DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE

HAZEL HAWKINS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Nature seemed to have reserved the fairest day of late Autumn with which to hallow the dedicatory services of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital on Saturday. For a week previous it had been threatening rain, the skies were overcast, and the weather generally was disagreeable. But Saturday morning the sun rose bright and clear from behind old Santa Ana peak, the sky was blue and beautiful, the air gently stirring with Autumn zephyr and was balmy and delightful.

The hour of service was set for 2 o’clock, and long before that period an expectant throng had assembled on the grounds in front of the spacious building. People were there from all parts of the county to show their appreciation of the magnificent hospital just completed, and testify their esteem for the generous founder. The exercises were held on the portico of the main entrance. Seats had been provided on the ground for several hundred and many people additional stood during the ceremony, or sat in carriages clustered on every hand.

The exercises opened with a prayer by Rev. Wm. Goodpasture of the M. E. Church, South.

A splendid choir had been drilled by Prof. John Dehof, who accompanied on the piano. The choir consisted of Misses Mabel Kearney, Sadie Hain, sopranos; Mesdames Chas. Wagner, E. Bolton, A. W. Cutts; Mrs. J. T. Lowe, Mrs. J. N. Dehof, Miss E. Garner, Miss A. J. Dehof, altos; Mr. H. C. Irons, Mr. J. J. Burnett, Dr. J. H. Tebbetts, Mr. J. Long, tenors; Mr. Thomas O’Donnell, Mr. Guy Hooton, bassos.

The first selection was "Thine Eyes So Blue and Tender," by Schehlman. The music was beautifully rendered, each note sounding clearly in the open air.

Mr. T. S. Hawkins then presented the deed of trust for the hospital to Mr. N. C. Briggs, chairman of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Hawkins made a brief address. Mr. Hawkins’ address was as follows:

"You must not be surprised, if in the few words I have to say today the personal pronoun shall frequently appear, for I propose to confine my remarks to my connection with the causes that have led up to the erection of this building, and to my hopes for its future, and leave to those more able than I, who are to follow, whatever more is to be said.

"I have much to be thankful for this day. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father that my life has been spared to see the completion of this, which I consider the great work of my life.

"I am thankful to see before me the faces of so many of my friends, whom I have known so long, and among whom I have lived for almost forty years.

"I am thankful to the noble physicians of this town, who have so greatly aided me by their advice and friendly counsel.

"I am thankful to the good women and good men, and benevolent orders of this county in furnishing so many rooms in such a handsome manner, and to all who have taken so lively an interest in this undertaking.

"We present to you this day a hospital up-to-date in every way. All that the latest knowledge in building, in heating, in lighting, all of the latest appliances known to medical science and the demands of modern surgery are here. To this place the sick and suffering may come, assured of every comfort and care, and here the physician will be surrounded with every appliance that will enable him to do his best work in healing the sick and ameliorating human suffering. No pains or thought or money has been spared to make it a perfect hospital. In this I do not arrogate to myself any credit in the performance. I have been but the humble instrument in the hands of Almighty God. If this building is beautiful in outline and proportion, satisfying to the eye in coloring, and in every way the ‘house beautiful,’ the credit is duo to the architect whose mind evolved the plan and carried it out to completion. If it is built solidly from turret to foundation stone, to endure to be a blessing to generations yet unborn, which I believe it to be, the credit is due to the honest workmen who laid its foundations, built its walls and in a hundred ways wrought toward. its consummation. I can not even claim the conception of this work. It is said in holy writ, "And a little child shall lead them." So from the beautiful and unselfish life of the little child whose name adorns these portals came the inspiration of all that has been done.

"For a few short years she was given us to be the joy and sunshine of our home. And all her little life she went about doing good -- carrying the sunshine of her presence to little girls who were sick, helping the poor as far as she could. And in a thousand ways she spent her days in making others happy. And when in the wisdom of Divine Providence she was called home to dwell with the Savior she loved so well, I felt I must, in some way, carry out the work she would have done. I could think of no better way than this home for the sick and suffering.

"And now I feel my life-work is accomplished, and yet I am not tired of life, and so long as it is His will that I shall linger among you I am content. I love this beautiful world in all its aspects. In Spring, when the flowers bloom and the air is laden with perfume, or in Summer with its fields of waving grain, or when Autumn comes and the distant hills put on their tawny robes, or when Winter rains come down with the promise of a resurrection and a new life, it is ever beautiful to me. Yet the fast flying years remind me that the sun of my life is sinking low towards the horizon’s verge and the shadows behind grow longer day by day, and I can only stand and wait until the summons comes to call me home, when I trust that with the consciousness that I have not lived entirely in vain, and trusting in Him who rules the world, I shall go to my rest

" ‘Like one who wraps the draperies of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.’

