New-York tribune., 1881-11-20
GOOD WORK FOR The POOR.


STATE CHARITIES AID ASSOCIATION.
THE NINTH ANNUAL MEEuNG-REPORTs OF vART-
OUs COMAuTTEEs-REsULTs OF THE sECRETARYs
VISITS To PoORHoUsEs-ELECroN OF OFF,
GERS.
The ninth annual meeting of the State Charities
Aid Association was held yesterday afternoon in Its
rooms, No. East FOurtccnth-st., John A.MCKim pre-
siding. Eighteen months have passed since the last
meeting was held, owing to the change OF date for
the meetings from the spring to the fall The treas
urcr for the present year, Charles Russell Hone,
reported that January /. 1881, $3, 49, ~ had
beca expended by the association, this outlay being
met by subscriptions, rent from suhtenants, interest
on Government bonds, and by money from other
sourccs. For the year 1850 the treasurer John {.
Brown, reported that $3.50 II expended.
The Library Committee reported that much had
been done in the way of furnishing reading matter
to the inmates of different charitable institutions.
The report of the standing committee on adult able
bodied paupcrs showed that the committee had met
regularly At the time of the last annual report OF
the ASSOCIATION the Tramp Bill, passed through the
,iorts of tins committee, had just become law.
The present committee reported that the results of
the practical application of this law have been cx-
ccrnt. The bill establishing Refuge for Women
was passed at the last session of the Legislature
! through the united efforts OF the state Board Of
Charities aud the State Charities Aid Association.
For several years the work for this institution has
been untlrng aud although the promised Rcforma-
tory has not yet been established. the appropriation
for buildings and site has been secured The re-
port OF this committee also stated that 1t had col
cctod statistics IN regard to the employment Of
paupcrs IN almshouses with the view Of RECON-
mcudng systematic labor.
The Committee on Hospitals reported that it had
ii
ing and management, having also distributed It's
publications throughout this and other States. In
regard To- building oprn-air payIons for the sick,
the committee condemned the practice of placing
them near old buildings such as those of bellevue
Hospital in which the filth of years had been al
lowed to collcc, IN floors and walls. The common
practice of having the same physicians and attend
ant, for both the old hospitals and the paylions was
also ritl,i-cd by the committee.
Sine, The passage of the law in May of this year
giving the visiting committees OF the Association the
legal night To enter and investigate the different
charitable institution, of the state. the secretary,
Ellen f. Ferry has visited ten counties and organ
zcd In six OF them visiting committees of the Asso-
c,,fion The report read by her gave the results OF
bcr investigations in Chcmung, Saratoga, Ontario,
Ful,op Montgomery aud Essex Counties, where
yINtlns committees were organized and also IN
Washington. Warren Clinton and Franklin Coun-
tr, where visiting committees had previously been
appointed by the state Board OF Charities, but had
not been organized. In Essex County the secretary
found that through the efforts of the visiting com
mittcc. together with the cooperation oi tie
Board oi supervisors, many Improvement, had been
made IN the poorhousc. A new dInlng-roOm ana a
! Kitchen new auudrics with good appliances, now
uIurc, and sheds with separate AaItH ior cN'I-
clsc had been built The separation "i 'he stA'9 9
seemed complete. The ventilation was NOT E"oH
aud the water supply was lnsuilc'hti SO Hiu'I so
! that last winter all the wafer was "WW'HIur" -!
| melting ice aud snow. The sick aud Wei! were not
! enough separated. I'm Clinton County the hulId,
lug- were new and well kcpt, but th' patients haa
| no sprrIal care nor skilled treatment. ne WaI"s
! for insane men, however, were not Wen kept nor
| Comfortably Iurui,ucd, nor were lhc patients
suitably clothed, while thcT pctH,hi' 'IHll'li,,,s
! was Iusuilrlcuty attended 10. Al INC Il''IN'L
County poDrhuu,c no religious cAcrr''1 were n'iu
! AMI no burial rites performed. Improvement IN
many respects was To bc seen IN the accommodation
! ol the iuuLt,, auI Their care.
