National Republican., 1883-03-09
THE LORDS POOR.
A History Of the Efforts Made in the District
to Provide for Them.
The Old ProWdent Aid Society and What
Came Of It,
i
The More Systematic and Satisfactory Work Of the
Associated Charities.
what the Association Needs and what IL
Aims to Accomplish.

Aims to Accomplish,
Mr.. i. S. Emery, the general secretary Of
the Associated Charities Of tho district, has
made his first annual address, which is now
being printed for general distribution and
which contains q great deal of very interest
ing matter, Mr.. Emery gives history of or
ganized charitable work in the district, show
ing how the work has been built up under
many difficulties, and how the present ad-
mirablc system is managed. lie says:
The Provident Aid society was the first or
ganized, and for several years dispensed aims
to those whom its visitors found in apparent
need. Its members labored assiduously to
prevent suffering without any positive motive
other than TO relieve immediate want, with no
systematic record, and no effort to remove
the causes Soup houses were instituted in
different parts of the city, and were accessible
without recommendation or identification.
| Long lines of men and women of all com
plexions and diversified conditions assembled
daily in front of these soup houses with Won
dertul regularity to receive their daily rations,
without a thought for the morrow's RESPONSE
blities, or a stimulating idea of valuable citi-
zenship, and the morrow found them in the
same well beaten paths to the soup house
again, every day adding new clogs to what
ever sensibilities of manhood remained
The principal ambition developed by this
process seemed to be to invent the best devices
| for duplication without detection.
So year after year food and fuel were dis
pensed so Unfortunately as to educate to
imposition, to demoralize, and to fill this dis
trict with an Improbable and dangerous class
of indoent persons, until an alarming con-
diton became apparent, and the Provident
Aid society, good as its intentions were and
merciful as its benefits were in many in
stances, but overwhelmed with applications
and conscious of necessity for different meth
ods, closed its doors.
CITY AND COUNTY BOARDS OF TRUSTEES.
Then followed the city and county boards
of trustees, with the late Hon. William Stick
ney as the executive officer of the city board
and your secretary as the county board but
no sooner had their doors been opened than q
horde of professionals swooped down upon
them, the most undeserving, as usua !, to the
front.
For little over six years these two agen
cies disbursed the public funds, feeding, cloth
ing, and warming the poor Of the distriet
Over $4,000 was expended in one year for thu
care of the out door poor of the district, anS
at the end of that year your secretary, il
maxi ng his report to the commissioners, rec
omm ended that labor test should be applied
by co-ope rating with the officers in charge o
public works, and two of the commissioner
approv ed the plan but, owing to the change
in the board soon after, the labor test was not
to any extent put in practial operation.
LABOR EXCHANGE. isIsa sl
The principle was not, however, lost sight
Of aud in about eighteen months from tina
time, in September, 1877, tho Washington
Labor exchange was organized, with the fol
lowing declaration as the first ar ticle in it
cOnstitution-to wits
Recognizing the wisdom and true charity o
helping the poor and unemployed TO help them
selves the people OF the District OF Columbia hav
organized the Washington Labor exchange.
And in another article of the constitution
appears:
It's our earnest purpose to discourage indiscrim
mate almsgiving, and to prevent, in ameasure tn
paupersm which forms 80 painful feature Il
our community
Correspondence was opened with corpora
tions, and with farmers outside of the dis
trict, with view Of finding employment TO
the unemployed.
During the year ending Sept. 30, 1873, 4,22
persons made application for work 1,25
persons found employment through tn
agency of the labor exchange, and 26 persons
were furnished with transportation from tn
city.
noble work. founded upon n wholesom
principle, was inaugurated 1t was the be
ginning of new era, with labor test as tn
corner stone, but it required only little owe
year and half to develop the fact that goo
men even tired in the prosecution of sue
phiant hropic enterprises, and, further, tina
there was something lacking in that nobl
structure That seemed to be in lack o
systematic ecOnomy-economy in husband
{ ing its resources and economy in utilizing anI
properly arranging the information whicl
was at its command.
LACK OF sYsTEMETIc REGISTRATION.
There were no checks or restraints upon tn
professional be ggar, the tramp, and the dupl
Gator. There was no systematic registration
Those who preferred begging continues
their vocation as before from door to door.
The public fund for the poor was dispense
through new and different agency withOu
f corporation with the exchange, and in May
1879 with a small amount in the treasury, bu
with heavy expenses to continue it, the exec
utive committee of the Labor Exchange re
solved to suspend the work during the sum
mer months, which practically meant a sus
pension without resurrection.
The influence of the labor exchange wa
good, and when 1t ceased it left in its stea
another organization modelled somewhat aftt
the old Provident Aid society and the labr
exchange combined.
THE DISTRICT sUBDIvIDED.
New plans for systematizing the work wei
instituted by subdividing the district and ~
portioning the funds TO each subdivision
they were needed patterned after tho ol
plan of the county board of trustees; but
= this it was relief from immediate necessiti
that prevailed, noble work. But the ro
! of the evil, the attempt to remove the caus
the prevention of duplication, the protoctiC
of the real needy, saving the funds for who
they were really dosigned-keeping fello
man from going down to condition OF be
. gary and loss of self respect and from co
! seriousness of good citizenship-was not a
q piled.
The rigid appliances of the fundament
= economic principles of true charity had not
yet prevailed.
Part of the public fund which was appropi
. ated for the poor was dispensed throuI
- another agency which led to n suspicion
. encouraging duplication and tho new PROV
= dent Aid society found it impracticable