Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-02-12
A Practical Form OF Beneyogence

ALEXANDRIA, Va Feb. A s usn o
several "c,k Ks la t1is old Vi. gna town g ye
xocllCnt opportunities Tor observias the l.s.G
Workings OF chaii bic cuterplis commebc
here uoder the auSp cos Of tie Ladies' Ra.io
Association SOM eiS years ago, lied tho + u
plOyment Society Ii bad It's urigia in th;:
Say: D1rl0g the wicter season there are ilr.t
Euooers OF deserving poor ghU could DOT liv,
Out Tor aid received ffom the Retlet A,sjoia-
uon,-itmlIles Uf hshermon, sail rs oa river
c:att, oystrr boats, eIc, WAC can hud no em-
poyment Fur mauy years /! WIS lh0 TuIo OF
lie association to take the name5 OF ali ytpl-
cabts aid hJd GU! by sting aud i,quiiiag g
| vic. Ger ihey Welc really 10 need, and ce!icv,
| them .coor0i1g To their neotsS lies; bat 1t Wss
| lenIcd tDat this might uEVe uemor.;lZl3e ten.
. deucy, anu IL Was ''Dorht ia upon the miuds''
OF sumo thai truer pEanlhEUpy would cevisc
| ploymeut tor these idl, hGnus aud shus hrlp
thcu To earn something, loWGver little. Seg-
| efal propositions Wero discussed, uod one or
two plans trled, ooly TO provs how N ny Difficult
| lies WeIe 10 the I" y; hnsIly II wss dgcidll IT,
fy W a could be ao0o b. 10 -ELg bags fox
piaslrr aud grsln. Tns ou4 uriginatei il
tho brain OF luust active aud eueryetlc
| member OF the ASS .cla!lou, aud one not easily
| dau4ted so Wccn Various :essous Why il W suld
! not Gotk were brought ltr9srd she was :elGy
with cJuulur reasoos why it should 81 least be
| tried. 4 6 lntsem tiinhd of the caust los; a
his tiuc donated 500. and wish this -1aa
| Capital UcglGOlng Was made. Added TO OF, nrr
| dscJurasom3niS was he difficulty OF obta.ui:p
| matCna:; spirit OF i!al,u- anG self sgckirg
seemed 20 bd ln tic way; At last house l.
Baltimore c)Lc,uded 70 lei ihe sOclay have ODE
| bale Ut ducS, induced TO this generosity Nv ;le
couVicn0u that iho enterprise would fail sud
90 luorc 90 wanted Wi,n shs ono bale IN.
soelc,y went 10 ssOrk, the ladies them-rl7cs
GolGe tho Cuttlag RnG c uy,ioR ibe bags ;7i:en
| slVrO on sUd Returned; Two cents ap.ecs was
| shu price fix, d u.on Tor tag mGkioe, akd te:i
Uags a,"eHk a.l lhat could be given 10 ou1 ap
| .ilU.Dt.
Iherl we're mary p. rsors who locked sskaGC5
| at the undertaking.. aGd shook thair nCads taost
Wisely. sayllg 10 the iaui:s, ou will agvt
your trouble Tor yGur painr; i!l~se people ale
wiling enough 10 bc helped, bu! they wogi
| thllk 1t worth vile 70 work for iw .nty
csuIs .ctk; they Will God rune Way of se.o
! .irg Out ut ~ O,hrr. said, What will uoi,
| IUag ,sabl shed nGu,cs I0u soa't m.ko
anything" Bu; to 90 god ,ot to get g.ip,
'9as th2 Oil c., 50 the ladies sorkcd on, aided
Oy t"O scudcm@n who espous,d the Cause 1T
| the oce!anIos Gnd have stuck to i. t:irvu, h
! thick srd ,hD; the one uad RIO tue saIo II
tht Gags, and allow, d tbs soc:ciy sp.c. 10 HE
W,renoute Tor sS may IS they unUOse 10 send;
tuo oth,r by lntrrrstIus himself n get material
at the lowest urceS, and 10 other = ays has Gouc
valuable service.