"And now it becomes my duty, as well as my pleasure, to hand over to you, Mr. Briggs, as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, this deed properly signed and sealed, conveying to you and your successors in office forever this building and the land surrounding it, in trust for the people of San Benito county.

"We give it to you as a. sacred trust, to be used only for the purposes named in the deed of gift, and with the ardent faith that you gentlemen of the present board and your successors will see to it that these doors are never closed against those who need its assistance.

"Whatever may come, I shall trust that you will find some way to keep them open forever."

Mr. Briggs accepted the trust in well-chosen words. He said:

"On behalf of those whom you have named as trustees, I publicly accept this conveyance and the trust it confers.

"We fully appreciate the honor conferred upon us and the confidence reposed in us by you, and give to you the assurance that the trust you have confided to us will be executed faithfully and earnestly.

"We deem it not inappropriate at this time to extend to you on behalf of the people of this county, and particularly of the town of Hollister, their heartfelt thanks for this, your most generous gift to the public welfare.

"Traverse as you may throughout this Golden State of ours, you will not find a more beautiful city than Hollister. Above are skies as blue as those of Italy, and Nature’s pictures surrounding it are as picturesque as those of far-famed Switzerland; and here, in the midst of this busy little city, the abode of a happy people, you have located this beautiful and substantial memorial gift--a building and location in every way worthy of the best thought and purest intention of any one. We have no doubt that you have given to its construction your hest efforts. The perfection of detail in its construction, and its architectural beauty and surroundings speak forcibly of the anxious consideration given by you to the perfection of this means of relieving distress and perpetuating the memory of the little one who was most dear to you.

"In this community you have resided for almost a lifetime. You have done as much or more than any other in the building up of this city and county. In all enterprises tending to advance the welfare of your people, you have taken a leading part and borne your part of the burdens of life, and now this, the crowning effort of your life work, will be left by you as a monument of your good will to the people among whom you have lived so long.

"He who builds great monuments of industry, and gives employment to many people is to be commended; but he who relieves distress and suffering, and extends the hand of charity, without a thought or desire of recompense, is greater than all others. He who makes soft the pillow of pain and relieves a human being in his last efforts in the struggle of life net only does his part toward humanity in the journey of life, but adds a diadem to the crown he may wear in the life to come.

"We accept the trust and the work you have given us to do, and following the example which you will indicate to us in the management during your lifetime, will endeavor to continue as a source of great good to the public, and as a monument to the pure and loving one whose name it bears:"

The choir then rendered the ‘Slumber Song" by Loehr.

Judge M. T. Dooling then made the address of the day. In eloquence and choice of language the gentleman surpassed every former effort. He had a beautiful theme, and beautifully he handled it. The address stands our conspicuously as a tribute to the founders of the hospital, and as a message to the people of the county. We give it in full:

"The occasion which brings us together here today, my friends, is one which should be of the utmost interest, as it is of the utmost importance, not only to every member of this community, but to every resident of the county as well. For today is opened and dedicated and given over to the public, and as we hope and fondly believe, to a long career of beneficent usefulness, this splendid Memorial Hospital – expressing at once the love of a great heart for an angelic child, and its boundless sympathy for the sufferings of mankind. And, indeed, it is a beautiful thought to dwell upon, that the passing of a little child, whose presence upon earth was as bright and as ephemeral as the sunbeam which she typified, should be the inspiration for a noble benefaction whose power for good is destined to continue through the long series of years that are yet to be. It is a beautiful idea as regards the living – thrice beautiful as regards the dead – that when you and I and all here present, who have borne a share in the struggle of life, shall have passed from view forever, this humane institution will be alleviating the miseries and ministering to the necessities of generations yet unborn – a lasting monument to the memory of a sunny spirit whose young life was a stranger to all the burdens and cares and worries of existence, but whose very presence brought sunshine into the hearts of her kindred, and through this Memorial Hospital will bring sunshine into the lives of many for an unknown period to come. One of the unseen evidences of immortality is the instinctive desire of the human heart to be remembered by those who are left behind. It is this desire which makes the soldier braver, the philanthropist more generous, the adventurer more daring, the wise more learned and the good more just. And this is a universal instinct,

