The Portland daily press., 1882-10-09
THE DIET MISSION.
Annual Meeting and Report of omoera.

Annual Meeting and Report OF Ohcers.
The annual meeting of the Diet Mission was
held Saturday afternoon at the fraternity
rooms. The secretary, Miss Isabella T. Clark,
made the following report
sEcRETARY's REPORT.
AS our year of work draws to close 1t will
be not only pleasure but possibly profit to
glance back over the days that are past and see
what mas been done, in order that more light
may De thrown on the work of the future.
we nave aided through our mission this year
Sixty dlllerent persons, whom we found to be
worthy for longer or shorter time as deter
mined by the nature of their illness.
Inc ward visitors have made 795 visits DUR
ing the year and given out 2447 tickets.
Thirteen of our patients have died during the
year, among them dis. Deshon, the centena-
rian. Another death was that of an infirm
old woman who had been confined for years to
her bed and cared for by her daughter. Their
only means of support was the labor of the
daughter in cleaning and washing a nd to ac-
complish this she was obliged to leave her
mother alone many hours in the day. To her
aid came the Diet Mission, and since its origin
she has been able in many ways to ease the
daughters care by providing food for the inva-
lid mother if there is any one who doubts that
the Diet Mission is means OF doing good, let
us cite another case. In miserably furnished
dark back room of q tenement house in the
upper part of the city, a young girl of twenty
died this month of consumption. Her illness
was caused by want OF proper food and hard
YORK, as, while acting as servant for family
IN the eastern part of the city fn the day
time, she went every night to her mothers
room TO care for her comfort and health, thus
doing double duty. As a result nature re-
belled, and when we first visited her she had
had several hemorrhages and as was then
thought lay dying, cared for only by the poor
mother herself an invalid, and SO lame that
she could not stand without the aid of crutches.
The only money they had with which to pay
their little rent was earned by a boy of sixteen.
Yet, when, out Of consideration for the mother
the proposition was made to remove the
daughter to the hospital, the good woman, with
tears in her eyes, said, 80 you wouldn't Separ-
ate as. lady. If Mary must die and she must,
do let her die with me-
Such an appeal could not be resisted. The
mothers heart was lightened. and the daugh-
ters death made easier by the care and regular
supply Of nourishing foad furnished through
our ministration. As evidence of the result OF
our mission we quote the mothers words on
the day her daughter died. "It's only bless
ings can give you, ladies', but it's them you
shall have, for it was only the food you sent
her that kept my Mary with me and happy to
the last" Case after case could be mentioned
that would be of interest. We could tell of an
infirm invalid mother cared for by blind
daughter, to whose seanty supply the small aid
furnished by the Diet Mission comes in an hour
of extreme need. OF some who, in their time
of strength and prosperity, were ever ready to
extend helping hand to those in need, but
who, in their declining years, with home,
health, friends and money gone, were glad to
appeal TO rs for aid rather than to the more
public charities.
Help is gladly extended to all these cases,
and we rejoice in the hearty and cordial re-
Spouse of the churches to our call for supplies,
which enables us to carry comfort and cheer
into so many darkened homes. Fall of thauk-
fitness to all the friends of the Diet Mission
we enter upon new year, hoping that it may
be- rich in results and benefits to us all.
TREAsURER's REPORT.
The following report of the Treasurer shows
the receipts and expenditures from October l,
1881, to October Z, 1882:
Groceries and food received from churches
and given out by the Diet Mission, 2,297 RAJ
tons
Cash received from churches S15q "a