Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-14
POINTERS FROM PLYMOUTH
Outlines Of Discourse by DIR. Dana from
Plymouth Church Pulpit The Work of
Beform and Correction - The Afterciap
of the Madison Convention - An Able
Sermon With Practical Bearings.
Plum 0atfh Church,

Plymouth Church.
At Plymouth church, yesterday morning,
DR.. Dams, the pastor, delivered discourse upon
the progress in charitable and reform work.
DR.. Dana was one of the delegates to the ma
tional convention of charities which convened
at Madison, Wis, last week, and the visit sug-
gested this discourse. He took for his text:
"The poor ye have always with you"
These were striking words, implying
that there would always be In our world
dependent and unfortunate classes, and the
Master to bring the most powerful motive
to bear on human hearts to rem ember and
minister to such, said that Whist was done for
them would be reckoned as done to himself.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
are the measures now of public regard for the
destitute and dependent. They gauge the
humanity of an age or country. The human
spirit now SO operative in this and other
lands is the outgrowth OF Christianity, the
spirit and teachings of Christ were its inspir-
alton. The anti Christian ages. with all their
culture, with their reinements Of civilization,
were strangers TO the charitable institutions
which are the glory Of this century. Never
before in any period Of the world was so much
being done to mitigate the woes of the bur-
dened and suffering and improve the eondi-
ton of those who are helpless, and reform the
evil lived.
THE sYsTEMATIZING OF CHARITABLE EFFORT
has been one of the results OF the great ma
tional conference of charities, whose ninth
annual session has just been held at Madison,
Wis. 1t is an organization which unite for
mutual counsel, comparison OF plans aud the
diffusion of information to all who are inter
ested In philaHthropic work. 1t has long been
felt that our charitable effort was too much
divided up, and thereby made expensive and
exposed to a spirit OF rivalry which destroys
largely the good sought to be accomplished.
OF late years, therefore, the effort has been
making to methoJiZe the charitable work,
which has grown to such vast proportions,
and to economic both energy and machinery
Through this association the effort to due for
the unfortunate, has been greatly simplifed.
Through it the careful inspection of reforma-
tory and penal institutions has been brought
about, and many glazing abuses been correct
ed. 1t has also proved that supervision by
disinterested but benevolent persons Is indis-
pensabie, il charitable institutions, whether
public or private, are to be rightly managed
and kept free from abuses.
STATE BOARDS OI Oh ARITf
have now been organized in most of the states,
prompted largely by this agency SO to do,
which have been OF immense service in super
vising state charitable institutions, calling at
tention to wrongs perpstrated by local boards
OF managers, and in diffusing the knowledge
of the wisest and most economical ways of
caring for those thrown upon the state or
communities. They have secured long needed
reforms in the jails, poor houses and penal in
situations Of some of the larger common
wealths of the Union, and have brought to an
end inhumanities which, till quite recently,
existed in ssylums, prisons and aims houses.
In most of the states these boards are adyis.
DRY only, having the right to inspect
and report whatever in its Judgment is
wrong, and suggeQk what better methods
can be adopted to reform our criminal classes
and diminish pauperism and vice. Composed
of we'll known citizens, who serve without
salaries and from benevolent purpose, they
have been found to be of immense utility.
They possess the ears of legislatures and the
people, and are the friends of those who
might be abused even in the name of charity.
Differing somewhat as to the scope of their
powers, they have accomplished great
reform in many directions, and have saved the
state and public, on the one hand, from being
imposed upon, and the unfortunate and those
TcetIdlucQ III buelT from becoming The
victims of cruel treatment or neglect.
DITINTEREsTED INSPECTION
by competent and benevolent men is the only
safeguard we can have against wrong admins
tration or improper methods lin great institu-
tions of a reformatory or penal character
The entire system of county poor houses has
been radically changed for the better by the
supervision OF an advisory board acting for
and in the name of the state. Only this
method can open to the public view the ter
rible condition of city and county jails, SO
uniformly the hot. beds OF crime, where young
and first offenders are brought into
contact with hardened criminals. This
method has put an end to the
inhuman and brutal practices which prevailed
in not few of the insane asylums Of the vari-
Gus states. Through this system the chill
dren who were in the public aims houses
have been gathered up and placed in institu-
tions where they could be properly cared for
and taught.
weMAN's WORK
has been one of the grateful proofs OF advance
in charitable effort. What she has done in
the industrial schools for gills, as matrons in
penitentiaries, and even as superintendent OF
female prisons, such as some states have
wisely established, shows that the world is
waking up to the sense of its duty in
this regard. The model prison of this
country is the one under Mrs.
convicts. Here the superintendent, chaplain,
physician and teachers, as well as MINOR Off
GERS, are women, the good results of which
have justified the wide renown it has won.
The lady in charge of the Girls Reform
school in neighbOring state reported she had
never been obliged to send girl away BE-
cause incorrigible. In Portland, Me-, a po-
lice matron is employed who in the station
houses and Jail of the city attends to the ar
rested or committed females, and eight per
cent. OF this entire number have thereby been
reformed. In Providence the matron is one of
the permanent police officials of the city, and
from her work has sprung a home for dis
charged female convicts, and even the re-.
modelling OF station-houses and jail so as to
be suitable for women, wherein they could be
classified, and in case of girls, kept from con-
tact with other criminals. In Massachusetts,
a woman has been made member of the state
board Of health, lunacy and charity, with full
right to inspect and reportupon the public in
situations. Only till women interest them
selves, more generally in the latter, and de-
vote themselves to ameliorating the condition
OF their inmates, will those OF their sex be
saved from life of crime and shame.
THE UNFORTUNATE CLASSES
are being more prominently brought to the
attention now of the public. 1t is certainly a
sign Of our advance that so many noble men
and women are studying to learn how better
to do for the insane, for the convict class, for
the imoecile, the deaf mutes and blind for
those youth who need reformatory treatment,
and children who are on the streets, or victims
OF cruelty in improper homes. This confer
ence OF charities has brought before the coun.
try every class needing care and kindly treat
ment. The wants, exposures, possibili ties of
each have been studied, and as consequence
we are fast moving away from the times
when they were coldly neglected, or SUBJ
jected to treatment that only aggravated their
condition. We have institutions now for
almost every unfortunate class in the state,
and we are discovering that an ounce of pre-
vention is worth ton of cure, and that socie
ty is most benefited when the individual is