“Rich in honors,” says the New York World, Florence Nightingale died “leaving the world, which had paid tribute to her as it has to few women, her debtor.” She was known by the various names of “The Lady-in-Chief,” “The Lady with the Lamp,” “The Lady of the Crimea,” in reference to the service she rendered Great Britain and the world on the battle-fields of the Crimean War.
Longfellow wrote of her:
“On England’s annals through the long
Hereafter of her speech and song
That light its rays shall cast
From portals of the past.
A lady with a lamp shall stand
In the great history of the land
A noble type of good,
Heroic womanhood.”
The lamp referred to is the nurse’s lamp with which she used to make her nocturnal rounds of the hospitals when all was silent.
She was born in Florence, Italy, May 12, 1820, of wealthy, English parents, and died at her home in England, August 14, 1910. She was given the name of the place of her birth.
Her will, recently taken from the Records of Somerset House, London, is in the following words:
“I, Florence Nightingale, Spinster, declare this to be my last Will, revoking all wills by me heretofore executed.
“1. I appoint my Cousins, Henry Bonham Carter, Esquire, Samuel Shore Nightingale and Louis Hilary Shore Nightingale, Esquires (sons of my late Cousin, William Shore Nightingale), and Arthur Hugh Clough, Esquire, to be the EXECUTORS of this my Will.
“2. I give my executors all my books, papers (whether manuscripts or printed) and letters relating to my Indian work (together with the two stones for Irrigation maps of India at Mr. Stanford’s, Charing Cross, and also the woodcut blocks for illustrations of those works at Messrs. Spottiswoodes), upon trust, in their absolute discretion or in that of the survivors or survivor of them to publish or prepare for publication such part, if any, as they or the majority of them for the time being may think fit, and I give them a sum of two hundred and fifty pounds for those purposes. And without limiting the exercise of such discretion I should wish my executors to consult my friend, Sir William Wedderburn, in the matter of such publication. And I declare that if my executors, within three years from my death, have taken no, or only partial, steps to publish or before that time have decided not to publish anything, the said sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, or any unexpended part thereof, shall fall into the residue of my estate. And subject to the foregoing, I authorize my executors to destroy all or any of the above mentioned books and papers, stones and blocks or otherwise to dispose of the same as they may think fit.
“3. I bequeath to the children of my late dear friend, Arthur Hugh Clough and his widow, my Cousin, Blanch Mary Shore Clough, the sum of seven thousand pounds to be divided between them in the following proportions: