Good Old Days: 100 years ago

The first National Hospital Day ever observed in America, May 12, brought hundreds of visitors to St. Ignatius hospital in this city, where visitors were received from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors were shown all over the hospital and souvenir booklets describing the hospital were given away. At noon the nurses, patients and sisters enjoyed a feast in honor of the occasion, which was also the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, organizer of the first modern hospital and nursing methods. The hospital was beautifully decorated with cut flowers and the patients were remembered by many friends. The Colfax Commercial club sent a beautiful floral piece and there were many other remembrances with flowers. During the afternoon there was orchestra music and singing.

St. Ignatius hospital is a modern four-story building completely equipped and serves a large territory in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, an institution of which the community may well be proud.

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Commencement exercises for the fourteenth annual graduating class of the St. Ignatius hospital will be held at the community building Tuesday evening, May 17, at 8 p.m. Announcement of the event is made by the Sisters of Charity and the nine members of the class.

Members of the class are Anna C. Suess, Garfield; Sabina Lothspeich, Colfax; Hilda C. Semler, Moscow, Idaho; Nina L. Ferrell, Spokane; Louise W. Suess, Garfield; Hilda O. Nixon, Tekoa; Veronica M. Kramer, Colton; Anna B. Meisen, Great Falls, Mont. For their class motto they have selected “Generosity is the Flower of Justice” by Hawthorne. Class colors are red and white and the class flower, red and white rose.

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Boy Scout stock in Colfax went up 100 per cent last Friday night when a patrol from the Moscow, Idaho, scouts came to Colfax and gave a demonstration at the community building before many scouts, scout candidates and interested supporters of the Boy Scout movement.

A scout council was formed with Fred H. McCroskey as president, C. M. Cook as vice-president, the Rev. F.O. Wyatt as secretary, and R.F. Bigelow as treasurer. A large committee also signed.

The pine tree patrol of Moscow gave a demonstration of camping under scout rules. Eight boys and their leader, together with a trek cart which they used on a 200-mile trip up the Clearwater last summer, formed the patrol and equipment for the demonstration. The boys established camp, converted the cart into a table and benches in quick order and then packed up again.

Scoutmaster Hawley, who accompanied the Moscow boys to this city, spoke of the interest which the citizens of Moscow are taking in the Boy Scout movement. G. H. Oberteuffer of Spokane, district commissioner, spoke in regard to the plan of a first class council like the one which Colfax is entering into with Pullman and Moscow under the proposed name of the Palouse council.

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The pennant for the winner in the series of five spelling contests in the rural schools of Whitman County during the school year now drawing to the close goes to the Liberty school north of Oakesdale, taught by Miss Idelle Irene Brown. Her pupils were all perfect in each of the five contests, the only school in the county to make a perfect record. She had three pupils in each of the first two contests, five in the third, four in the fourth and seven in the last contest.

Second honors went to the Union school, south of Lamont, taught by John Wagoner. In his school there was an average of better than eight pupils in each contest, and the average for the series was 99.5 percent. A pennant will also be sent from the office of the county superintendent to this school.

All one, two and three-room schools in the county took part in the contest, 147 being entered.