Ine poor women re t1Orc than glad 10 gc
the work. and Came f,om isr sod near, aud
many had to DO sent away disappointed evvIy
week. Ot course 1t often hsppentd that the
wok Was lndffcreDtly done, bu the ladies TX
| amlutd every Big aud nevur lilo we'd one 10 be
! accepted uoli dObe properly, 10 tho ur.e
| OF Elk montbs the reicbeDts diec >vurod that
| the bags made by the Enploymsut SOCIETY,"
! we're quite good IS tho5s made elsewhere,
| ana could De had at tho Same rate; and, their
| patronage secured. the ladies' 5egau to irqu!ro
! how they could obtain c.piial to proceed ga
! larger scale aud II manner to do U os. coed in
| the Wlnt s.cSo0, Hhan the necessity for Wok
ls most ielt, the demand for bags cjminS 10 tic
| summer, and thero being 10 rciu:n from sales
uotll then. liberal minded gentlemen resids
| log 10 one OF the neigt boring coun,ies hearing
| OF the dilemma, determined not to let the
s0od Work come TO q stand still, and loaned the
soclty Sl.UUO Without Interest for one yeer;
| WITH ibis they were enabled to give en-
| p0yment to from thirty TO seventy 40
| men. aod made upward of % 900 bags
| and st the end Of the year had tho moDer
| teAcy TO pay bach; perhaps they hoped it would
pc returned a. donation, but if 50, they wcrs
| disappointed However, noLhiag daunted, they
| Insns8e1 to convince ten gentls men Of the i'm
| poitsnce OF the work, AM rs a proof of Their
| approval escn one loaned the society 500 with
| out interest Tor Six months, ana in this way cap.
ital mas been secured from time to time. Last
| year S?,uOU were borrowed and all paid.
| III WAS the writers Drlvilepa h. on
one occasion at the rooms Of the a.socis.ion at
| lne time appointed fyr I,csving and giving cut
| the weekly supplies; and it WAS most interest
! Ing scene. In the course OF the sx years tie
| work mas been going or, many difficulties havB
disappeared, aud everything is now so well
| systematic d that perfect order is essly msia-
tained, aid there is no confusion whatever
| though many OF the poor creatures who come
| Tor WORK are from tho very lowest walks of life
aid are sadly depra7ed. Some of the women
| who are we'll known TO the ladies and have
| proved themselves competent now do all the
cutting snd C, uating; for since the work haa al.
sumed such magnitude the labor is LOO much for
the ladies. The cutters 60 TIE rooms on Tues
day mornings, cut OF the material sud lie it IN
| bundles OF ten bsgs each. Thoy are paid by
!hJ dHy. On Wednesdays the ladies 90. anG
first receive the b.gs glVon out On the previous
@eek, q strict sc out being Kept by tho secreta-
ry, and pay what Is du then the women re-
ceiye another supply. 1t is al interesting e
women who scarcely seem able TO Carry their
heavy bundles; may children, who come to
get Work for their III ,tuers others, young WJm-
On With hopeful faces ready to look on the
bright side OF all that comes to them not giving
The imprussivn that many Of their ssdder, more
hopeless sisters do thst poverty ana SIN hand
IN hand. Tne room is provided with seats and
after all the business is dispatched q Christian
teacher. one OF the ciergymen Of tho city, spe3ki
| few plain earnest words of Gospel truth ther
hymn is sung, and they are dismissed. Or
Thursday the cJanters aud makers 60 ugsin K
the rooms and with stencil each bag is stamp
ed. ade by the Lnde.' Society Tor the I'm
ployment OF the Poor, Aexsndris, Va" they
are then done up in buncle5 OF twenty. five esct
10 be sent to the warehouse.
Surely Southerh enterprise is not entIrel,
dead when such work as tnis ID going on success
. fully. All honor 10 the noble Southern womel
who originsted, and in the face OF dire scoucage
meit perfected this plan for giving succor to tn
needy,