The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-06-19
A SINGULAR SOCIETY.
THE "SHUT ms" WHOSE MEMBERS
NEVER SEE EACH OTHER.
A Unique Organization Of Invaiids Whose
800 Member Are Distributed Through
out the WorId-They Exchs.-gs Letters
and Photographs-Thcir Magazine.


New York city is the headquarters Of
society whose members and associates,
500 in number. are scattered over the
five great divisions of the world II Is an
association scarcely known beyond the
circle of its own members and their indi-
vdual friends and acqualnlances II Is
never mentioned in the newspapers IL
is governed by no laws OF rules let
there is nothing secret in ts origin. aim
or organization for il is organized II Is
not a charitable society. though IT dues
not despise donations. and It's riemGers
are willing TO belT each other 10 then tull
extent. lts name will not be found in the
directory list Of organized associations IN
this city or in fact. In any list whatso
ever Its members never meet together.
never see each other. never exchange
handshakes or other greeting in propria
persona 1t has no club house, no rooms
for social gatherings There ia no annual
dinner. there are H. periodic festivities or
celebrations. as with most societies The
organization alluded to u gu altogether
unique affair.
THIS remarkable sisterhood and brother
hood-fo for it includes persons Of both
Shut In society Its members consist OF
men women and children who are shut
in" bv disease from the outside world, OF
invalids who seldom or never leave their
rooms. or perhaps even their beds. tsd
who in some cases have remained for more
than a generation III one never changing
spot, catching sight of life and nature
only through the window.
ORIGIN OF THE NAME
The name of the society was suggested
bv the words. And the Lord shut him
in" from Genesis xvii, 49, where refer.
ence is made to the Creators Enclosure OF
Noah inside the ark In polyglot Bible
the marginal texts imply that these words
may be taken in an emblematic rs well as
a practical sense. and that when the
folscr meaning is bestowed they signify
a kindly and protective Providence. II IS
in this sense in which the term shut in"
has been appropriated by the society
The name was bestowed by Mrs. j. NJ. d.
Conllin Of Convent. n. j.. and the
society itself originated in 1877 among
the contributors to The Advocate or
Guardian, the organ Of the American
Female Guardian society and Home for
4 the Friendlcss. in this city. Some Of
these contributors, secluded by sickness.
exchanged letters of sympathy and this
formed the basis Of an ever widening
communion which existed for eight years
in an unorganized condition. The society
was finally incorporated ID August. 1883.
Is objects are mainly TO relieve the
WEAKNESS OF the sick room by sending
and receiving letters and tokens of re-
membrane. and To testify to the consola-
ton and help derived from religion. To
be a sufferer. shut in from the outside
world. constitutes one proper candidate
for membership There are about 300
associate members who are not them.
selves nvalds, but who. being in deep
svmpathy with chronic sufferers. devote
considerable portion of time to their re-
lief There is an advisory board OF tf.
teen persons chosen from the society and
selected from different parts of the coun.
try. their duty being TO confer personally
or by letter concerning the interests OF
the association
THE SOCIETY MAGAZINE.
Mrs Mary l. Dickinson is the editor OF
The Open Window the organ OF tue asso-
citation. a neat twenty page monthly maya
] y
travs ouly an average order of intellect.
while II the same time ii remains true
that some of the members OF this remark
able federation have minds that are as
! cultivated as their sensibilities are acute.
! The vast majority are women. The rea'
son for this is that there are more chronic
/ invalids among women than among men,
and that the gentler natures OF women.
thus afflicted. lead them TO this sympa-
thetic intercommunion, whereby they rm
cherished ties with fellow sufferers whom
they have never seen and never will see
Many II the shut ms" are poor and
support themselves One of them, pos
sessed Of some literary ability. has secured
entrance into not less than twenty seven
magazines and newspapers, more than can
be said Of many talented professional
writers in the enjoyment OF health and
strength Another, who Is compelled to
be constantly Oh her back. has executed
some exquisite lace work, but so slowly
and with such difficulty that it Is scarcely
an eyaggeratIon to claim that every stltch
took an hour One member is anagent
for magazines and journals, good many
get IN devotional and birthday boxes:
scrap books. crazy quilts. paper flowers.
paper boxes, dolls clothes etc. occupy
tho time of some Interchange of photo
graphs and letters is popular among in
yalds who read about each other in The
/ Open Window 1t is stated that the ex.
istence Of the Shut In society has tonic
effect upon its members They constitute
a unique phalanx, bound together by the
tie of suffering the bondage of room.
vet sparsely spread all over the world.
From Sweden to the Sandwich Islands:
from the Netherlands to Syria. in India.
Burmah China and Japan the shut ms"
arc to be- found as well as in the towns
and cities of Great Britain and the United
States
Invalid children who wish to join the
association may do so In fact. especial
attention has recently been given to
juvenile shut ms" between the ages OF 0
and II. lady in plaintieId and one in
Boston having them in particular charge.
A missionary society has Likewise been
started, called the lnvalids Bieniliary.-
( New York Herald.