And recognizing this universal and deep-seated instinct the philosophy and religion of every age and clime have conspired to rob of its terrors the gloomy atmosphere of the grave. The funeral pyres of remote antiquity, the lying in state of the royal dead, the sable catafalques of Christian temples, the last salute o’er the grave of the soldier, the silent prayers of sorrowing friends, the garlands, processions, emblems and inscriptions are but the solemn tributes all, by which the heart utters at once its undying regret for the life that is ended, and its immortal prophecy of the life begun. But no monument, no cenotaph, no emblem, no inscription, could supply a more enduring or impressive memorial to the dead – a greater or more lasting inspiration to the living – than this noble structure with its simple tablet which is dedicated here today. And we who are present, and we who participate, should not be content to dedicate this building alone to the high purposes for which it has been destined, but we should also resolve, in some measure at least, to dedicate ourselves and our own energies, to the carrying forward of the great work which is here inaugurated. For the thorough and complete success which should crown this work depends to some extent upon the assistance and good will of the community. Upon each of us at some time or another, must fall the physical ills of life and all of us should appreciate the inestimable blessing of having at our command an institution of this character provided with every modern appliance for the proper care and treatment of the helpless victims of disease and suffering. For no physician or no surgeon can do his best work except amid the conditions such as will surround his patients here. Conditions of cleanliness, of temperature, of ventilation, of isolation, of light, of every requirement in fine for which this building has been specially constructed in accordance with the most approved and modern ideas. All the great essentials of accessibility, of foundation, of structure, of dryness, of arrangement, of ventilation, of warming, of light, of furniture, of water, of disinfection, of everything which the highest medical authorities demand, and which are incapable of procurement in private homes, are here ready for the use of our people, and our highest duty, as well as our more selfish interest, demands that we co-operate with the generous founder of this institution in promoting its benevolent aims and lofty purposes. Here, too, will be a training school for nurses, whom modern science has decreed to be essential to the successful treatment of serious disease. And this is another matter of vital importance to the public, both here and elsewhere. For in the course of time those here trained and instructed in all the requirements of this humane art will be found wherever occasion demands their presence, bending tenderly over the couch of the afflicted, smoothing with gentle hand the pillow of wasting disease, lifting the helpless head of the languid and suffering, allaying the burning thirst of desiccating fever, banishing the grim spectres which affright the distempered imagination, diffusing a grateful coolness about the bed of dreaded pestilence, and encouraging with the well-founded hope of a glory beyond the grave those whom Heaven forbids them to restore in renovated health to a grateful family. And to these ends, with a blessing upon its generous donor, this Memorial Hospital is now formally dedicated, and given over, and launched upon its beneficent career – a fitting monument alike to the noble soul that is still on earth – to the gentle spirit that is already in Heaven."

The choir then sang "The Lonely Rose," by E. Hermes.

Dr. W. F. McNutt of San Francisco then made a brief address. He is an old-time friend of the Hawkins family. It was to his hospital that a special train carried Mr. Hawkins, some years ago, when life was hanging in the balance, and it was due to his skill and care that a precious life was saved for years of usefulness to this community.

"When I received the kind invitation from the secretary of the board of trustees, accompanied by the gracious and urgent letter of President Hawkins to be here with you today on this important and felicitous occasion, I could not deny myself the pleasure. It is a triple pleasure; first, that of visiting again this Eden of our glorious State, this garden of Eden from which I have never heard that your charming daughters of Eve have ever been responsible for the expulsion of a single man. Second, there is always a joy in meeting old and tried friends, and as we travel along the road of life we learn from experience to appreciate more and more the value of friendship, which is a rainbow of hope and promise when the clouds of adversity lower around our homes. Byron said that ‘friendship is love without his wings;’ perhaps it is love without his blinders. And, thirdly, Mr. Chairman, it would be difficult for me to find words to express the happiness it gives me to again take by the hand and to see the kindly face of my old friend, President Hawkins, looking so well, so young, and so joyous, and to find him engaged in this work of love, sympathy, tenderness and compassion; to find him turning aside from the struggles and toil in the accumulation of things material, to cultivate the things spiritual and benevolent and devoting his attention and his means to lessening the miseries, the pains and the sufferings of his fellow citizens. We are too apt to judge a man by what he believes, or thinks he believes, or says he believes; let us adopt that broader and safer humanitarian view which declares ‘that they were judged every man according to their work.’

"The word hospital is suggestive of human sympathy and kindness. Hoopes means host or hospitality. Now, your honored citizen, President Hawkins, is to be host to your sick and lame and destitute. And to entertain those less fortunate of your people and to extend to them his kindly sympathy and hospitality, he has erected this magnificent home. The sentiment, Mr. Chairman, does honor to the man; the hospital is an ornament to your city and will be a lasting blessing to those of your citizens who are overtaken by sickness and disease. Let us not forget that ‘disease oft invades the chastest temperance and punishment the guiltless,’ and that there are worthy poor and worthy sick. We will do well to ever bear in mind the words of one of the greatest poets and humanitarians of any age or country, Bobby Burns: ‘Yet they wha fa^’ in fortune^’s strife, their fates ye may na censure, for still the important ends of life they equally may answer.’

