The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-10
Associated Charities.

The meeting of Associated Charities ON
| Thursday last was very encouraging one to
the friends of the institution. Both the
number in attendance and the spirit of the
meeting indicated increasing interest in the
society. Twenty-eight persons were pres
emit, and President Marks in the chair. The
usual business was transacted and the in
terest of the meeting sustained through a
long session.
BY request of the association, some ex-
tracts from the secretary's report are given
below The following contributions are
gratefully acknowledged:
Mrs g. w True, 90
"A frlehd In Decfing Luz
Mrs. Ann L. Pierce, directly to the Work
Material M1a to the Work Room from Mrs Is sce
Snow.
1t should be clearly understood that all
contributions to the Associated Charities are
supposed to be for the Work Room. and will
be used there unless distinctly designated
otherwise. Surely no better use can be
made of money than to supply work to the
women who receive it there. The histories
of some of them would melt the proveTbial
heart of stone Twenty-six called for
work last week, and the indications are that
there will be many more applicants than the
present resources can supply.
The work of the association increases in
variety as well as in quantity. We now not
only Investigate and care for cases of simple
restitution for societies and individuals, but
physicians come to us to change conditions
which. making their services Intellectual, de-
mand immediate attention. Wives come for
advice and aid in protecting themselves from
drunken, brutal husbands. Sewing machine
and insurance entanglements are brought to
us to be Strengthened out, and so on through
quite lengthy list. We are glad to have it
so. We hope that more and more the society
will come to be known as the poor peoples
friend
In the past month we have investigated "a
cases. OF these but two have been thrown out
as unworthy, or not needing assistance.
Want of work and sickness are the reasons
generally given. for applying. think that
ly given and often perfectly valid Unskill-
ed labor is largely in excess of demand at
this season of the year. The long winters
increase the expense of even the barest liv
ing SO greatly that the small earnings of the
more favorable seasons cannot be made to
reach over. An insufficient supply of the
necessities of life brings sickness. The poor
prove their brotherhood as did Shakespeare's
Jew, by suffering like results from like causes
Will tHt iilOIC lOItuudbt lultueSS anu H.
sufficient nutrition inevitably reduce vitality.
Then there are the widows with little chill
dren, the aged and infirm. These, indeed,
we have always with us. Hence, while ac-
cepting fully the doctrine of the new chart.
ty,' "a friend, not aims; work, not gifts
and practicing it whenever possible, the fact
remains that relief must be given, and fear
quite largely through the inclement season q
But so great is the sense OF responsibility
gained from the experiences Of the place
fhaf r,,trc or unit paru a. or
ness that we fortify ourselves with all the
wisdom and all the information we can COM
mand, resolving to do no 'spasmodic work,
but to labor persistentlylfor better results
than temporary relief though that may at
times claim our first attention. Follow all
facilitating crises OF mnch aid with the
wholesome tonic of work whenever possible.
In worthy cases that cannot be entirely self
supporting ascertain definitely just what
must be added and endeavor to secure it
regularly. 1t would be far better than more
In charity work, as elsewhere, little well
done is of far more value than great deal
half done.
would like to call the attention of all in
terested in philanthropic work to the "Phil-
adelphia Monthly Register" Its subscrip-
ton price is but 80 cents per annam, and 1t
gives not only the record Of the. workings Of
organized charity everywhere but the best
thought of the day upon this and kindred
subjects.
Two cases of street begging are reported
One is chronic and hopeless so long as peo-
pie will give to pleasant faced. soft-voiced
woman, while her husband, a we'll man with
a good trade smokes by the fire at home.
The other says she has sick husband and
that Providence directs her to certain houses
for relief Unfortunately Providence does
not enable the visitors to find her at the adj
dresses she gives, or enable the physi-
clan she names to remember any such
patient"
Adjourned to the second Thursday in
February.