honolulu regarding Sister Rose Gertrude. She has intended to go direct to Molokai, the leper settlement, but her journey ended at Kahili, the receiving station for the lepers. Rumor has had it that she was not allowed to go on to Molokai, that in fact her efforts were not received by the local Board of Health in the cordial spirit which letters previously received from that board had led her to expect that they would be. In short, it was reported that Sister Rose Gertrude's efforts were meeting with anything except success. These rumors were rather substantiated by a statement made in a letter from her received by a Brooklyn friend last week in which she said: "In this country the missionary societies are very strong and spiteful. Instead of practicing the gospel of poverty that they preach, they have grown rich by smuggling and by mortgaging the property of the simple natives."
The latest rumor from Honolulu regarding Sister Rose Gertrude is that she is about to marry Dr. Lutz, a young German physician who for two years has been in charge of the receiving station where Sister Rose Gertrude is now head nurse. For some time it has been stated that a very warm friendship had grown up between the fair young English girl and the young German doctor. It was said that their sympathies were mutual, owing to the fact that the ideas of both conflicted with the ideas of the missionary societies, and it was said that because of that conflict both were laboring under unexpected difficulties in pursuing their work. The announcement of their marriage engagement is the latest development.
Richard F. Downing, the President of the American Leprosy Fund Society, says that the society has no reason to believe, or disbelieve, that Sister Rose Gertrude is going to be married. She writes to some member of the society nearly every three weeks, and has not mentioned Dr. Lutz in any way except as a friend. Mr. Downing furthermore thought that the marriage story was "ridiculous," though, when asked to say why he so characterized it he only said: "Well, it is not like Sister Rose Gertrude at all." However, he did not care particularly. He saw no reason why Sister Rose Gertrude and Dr. Lutz could not carry on their noble work as man and wife quite as well as if single.
"An immense amount of nonsense has been printed concerning Sister Rose Gertrude," he said. "Any insinuation that she is not carrying out the noble work to which she dedicated her life is unjust. She left America expecting to go direct to the leper settlement at Molokai. That was in accordance with her instructions from the Board of Health there. A better field of work for her, however, was found at the Kalihi receiving station, and there she has since labored. The differences she has had with the representatives of the missionary societies there have not in any way interfered with the work which she undertook."