The Portland daily press., 1894-10-13
THE PORTLAND INvALID'S HOME.
New Institution Designed to Supply
Great Need.

The House in Deering to be Thrown Open
| to the Public-History of the Benev o.
lent Movement-How it WAS Started by
a Lady who is Now an Inmate at the
! Home.
handsome two story and a half house at No.
| 28 Mechanic street, Woodfords, will be
thrown open to the public and will be an
| interesting place to visit, if one is aware OF
| the significance of the occasion. The house
was formerly known as the home of the late
| Capt. Montgomery. 1t was later purchased
by A. E. Marks, and this summer became
The property of the association of benevo-
| lent Portland ladies who are managing the
| lnvalids' Home. They have put new plum :
ing into the house and in every way made
it attractive and homelike. 1t can accom-
modate twelve inmates and will open Mon
day with six.
This is the result of movement that
came about in the following interesting
way. Three years ago Miss. Mary S. Cobb,
a member of the Chestnut street church.
and benevolent lady, with no family rela-
tivcs, became interested in poor girl, who
was i'll, and for whom she endeavored to
procure home in some family. But she
was not wholly successful, the girl went to
work before she had wholly recovered, and
as a result became hopeless invalid.
InEthis way the idea was suggested to
Miss Cobb to establish some sort of refuge
for just such unfortunate women, which
should not be either.a hospital or an aims
house, but a place where there should be
the comfort and conditions of home at
the smallest possible cost to the inmates.
She resolved to labor for the establishment
of such an institution, and to devote her
life to it. But she, herself was soon after
seized by the grip and has been an inavlid
ever since, and is now one of the six in
mates at this pleasant home in Deering, the
result of her kindness to the poor sick girl
three years ago.
For her early. though brief efforts were
sufficient. The seed she planted fell on good
ground. The ladies of the Chestnut street
church continued the movesaent and later
were joined by ladies from the Universalist
church. The matter was agitated for two
years until last May it first reaohed'a definite
result, and the association was organized
with the following officers:
President-Mrs George G. Frye.
Vice Presidents-Miss sEInestine ELibby
and Mrs. J. B. Donnell.
Secretary-Mrs. Henry Taylor.
Assistant Secretary-Dr. Odione.
TreasureI-Mrs. W. II. Norton.
There is board OF twenty managers. as
follows: Mrs. Mary j. Brown. Mrs. Frank
B. Clark, Mrs. Alfred Woodman, Mrs. Rufus
Hinckley. Mrs. II. B. Penenll Mrs. E.. M.
Pickett. MRS.. W. Dyer, Mrs. r. E. Booth
by, Mrs. Josiah Burnham, Mrs. s. B.
Kelsey, Mrs. Thomas Baker, Mrs. Sophia
Clark, MIS-. George G.. Shaw. Mis-. Lyman
Cousens, Mrs. Augustus Stevens. Mrs.
George f. West, Mrs. O. M. Fuilom, Mrs. J.
NJ. Gould and Mrs. Matt S. Hughes.
There is also an advisory board of ladies,
consisting of the following: Mrs. Philip
Brown. DR.. Hersom, DR.. Avery, Miss Mary
Clapp. Mrs C. Il. Foster and MRS. Wood
bury Dana.
The board of gentlemen managers is as
follows: Rev. Matt s. Hughes, and Messrs.
Rufus Hinckley, George G. Frye. J. W.
Dyer, Charles Plummer and W. a.. Knowl-
ton.
Last summer Mrs. Mary Brown contributed
the use of cottage and there was the first
invalid's home. where eight invalid ladies
enjoyed home comforts and care at the
small price Of So week. Mrs. Ellen Currier
contributed her services as matlo
All through the summer the officers
and managers, under the energetic and
efficient leadership of Mrs. Frye, the presi-
dent of the organization, have been
pending their time and efforts to secure the
necessary funds for permanent home. The
result is that the house is now ready and
will be thrown open to,the public next Mon
day. s 49,
The exact purpose of this invalids' home
in Deering, cannot be better stated than in
Miss Clapp's own words three years ago,
when she was endeayoring to establish it.
She wrote as follows in regard to it:
s'My idea Of an invalids' home is not a
hospital or a home just for working women
or girls, but a place or home where any
such person, who has small means, or none
at all, may find place as near like home
as possible, to stay in either for a long or
short period, as they may need. Il can't
imagine any one desiring such an accom-
mediation any larger than is absolutely
necessary.
''Of course in such an institution there
will need to be rules and regulations, but
not laws as Interchangeable as those of the
Smedes ,and: Persians,n mot too much red tape,
but nome always open to the needy ones,
or an emergency.
81 would not have the rooms furnished
too much alike, but if any invalid has
furniture that she is attachedsto. I would
advise that she be allowed to use it, if it is
clean or can be cleaned. 1t need not be
necessary to employ trained nurses. Many
persons with.kind, sympathetic hearts can
do more for the comfort of the sick from
natural instinct than others can with all
their training. Often little sympathy in
some cases is great help towards re-
covery."
It will be seen that Miss Cobb had the
right idea. 1t has been carried out in the
new home in Deering. The rooms are fur
nished with variety and homelikeness, and
the six inmates are allowed their own
special furniture, if they have any.
The matron is Miss Angie Brown, and the
housekeeper, Mrs. Agnes Gould.
There ia room on the lot of land f Or more
buildings. and it is the purpose Of the asso-
citation to have place in the future for
consumptives and incurables. There is