The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-10-19
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF NEW HAVEN ORPHAN ASYLUM
 DONATION ASSOCIATION

Delivered Dy general E. E. Bradley at the
 Association Banquet In Warner Hall
 Thursday Evenings Ss6, ,oOO Collected
 Up to Date-A Donation Day In 1S36-
 Other Interesting Facts.
 The following is the address delivered by General E. E, Bradley at the ban quet of the Donation association of the New Haven Orphan Asylum, held in Warner Hall Thursday evening, the subject being The Past, Present and Future of Donation Day."
 Our worthy president tells me must say something of the past work of citi- zens in connection with the New Haven Orphan Asylum, especially as regards securing donations for it,
 He thinks some of our later members, particularly, may not know what has been done in years gone by and may like to have some points, and, further, that such will be of interest to all,
 Well, I think myself it would be If nicely and logically told, and I certain ly should like to fill the bill, but confess do not feel able to. What I say will have to be in a desultory way and with little continuity to it If I have any forte l doubt if it be In the line of his- tory or statistics
 Some three or four years ago heard Mir Sperry say while he was respond ing to the toast "The United States" that he could talk on it for forty years and then not exhaust his subject.
 Now if had as ready gift of speech as my honored friend l think I should be justified in making similar remark about my subject especially if in- clude the asylum in it.
 It is more than forty years since the first Donation Day of our New Ha- ven Orphan Asylum, and of course it ought to take as long to tell about it as it has to carry 1t on throughout this period.
 However, as I haven't the like gift of Mir. Sperry, I'll omit the remark, no matter how much the toast would jus tify it.
 said over forty years ago; now isn't it fair to say that it's all of sixty years ago? Because in 1886 a united service was held in one of our churches, a ser- mon was preached in behalf of orphans and destitute children, and collection was taken up in their behalf. Wasn't this, therefore, a donation day for the orphans, and probably good one, too, morally and financially? This practice of a united service was annually continued for some fourteen years, after which separate collections by the different churches were substi- tuted for 1t.
 I noticed in historical sketch of the asylum published on the occasion of it's ! fiftieth anniversary in 1883, the author dates Donation day from 1888, in which year the asylum left it's first home on 1 Grove street and went to it's second one on Oak street.
 They had sort of house warming in 1 their new quarters at which small sums of money were handed in and as l this custom seems to have prevailed afterwards, this 1888 occasion was des- l ignated as the initial day of gifts.
 My own opinion is, however, that neither 1886 nor 1888 can be credited with the honor, but that it dates back to February, 1883, when the Orphan Asylum was first started, and that this marks not less than the sixty-third year of Donation days, and not one 1 only, but many in each year.
 1 Well, no matter about the exact year 1 or day in the extreme past, we will let I that go by as well as the fairs, lectures, 1 concerts, panoramas, tableaux, sales, i &c., &c.. that were held for the benefit
 of the asylum during it's earlier histo-
 ", and come down to 1873, in which 1 year Donation day, as we know 1t, is ! first recorded with definiteness in the
 asylum's annual reports, s434.S5 being
 accredited to the committees labors 1 that year.
 1 It certainly had an existence, howev-
 er for some years before this, because l in the report of 1868 we find the mana ! gers thanking a circle of gentlemen for
 securing much needed contributions; 1 also in 1871 we find them again incl dentally mentioned
 l My own memory of the matter is that | the late Hon. Henry G. Lewis, with
 whom I was associated in business
 many years, was the real originator. 1 He began by asking personal friends | about the time of the annual meeting i of the asylum, as he met them on the l street, to chip in" and help the or { phans out. The responses were so will 1 ling and generous that he gradually i enlarged his work, and I remember of i his asking me to drive around with him
 so he could See a larger number. After i three or four years his donors had be- ] come so numerous that he was com | pelled to call others in to assist him in
 collecting. I do not know the names of i all who were invited to help or at least
 do not know that do, but 1 remember i the names of John G. Chapman, Mayor i A. c. Hendrick, Edward F. Hall and
 John B. Hotchkiss, formerly of the
 Journal and Courier, in connection ] with the work At quite an early date, ! also, l find in the asylum reports the names of Colonel s. J. Fox, Dr. Roman 1 ta Wells and others. The name of the l late Cornelius C. Davies Is particularly remembered in connection with the
 original starting out of a soliciting
 committee of gentlemen by some who
 were prominent in the management some twenty-five years or so ago. 1 He stated to some of the managers 1 that his mother had been connected l with the management of a similar in-
 stitution in New Jersey, and a solici- | ting committee had done good work
 there in it's behalf also that gentlemen
 stood ready to inaugurate a similar movement here if the lady managers