The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-29
FIFTY YEARS OF GOOD WORK.
The Benevolent Society's History Re-
viewed at It's Annual Meeting.
Addresses on Charitable Work by John NJ.
Butler, Revs. McCulloch and Wines and
0thers-How the Poor Should Be Aided.


night, to attend the fftieth annual public meet
Ing Of the Indianapolis Benevolent Society The
societies represented on the programme were
Indianapolis Benevolent Society, Charity Or
Ranzation Society. Flower Mission, Free Kim
dergartens, Newsboys' and Bootblacks Home,
and the indianapolis Orphan Asylum. The mu-
BIC for the occasion was furnished by Mrs.
lowering, Mrs Watson, H. C. Levi and F. b.
LOOMS. The children of the Orphan Asylum,
eighteen little girls and twelve little boys. SING
two songs. and were heartily applauded. The
exercises opened with prayer by Rev. E. J.
Gantz and Scripture reading by Rev. j. s.
Jenckes, d. d.
John NJ. Butler then spoke on 1.-THE New
Charity" Fifty years ago. when this society
was Termed, there we're, he said, no railroads,
no telegraph, no free schools, no daily mails, 40
cities in the State of Indiana. There was no
pauper class in Indiana then, willing to accept
aid with cringing, fawning establishment or
with surly threat There was no unknown
quantity in the community in those early days.
Each man in the neighborhood knew all the
Dther inhabitants. Under such circumstances
but little machinery was necessary to carry on
the operations of the benevolent society. The
poor were here; they always have been. and al
ways will be. but the causes that induced pow
erty were well known and instantly recognized.
Times and fashions have vastly changed. There
Is now an unknown quantity in the community.
Country neighborhood and village charity will not
40 for cities. The curse of careless almsgivng
IL often greater than the curse of want it is in
tended to relieve. The problem now is how to
-
nlated cities. What is the new charity2 Elk
perience has demonstrated that indiscrimnate,
lll-advised giving is full of harm. 1t encourages
lying and hypocrisy. undermines and degrades
character. Honest poverty can be borne with
and alleviated but pauperlsm that accepts pow
erty as normal condition, makes one fit tool
for vice and crime. The old charity gives from
selfshuess, rather from selfindulgence,
without regarding the effect upon the re-
cipient. 1t gives TO get the poor out Of
mind and out of memory. The new charity's
aim is to go deeper, and remove the causes that
produce the wants. But. the obJector says,
TOY much machinery and too little money al
rected 20 charity The answer is that this new
charity does take machinery; it requires system;
it requires employees; it neeessitates help;
it must do business business basis:
it must run as business concern. The
men in cities who are able to give to
charity are too busy to spend time in
investigating every case that may come
before them. They would rather devote part of
each dollar to investigating the cases that ask
relief. In many cases it would be far better
charity TO spend ninety nine and nine-tenths of
the dollar in investigation than that one mill
should be expended in building up and perpetu-
ating pauperism. 1t does not profess to give
anything in direct charity. Every church worth
: tho name is "A benevolent society itself. But
each must have q common center and headquar-
.tarS--a. union d6pok for Observation-Disclosures
they ars apt to suffer by impositiOns. Let us
uphold these associated charities with our
prayers, our hearts, our hands and our purses
Rev. o. C. McCuiloch spoke of the fifty years
work of the society. He said its records prior
10 1879 are lost, but that, according to B. r. Sui
grove. il is additionally claimed to have been
organized Thanksgiving Day. 1888. Indian
-zapoiis was then town Of 1000 people. OF the
committee on solicitation in 1886 only two, A. G.
Willard and Alfred Harrison, are living. About
1851 appeared the foreign pauper. and it was found
necessary to resolve that II be recommended to
citizens to refuse their assistance TO foreign
paupers soliciting money at their door or on the
street. and that sucn applicant be referred to any
meeting of the executive committees" In 1907
the society resolved against the principle of sell
ing the charge OF the aims house OF the county
IN a cheap offer. that not being IN accordance
with general and judlcious charity James
Blake was then president OF the society. AS late
1860 the expenditures were not more than
$548 The war came on. In 1863 the expendi-
lures were reported as $l,S03 including $706 to
soldiers' families. The society recommended a
city dispensary. In 1864 the expenditures were
50 053 in 1867 81 387 06. In 1871 the society had
grown to forty districts In 1874 there is ack-
uowledgement of $50 90 received from the city.
The city continued to contribute for several
years. In 1876 the society recommended to the
Legislature vagrancv law.
The immense increase OF relief given out by
the township trustee and other things, the
growth of the city among them. made reorgan-
izRtion of tho society necessary. The poor and
pauper from all over the State were shipped in
ellis was such a benevolent city" There had
grown up masses of aggregated pauperism num-
bering in some cases several hundred in family
or group The society was reorganized to meet
these changed conditions, and Jan. 5, 1879,
Oscar @. McCulloch was chosen president.
Since that time the chief object has been TO in
itiate methods of self-help among the poor; to
send friend into the homes of the poor. The
Friendly Inn has cared for many thousand
strangers The wood yard has given work on
an average to four thousand persons each year.
The clothing committee, the industrial commit
tee have given work to women. The free baths
have given twenty-five thousand baths In two
years. Each year the society has distributed
nearly hundred Thanksgiving dinners. Each
year it has given seven hundred of the children a
day in the woods. Through the employment
bureau 1t has found places for an average of
three hundred girls each year. At Christmas
slime it has remembered the children with toys
and candies In this work it has had COMPARE
sively little EXPENSE. During the year 1886 Its
receipts S., geo 1t has helped four thousand
persons at an expense Of $548.S7
I'm all this it is but carrying on the work be-
gun by those who organized the society fiftv
years ago. The ideas and, the present methods
were long ago stated. It's changed methods are
but the adaptation of the old ideas To the new
aonditions As the village became o city with it's
aew questions of municipal government. so the
village and town society has but adapted itself
30 new conditions. The seal of this
society is the face of James
Blake. In the life Of the society is the heart
throb of all the men and women who thought
also on the things of Others who loved their
neighbor and considered the poor; of James
Blake James NJ Ray, Calvin Fletcher John
Wilkins. Samuel Merrill, j. l.. Ketcham. and
many others, WHO are fallen asleep and OF
others who remain unto this day."
Rev. Fred H. Wines. of Illinois, was the next
sneaker. He spoke of Indiana being like
Gideon's ieece-dry. while all around was wet
with heavenly dew that Indiana was the only
State north of Mason and D,von,s lima that Aid