The Yale expositor., 1896-06-12
FROM MANY POINTS.
NEW ITEMS OF VARIOUS KINDS
BRIEFLY RELATED.
National Conference OF Corrections and
Charities Associations at Grand Rapids,
Mich, Discuss Matters of Interest and
for the Betterment OF Humanity.

The twenty-third annual session of
the National Conference of Corrections
and Charities was held at Grand Rapids,
Mich. Addresses of welcome were
made by Gov. Rich for the state, Mayor
Stow for city, and President Angel
for the educational interests of the
state. Tho responses were by Hon.
Andrew f. Gilmore, of Green Bay, and
f. r. Sanborn, of Concord, Mass.
President Albert o. Wright, of Madi-
son, Wis, made his annual address
with "Thc New Philanthropy" as his
subject. He said that the idea of phil
anthropy had existed in one form or
another since the beginning of the
world. For 10 centuries the christian
world has been slowly but painfully
trying to realize the ideal as presented
by Jesus Christ and has only partially
succeeded The world has not yet
begun to realize all that is contained
in the germ in the great thought,
that we should ''love our neighbors as
ourselves" The idea will not have
fulfilled its mission till the world has
been transformed. and the dream of
prophets and poets has been realized in
a world of plenty, peace and kindness
to all, in which crime and poverty
shall be unknown. The speaker took
bright view of our conditions and
prospects and said that the progress of
civilization has been as great during
the present century as during the en-
tire 1S centuries preceding.
On the second day the conference
divided into sections to discuss Juvenile
reformatories, charity organization,
and chronic and insane poor The pu
pers and discussions were very inter
esting. Rev. E. p Savage, of st. Paul,
estimated that $4,000 children were de-
serted by parents in this country last
year and that it cost juvenile institu-
tions So ,000, 600 to care for them. The
chief occasions of this evil ment 'oncd
are in three -fourths of the replies to
queries, drink" Other replies are
"idleness," lust and immortality. -
'hasty and unwisc marriages" flaws
concerning marriage and divorce, :"
failure to enforce the law" poverty
and ignorance. Various remedies.
punishments and laws were suggested
during the conference. a general ses-
sion was held at which tn. subject of
soldiers homes was considered, and the
Northwestern Association of Soldiers
Home Managers, elected officers:
President, Capt. Carsell, st. Paul; vice
president, A. j. Smith, of Amherst;
seCre tary. DR.. ID. Il. Greenway, of st.
Paul. An evening general session was
devoted to discussion of the merit OF
the civil service system in public in
-titutions and was carried over to the
third day. Phillip c. Garrett, of Phil
adelphia, presided and papers were
read by Rev. c. X. Henderson, of Chi
cago Prof. j. j. Blaisiell, of Beloit,
and Clinton Rogers Woodruff, of Phil
adelphia. They contended that all in
stitutions should be removed from the
realm of politics and that the best re-
suits could not be obtained until this
was done.
The next day was devoted principally
20 labor and social questions and char
ity organizations. Reports showed
that families of strikers seldom applied
10 the city charities for aid. Dr. Hen
derson said: ''The wage workers OF
this country have two great forms of
organization, the trades unions and the
benefit orders. These men are in
spired by horror and dread of de-
pendence, and it has often been said
that SO far as laborers are organized
there is no pauper problem. The AS
sociation of Charities seeks to cultivate
this independence, manly, democratic
sentiment. the hope of stalwart,
sound and vigorous people," Beside
j. ID. Flanagan, of the
State Federation of Labor, Mrs. Flor
cnce Kelly, state factory inspector of
Illinois, spoke on ''rhe Working
Child" Ex-Pre,ident Flanagan, in his
address, said THE modern trade
unionist takes the stand that charity,
indiscriminately dispensed, serves to
bolster up the existing order of society
with all its imperfections, and prevents
the readjustment of present conditions
on a more equitable basis, which must
necessarily take place if we are to
maintain a humane as well as progress
sive civilization"
As the conference continued various
phases of the work of relief to human
ity were presented such as social set
Elements, municipal potato patches,
compulsory labor for vagrants, etc.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive En-