The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-09
THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES.
Annual Meeting, Report of the Society and
Election of Officers. 4


The annual meeting of the Associated
Charities was held yesterday afternoon
| in the ante-room of the Council Cham
Der, City Building, and the annual report
made by the secretary, Miss G. M. Patten.
and accepted. 1t is as follows:
AS the winter season approaches we
are reminded that the work of the
Associated Charities which has in
measure been laid aside during the sum-
mer months is again to commence, and
and while we look back over the year
now closing to see what has been ac-
complished, we also look forward and
seek to lay such plans for future work as
shall greatly increase our usefulness.
| The two first monthly meetings were not
we'll attended owing to stormy weather.
The cases presented were thoroughly
discussed and placed in the hands of
competent committees, the most i'm
| portant being that of bright intelligent
boy of ten years who had been adopted
by a person who was wholly unfit bodily
and mentally to stand in the relation Of
mother to such child; besides she had
no means of support and had been
obliged to ask help from the city. After
much consultation, and with the advice
of the Overseers of the Poor, it was de-
cided to look for home for this boy;
one was easily found and he is now
adopted into family where he enjoys
every privilege, will be well educated
and bids fair to make a useful member
of society. AS there was much affection
on the part of both mother and child for
each other, it seemed to some cruel to
separate them, but looking to the future
for the boy there seemed to be no other
course to pursue. But few cases of
fraud have come to our notice and these
were so quickly followed up by the in
vestigators, who sought in vain
the persons at the houses and .
numbers given, that we think the same
plan will not be tried by them, again. We
have those in our midst who are quite
willing to live on charity, going from one
society to another, and in some cases
from one church and Sunday school to
another, for what they can get. Such
persons should not be encouraged and as
those who call at our doors are generally
of this class, it would be well at once TO
send word to the Associated Charities.
We cannot give the exact number of
cases investigated, but each one sent to
us is Immediately attended to; the WISH
tors are not satisfied to make one call,
attend to the present need of the appli
can't and dismiss the case, but they be-
come interested in each one of these
families and show their interest by fire.
quent calls and words of sympathy. We
connot better express our own idea as to /
the Spirit in which this work should be
done than by giving an extract from an
article in the Monthly Register from the
general secretary of the Charity Organi-
cation Soc ETY. of New York city: sit is
not money that the poor need SO much
as sympathy, courage and hope. We
must not tempt or enfeeble them by in
termittent gifts, but stimulate and en-
noble them by opportunities of self sup
port and by increasing their self respect
and ambition.
eve should study the causes of their
impoverishment and strive to remove
them with tenderness, courtesy and
strength. We should take no superior
airs, indulge in no patronizing advice
and evince real brotherly and sisterly
interest so far removed from inquisitive-
ness as to quell all suspicion of dictation
OF loftiness. We must give ourselves to
them with something of the devotion
with which Christ gave Himself to us;
and as His best gift to us was Himself,
so will be ours to those less favored than
ourselves. And we must not be impa-
tent of results, especially when any de-
moralization has occurred, remembering
that character is of slow growth like
trees, yielding fruit only after years of
care. Were it like an annual, bearing
blossom and fruit in single sea-
son, it would probably be as short lived,
too. Therefore earnest sympathy, cour-
ageous persistence and unfailing patience
are indispensable in our efforts to reach
the poor"
We would, as usual, thank those be-
nevolent societies who have always re-
sponded so willingly to our calls, espe-
cially the Samaritan and Provident asso-
Citations. We would also thank those
kind friends who gave some very useful
garments to the secretary for distribu
ton last summer, thus enabling several
persons to make good appearance at |
church. The one call now seems to be
work for women who cannot leave home
to go out to work, plain, common sew
ing or washing. The work room will |
soon supply this want in measure, but |
any persons needing such work or mend |
ing done very reasonably can learn of |
persons who will go to them or take it |
home, by applying at No. City Build |
ing. =. M. PATTEN, Sec'y.
Officers Elected.
The officers for the ensuing year are
as follows: