The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-13
GOOD WILL FARM.
Address OF Rev. Mr.. Hinkley ON the
Work.

A Brief Review of the Work of six Busy
Years-Much Already Accomplished But
Much Remains to bel ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
As Well AS Boys, Are to be Helped.
Rev. George W. Hinokley ofsGood Will
Farm, preached at the Second Parish
church yesterday morning. He is o rapid
and very interesting talker. His text was
Commit thy ways unto the Lord, trust
also in Him, and He shall bring to pass. "
He spoke OF the rise and progress of the
"Good Will Farm experiment. from ths
time when see on deposit in bank in
Bangor was all the outward evidence Of
the idea, until at this time when the or
ganization owns $50 acres of land on
which are located the cottages for the
boys, and 1875 acres Of land on which will
be built the "Isabel Smith cottage for
girls
This remarkable work dates back only
few years, Il was began with the
hope of helping destitute boys and has
already accomplished much. The cot.
tages are designed to accommodate a
family of fifteen boys each, the idea be-
ing to provide for the boys the comforts
Of q real New England Christian home.
Sunshine cottage" was the first one
built and was followed by Golden Rule
cottage" Bailey cottage" Christian
Endeavor cottage" and others He spoke
of the MARY Louise Hall cottage" cost
ing S., 600, the gift of Thomas W. Hall,
Connecticut business man as memoir
ial of his mother. and dedicated ''To the
memory of Good Mother
But while the farm was being dotted
with cottages, the necessity for a school
building was manifest, and one was
built capable of aooomm odating 200
boys. It was the gift of two sisters, one
now in glory.
From the first not single appeal has
been personally made to any one, but
the work has gone forward, and money
has been freely contributed. Now the
trustees have 1876 acres of land on which
the home for girls will be built, and be-
church at a cost of $4,000. 1t is believed
that this church will be dedicated the
coming fall. The boys are received only
between the age of z and IA, because
the work is formative. They must be of
at least average Intelligence, because
the work is educational
They must be of good morals, because
the work is not reformatory. They must
be destitute. because the work is one Of
benevolence. They must be of sound
physical health, because the work Is in
dustrial in character.
They are shops and there is the farm.
The boys are given better than an av-
erage education, and when boy shows
special aptit ude for learning, he will be
helped to acquire liberal education.
One boy who made "a personal applioa
ton to be received, writing to the speak
or at the suggestion of his mother who
was then near death, is in Boston, and
will soon enter Harvard, having found
friends through the efforts of the trus-
tees.
Mr.. Hinckley spoke of his visit to Bow
doin three years ago when he read to the
students an essay by boy of 10. The re-
suit was the raising of a fund for the
boy, and he will soon entsr Bowdoin,
and another boy similarly assisted in
much the same way will soon be a stu
dent at Colby. OF course these cases oc-
cur only now and then, but the aim of
the work is to give the boys good in
dustrial as we'll as more than common
school education, and to fit them to be-
come good and helpful citizens.
While, as had been said, the Institution
is not reformatory, still it has taken
many boys from influences calculated to
have made them criminals.
Begun as the work was in dependence
upon God, it has been carried out in
he same spirit. 'No collection will be
taken by me anywhere. l shall ring the
bell of no house tomorrow, and as for q
contribution. I shall not call at q
single Office in this city and I shall leave
for home on the first train, but this sub
ject has been presented to you as we
have presented it to others both in pub
lilo addresses and through our monthly
paper, and as God moves you to that de-
gree help in your own time and way this
work at East Fairfield"
Even the name Good Will Farm" was
found in the announcement made by the
angelic messengers when Christ was
born, "Peace on earth, and to men good
will" And in that spirit it has been
and will be carried on. There is not a
dollar of Indebtedness to be removed and
the 90 boys at the farm are we'll looked
after.
New Music.