Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-27
Young Women's Home.

|
 Young Women's Home.
 The Work Of the Organization the Past Year-EncouragtngR Results.
 The second annual report of the Young Women's Christian association has just been issued in pamphlet form. The report of the I secretary says:
 We began the year in the rooms previously ' occupied on the corner of Chapel and Union | streets, but as the weeks went on there was 6 \ growing conviction that they were not adapt \ ed to our needs, either in locality or accom | modation. This, added to the difficulty in \ obtaining suitable boarding places for young ' women who needed such provision. caused the ladies to feel more imperatively than ever the necessity of securing a ttHome which would give good boarding accommodations, 8 \ permanent library and reading room, and room for the classes which receive instruc- | ton 8 Home in which to combine all de- partments of the work"
 In our perplexity as to how to accomplish our desire, donation of s., ,0OOsw received from lady friend in this city, whose heart had been moved thereto by reading our ap peals for Home. At joint meeting of the \ finance committee and our board of trustees held not long after, one of the ladies made an urgent and heartfelt plea for homeless girls, in response to which one of the trustees gave her $2,000 to be added to the previous donation. With this amount in hand the way seemed open to make beginning.
 After carefully examining houses in vari-
 ous quarters of the city and after many con- sultations with our board of trustees, who aided us most cordially with their counsel and their time, 1t was decided to purchase
 the property on the corner of Chapel and Brewery streets known as the Roberti place. Ona-half the Ourehaaa n0nav was maid down ($10,000 paid down; $10,O0O on mortgage
 for three years at five per cent, payable in
 installments of not less than $2, ,OO0), and the
 payment of the rest guaranteed on terms sat isfactory to both parties.
 Immediately after the building came into our possession it was put into the hands of
 the furnishing committee for cleaning. re- pairing and furnishing. Of the labor con- nected with this Mrs. Bliss, the chairman of that committee, says: It seemed formid- able task ,as our treasury was low and we did
 not feel justified in drawing from it except on an absolute necessity. But we had Ffaith as
 grain of mustar seed,' and it was evil
 denced by work. Our committee was en-
 larged by the addition of some earnest, ef- ficient workers from the board of managers.
 Personal appeals were made to our merchants and artisans in various departments, and cor dially responded to by direct contributions or generous reductions on purchases made.
 Several of our citizens contributed money especially for this purpose, and many ladies
 have helped us by thoughtfully sending ar
 ticles of furniture from their own houses, so
 that the "Home'' in it's present condition
 bears testimony to the generosity of the citi- zens of New Haven. But like Oliver Twist
 we want s'more." Will not the ladies of our
 city take the trouble to visit our Home and
 learn for themselves how much is needed
 with which they could supply us when, in
 the coming spring, they renovate their own
 homes, setting aside furniture which they
 would be glad to know was doing good some
 where
 Some time was occupied in this prepara-
 tory work, but on the 17th of October our
 Home was opened for boarders. Since then
 we have accommodated, for longer or short CT period, more than thirty different guests, and there are at present eight members in
 the family, including our superintendent.
 As the Home becomes better known we
 hope to have the numbers increase until it
 shall become entirely self-supporting.
 A very important and successful depart
 ment of our organization is that under charge
 of the Committee on Instruction and Work
 and just here is one of the surest evidences
 of the success of our undertaking. During
 the first year of our existence the classes
 formed were few in number and compara-
 lively small in attendance. Much time was spent in making those coming to the rooms feel that they were among friends who intended to help and encourage them. Now the requests for classes are so numerous and the numbers in attendance increasing to such an extent, That it is becoming serious question how to provide accommodations for all. And that great interest is being taken in our work is plainly shown by the fact that volunteer teachers are more readily obtained than was the case year ago. The number of pupils having received instruction in drawing during the year is 12; in instrument .1 n s.. ography G; in embroidery II; in German 3; in English language 7; in history and in the Chatauqua circle IS. There are also other classes ready to begin work as soon as teachers and accommodations can be provided In addition to these classes for adults, there are two for little girls in needlework. The one in simple ornamental work, meeting on Thursday afternoons, contains over thirty children. The other, begun more than a year ago, and carried on by Mrs. Shaw and other ladies of the College street church, and reporting at our last annual meeting thirty two members, has increased in size till dur ing the year there have been more than POO scholars in the class, or ''schoor rath CT. The roll now numbers 150. The largest attendance at any one time was 96; the average expenditure sixteen cents per pupil. The number in the classes per one week-exclusive of the juvenile classes lis over 100, total over 250 per week. 4uTOuRn GQ0S9 our 1DuQ6HCo IS O641S I61E in more than fifty families in the city.
 The entertainment committee have contin- ued the arrangement, entered upon more than @ year ago, of providing special entertain ment on the first Wednesday evening of each though every Wednesday evening is considered social occasion, when, as far as possible something is planned for the of those present. In these efforts we have been kindly and cordially as- sistedj both by amateur and professional friends in the city, who have helped us with concerts, readings, etc., and to one and all we return our hearty and sincere thanks. We would also extend our thanks to the gen. tlemen connected with our various city papers, who have so generously and courteous ly found space in their columns for advertise ments and notices of our wants and needs without expense to us.
 The report further speaks of the library and the addition of two hundred books and other reading matter; the work of the visit ing committee and the devotional com- mittee. The report adds: 'SThe young est branch of our work, though not the least important, is that of our Home and boarding department, in which we firmly believe we are meeting great and long felt want Only those who themselves have been strangers in strange land, unknowing and unknown, can fully realize the need of some such provision, and the blessing it may be- comea to all who fall under its influence. Young women come to this city expecting to find speedily some place where they can earn good wages, only to meet with disappoint- ment. Without sufficient means to go to 8 regular boarding house, what can they do {? Again, others who are at work earning enough by six days labor to pay the weeks l board find themselves, owing to lack of busi- ! ness or to needed repairs in the factory, without work for day, or even week. With hearts heavily burdened, not knowing | where to turn for help, how easy to become I and ready to yield to temptations