"The hospital is no new invention of our day or our civilization. The Egyptian, the Hindu, the Greek and the Roman, had their hospitals. Egypt built hospitals for the treatment of her sick over 3000 years ago, and also had her college of physicians. Alexander the Great, long before our civilization, directed ‘that the sick and wounded were to be carefully attended by the erection of medical houses or hospitals, and depots of medicines were established for the sick of both men and animals.’ That the great religious teacher and humanitarian, Gautama Buddha, built asylums for ‘the sick, for the destitute and the the cripple.’ His teachings and his sympathies had a broader foundation than ours. When he went out on his sacrificial mission he said: ‘Therefore ride I not for man alone, but for all things that share our pain and have no hope or wit to ask for hope.’ King Asoka established hospitals throughout his Indian Empire nearly 3000 years ago.

"The evolution of the hospital from what it was to what it is, has been slow. This was for no want of earnestness and devotion to their profession on the part of medical men, but the fault of their education – the lack of scientific knowledge. Until recent years the physician’s education was philosophical and classical, rather than scientific. A knowledge of the classics and philosophy avails but little in the unraveling of the mysteries of the etiology and pathology of disease. It is to science and scientific research that Nature yields her secrets. The progress of scientific knowledge in the past few decades has been marvelous and no branch of science has made more rapid strides than that of medicine. And this vast amount of scientific work and research has been largely done by busy medical men, solely for the interest of truth, and for the love of ameliorating the miseries and suffering of their fellow creatures. The establishment of the modern hospital with its laboratories and scientific apparatus and with its staff of enthusiastic workers has in no small degree contributed to these grand and important results.

"There are always a few misguided, misled, illogical, but well meaning people, calling themselves humanitarians, who are forever making noisy objections to the scientific experimentation of our laboratory experimenters on living animals. The story of our hospital and laboratory devotees to scientific experimentation tells us that not a few human lives, as well as that of animals, have been contributed to that end, that the devastation of tuberculosis, yellow fever, plague, etc., may be stayed. The progress of human medicine and of the hygiene of infectious diseases which occur in man and animals are greatly indebted to laboratory experimentation on living organisms – in fact, it would have been impossible without it. The humanity that has for its object the prevention of epidemic diseases and the relief of pain, suffering and poor health to thousands of human beings of this and future generations is much more kindly than so-called humanity that would prevent pain or death to a few animals. Neither man nor animal can bestow greater love upon his fellows than to lay down his life for them.

"I cannot sit down without congratulating the people of this community in having in their midst a citizen who has conferred this great boon upon them – this beautiful hospital equipped with laboratories and every appliance that modern science provides for the treatment of disease. The modern hospital has become more than a place to treat the sick – it has become a temple of health. In the wards of the modern hospital, physicians and surgeons study the diseases and the treatment of the sick; in laboratories, they study the prevention of disease, which is often far more important to the community. Aye, more, the modern hospital has given us the training school for nurses. The trained nurse has become an essential part of the medical profession. She is a third hand and a third eye, as it were, to the physician and surgeon, and a ministering angel to the pain and anguish-tortured patient.

"From time immemorial, woman has always been our ready help in time of sickness. It is said that Helen of Troy administered to Ulysses and his comrades the ‘sorrow-easing drug,’ whose soothing virtues she learned from Polydamnia, the wife of Thone of Egypt.

"Our philosophy has its limits and our scientists recognize the handwriting on the wall: ‘So far thou shalt go and no further.’ The Providence which deals out mysteries that neither our philosophy nor our science can analyze or fathom sent his messenger of death to little Hazel Hawkins, ere the tender plant put forth its bud, and she joined ‘that choir invisible, whose music is the gladness of the world,’ and out of that sacrificial mystery rises this magnificent temple that is to restore to health and save the lives of hundreds of children yet unborn.

"We are here today to dedicate this hospital to the memory of Hazel Hawkins. It has already been consecrated to its benevolent purposes by her death and by the love and affection of a fond grandfather. It is only for us to leave here with the fixed resolution that we, too, will ever be mindful of those whose burden is too heavy for them to bear, and that we will not by thought, word or deed add one drop to the cup of the endless list of human ills that flesh is heir to.

"President Hawkins, when the place that now knows you shall know you no more forever, your name may be forgotten, that fell destroyer Time may erase it from the memory of mortals, but this monumental expression of your sympathy for your fellow citizens and your love for little Hazel Hawkins will be engraved with an iron pen on the ‘Rock of Ages,’ and the record of the deed will be immortal."

At the close of Dr. McNutt’s address, the venerable Father Closa of San Juan, arrayed in the robes of the Church, gave the benediction. He read the prayer of blessing required by the Church of Rome, and enacted the solemn ceremony of blessing the building with holy water, and dedicating it to the service of mankind.

Then the grand building was thrown open for inspection, and from basement to attic it was thronged with people who in unmeasured terms expressed their appreciation. The hospital has heretofore been described. It only remains to say that visiting physicians consider it one of the most modern and complete in the State of California. It is a monument that will endure forever, and one to which every citizen of San Benito county will point with a thrill of pride.

In the hall is a bronze tablet inscribed: