The herald., 1897-05-15
Annual Meeting Yesterday
in Christ Church
ALL THE CHILDREN PRESENT
INTERESTING ADDRESSES AND
FINE SINGING
Election Of officers at the Concluss IN
Of the Program and Display Of
Industrial Work

| SAA0St ~ tk1 w YIN
A fair-sized audience assembled in the
Church of Christ, on North Broadway,
yesterday afternoon, for the seventeenth
annual meeting of the Los Angeles Or
phans' home. Mrs. D. G. Stephens, pres
ident, was In thee hair, and on the plat
form with her were the speakers of the
afternoon and the younger children.
At thee lose of an earnest prayer with
which Rev. B. F. Coulter opened the
meeting. the. reports of the secretary,
treasurer, financial secretary and audit
ing committee were read and approved.
These reports were followed by song
by thechi1dren accompanied by Miss
Hogan under whose musical direction
they are now working, and DR.. e. r
Bradley then read his report of the
physical condition of the home which
was wholly favorable, very little past
illness, not death during the year and
a present clean bill Of health.
PRESIDENTS REPORT
After a vocal selection rendered by
Mrs. Moffatt, Mrs. Stephens read her
presidents report Of work accomplished
during the year. OF the 14S children
now in the home II are boys, AZ girls,
and 30 babies unNr years of age. Mrs.
Stephens spoke very tenderly of these
children and others who have been tenn
porarily under the shelter of the home;
Of some that are wholly orphaned, 9TH
ers who have one parent living, and
few both of whose parents are alive, but
are incapacitated for work.
MR.. PATTET SONS ADDRESS.
Mr.. w. c. Patterson was then intro
duced and his address, although not
long, was very much to the point, and
was frequently interrupted with ap-
rlause. He compared the orphans home
with the reform school at Whittier; of
the children there whose parents ought
to be in the penitentiaries, and of the
danger in letting the twigs become so
bent and twisted that the tree mist al
most of necessity pursue a tortuous
course. Mr. Patterson laid stress on the
contrast between those stunted moral
growths and the children before him and
said:
while would not detract from the
value placed upon reformatory work, I
would emphasize the fact that there is
greater and more potent influence which
1t Is possible to exercise. Such a work
Is that which is being done in the Los
Angeles Orphans Home. In that insti-
tuition children are taken when their
intellects are only budding; they are
taken before the influences Of vicious as
sociates or vile environments can have
made permanent impressions upon their
young minds; they are taken when most
susceptible to proper influences, and be-
fore the rigidity Of age has made it we'll
nigh impossible to radically shape their
development. In my opinion it Is a mis-
taken notion which SCENE to have be.
come rooted in the body polite, that
the state should expend millions in the
restraint Of criminals, that it should pay
literally toward the support of re.
formatories, but that the more potent
work Of prevention should depend large
ly upon private charity. Money spent in
reformatory work is we'll spent, but
money and effort consecrated to the
prevention of crime; and to character
upbuilding is still better investment.
We all know the results of early train
ing. Seed sown in childhood may spring
forth and bear fruit in after life, even
though years and years may have inter-
vened.
IN my recent visit to the Orphans
Home was greatly impressed with sew
eral things, and among them the ap-
parent happiness Of the children, to-
gether with their neatnese and cleanli-
ness. I saw some of them absorbed in
acquiring an industrial education and
doing work which would put to blush
many an older person. The training
of the hand as well as the intellect makes
a better balanced Individual; better
equips him for life, and supplies him
with facilities for making a place for
not possessed by those whose
education has been all physical or all
I'm my opinion there Is too much in
discriminate charity bestowed for the
present good of the race. or for the inter-
est OF Its future. There are innumerable
demands made upon long suffering
public in the name Of charity, which are
little short Of genteel blackmail, and the
funds derived therefrom had better be
thrown into the sea.
The only genuine charity Is helping
others to help themselves. The freedom
with which aims are usually extended
has tendency to produce large class
Of persons, who, II compelled by neces-
'ity to shift for themselves. would, from
force of circumstances, develop habits Of
industry and self-reliance. It is not q
proper charity to help any one who, by
the use of his own efforts or his own abil-
tiles, can help himself, The work of
caring for, feeding and clothing children.
such as are taken into the Orphans
Home, is, In my view, the highest and
best type of practical .benevolence."
OTHER SPEAKERS
Mrs. Averill, who has been connected
With the Orphans home for the whole |
of ITS existence, made a short address.
Douglas Perkins, president of the
Orphans home In Cleveland, o., was
next introduced, and In his address he
noted the necessity OF absolute control
,ver orphans. OF the disadvantages and
that were liable toriake compli-
,ations unless the law protected the man
agement Of an Orphans home or those
who adopted children from such insti-
tutions, from worthless parents or mis-
guided friends.
The last speaker Of the afternoon was
Rev. Burt Estes Howard. who spoke
happily worded phrases Of commenda-
ton for the home and the 'fat, happy
children surrounded by q home atrnos-
Dhefe's that he had found therd