St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-30
The Comforts Afforded by One
Of st. Paul's Worthy
Charities.
Some of Those Who Find q
Welcome and a Home in
the Institution.
Mrs. Nicholson and the Noble
- Work She Does for the
Is Needy.
The Enthusiasm With Which,
Mrs. Pascal Smith Sup
ports the Home.

The Home for the Friendless. located
on Collins street. is one of the most
charitable institutions in st. Paul. The
building is large, airy structure, well
heated and ventilated, and is in every
respect, what it claims to be, a home
for homeless ones. The rooms are
neatly furnished and well kept, and. in
point of comfort, are superior to the
rooms generally found in board
ing houses. In the front side
of the building, the rooms
are called ''church rooms" from the
fact that each prominent church in the
city defrays the expense of furnishing
and caring for one room. There is a
First Baptist room," a Central Park
Methodist room," a "Hebrew ladies'
room," each room being namt d for the
church which supports it. The matron
of the home, Mrs. Nicholson, who has
the building and its inmates under her
direct supervision, is kind, motherly
woman, and we'll fitted for her depart
ment of work. Her pleasant and
EASY MANNER
makes her popular with the board OF
managers and those who are under her
charge. The aim of the institution is to
help those who are unable to help them
selves. Aged women, homeless children
and girls out of employment or broken
down in health, find welcome in the
home; but those now lVingin the build
ing are not all destitute. Many of them
are old ladies whose homes are broken
up by the death of their families, and
there are others whose independent
spirits find life among strangers more
tolerable than helpless dependency
upon relatives. A life membership is
obtained by the payment OF $500, and
some of the old ladies have friends who
pay this amount and thus secure for
them comfortable home during their
lifetime. Others are the widows OF old
soldiers, and out of the pensions they
receive they are able to pay the men,
bership fee and still have small
amount each month sufficient for the
purchase of clothing and other neceSsa-
ries. Those who desire to enter the
home as life members and yet have no
means whatever are taken in and cared
for, and the membership fee is raised
by the board of directors.
SERVANT GIRLS
out Of employment or broken down IN
health. find in the home place to re-
cuperate, and those who are able, make
some return for their board by helping
about the work of the house; but those
unable to work are tenderly cared for,
and when health is Tegained. employ
ment is found for them. There are
many servant girls among the inmates
of the institution, and the poor girls
find here true home for the
friendless. The home has many appll-
cations for help from foreigners. and
very often, emigrantS just arrived in
the city are found in the most destitute
circumstances. Some months ago a
poor Polish woman went to the man
ayers with a most pitiful story. She
said her husband had died on the voy
age over, and she had arrived in the
country perfect stranger, with no
friends, no money and babe only
few weeks old. The mother and child
were admitted to the home, and the
Polish baby, now ten months old, is as
fat and happy an infant as one would
care to see. The mother got work and
is still boarding at the home, Many of
those who go to the home, out of health
and out of employment. become
ATTACHED TO THE PLACE.
and after they become able to support
themselves. they remain, paying IS per
week for board. They find more COM
fort and home-like surroundings there
than could be secured in the average So
a week boarding house. There are gem
orally from ten to twenty children in
the building, but at present the little
Polander is the only child on the prem
ises. Many children with, apparently,
c..:o IL aIoti in tho world
picked up by benevolent people and
placed in the Home, and they remain
there until suitable homes are found for
them. The younger ones are frequently
adopted in good families; others are
adopted by the State school at Owa-
tonna. and sometimes the Home adopts
the children. There are now two boys
belonging to the institution who were
taken in infancy. The boys are sixteen
and eighteen years of age, and are two
very important members of the house.
hold. being the only men about the
place. In some instances,
TRAINED NURSES,
coming to the city as strangers, go to
the Home from preference. and while
boarding there, they are aided by the
matron and managers to become known
throughout the city, and thus get good
start in their profession. In the Home
of the Friendless, as in all institutions
of the kind, there are many interesting
stories and sometimes romances con-
nected with the lives of those in the es,
adjustment. There is one old
woman in the building, now
helpless and bed-ridden, who
was. in the early days of st. Paul,
a prominent member of society and
the organist in Christ church. A
woman who was some years ago a sue
cessful physician in the state, is now
entirely broken down from Overwork
and anxiety. and has taken refuge in
the Home for the FriendlesS. Some
finely elucated women, many of whom
have been well-tO.do school teachers,
and others. music teachers, have been
unfortunate in losing their health and
positions, and gladly avail themselves
of the home comforts to be found in the
institution. The work of
BEFRIENDING THE HOMELESS
has many warm advocates among the
prominent men and women or st. Paul.
ii. p. Upham is especially interested in
the Home. and every Christmas he
sends it donation of S25. This Christ
mas two prominent business men gave
a donation of 500 to the Home. There
is. perhaps, no woman in the city who
is more interested in charitable work
and more busily engaged in helping the
unfortunate than Mrs. Pascal Smith:
She is president of the board of
managers of the Home for the
Friendless, and her untiring energy
in soliciting contributions. as we'll as
the liberal donations from her own for
tune, have done much to place the home
on a firm financial basis. The plan for
raising funds has recently been changed.
At one time the appeals for help were
confined mostly to the eharitably in
clined ladies in the churches, but Mrs.
Smith now goes boldly
TO THE CAPITALISTS
and business men. and when the case is