Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-09

THE PHILANTHROPIsTs' CONGRESS
Confederation OF Means 20 Alleviate the
Mfseries Of Human sunerers.
At the session of the Charities and Corrections
convention last evening letter from ex-Post
master General James, asking the cooperation
OF the convention to secure the passage of bin
by Congress establishing postal savings bank,
was read. Mr.. George w. Hall, of Philadelphia,
read an interesting paper on the alleviation OF
the mtseries of public prisons. DIR. /. N.kerlin,
OF pennsylvania, read a report from the CON-
mittee on provisions for idiots. These papers
were all thoroughly discussed.
TO-day's Session.
AT this morning 8 session of the conference,
Mr.. Hart read a paper by F. II. Wines secre-
tary OF the Illinois state board of charities,
which treated upon the subject of indetermln-
ate sentences. The writer took the ground that
the object OF a sentence should not be vindic-
tive, but reformatory, and should be regulated
py the conduct OF the prisoner to great ex-
tent. The confinement OF the criminal should
ehu WIN MS crlminality. reformed prisoner
shoulu De released As soon as the reformation
mas oeen achieved persistent criminals should
De confined as long as they persist in their
crlmlnalty, even IL for life. The writer thought
the lndeterminats sentence promised y rsduc-
tion OF crime and the reformation of many of
the criminal classes.
0AKAO f6OGhkSS OC HUMANE WORK IN THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
Mrs. Sara A. Spencer read the report Of the
District of Columbia, commencing with the
statement that this was the seventh time she
bad been asked to present the report, but that
she had heStated TO do SO, as the conference
had not been invited to meet here for the pur-
pose OF hearing the District people talk but to
charity ana CORRECTION in the Di ,fricl had Not
merely advanceq, but had lcAted forward.
She explained that she had been limited To a
single page OF the printed report, SO would have
to practice homeopathic principles. "What-
ever, she said, you may think of the present
condition OF our charitable and correctional
institutions from your brief view OF them re-
Gently. am glad you will never know what
was the1r appearance and condition y year ago.
graded by the labor of their inmates walls have
oeen built, gardens planted, lawns Anoothed
and decorated, new roads opened: and time
and space fail to show the improvement in
internal management and external thrift
One OF the most striking in
creations OF "A healthy growth in pubic
year Is that although there has been a willsr
grucl IN its severity, and the miserable poor
have held ou; their hands and lifted up tler
voices lor D. eau and wood. and coal and cloth
ing, there has been no citizens relief commit
Tee appointed to canvass the District OF Column
sia for funds. The press and the people have
disc yvered thai these are the same crunic tnt
and lag begssrs who have lux uriated on aims
year alter year, and they have allowed them To
- Oh NCk.J NSil, e., tieN Wou q
not wor k and earn an honest living. The work
mousse inmates nave more than supported
them seiEes and have contributed some " nat to
tLe support or The aim house and hospital.
Abie cod: ed tram.bs have been promptly ar
rested and placed in the workhouse to the
num- Der oi 2,I59 instead of ia the com Portable
Jal4, Wncre tley mi ht be SUPPORTED in ease
without labor. am sorry to pas. over
the immelte work done by the warm hearted
women oi Washington during the past ysar for
,he Homeopathc hospital. the Garfield
go>pi al, tue Nur eS IRA ming school, the
ii;, noG'e Of, OF Mercy, the Woinan's Chris
forms of be.evolence But the expenses
pave been too VAT Ia proportion to The needs of
}}nls Di.tfict. Aside from private charities. the
thlted states and District ot Columbia Jointly
have expended in one year i'll The care OF the
Criminal. delinquent and dependent Classes the
sum oI $3.50 3, as District official, hi
In authority, tsas sured it ONT 1ne; equal to
trct o. SAT-. New Yot' the great 'ls Clearing n
house of the dependent ella: .ses expends only at
a cost per capita o. 81 92 Ii is true that rarnps.
paapers and dead beats 90 love 10 sc tie down
Ia l.eir "wn national capital. The u. 5. Treas
Eariuu good fat sineGures, are here, the Presi-
9entls pere, no great industrial enterprises are
Gete; Why sh"uid tIey not settle down in this
Garden oi Eden and let the country and the cit
Hens Oh the District support them.'
speaking further rs. spencer s2id that there
wa. want ol system and unity aha Ong some of
the charitable organizations and their book
Keeping was defective.
