Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1884-12-25
Industrial Aid Society

In the village papers, a few 0fthe ladies'
of ChebOygan interested in charitable
efforts met in the parlors of the Grand
Central hotel Saturday afternoon, The
number present was not so large as
was expected, nor as large as the impOr-
lance Of the work designed justified and
consequently those present held only
formal meeting, talked the matter oyer
among themselves ard finally adjourned
until next Saturday afternoon at the
same place, when it is hoped larger at
tendance of the ladies of Cheboygan may
be had. In order to show what is being
done in other places, we have been per-
mitted to print the following extract
from letter written by lady in Lam
sing whore sach "a society has been in
operation for several years, accomplish
ing much good:
LANSING, Dec. II, 1884:
Ireceived your kind letter this morn
ing and hasten to reply. l am only too
glad to tell you how our Industrial Aid
began, il it will in any way help you be-
gin work as helpful and satisfactory
as ours has been.
Allow me to say in the first place such
work can be done by few earnest,
thoughtful people, as we'll, even better
than by multitude. All have sympa-
thy for the poor, at least in winter, but
all do not have the patience and courage
to look for the cause of suffering and do
away with that. will send you copy
of our constitution and bylaws. You
will see by that, that our aim is to find
work for every poor person who is able
to work, This is often hard but by en-
listing the cooperation of the gentlemen
of your place it will be more easy. We
werk with our county and city officers,
they attend our meetings and often give
us valuable information concerning
those who ought not to receive aid frem
any one.
Te organize. few az or 14) come to-
gether and appointed committee to
draft constitution and bylaws for the
sake of definiteness and to make our
purposes clearly known. Then we en-
listed few more adopted these and ap-
pointed committees to meet one after
moor ia each month to receive reports,
audit bills and etc. We secured room
for our meetings, enlisted the sympathy
of our newspapers. Cases of need were
reported, Investigated, relieved If worthy
denied il not.
We applied the work test as Thoroughly
as possible, sometimes paying one poor
and needy person, for doing washing,
white washing or wood splitting for the
sick or more needy or for ourselves,
rather than giving aims, whenever and
wherever the applicant was able to
work.
This helps to keep self respect, and if
one thinks carefully Is by far the kinder
and better way. 1t has been great
help to us to get all the information we
could find from other organized charities.
If there are two or three ladies who
are willing to oversee and plan work, it
is grand help to gather the girls
from these poor families and
teach them to sew, to mend and make
for themselves. Our school has now
been running five years and nearly two
hundred girls have received instruction.
To-day some of them can sew better than
their mothers.
Most of the second hand clothing
which we receive from time to time
needs repairing, this the girls soon learn
to do, and it is much better to give away
garment neatly mended and with
every button on, than one that must be
pinned and disgraces the wearer by its
untidiness.
send you also blank, which will
give you some idea of what our commit
tees try to ind out. To keep {. record Of
work done helps to faithfulness, and adds
interest to the meetings and helps to
enlist the sympathy of those not in the
work.
Perhaps l have already said more than
enough. You know how deeply am in
terested in this work. The longer l am
in it the more thoroughly convinced l
am that true charity is that which
teaches self help, and encourages indus
try and intelligence among the unfortu-
nate. If can be Of any more help to
you in the furtherance of this work
please let me know.
TRADE NOTES.