The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-08

nest appeal TO the club to make ar effort
10 better the condition OF the schools.
DR.. Florence De Hart was the next
speaker. Her subject was, Better SAM
tation.. She described the fearful pests
OF smallpox, yellow fever, typhus, scarlet
fever, consumption and other dread dis
eases, and told how science had overcome
prejudice III the treatment of them. and
said that sanitation should be clearly I'M
derstood. If people understood the prop
er way of living, there would be more die
of the only natural death, old age.
Miss Margaret Hewitt, daughter 81
er. Her subject was, sThe Poormaster's
Office.,' She spoke clearly, distinctly
and convincingIy. She described the du-
ties OF the oyerseers and the system IN
..Ihis system OF distributing public aims
Is practically in use throughout the
CHRISTIAN world. It is a system wniea
dependency. 1t simply relieves present
needs only. 1t p~ropagates dependency Tor
the records of the office show that two,
three and even four generations OF one
family have been given public aims. II
the people. understood the evils that fol-
low dependency, how liable their descend,
ants are to become dependent, they would
take a greater interest in trying 10 pre-
vent it. There has never been out one
Overser of til Poor at any one time in
Jersey City, and you present Overseer
has assisted some of the descendants of
three former Overseers. There Is no
greater misfortune than to become de-
pendent on charity. public or private.
How can dependency be prevented?
Only by proper legislation and the adop-
ton of a better system. 1t Is an evil that
cannot be cured, but a greater portion OF
class can do more to prevent the evil than
anyone else can. There is no organized
effort to assist the most deserving class
of poor, a class from which more depend
ents come than all the 9th fa15iDed.
1t is the class to which E..5.ss the
woman whom death has made a widow,
and has been left comparatively. desti-
tute, with a family of small children to
| support or provide for. While the hus-
band and father lived they occupied de-
cent apartments in a decent m
hood. After his death she is compelled to
| find a home where rent is cheaper. She
finds it in a miserable house in a mis-
cradle neighborhood, among miseranle
children become as the people around
them are. Society could do more to pre-
vent dependency by keeping the widow
and her children among respectable sur
roundings than they could in any other
| way. Jersey City is assisting at all times
from rs to 100 families of this class. Phil
anthropists interest themselves in erect
| ing palaces and calling them prisons; IN
carrying flowers and dainties to. GRIM
mails. They give little or nothing to
prevent the poor widow and her children
from becoming chronic dependents.
Jersey City expends for the care OF
| her dependent poor about $110.0O Q a year;
New York City expends in public and
| private charity about 100000 a year.
There are more dependent people IN the
| State of New York according to its
| population than ever existed in any
Christian community in the world. This
| statement is taken from a statistical re-
port. There is no city in the United
| States of the same approximate popula-
ton that has fewer dependents than our
own Jersey City"
Al the Conclusion of Miss Hewitt's pa
per the Reception Committee, of which
Mrs. Harry &. Day is Chairman. served
lemonade and cake. A table was very
prettily arranged in the kindergarten
room. In the centre was a large bunch
Of red gladioli, and at each side were
vases holding yellow gladioh. Large
clusters of asparagus fern were placed. on
the table and fell over the edge. Mrs.
Day was assisted in serving by Mrs.
I lanes B.. T~hrockmorton, Miss Addie
Scudder, Miss Frost and Mrs. James