The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-10
A Great Work.

The Childrens Aid Society of New York
has published its twenty-ninth report from
which it appears that great work has been
accomplished. The report says:
''It may be truly said that there is no coca
sion now for any child in New York to be
homeless or street wandering. No child need
beg or steal for living; no boy or girl engaged
in street occupation is Obliged to be without
home for the night or school for instruction.
Every one can asily find a place where moral
and religious instruction is given. Moreover,
the thousands of the poor children in tene-
ment houses who are too ragged and dirty for
the public schools, or part of whose days
must always be spent in street occupations
have schools now adapted to their needs and
their employmeDts.'
This is indeed cheering and tends to
strengthen ones faith in future millennium.
To think that in a great city like New York
with its thousands of poor and vicious features
it can be truly said that there is now no &C :
casion for any child to be homeless or street
wandering" 1t is almost too good to believe,
and yet Mr.. Bruce gives ample statistics of his
good work For the small outlay VERY small
considering the magnitude of the work. $780,
600, there have been 900 destitute boys and
girls sheltered and fed in lodging houses; 100,-
900 girls taught in industrial schools; 1,348 per-
sons all children but $40 sent to good homes
in the West. The Newsboy's Lodging House
has cared for nearly 10000 boys, besides re-
ceiving from them on savings bank deposit
nearly $4,000. The twelve physicians at the
Sick Children's Mission have attended 260o
pa tients.'' II this work is continued with as
great success as it has had the past year, the
sources of pauperism and crime will be
eventually dried up. What if this money had
been indiscriminately given in aims, instead
of being judicously and wisely spent in i'm
proving the condition OF the young? Would
the result have been as cheering? Most as
suredly no. Childish vagrancy has been greatly
decreased in the city in spite of the enormous
influx of foreigners. The number of commit
ments of girls and women for vagrancy has
been decreased two thirds since 1860 and men
900. A short time since wealthy and bene-
VIOLENT lady of New York who had been indis-
criminately giving her wealth to beggars, hav-
ing, it is said, SO given several hundreds of
thousands of dollars, awakened to the sad con-
clusion that she had worse than THROWN her
money away; that she had only fostered the
disease of pauperism instead of having aided
in its removal. How much good her money
would have wrought if she had employed it in
finding homes for the destitute and vagrant
chiIdren furnishing industrial schools and
building better tenements for the poor There
should be no such thing as indiscriminate Civ
ing. Street begging should be put stop TO.
Every citizen should refuse aid to person APP
plying at the door, until thorough investiga-
ton of the applicants real character needs
and condition has been made. In onr city this
can easily be done by sending the name and
address of the person applying to the secretary
of the Associated Charities Myrtle street, and
this the society earnestly requests every citizen
to do Do not let a single case escape. Send
the name of every one you hear of to the agent.
You will be promptly informed if they are inn
positors or worthy; and if worthy they will
stand better chance of receiving aid from
charitable societies, than if their names were
not registered. Mr.. Paine truly said in his re
cent lecture at State street church. that If every
| family who was able, would bat take one needy
| family in charge and help them to help them
selves by advice, sympathy, instruction and
the procurement of employment there world
no longer be any beggars.