The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-01-24
THE "oRPHAN's HOME. .
An Institution On Ea.s asr... Run by Oh

An nstIsuf1oH On East Street Run by Cheek
Charity and Credit.
We have taken some pains to look
into this orphans home" and the
manner in which it is conducted, and
have not been able to satisfy ourselves
that it is regular, . or at all calculated /
to I'LL long felt want.
The originator, founder and manager
of the institution. which is located at |
401 East street, rented building, is /
one Mrs. Clarke, short, blocky wom-
an, with particularly smiling counte-
nance and a particularly thick neck.
The ''home'' has been in operation |
for perhaps two months. Mrs. Clarke |
does not appear to be aretired dowager, |
with bar'l at her back. In fact she |
began her charitable enterprise with |
nothing, and has looked mainly to the
benevolence and generosity of the
townspeople to supply her with such
things as are necessary even in the
humblest and most unpretentious es-
Enlistment.
Her plan has been to visit the stores
and solicit for the Home" such pro-
visions and articles of household use
as she could get-sometimes paying for
them, but generally asking for credit
or that they be contributed for sweet
charity's sake. One house, for example,
sent out about $40 worth of dishes and
other China ware, but the clerk not
liking the looks of the place brought
them back again. OF course they were
bought on time. Another grocery firm
sold her some flour. The man who
twelve sacks there already, and very
sensibly brought it away again.
Mrs. Clarke evidently believes in
storing up treasurs on earth, and if all
We have heard of her diligence in sOlic-
iting donations aud contributions be-
true, she ought to be well stocked up
for business.
Jim Kelly, who drives the delivery
wagon for Conner Bros, went out to
the Home last Saturday to collect
bill which she owed that firm. Madame
had not the money, but she would wash
Mr.. Kelly's shirt in part payment, cast
ing a sweet look on him at the time.
1t was the latter end of the
week, but Jim's shirt was
well nigh spotless, having donned it
that morning. Besides he did not feel
like standing around in his bare pelt
waiting for his shirt to be washed.
Being in hurry, and finding several
objections to the 1aundrying PROPOSE
ton, he fled like Joseph from
Potiphar's wife, being more successful
however, in bringing away his gar
ments intact.
Mrs. Clarke is not an educated wo-
man by any means, and prior to her
founding the orphans home did me-
NAL work wherever she could find it
about town. She appears to be bet
ter built for pot wrestling than for
founding charitable or elemosynary
institutions.
She has, we believe, done some SER
vice as a nurse, too. Perhaps it was
from this latter station that she gradu-
ated into the Orphans home or asylum.
Paraphrasing Governor Humph-
rey's sarcasm about the location of an
Imbecile asylum, we might say
that Madame's hopes of success in her
enterprise were based not SO much on
the number of children she may gath
er in, as on the number of older ones
she might work. on the outside.
The two children she has will be taken
away tomorrow we understand.
The two ladies who, she told a neigh
! Dor, were backing her to the extent OF
S. 900 each, were seen to-day, and
when the matter was preached
laughed at the idea of their supposed
simplicity.
: We don't want to injure Mrs. Clarke.
! We simply say that she is engaged in
building air castles. If qualified, she
has not the means to do the proposed
, good. The good that she can do, how
q ever, is to turn. her hand to that in
. which it has some cunning, and do the
+ work her abilities will enable her to do
Her present scheme is too highly fan
tastical.