The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-08

1000 unQ0r DQ6 WORKINGS Oh UQ6 regular
charity organizations. That it is yet
necessary for New York to appeal for
outside aid do not believe, and unless
the benevolent and well to do of this
city have quite changed their nature it
will not be. No one who has made care.
full study of the situation and the prob
abilities will deny that when winter sets
IN, and a demand for coal and more
clothing is added to the increasing call
for food, the drain upon the generous
will be much greater than it is now-in
fact, it was much greater last winter;
it is every winter than it is at present.
GA fact that is often overlooked in
considering the situation at this time is
the arrival here every week of large
numbers of destitute persons from
abroad. Of Hebrews alone almost a
thousand arrived here during one week
not long ago, and these enigrants,
though possessed of the required per
capita of money, are practically help
less shortly after their arrival here, for
90 many of the countrys industries are
paralyzed that they can get no sort of
employment whatever, and no matter
low economically they live their small
boards are soon gone"
Leaving to those who have carefully
pondered it in all its bearings the ques-
ton as to whether the temporary and
indiscriIninate charities / have men
toned are well judged, there is no doubt
that the regular charity organizations
are capable, with money supplied in
plenty, of relieving a great deal more
restitution than they have SO far been
called upon to grapple with. More than
that, the sum Of relief now and at all
times afforded by these organizations is
many times in excess Of that furnished
by all the short lived bureaus.
The chief societies are the Association
For Improving the Condition of the
Poor, the United Hebrew Charities, the
Society of st. Vincent de Paul and the
Charity Organization society. The last
named has it's headquarters in the build
ing of the United Charities On Twenty
second street. 1t is not disbursing
organization, but one of investigation.
It's visitors look up all cases of want that
are reported to it and refer them, after
affording immediate relief in case it is
needed, to the proper organization for
future care. In a way this society is a
sort of clearing house between the vari-
Gus charitable bodies of the city, and it
has been the means Of bringing about
degree of cooperation among the various
benevolent societies that could not other
wise have been attained and has added
greatly to their general effectiveness. Its
supporters include men of every creed
and no creed at all.
The Association For Improving the Con-
dition of the Poor makes no difference be-
cause Of religion or race when case is
brought to its attention. 1t is the larg
est and most efficient organization for
charitable relief in New York. It makes
speciality of finding work for the I'M
employed and of the payment Of the
rent of those otherwise likely to be dis
possessed, in addition to it's work of dis
tributing food at all times and coal and
warm clothing in the winter.
The field of the United Hebrew Chart
ties is explained by the title, and the work
of the conferences of the St. Vincent de
Paul society is among INDECENT Roman
Catholics. In the nature of things the
United Hebrew Charities society, whose
headquarters are on Second avenue, has
had to meet heavier drains during the
present depression than any other organ
ization, but it's managers and agents
have not faltered, and the rich men of
that race have vindicated their right to
be considered among the most liberal of
New York's citizens. Of course there
are many other societies of such magni-
tude of operations as would entitle them
to the rank of first class organizations
in any but very large city, such as the
French, the Italian, the Swiss and other
class bodies.
The operations of all these societies
are conducted on practically the same
model-that is, reported cases are investi-
gated by visitors and helped or not ac-
cording to the visitors reports. In ordi-
nary times most important branch Of
the work of all the societies is securing
employment for persons who are out of
work. but at such period of depression
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