The Portland daily press., 1880-10-20
$11.797;44
Ma RY e. BARRETT,
MANAGERS REPORT

l am sure we all miss most regretfully the
pleasant face which for many years has SO
gracefully presided at our annual meeting, and
this regret is still farther enhanced by the re-
signation oNthe chosen successor upon whose
shoulders we hoped the mantle had fallen to
rest. In fact we have an acting president only,
and we can hardly refrain from crying out to
the firmland gentle hand.w have so lcng loved
and honored, come over again and help us.
The year just passed has been marked by ne
especial blessings and some especial anxieties,
but in striking the balance, give thanks
that our labor has not seemed in vain Six
teen children have been received, nine have
found through us homes either for Sc, vice or
adoption, five have been returned to their
friends Part of the time we have numbered
thirty We have at present twenty seven.
During the year especial effort has been
made to trace the courses of the children who
have gone out from u.s. and although our
hearts have sometimes been saddened, the
general result has inspired US with fresh faith
in the usefulness of our institution. The
Divine Spirit in the heart of man seems
especially quickened in these latter days into
efforts to help and uplift humanity, sbut the
reports from the various reformatory institu-
buttons throughout the land, bear sad testi-
mony to the difficulty of Strengthening the
twig when it is once bent in unrighteousness.
1t is wise philanthropy and looking at it
from the lower plane of mere dollars and cents,
a wise economy, for the State, the city, the in
dividual, to commence at the beginning, to
gather the forlorn and friendless children into
houses of refuge, where they may be kept per-
manently and educated or passed on to
Christian homes, and trained into virtuous
citizers. Even then it will be found suffi-
GENTLY hard task to graft the wild olive
We thank our State and city for the aid
with which they have strengthened our hands.
We are deeply grateful for the noble dona-
tions, and for the thousand and one ways in
which our friends have lent themselves and
their means to us, enabling us to give our
children many pleasures and to bring their
life more into harmony with the life which
God saw was best and most fitting, when she
set the nations of the earth in families"
The generous requests of Mr.. Shurtleff and
Miss Butrick add TO our permanent fund, but
our funds are still far from being sufficiently
ample to enable us to do our best. We must beg
for more, and we would be especially glad to
increase our list of subscribers. Each new
subscriber becomes the center of a new in
terest which gives us new life Cannot each
one add one.
Among the griefs of this year was our first ex-
perience of the running away of child. At the
close of very happy day, spent by the kind
invitation of Mrs Daniel Fessenden at her
pleasant place in Cape Elizabeth, two of our
children after returning, opened door and
stole quietly from the house. This does not
imply any negligence in their care. Our Asy-
lums offers no other restraint to such an act,
IMAM any other nome. In private homes these
things do occasionally occur. One had been
with us some months, the other only a few
days. We are very glad to be able to say,
that the most careful examination failed to
reveal that it was the result of unhappiness or
on account of any cause for complaint. 1t
seemed to be childish escapade, which was
regretted almost as soon entered upon. One
of these children is still with US. the other was
transferred to the State Industrial School,
because, for reasons entirely disconnected with
the running away we did not deem it best to
retain her among our many young children
We have very favorable accounts from her,
and rejoice that we have such an institution
in our midst, since the sad necessity for it ex-
lists.
Among the pleasant things we would like to
bring to your notice is the satisfaction which
we receive from our matrons, who each in the
discharge of their own special duties give us
cause to rejoice. Our school too, under the
gentle anu loving oversight of its especial COM
mittee, seems each year to increase in useful
ness
To all our special committees our thanks are
due.
Our kind doctor is taking vacation, but
during his absence, and indeed for the whole
year, we have been wonderfully exempt from
illness, and our two little invalids, one of
whom has been treated at the Maine General
Hospital, gladdens Us by a greater improve
ment than we had dared to xpect
1t is indeed difficult to enumerate all our
causes for gratitude. "The work is the
Lords" and however we may stumble in our
poor endeavors may He give the increase
SARAH B. FARMER,
Acting President.
Oct. 10, 1880.