, 1862-12-05

we trust that proprietors anasthe public will
quickly agree What that reform ehau be.
HOME FOB AGED AND INDECENT /
FEMALES.
Annual meet1n.--AddKessb by Rev. Or. |
PEatt-Report Of the Secretary
The First Annual Meeting Of the Managers |
of this Institution was held ut the Lecture |
Room Of the First Presbyterian Church last |
evening. kev. DR.. Pratt In the chair. Opened |
services by reading the 2Sth Psalm, prayer by |
Rev. z. II. Humphrey, pastor Of the First
Presbyterian Church. !
sEcRETAni's REPORT.
The Secretary, Rev. E. F. Dickinson, submit
ted his annual report which is as follows:
s'Without natural affection, and unmercI-
1nl, are two traits Of depravity described By |
Paul, to the mind Of heatheni=n. Hence we |
are not surprised to read in the journal OF |
traveller among Indian tribes remote from |
civilization, th2t it is q very common, and |
quite IN admissible practice for children to de-
cert their old and decrepid parents, leaving |
them exposed to cold, thirst starvation, anu
citen the beasts Of prey. He himself saw the
skeleton OF: poor old mother, which, the hum
E13 TN4hCS QEEAu ~ uEfpuE 2U2E 4E1UlH kllE
was extinct. :.
Not one Of the seven children which she had
borne AID nurtnred with mothers tender-
NESS, was, now that she was old and helpless,
willing to be burdened With the trouble and
expense of making her last days comfortable.
And hence, erecting trail covering, they
placed ler under it, and placing piece Of
meat and gonrd Of water By her side, they
left her in that unnatural and cruel condition,
to whatever might bcfall her. After remain
Tx1%E hat
to frost and cold bleak winds, and to the fear
Of an uncertain but dreadful death, she was
discovered by psck OF hungry wolves who
>devoured her alive. And this inhuuaan prac-
tice exists among almost all nations to whom
has not come the command: q Honor thy fatn
That Law Of christianity, which epjoius be-
ntVulence and Affection to all men, is especial
u tMphat3c in lts cluiub in behalf OF old age.
We learn fillal affection from the lips Of tnat
model son, the Lord Jesns. when IN His dying
agonies OIL tie cross, He Is not unmindfnl Of =
mother, old and 1riend1ess. Can anY tell how
much Of affection, tenderness and care,
son oWes that mother who has watched over
| him from infancy, and with almost Infinite So
| lcitude and Wearisome toll, led MIN safely in
| paths OF virtue up to manhood? II nov,
| when her footsteps grow feeble and her
Strength fails, he torgets Or refuses to Sustain
| 1etde11y her trefnn1ous way Go IN into the
| dsck va'ley Of ihe shadow of death, then we
say, ard God says, "le1 the ravens pluck oat
| CUT bis eyes and the young eagles eat thea1."
But time, di=ease, accident or war may have
| left that mother ceitditss, and now, in thu
| winter OF her life, when the comforts OF such
8 Eome as her presence once maae for obhers,
are most needed, she is homeless. and al
though her children be dead, yet Thousands
| live who have been hless by her benevolent
heart and willing hands. she has helped to
train to virtue and pie.y the whole Of one
generation and to lead the intaHcy OF another
| upwards towards mature life; and now, when
| strength and friends and home are all goue,
| she asks, on the ssore Of gratitude she e.ss,
| ths1 the world Whom she has lived to bless
stal1 remember her kindly in this hour oi
| Eyed. In every community like ours there
art worthy aged females left, in the ProVi.
deLce Ct God, alone, without home or friends,
ard who, upon The general principle Of bensv:
| o'erce snd gratitude, nave s'ron!5 claim upon
us fer :, home Of comfort and quiet in which
~lich they may close their pilgrimage in
| peace. In this youthful city, where Old age
Itself has been 80 rare, the Necessity has moi
TIL recently been fit But = little more thar
one, year eince, the minds Of 4 fen
Of our Christian women were inclined
towards this department Of charity. The or
| phan lad been provided home; neglected
AID deserted cbilttoad had fouad i refuge il
The beAeVolent provisions Of pityiug hearts
hut worthy aged women could BE- found, who
atter having given their lives to uurturiug ID
fancy aud guiding childhood. were themselves
lett to Eol1owtul old age, friendless and witt
out home. After sorne individual consulta
tioIs and one or tTo preliminary meetings o.
| few Ir;ends Of the project nad been held, Z
more public one Was called 8: the room OF tae
: Y 81. G. ASS, Nov. "A. 1862, which resolved
that it Was highly expsdient to establish
Lone for aged, INDECENT females. And ct au
adjourned meeting, held Nor. 21st, commit
tie previously appointed, reported constltu
, Lon aud bylaws, which, after discussion ant
6 sa1
, | printed copies OF which arc present, aat
have been widely circulated. The msin pro
} visions of this constitution are thai q boar;
o: managers, chosen in equal nu mbers iron
caeE ofal cur Protestant Evangelical church
cs, annually ELECTED, shall control all the ope
t.t:ons Of the institution.
