The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-20
CHARITIES OF WOMEN.
THE work IN NEW YORK AND
WHO DO IT.

Personal Work OF Many women
among the Poor-Rich People Who
Are Not Afraid of Cont acUwitn Their
Fellow Creatures-Wome Work
for Women.
copyrighted 1851
NEW YORK, Feb 1S.-A fow days ago l
was looking drought the books of a city
charity. 1t was not a rich charity nor
fashionable charity, but ran across a ia
miliar name 1t stood opposite the item,
concert tickets for distribution several
times. y 1t appears in the newspapers peri
odicallv, credited with gifts here and gifts
there aggregating tens of thousands, but
here it might have been credited with
something not so cheap as money, personal
consideration for the individual pleasure
os obscure folk who could make no re-
turn,
Charity is the fashion That is the usual
way of putting it, Charity is a recog-
nized means of getting into the swim. For
y This reason the pet charities of the social
leaders seldom lack support Which
doesn't speak badly for the swim when all's
said.
To speak less cynicaly but with equal
truth. it would astonish people to be told of
the simple, unostentatious giving that is
daily going on. They would find its sin
cerity. as we'll as its amount Incredible 1t
is SO hard to ascribe to rich people motives
rs good as ones own.
Since the deaths of Miss Wolfe and Mrs.
Astor there are no women better known in
New York as large givers to many causes
than those of the Vanderbilt family. With
out reciting subscriptions to hospitals and
building funds, look for the little things that
imply womanlv feeling and helpfulne S.
Won will find Mrs Elliot F. Shepard, the
Oldest of Vanderbilt's daughters, sending
the st. Nicholas, The Eclectic, The Chris
tam Union, and half a dozen other maya
zines and periodicals to the reading room of
the Young Women's Christian Association.
You will find her sister, Mrs William D.
Sloane the wife of the great carpet dealer,
choosing STANDARD books from her own
shelves for the library of the same institu-
ton You will find Mrs. Shepard sending
clothing and deicacies to the sick; and not,
through the channels which are chronicled
in the press, seeing to it that large number
of working girls have a fortnight's vaca-
ton in summer out of town. Ask the
pastor of st. Georges church, the Rev. w.
s. Rainsford, and he will tell you that no
one cause has contributed more to the build
ing up of the industrial school, the employ
mpnt society, the visiting committees and
other charities carried on by his parish
than the active and sympathetic copera-
ton of Mrs. Corne Illus and Mrs. w. H. Van
derbilt.
Other women who are known for their
charities in large ways do not neglect the
personal, individual ways Mrs. William
Aston has a pretty way of sending flowers
for poor girls entertainments. Mrs. jean
pette Thurber, who sunk so much money in
the American Opera because of her public
spirit, has given a musical education TO
numbers of poor girls in New York, and
sent them to Paris when they had exhausted
means of instruction here. She scatters
tickets to anything in the city worth hear
ing broadcast. think could lay my hand
on a slngularly useful sewing machine put
where it would do the most good by Nine.
Demorest. | have heard of holiday ice
cream and Easter lilies for convalescent
hospital patients brought in person by Mrs.
Robert Hoe and that same lady has accom-
modated something like fifty sick women in
her own cottage at the seashore. The
smaller charities of Miss Grace H. Dodge, of
the School Commission, are numberless.
You will hear of her good work at the New
York Infirmary for Women ard Children,
among the poor of her school district, among
the working girls, everywhere. Mrs. Mar
tina J. Lamb the historian and editor of
the Magazine of American History, works
equally hard as President of the Loan Re-
church, to which she belongs Mrs. Russell
Gage, wife of the several times million
aire, has many large benefactions set down
to her name, but she does active, persistent
work in private as President of the WOm-
EMS Missionary Society of the Rev. DIR.
PaxtOn's West Presbyterian church She
gives her strength ungrudg ingly and Mrs
Jay Gould who belongs to the same congre-
CATION gives frequent assistance with advice
Is we'll as with cash Mrs. John Perpont
Morgan and Mrs. William f. Dodge are
other constant workers in private and parish
charities.
The charities of women for women are
among the most efficient and most beautiful
carried on. The Young Women's Christian
Association wanted money for new build
ing two years ago. 1t owned the land on
East Fifteenth street, on which the COM
handing five-story building, plans for
which had been accepted, was to stand, but
1t wanted Sl25, 900 for the work. 1t raised
$4,000 without trouble and more than
half of it came out of women's pockets.
Four of the Vanderbilt women were repre-
sented, Mrs. Elliot F. Shepard giving S25,
800 and Mrs W. H. Vanderbilt, Mrs. II.
McTwombley and Mrs. W. D. Sloane, other
large sums Mrs. Morris K. Jessup, Mrs
Whitelaw Reid, Mrs. August Belmont and
Mrs. John D. Rockefeller were among the
band of women of much money and of lit
Tie money VINO contributed 10 MAKE pos
able the enlargement Of the free classes and
the employment bureaus for working wom-
en-, which the institution in its new home
sustains
The Cooper Union Woman's Art School,
which gives instruction to promising girls
VINO are unable to pay for instruction, but
Who wish either to teach or pursue art as a
profession, has an advisory council OF wom-
en- who devote themselves to it earnestly.
mrs. Abram S. Hewitt and the Misses
Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt are among its
most active members and their efforts are
supplemented by those of Mrs. Edward
Cooper, ex-Mayor Cooper's wife; Mrs. W.
botta, Mrs John Sherwood, Mrs. Burton N.
Harrison, Mrs Thurber and others equal y
well-known.
The New York Exchange for Women's
work, which was pioneer IN its line and
tas become large business house, employ
ing several clerks to dispose of the tasteful
pretty decorative pieces made by women TO
whom clerkship would be living death,
nas stanch friend in its President, Mrs.
william g. Choate wife of ex-Judge Choate,
VINO has further shown her interest in a
pressing question of the day by founding
ana endowing school for the practical edu-
cation of girls.
II, The management of the Association Of
working Girls Societies comes under the
mead OF practical philanthropic work. There