The Portland daily press., 1881-12-05
ASSOCIATED CHARITIES.
Address by Robert Treat Paine

State street church was crowded last even
ing by an audience deeply interested in the
work of the Associated Charities On the
platform were Rev. DR.. Bill, Revs. w. a.
Fem, Asa Dalton and J. K. Smythe, with Mr..
j. p Baxter, president of the Portland Asso-
| citation. The published order of exercises was
| adhered to, after which Mr.. Robert Treat
Paine, president of the Boston association, who
has devoted himself to this work, delivered
| very exhaustive and admirable address, OF an
hours duration. OF course, in the space at
| our command, it is only possible to touch upon
the main features of the essay.
The speaker began by stating that the organ
| ization of charity means that the wisdom, en-
| ergy and Christian devotion of the whole COM
| munity shall be perfectly developed and
brought into complete cooperation so as to
| grapple with every varying need OF all the
| needy classes, and to achieve the best possible
results; to eradicate the worst phases OF pau
perism, the fostering sores OF all great cities.
The first work of organizing charity is to
| bring many of the charitable societies, agen-
ces, churches, benevolent men and women
| iuto cordial cooperation. To make coopera-
ton most successful, all the societies must be
left Independent; no distinctions OF race, color
permitted; no money must be raised and no
relief given out. Thus the regular charitable
societies will not have their work interfeIed
with. By following these rules the deserving.
are helped, and The dissolute and professional
mendicants are discovered and reform can be
attempted. Two or three out OF every ten
| need kind, steady, generous aid; the same
proportion need strong, stern, judicious re-
preston, while five or six can be raised to in
dependence II we can rescue the great army
of ohil1rou N m iufO life ont of the de-
graded habits ignorance and sloth OF their pa
rents existence and make them self-respect-
ing men and women, we shall accomplish won
ders. The speaker then referred to the places
opened in Boston, New York and Phil idelI hia
where working women can leave their chill
dren for the day to be fed and cared for while
they work. BY these three things are done:
The mother works. the children are cleansed,
made neat and attractive, and exert an elevate
ing influence on the family, and the child is
got into school where great power for good is
exerted. Is book-learning, the glory or dau-
ger of the day? The eye and finger are, per-
haps, more important to the poor than the
brain; skill in those means the certainty OF
rising above poverty. Training schools in the
use of the sewing machine, in laundry work,
cooking and carpentry are growing III many
cities.
The speaker then gave detailed account of
the Wayfarers' Lodge, which he considered
one of the best of Boston's institutions.
large, old schoolhouse, possessing large, airy
dormitores above, eating room and office on
the main floor, and bathroom below; this is
the lodge. Here people are sent who can't
pay for nights lodging and meal. The
lodge is open all the year round, and, practi-
cally, at all hours for men. The men usually
apply from to 10 p. M, are questioned IN the
office, recorded and numbered, sent below for
hot bath. The clothing is done up in a
parcel, with the owners number attached, sub
jected to intense heat in boiler, which kills
all vermin. and then left to dry. Each man
has nightgown and slippers and goes to bed;
Before breakfast each man saws steDt OF
wood in the yard for two hours. to pay for bed
and food. He is then given q solid breakfast
and goes to seek work, directed to the Indus
trial Aid office Ia big intelligence office in the
Charity Building near by.) Only two men
have refused to work in two years. Prior to
the establishment of this institution wayfarers
were taken to the police station and locked up
in cells like criminals. The lodge began with
100 and ran down to an average OF 6o to gu.
Tramps soon learned that in Boston they must
work and went elsewhere. Three nights only
can man come. By this course the vagabond
element is eliminated and driven out. The
lodge is gladly patronized by worthy men pass
ing through Boston seeking work, glad to pay
for their lodgings and meals by work. The
Temporary Home for women and children IN
Chardon street, in the same group OF buildings.
gives like aid and shelter to females, although
it is harder to find work for them that pays.
