In brief, these are the duties of the nurse in the home of the patient. At her first visit, she cannot say everything she wishes, but later it will be possible to do so. In many cases, the household will be suspicious, antagonistic, or not inclined to want her, so that she must feel her way cautiously, step by step. It may take two, three, four, or even a dozen visits to accomplish her object, and before she can drive her points home with the requisite vigour. When the situation is acute, and the danger great, it is difficult and discouraging to make haste slowly, yet this policy will pay in the end. It is better to proceed cautiously with an uneasy family, winning them gradually from point to point, than to arouse their resentment by an impatient enthusiasm which sees no wisdom in delay. In dealing with patients, the nurse must speak plainly; it will not do to insinuate or imply. What she has to say must be said straightforwardly, in simple words adapted to the intelligence of her hearers. The situations one encounters in this work are often sad and trying to a degree, and it would be far easier to insinuate a disagreeable or painful thing than to speak out plainly. The nurse who cannot express herself clearly, forcibly, and convincingly will get poor results. She must be able to meet prejudice with reason, to impose her view upon another, and to convince the ignorant that what she says is right. There is an old fable which all public health nurses should remember—the old story of the Wind and the Sun, who both tried to remove the Traveller’s cloak. The Wind tried first, and he blew and blustered, but his frantic efforts only made the Traveller clutch it tighter. And then the Sun tried. He shone, blandly, warmly, gently, and in a few moments off came the cloak. It is the method of the Sun, rather than of the Wind, which usually wins out. CHAPTER XII Care of the Family—Examination of the Family—Taking Patients to Dispensaries—Children—Tuberculosis in Children—Open-Air Schools—The Danger of Sending Patients to the Country.