Alta n1eetirg held on the 10Th Of Jau., 1862
, | such board wnR elected. The q en1e va
!, !, opentd at 157 4.h avenue Sinc= tnat liz.
l1ue inmates ltlvss bsea recei7ed, at ages }ron
81 to IS Year,, and an average nge Of Ct yeari
I And the Iretirution has been SO comfor1aol
Il nclne and 50 grateful d refuge to these age
! Il fotherE, from care and want, ilst the boar
, tel already q thousaud tiates repai
: tsr 81 their labors and expenditure:
| Tic 1inss, as well as the newness Of tn
: 3 1nddeyate scale, OF tie most rigid economy
L No general appeal has been made to the pu;
It JIG, end no effort made to give thc new inst
luton no.oriety; and ytt, so tar as p.
|
d 1i;ade, The response has hecn most promr
o aEt generous. Abou: $500 in ca3h and pr
visions, II addition to donations OF turaltar
Ter the heuse, il The amount OF receipts al
: ex1'en di:uEe6.
:: On this first anniversary day the Irsti.utio
h is alncst literally without dolfsr in il
:. treasury; and yet, confidence in the God (
| 1uc ridOE Y, in the goodness Of our CAUSE 81
n in generous public, who n.ver yet has =
e loved charity to larguish, We feel that u
:, abound.
The consciousness of having coo1Iortcd az
&c b!t s=ed Even few mothers in Israel 1n t;
,e last days Of their pilgrimage il Q source
"a, nrusnsl JOY to IA. Aud The fact Oi hnvl1
. laid tie foundations OF an Institution whs
1t benign Influences, are destined to live throu:
In utsIy generations, inspires gratitude to God
10 Those enterprises and institutions Whi
We call great, had hut & smau beginning. AZ
&c ours, if 1t shares the fortunes OF smilar last
lr tuiions in other aud older cities, is de5.ln'
to live and grow in Importance and lneaas
10 influence until it becomes one Of the large
~ OF lhe humane institutions Of great CAri
~ tiaa city.
T. ADORE SIS OF THE PRESIDENT.
Dr.. PRATT said that this Society was
OF it's infaEcy. but that it promised to beco1
Or ere e1 tha most important Of Chris tan llstll
co ticns. He alluded to the early hours in t
-. Scclety's li.tory-hoW 3 few beneVole
III rarm hearted ladies met from time to tin
)r- and had carried the project through, vi
ter euch cid as they had received. Hes.ated Il
10 no social constitution can be considered co
plete or perfect, until it has provided for t
le1 various charitable responses to the calls fri
OF the poor of every class, age aad SEX. The
va | who projected this Institution saw the Il
:, Orphan Asylum, the Orphan Asylum and t
~ Home foT Che Fsiendless, all well SUSTAIN
IN ard doing great good; and it seemed strar
are that the aged and INDECENT females had I
M. sooner BEEN provided for. But this is ea6
understood. True, all older cities have b
"a such Institutions for years, aud wo7
lie not think they could do witht
rs. shsm. But Chicago is you
~, at6 thrifty city. Most Of her peo
Aol OF 10th sexes are in the prime of life.
tue We find this Society was not organized 4
Of t too eoon, for as already shown, there b.
.l1v been nine cases admitted, and there are u
~ six old ladies in the Institution He thou
LUG "The Home for Aged and INDECENT Female
ore vas going good ways around to express
old real object OF the Institution, and suQgcs
nv. that it be called 1.-THE Old Ladies' HON
The speaker ulged the ladies to go aud
tile old ladies' now there, happy aud coutt
nti- ed-ea2er to express their qualification
rat having quiet refuge in their declining ye
lie spoke highly OF the management OF
III Institution, sud especially OF the con1ide
use ard affection which Miss G. Ii. Smith,
We Matror, has secuted from all under
~, charge.
Pt- A. shown By the report, the Society has
10 money ahead, to supply the wants, or