The Portland daily press., 1869-04-08

Among the many most useful charities IN
Portland, we know of hardly one which does
so much good with US as the Portland Dispen-
sary And it does it SO quietly, and so eff
GENTLY, that few people outside of its numer-
Gus benefciaries seem to know that such an
institution is in existence here. And yet it
has been kept up for nearly twenty years by
the constant aud unwearied exertions of a few
persons, who, having established the institu-
ton, have grown old in its service. We regret
to have it to say that it has not received that
aid and encouragement from our townsmen
which its solid merit and its faithful devotion
to the sick poor deserve
The beneficiaries for the past year have been
527 new cases; of whom 2o8 were females and
269 were males. OF these 223 were children
under fifteen years, and % were persons sixty
years of age and upwards. Part of these were
treated at their own homes, the remainder at
the Dispensary rooms; medicine is furnished
gratuitously to those who have not the means
to pay for it, the bills for which at the lowest
prices exceed annually 5000. Most of these
patients are treated several times in the course
of the year, so that the visits and prescriptions
do not fall much short of 1000 during the.year
These services have been faithfully and gratu-
itously furnished by our excellent attending
physicians, Doctors Weeks, Small and Thayer,
who have the privilege in all needed cases to
call in the aid and counsel of our Oldest Ply
sicians.
We beg leave to submit portion OF the re-
port of the attending Physicians, made at the
late annual meeting; they say, Never was an
institution of this kind more needed than now,
and never were we SO much embarrassed for
want of funds as at the present time. During
the past winter, sickness has prevailed to an
unusual extent and especially among the poor;
and they have looked to US for assistance. We
have done the utmost in our power to render
them medical aid, and have gone far beyond
our means trusting that an earnest effort
would be made to place the Institution on a
firmer basis. Could we add hundred new
subscribers to our list, it would place in our
hands means by which we could very much
extend toe benefits of the organization
When it is considered that the annual sub
scription is but too dollars year, and that life
membership is but $25, is not the appeal of
these generous physicians who give their SER
vices without any compensation, a most reas-
enable and modest one?
While similar institutions in the principal
cities ofour country are literally endowed and
are receiving numerous benefactisns, which
enable them to extend the consoling and
health-giving ministrations of this heavenly
charity into the humble tenements of the dis
tressed poor, shall it be said of Portland, far
famed for its charities; that it suffered one of
its best to languish and die? Never; and we
need only to bring the wants of this charity
home to our people to assure it of successful
endowment and relief
Oliver Gerrish is Chairman of the Board of
Managers and James T. MCobb is Treasurer;
and they will be only too happy to receive the
donations and subscriptions of the lovers and
doors OF good works who only want opportuni-
ty for benevolent deeds