St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-19
After One Years Existence
the Society Sums UP What
1t Has Done.
1t Has Cared for Some and
Entertained Many in
Various Ways.
In Doing This There Has of
Necessity Been Consider
able Expense.
Some Things That Are Needed
to Carry On the Good
Work.

The committee IN charge of the news
boys club rooms, from the chamber of
commerce, has submitted a report of the
work done in one year for the little
waits. The committee says: The
NewsboyS' club was started Jan. Il,
1887. A room was furnished, at No. 20
East Seventh street, at an expense of
$50, and the club was carried on at an
expense of 800 per month until Oct. l,
1887, when the present rooms in the
basement of the chamber of commerce
building were taken at rental of so
per month. and were fitted up at an eX-
penSe of 500. The expenses of the
club. including the rent, since Oct. l.
have been $3.50 per month. The work of
looking after the newSboyS, boOt-blacks
and street boys generally, and taking
charge of the club rooms is conducted
by Miss Grace Johnston, assisted by
Frank &. Whitcomb, who are particu-
larry adapted 10 il, have great influence
over, and are much respected and loved
by the boys.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE.
The club rooms are carpeted, warmed
and lighted, contain piano furnished
10y Nathan Ford. good collection of
books and magazines and many kinds of
games and puzzles. One of the rooms
is used as gymnasium and drill room.
They are open from until $3.50 p. M,
during which time Miss Johnston and
MI. WhitcOmb are there. There has
been an average day or evening attend
ance of fifty boys, and more than 800 diff
ferent boys have spent more or less time
there during the year.
4 picnic in the summer, Christmas
t.ait
mentS were given during the year, and
a carnival club formed. The time is Oc-
cupied in reading. playing games, talk
ing with each other and with the super
intendentS, in receiving instruction, in
practicing gymnastics, and drilling in
the drill room. There has been a
marked Improvement in the physical
condition, manners and morals of the
boys, and. to great extent they now
regulate themselves; they will not per-
nit any swearing, chewing tobacco or
smoking in the club rooms, and some
have stopped drinking entirely. The
rooms have been almost home to many
boys with wretched or no homes of their
own. and no pleasant place to spend
their evenings. and quite number of
older boys spend nearly every evening
there, quietly reading. Outside the club
hours Miss Johnston and her assistant
look after the interests of the boys, OBJ
tain situations for them more than
twenty having been thus provided for,
induce the runawayS to return home and
reconcile them to their parents, visit the
boys in the hospital, in the Jail, the
wOrkhouse and the reform school, and
at their homes. They also have fire.
quently attended police courts and en-
deavOred to secure the proper defense
or punishment of those arrested for
petty crimes, and to save them, if pos
Sible, from the workhouse or peniten-
tiary.
WHAT Is NEEDED.
A home for the boys where they can
be lodged and fed at tritling charge to
themselves. There are now in this city
at least twenty-five boys who have prac-
tically no home and no place to sleep,
and as it is impossible for them, par
ticularly in the winter, when there is
little or nothing made from backing
boots, to earn enough during the day to
pay for lodging. even at the cheapest
and poorest lodging house, and to buy
food, they are compelled to sleep in
halls. engine houses or in any place
which affords them shelter, are fire.
quently arrested as Migrants, and are
driven to stealing to obtain sufficient to
they will become more clearly and bet
ter behaved, and grow up to be good
citizens instead of tramps and thieves
A house will be rented and furnished
with sleeping accommodations for
twenty boys, and lodging and meals
furnished to them at such price as they
can afford to pay or 10 cents for a
meal or bed. The mere suggestion of
such home was met with enthusiasm
by the boys themselves, twenty of whom
made petition in writing for the home,
and promised to pay what they could.
This cause appeals to all classes, and is
benefit to all citizens, and every one
should be willing to contribute to its
support. Nearly every city in this
country has newsbOys' home, and now
is the time to establish one here.
The expenses of furnishing and car
TyIng on the club have, until recently,
been met entirely by one man, aided in
part during the last few months by a
few others.
The time has now come when the
work will have to be abandoned and the
club broken up unless others will give
their aid.
PLAN FOR RAISING FUNDS.
The plan proposed for continuing this
good work and establishing newSboys'
home is to obtain subscriptions OF a
promise to pay certain sum per quar-
ter, to be continued for one year. The
subscriptions can be paid quarterly Oh
for the full year in advance. -
The money will be received and dis
tributed by committee who will be
chosen after the first quarter by the sub
Scribers to the fund. Exact accounts
will be kept of all receipts and diSburSe-
mentS, and a detailed report will be
made at the end of the first and each
subsequent quarter. An assessment on
each subscription will be made, based
upon the proportion of the disburse-
ments to the receipts in each preceding
quarter, and this report and notice of as
SeSsments will be mailed to each sub
scriber. By this method there will be
contributed only the exact amounts eX.
pended, and the larger the number OF
subscribers the smaller will be the
amount required from each.
If there is liberal response to this
appeal, and the cost of furnishing the
home and current expenses are met Out
of the first quarters subscription, the
amount for subsequent quarters will bt
reduced.
If there are not sufficient funds sub
scribed to warrant the taking and fur
nishing house, the amount contrib
uted will be used in continuing the clul
on its present basis until sufficient
money is furnished to guarantee the ex
penSeS of carrying on home for ont
year.
This method of presenting this mat
ter and of raising the funds is chosen
rather than calling public meeting, il
order to save your time, and rather thar
calling on you III person, to save the
time of the committee who are WILLING
to attend to the work but cannot spend
the time to call.
The undersigned have consented t,
act as committee for the first quarter
OF until their successors are elected b,
no c,hcoriharo