Morning journal and courier., 1885-05-13
Wednesday, May 13, 1885.
LEILA DAY NURSERY.


 Haven,s New Charitable Organiza-
 ton.
 The first annual meeting of the Leila Day Nursery organization was held yesterday af- ternoon in the chapel of the United church on Temple street. The first year has been ot very much importance and interest. Addi- tions have been made to the laundry and other improvements made. The object of the nursery is to relieve the working women fiNew Haven by taking, care of their chll- dren through the day and to improve the children physically and morally, thus lessen ing crime and poverty. During the past year many children have been at the nur- sery, but there have been no cases of sick ness. In July, through the kindness of one of the managers, the children were given an excursion to the seashore, and Thanksgiving and Christmas were made as pleasant as could be for them. Employment has been given in many cases to the mothers outside of the nursery, thus carrying on modest but profitable intelligence office.
 The physician and matron have done all that they could to further the interest of the nursery, and those who have kindly assisted by benevolent acts are kindly remembered. The daily average attendance at the nursery has been above ten and the aggregate at tendance is 3,166. About forty families have been represented at the nursery by above sixty children.
 MT. Gustavus Eliot is the physician to the Day Nursery. In his report he stated that the nursery exerted a beneficial influence that could not be overestimated. The chil- dren come from the most crowded parts of the city and are fed at unreasonable times on improper food, owing to the carelessness with which the mothers must necessarily take care of their children in order to do their own work for the support of the fami- Iy. The nursery enables these children to enjoy a complete change of surroundings during the working hours of each day. The nursery is on quiet street and is in excel lent sanitary condition. The interior of the house is kept very neat, is well lighted and carefully ventilated. The unhealthy .luxu ries which form so large part of the diet of many poor children are forbidden and meals are served which are appropriate in every way to the need of children. In short, the children are taken from unhealthy surround ings and knowing no restraint and placed in a clean, comfortable and healthy place where they enjoy everything which they can possi ply need. Though the nursery does not un dertake to perform the function of hos pital, it prevents sickness by preventing the atmospheric conditions which the children are subjected to at home. At the close of his report the physician stated that the friends of the nursery had every reason to feel gratifed by it's sani- tary condition and extensive influence.
 Mrs. s. Hartwell Chapman, the president of the organization, read an interesting paper and gave many facts in regard to the nursery and it's work. Her address was somewhat as follows: Why do we begin new charitable organization when there are already those in existence which find difficulty in obtaining funds for support What is the necessity 0f day nursery when two orphan asylums and a county children's home already exist The number of working women in New Haven is unusually large. Many of them are widows or have been deserted by their hus- bands. They are employed in factories or shops and often have small children dependent up on them for support. These children during the working hours have to be left at home locked up in their rooms and of course can not be trusted with fire and have during the day nothing to eat but cold lunch. It is such neglected waifs for whom the nursery cares The mother brings the little ones to the nursery at in the morning and leaves them in charge of the matron, confident that when she returns for them at 6 she will find them well and happy. In another way the nursery is necessary charity, for it reduces the number of women depend ent upon the town for support. Many of the mothers with whom the nursery comes in contact are poor only because they cannot obtain work while fettered with their little children. To such we say that we will pro- cure work for them and take care of the children while they perform it. In this way we know that several women who were for merly dependent upon the town for aid have become self-supporting. We think this explains the necessity and the of this charity organization.
 In regard to the orphan asylums and chill dren's home we say that the former separate the children from their mothers, while in the nursery the children are returned to the mothers every night In the home only the children of the most vagrant and degraded parents are cared for, while the nursery helps those mothers who wish to help them selves.
 Such considerations led two or three ladies to open day nursery. The first attempt to found such an institution was made in George street in connection with an other home. But after a time it was considered wiser to carry on the nursery as a separate organization. The Iuuu WHICH udu D60A IdlSco dluOuAlOu lO about $400 and was placed in the bank. In March, 1883, small house, No. GA William street, was rented for year. At first the progress was slow. Peculiar pride kept the children at home and but few of the mothers brought them to the nursery. The case of every woman applying for admission for her children was carefully investigated by either the matron or one of the committee. Those children who are old enough are sent to the public school, while those too young for this attend the kind dergarten the executive committee of which extended kind hospi tality to the many children. All of the children return to the nursery at 12 o'clock and have simple dinner of soup or nour- ishing stew At half-past five they eat their supper of bread and milk, and at six the mothers call for them and pay five cents per day for each child. Those who have been longest at the nursery are the most healthy and happy children that can be found.
 A laundry has also been established at the nursery. At first there were no tubs, no room in which the women could work was part of the cellar which was
 fixed up for the purpose Nevertheless the laundry was started and has more than paid it's expenses and has given satisfaction to all it's patrons More than this can hardly be expected, considering the disadvantages with
 which the laundry is carried on. An attempt was made JnlS spring bO nlre large mousse and run the laundry on a more extensive scale, but without success, and to do this we
 must own our own house, as landlords do not
 like to rent to charitable institu-
 tions Already the laundry has given
 seventy days work to different women. Mrs.
 Chapman in closing her paper expressed
 thanks to the many friends who had upheld
 and strengthened the institution. During
 the year about $500 has been sent in for the
 organization in donations, and said that
 though there had been many discourage
 ments, yet in almost every case help had
 come from an unexpected quarter at just the
 right time.
 The matron of the nursery is Mrs. Hill
 and a lady more kind and affectionate in car
 ing for children could not be found. Tht
 nursery is called the Leila Day Nursery il
 memory of Leila Ingerson Ganse, wht
 died in Wilmington, Delaware, December IS
 in the tenth year of her age. An institution
 with a more worthy object cannot be found
 and those more worthy of patronage ar few
 The following officers were elected yester day: President Mrs. s. Hartwell Chapman executive committee, Mrs. E. Hayes Trow
 bridge, jr., Mrs. Huntington Denton, Mrs Henry L. Hotchkiss, Mrs w. L. Cushing l Mrs. Arthur M. Wheeler, Miss Winchester Miss Mary E. Bristol, Mrs. John B. Fitcl