Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-12
Organized Efforts to Relieve the
Distressed.
The OLD PROVlDENf AID SOCIETY
Organizations That Preceded the
Associated Charities.
IMP DISTURB

in the District. He said:
In presenting this fourteenth annual re-
port, l may be pardoned for advert:ng to
the origin and plans of this association
and Its methods of carrying out those
plans, as well as to the details of the work
during the year just ended. The Associated
Charities was organized in 1881 and incor-
porated in 1882 For many years prior to
this there existed a peculiar necessity for
special efforts to prevent suffering amongs.
the poor of this District. The Proydent
Aid Society was first organized, and for
several years dispensed aims to those
whom visitors found in apparent need. Its
members labored ass!duously to prevent
suffering. but without any apparent object
or plan than to relieve immediate distress.
NO EFFORT was made to remove the cause,
nor any systematic record kept to prevent
impoSture and duplication
Soup houses were instituted in differ
ent parts of the city and were accessible
without recommendation or Identification.
Long Lines of men ard women of all COM
plexionS and diversified conditions assem-
bied daily in front of these soup houses
with wonderful regularity to receive their
daily rat.ons without a stimulating idea
OF good citizenship, and every day added
lew clogs to whatever sensibiities of man.
hood or womanhood remained. The prin-
cipal ambition developed seemed to be to
invent the best device for getting along
without work and to lean upon the public
charities for support as long possible
without an effort to help themselves.
Year after year food and fuel were dis
pensed So ind:sCriminately as to educate to
imposture, to demoralize and to pauperze
and to fill this District with an Improbable
and dangerous class of indolent persons,
until an alarming condition became appar-
snt. and the ProVident Aid Society," good
as its intentions were, with all the benea-
cent relief it rendered became over
-hn1y Ir-G
conscious that it was multiplying paupers
by indiscriminate aims giving. and of
necessity for different methods, closed it's
doors.
of trustees, with the late VIM. Stickney as
the executive officer for the city and your
@ecretary as the executive officer for the
county; but sooner had they COM
menced than a horde of professionals
swooped down upon them. the most unde-
serving and strongest and best able to take
care of themselves. usual to the front
For six years these two agencies dis
bursed the public funds, feeding, lothing
and warming the poor of the District. dur
ing which time your secretary established
an alphabetical record of applicants in the
county, with name and address, and what
was done for each applicant, together with
the dates. to prevent duplication and too
frequent giving, for it not an infre-
quent event TO find the same family repre-
scented in line the same day that it had al
ready been supplied.
1T was during the latter part of this
period in making up report 10 the Com
miss.Oners in 1870 We recommended that
labor test should be applied by co-operat-
irg with the officers in charge of public
works. The plan was approved by the
Commissioners, but was not to any con-
siderable extent put in practical operation,
owing to a change soon after of the board
of Commissioners.
The Washington Labor Exchange.
I'm September, 1877, the Washington
Labor Exchange was organized. with the
following declaration as the first article of
its constitutions:
Recognizing the wisdom and true char
ity of helping the poor and unemployed to
help themselves, the people of the District
of Columbia have organized the Washing
ton Labor Exchange
And in another part of the constitution
appears: 1t IS our earnest purpose to dis
courage indiScriminat tie aims giving, and to
prevent in a measure the Dauper!sm which
forms so painful feature in commun-
ity.'
Thus it will be observed that there was
a painful condition of things, as those liv-
ing here at that tine Well remember.
The Labor Exchange sought to prevent It in
part by furnishing employment TO men,
and an arrangement made with the
proper officials to engage men in filling UP
the old canal. The Labor Exchange was to
raise the moEey by contribute ions and paw
the men. About $500 was raised for that
purpose, and quite a large number of men
were employed, and they Garnet enough to
tide them over u part of the winter without
begging. Correspondence was entered into
with farmers and mechanics for the pur-
pose of securing further steady employ
mont; several enterprises were entered into
for the employment of women, too. at the
office rooms, and much good was accom-
plished, but the public funds were being
used by another agency, and the indiscr!n-
mate almsgiving by the other agency
tarded the progress of the contemplated
reform, and the Labor Exchange. with all
its practical endeaVors and good work. last
ed scarcely two years. and with a small
balance in the treasury, closed its work in
May, 1879
an the fall of the same year another or
gan alton was effeciad under the nama of
the new Provideat Aid Society 1t in-
corporated some of the old features Of tire
old ProVdent Aid S)ciety and of the Labor
Exchange, and had at its command Il part
of the public funds designated for outdoor
relisf; some Of the best men and women of
the District were Identified with it, but ii
Was soon discovered that two agencies
using the pubic funds fer nearly identical
purposes was de.noraliZing AMI led to a
suspicion of duplication and imposition. as
there was no cooperation or systematic
registration kept by either. In 1880. little
over one year. it suspended its work, and
there was no organization exis ting to bet
ter the condition Of the poor people of the
District other than to feed and to keep
them warm iLdiscriminately.
The Associated Charities Organized.
"1n April Of the following year, 1Ss1 a
few men and women who hal observed the
Increasing tendencies OF pauperlsm and who
Lad been idea titled with former attempts
at reformatory measures, met at I'll. resi-
dence of A. S. Solomon on K street, and
realizing the conditions and Necessity of
letter methods in caring for the poor and
protecting the generous contributions of tie
citizens from being used to deinor;,l,ze and
pap =riZe ras,lved TO form an org imitation
uIider the name of the Associated Charities
OF the District of ColtImbii. Its object and
purposes were announced as being to better
the conditions Of the poor by 4 careful visi-
tation and elcoura%enrnI to become self
supporting and more self-respecting citi-
zens, making work the bas sis of relief when
practicable. and prompt relief when neces
sary by furnishing applicants Whatever was
found to he absolutely necessary to relieve
distress. 1t was to unlert1ke TO work GU:
the problem which has agitated this and
other cities of the CIVILIZED world A con-
stitution was adopted on the following
June: q certificate of Incorporation was
filed fer record the 1Gtl of January
1882, and an Office opened at 1913 r street