1t will be seen then, that in the organi-
cation of charity its great aim is the building
IN of character. without which all else is tenn
porary and trivial and sure to fail he for
mer unwise methods OF dealing with the poor
have filled New England with paupers until
one out of every eighteen in the population is
q pauper. The reintegration OF the family
horse should always be kept before us as our
main ultimate object. AS elements OF charac-
ter, potent for good, TO be taught, we should
enumerate temperance, thrift, courage, indus
try, energy aud steady habits. Give the poor
friendly counsel, for health, where to go for
medical and surgical advice. Help them out
of damp, unhealthy rooms into purer streets.
Set them up IN trade. help then TO Dc Seii-
supporting.
AS to the methods of organized charity, reg
istration is the first essential. First, by col
lectiDg reports of all relief, and all Information
by daily, weekly or monthly returns and post
ing them on cards kept in alphabetical order.
Second, by mailing to any society, or person
asking, a reply TO their questions, stating who,
if any one is relieving the case they report, or
what society. Thus frauds can be detected.
The practical use OF registration, then, is that
if the person is not being relieved by any one
you have the pleasure OF knowing that what
YOU can give is really wanted. LII other relief
Is given you learn of the deception. Registra-
ton thus aids every private person to give only
to the worthy poor lessons the labors of the re-
Iieving agencies, stops impostare and makes
relief sure.
A long list of statistics were read belonging
to the central office, Boston, The speaker con-
tlDue0 by saying tfab t06 SecOuu great UrauCu
Of work done by his society was organizing
work among the poor at their homes by means
OF district and ward conferences, paid agents
and great number of friendly visitors. They
have ten agents and 700 visitors, 7766 regis
tered eases in 1880 and 1912 in 1SS0-Sl. The
agents salaries range from $500 to $3.50, and
| they earn the money. The district conference
has its own executive committee and its work
is greatly increased in value where some OF its
active members are familiar with all the local
II. .os. Hr,a rTxripi caro fba
life and soul of the society, good friend to a
poor family is better than aims giving. The
visitors should be patient, cautious, courteous,
and considerate.
| The allies 10 the organization OF charity mus
| be every existing agency Tor good. They must
be free from jealousy. They must cooperate
| In knowledge in counsel, in action, in alb
staining from interfering with the work which
another visitor church or society is doing and
especially in hard and difficult cases. In the
latter try all at once. Let the friendly visitor
and the paid agent get all the facts which can
| in any way avail-where the man used to
work and why he left and if his employer will
| give him another chance to reform and work.
| Let police bring pressure to bear simultaneous
| ". bv caution or threat Let the truant-ofii-
| Ger watch closely and make sure the children
| 90 to school. Give the man kind words, good
| cheer, and an offer of work. Cut OFF all re-
| lief. Interest in his children may have opened
his heart to you. Or perhaps you call in also
| the agent of the Society for Prevention OF
| Cruelty to Children. In the last resort, if all
| else fails, bre ak up the family. Send man and
woman to Jail and children to reform school,
| or, better yet, to new homes, where, free from
I contamination. they may grow up good citi-
| zens. Where one agency alone is almost sure
| to fail, all the agencies adapted to such hard
cases may by cooperation achieve complete sue
| cess. II is the only hope, and the hope is
| strong.
| The speaker continued: I have described our
machinery. love machinery. What won
| ders of machinery this agesof ours is inventing
| 1 like to go to the United States Mat at Phil
| az elphia and see the beautiful gold coin come
| out, better than clock work. / like to ride on
| the New York elevated railroads VIII, r. it takes
| from the time they stop, for the passengers to
| get out and then the new ones to get in and
the cars to start again, on an average trip, sew
| en- seconds like our associated charity ma
| chinery and wish it we're more perfect. When
| they ask what it does, just tell them this. 1t
| sends christian friend into severy home of
need. 1t sends him or her there, to do all that
friend can do; not to do harm by money and
coal and clothes and food, tempting the occu-
pants to lie down on you. It's object is to ena-
BILE you to do good; to study what you can do; to
| get all the facts and go back to the conference
and there consult and decide what is the thing,
the very best course to take, with just that par
| ticular family, in just these circumstances IN
| view to nut them permanently on their feet.