The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-11-19
THE SCIENCE OF CHARITY
What is Being Done in the Various
Cities.

and the untiring and constantly developing
agencies" From the address of Robert Treat
Paine, Jr., it will be well to make few brief ex-
tracts that our readers may understand some
thing about this important matter. Mr.. Paine
said that he congratulated the association on
the practical results of its work and that Bos-
ton was not behind its sister cities in grasping
the key to the hitherto unsolved problem OF
systematic and real benevolence. Our larger
cities, he said, are filled with benevolent indi-
vduals, and contain a number of organiZa-
tons devoted to doing good. Hence the ne
cessity of sort of clearing house. We do not,
he said, declare that not enough relief is Civ
en-, but relief of want is not the only thing
needed by those who arc down from those
who are more fortunate. AS an illustration be
cited the case of a widow and six children
which had recently come to the knowledge of
the associated charities. They were all so ac-
customed to subsstng on the contributions of
the benevolent, that they found it far easier
than to earn their living. Here lay the danger
of too much aid. The demoralizng effect on
the children OF unworthy parents which is
widened by seeing contributions flowing in
from all sides is one of the evils which the
new system is calculated to remedy. 1t is
chiefly to children that society owes its care
and efforts, for the tombstone of true civilian
ton is the value put on the life of a child.
Mr.. Paine briefly referred to the registry list
which the society is preparing, and passed to
consider what he termed the more fascinating
part of the work, the organization of moral
agencies. Relief in aims is given, he said, as
before, by the relief-giving societies. Our
visitors are prohibited from giving funds. or
clothing, or food, and so are benevolent indi-
viduals whose contributions amount to as
much in the course of a year to those of Or
ganized societies Such persons should be re-
garded as e1-oGcio members, and should be
consulted and taken into the confidence of the
society. But they do not, and should not, act as
visitors. Deliberation by several minds is
necessary in order to guard against hasty and
iniudicious relief. The registration office, in
charge of Mr.. Howard, is in perfect working
order, and the Registration Committee, by its
swift and methodical work, is insuring the sue
cess of the Associated Charities. Daily report
are received from the Overseers of the Poor,
tration the great Roxbury Charitable Society.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul does not
register, but its visitors are understood to be
working in harmony with those of the -Asso-
ciated Charities. The importance of securing
these daily reports of individual cases cannot
be overestimated in that replies are at once
returned from the registration office, which
tota y-I,o Iha al DIV
ceived aid or whether he or she is at the time
receiving aid from any of the many relief So
cieties in the city. In speaking of the frauds
and receptions of professional mendcants,
Mr.. Paine read from a recent London news
paper the advertisement of professor"
Lazarus Rooney, who teaches "the art of beg
ging'' in six lessons, and keeps on hand sup
ply of sores, etc., for the use of people who
make their living by begging. This system OF
imposture can be stopped in Boston, said the
speaker, by sending letter of inquiry, or
pos tai card addressed Committee of Regis
tration, Associated Charities, Chardon street,
A reply will be received by return mail, and
the philanthropically inclined inquirer viii
then know whether the mendcant be a fit
subject for his charity.
The relations of this society with the various
of benevolent nature in the
city are believed to be entirely satisfactory
there being no friction or lack of harmony.
The public err if they consider this separate
organization The york Of associating tie
charities of Boston had been auspciously be-
gun, and the intelligent cooperation of the
public was the only thing now needed for the
prevention of needless labor, time and expen-
di ure. The return of prosperity, said Mr.
Paine, in concluding his address, and the con-
increase of wages makes this favor a.
BILE opportunity for carrying our work to per-
lection.
THE WORK IN PHILADELPHIA:
The Rev. D. o. Kellogg of Philadelphia, the
head of the Associated Charities of that city.
made the next address, giving a very interest
ing and encouraging report of the successu
operations Of the new system. He first spok'
of the typographical peculiarities of Philadel-
pha saying that its population of 100000 was
d vded among thirty-one wards, somt
of which contained 10000 persons each. When
the work of the Associated Charities was be-
gun, a year ago, Mr.. Kellogg said that he
found already in existence, eighty-nine out
door relief organizations, about seventy medi-
cal charities of various sorts, a number of hos
pitfalls and similar institutions and very many
mutual benefit and cooperative societies. Fl
nally it was decided to make the movements
essentially popular one. The difficulties in
the way of bringing about q consolidation Of
these charities were almost insuperable, so
system of registration was first established for
as many of these societies as wished to avail,
themselves Of it. The combined yearly income
of all these organizations, including what the
city annually appropriated for charity was
about "a, 900, 600, and the managers of the AS
sociated Charities saw what gigantic power
of corruption lay therein. The true function
of charity, said the speaker, is to put an end to
charity, and the only means of accomplishing
this result is by building up character. The
aid of the ladies was at once invoked, and over
one thousand Of the best women in Philade-
pha were soon in the field, not as distributors
in aims, but as visitors to the households Of
applicants for aid. 1t required great heroism
in these ladies, who had always before bestow-
ed aims on their rounds, to withstand the in
cessant temptations which they now met to
violate their word and do the same. Great
tact was also required in order to gain access
to the hearts Of the people. No visitor was al
lowed more than five or six families. This
women's work was the most gratifying part OF
the work of the Associated Charities in Phla
delphia. There is now in contemplation, said
Mr.. Kellogg, a system of education for chill
dren. Not that the public schools were insult
ficent but the aim was to withhold relief from
families whose children are kept out of school.
An employment bureau is also to be establish
G / this winter, chiefly for the purpose of redis-
tributing labor throughout the city. In giving
money we compromise our duty, said the
speaker. We do that which is easiest. And
not until we gain q conception of the true
worth of manhood shall we tread in the foot
steps of the great Master of Charities, Jesus
Christ.
SAMPLE OF THE WORK IN BOSTON.
Mr. Paine called on Mrs Caswell for an ac-
count of the workrooms in Ward Six, but that
lady gave, insteed, two or three instances of
the practical results of the new system OF
charity which proved highly interesting In
her ward 126 cases have been registered, exam
ined and visited, the visitors numbering 80