! The buIding, of th" Warren County poorhonsG
were part oi them found TO be- old, comoItIc'' ana
! out OF repair. The new stone portions arc very
little better than the old parts. No clasNll'atloho oi
the inmates possible, and any srtIuNiuh ol lHo
| more respectable poor WAS inrhIddch. lh'Ie "dS
! no ventilation whatever. The sck we're puaittI'I
with the we'll one barren ward holding several
invalid mothers with their children. Ia, oo'Ils
! and bedding were poor and Ile Iuinltuto @ MHs
! scauty. Inc Ioorhousc OF Saratoga County was
! far above the average The icebIc-mhdtd ana tho
cpilcptic patients, however, were lodged WIN tHS
| SICK and usual no PAID atlohdahl was aVWJu P;J
| Tor them. There rs elsewhere thrIe was HI',
| knowledge Of what myalids dlrI shouu uc' "a
| number of young Chlidrrn, WIN IhtItl SouI's
mothers were uuaItered IN adctaChtd Dl'lIdlhE WIN
| the insane Some Of these among whom "3o =
mother thirteen years Old were locked IN behind the
! grating, with the violent insane patients. a., ,o
At the Montgomery County aul'hoh'' tno 'vi- W"
tract system is used. In regard To TINS system Iie
secretary asks IN her report: what progress can VI
| made toward decreasing the number oi pa'Pc@lS ISL VI
! toward supprrssng pluprrllng Influences no" o''i
| the children be- saved from cpdng depehGeht lHcs
| or the mentally diseased and the PIFslta.R us
abcd br sent to educational or cuIItl't ,' @
| when the instinct O seli-lutcrcst induces u con-
tractor retain paupers and increase tHeu liui @
bers /" la counties where the c0ntraGI ~" YatIa
prevails the secretary cOntinnes lhelc -
more To do than elsewhere Tor the poor lndlVlIu-
! aly." In Fulton County there has o'eh uPtoro
mcnt, but there were many evlls tnt 'to Ibo moor
found where the contract system Is uNeC. nc P.o P
| children were lodged IN "A house near IhaI oI % .ho
adults. They had access To the poothouse, auu 'io
same per capita was paid to the conliaC,ol 40 -.
! for the adult paupers In Ontario Couhtr tho
| p0OrhOusc is large, but no ehort was mtlo ~
classify tine inmates The men ahd "ouun AZ -, ha
worked together, and no restraint sGoinou w T ~,
placed on their associating with each 0tner III
Chcmuug County the ventilation oI tho pooiio' ,
building was detective there pe.hV Nv H,,nt nv
changing the air IN any oil the TVohls' P+,y
opening doors and windows. No teauluE n."at y! t.
was furnished tO the inmates except "n"' was
occasionally provided by visitor. -, ,;o,io,,
vote o thanks was enderei Oy tilo hsaoor ' ,r
10 the secretary after she mad read her report IG'
the energy and ability she had Sfem Sf W t''U "r as
Officers were elected for the iOlloWhg SCGiitt 40
follows: Miss Louisa Leo Schuyler, p[USslditnCi
John jaw, vice-presdent; Miss A. II. NooIITS, lSSs
L. l.. Schuyler. Mrs. ". b. Rice, Slrs b. LQckwooH'
Mrs. j. fIooson, Mrs L. dOremenX 'SlSs I'll .. IL
Sands, Miss A. II. Woolsey, Miss Fla H. I hussoII' -
John JAY T. L. Olmstead, Howard Potter iieRTy ~ T.,
Rowland. c H. Hone, J. A McKim aud d. Wills
James, managers - ..os,,ror
The resignation of Howard Potter as treasurer ur
for the resi- oe thi, wear was accepted. Many new
members were added to the Association among among
them were h. II. BTistOw, the Rev. kobert SoiSWN' SW'
the Rev Dr. NJ k. Vincent and the Kew u ~ ~
Brldgman.