DISTRICT DELEGATES WISH TO DISCUSS TIE
REPORT.
At the close of this report several District
delegates jumped to their feet and asked for
discussion of the report. 1t was held by the
Chair. however, that this was no time for such
N scuss Sion, and the conference became dis
turbed and u little dcmonst. alive over the
prospect OF q Wr;.:i gle.
Flnal!y Y Il motion was made to allow Mr. Lewis
Abfa.iam>, representing tine Industrial Home
school, hxe minutes in w.icll to reply to the
report This was promptly voted down. Mr..
Abrahams ana Others pcote:t :t-u against the
decision. Mr. Barbour tnen Insisted upon the
matter being put in a different form, allowing
h'e minutes to the Dis rict VI Columbia.
A 1--WE MINUTES DEFENSE OF THE DISTRICT
This was finally agreed to.and Mr.. Abrahams
was then given the floor, and In Il prompt and
emphatic way. went on to offset what he
termed an incorrect imp 'ession left by the
port OF Mrs. Spence. lie said that S15, 900 OF
tie money eIp Ipsnued for charities and correc-
tions in the District Went to support the insane
soldiers and wandering cr:lnks from the states
at the Washinsion asyiumS In reference to
the statement OF Mrs. = Spencer that there was
no system OF reports by the various inStitu-
tions me said that he made full and detailed
report to the Secretary of the Trea >ury every
year. Besides this a large amount or the money
spent this year was Tor buildings to replace old
rickety structures not fit ior use. Another
thing he wanted To call the attention of the con.
ference to Wa, the fact that the earnings of the
poor children who were put to work was turned
over to the U. 5. governmeni-covered into the
not laid aside, as it should
be, for the benefit of the poor children
10y whose hands ii was earned He said the
children at tie Industrial Home school made
$500 per year by selling Strawberries. This
money was covered into the United States
children Laid up nothing from
their labor. They also made the wooden tree
boxes ia use here. About $7OO were thss
earned by the children. This, too, went to the
Vni!ed sta .es governmcnt.
A paper upon Compulsory Education" by
w. L. Harris, of Concord, Mass, was read. This
Was followed by paper by Mrs. So rAh T. Cooper
or California, upon "The kindergarten"
MISS CLEVELAND PRESENT
During the proceedings Miss Cleveland quietly
entered the hall and took a seat in the front
row, near the reporters table-the only seats
easily acoss sible. During the reading of the
papers and the discussion that followed she WAS
u silent and interested listener.
DISCUSSING TIE KINDERGARTEN
The principal subject Of discussion was the
Miss Hallowell, of Philadelphia, in answer to !
q suggestion by one Of the delegates that the
not drag children from their
homes, made a statement concerning the efaect
Of the kindergarten upon homes. She said
that many OF the children of the free kinder.
garten had parents who were either very hard
worked or vicious, and could not or would not
care for their children. In these families the
children taught At the kindergarten acted as
in such homes, carrying tn0re the
influences that worked upon them At the
schools. This was q most subtle and effective
way OF working general reform and prevent
ing the growth Of the criminal classes.
Mr. Simon Wolf thought that II millions
were spent In kinaergaitens millions would be
saved that are spent in the support of etim-
lnals.
Affairs I'm West washinxton.
A STRANGE NAN IN THE HoUsE-Nrs.
Cornelius R:lmSl,urY No O2c1 q