The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-12
THE WORK OF THE YEAR
JUST CONCLUDED.
NEW PRovIDENT FUND IDEA
HAS PROVED A VERY WORTHY
EXPERIMENT, AND WILL BE
CONTINUED.
READY TO RECEIVE REQUESTS.
Now That 1t Is Incorporated. the
Association Is in a Position
to Care for Property.

to Care for Property.
Unusual interest was shown by the
large attendance at the annual meet
ing Of the Associated Charities at the
office Of Mayor Doran yesterday. The
election of officers resulted as follows:
Rev. S. G. Smith, D. D., president.
| Rev j. F. Dolphin, vice president.
E. w. Peat, treasurer.
Thomas A. Abbott, secretary.
Additional members of board of trustees:
H. c. McNair, George J. Mitsch. Daniel R.
Noyes, H. H. Hart, Mrs. G. C. Higbee, Rev.
j. j. Lawler, Mrs. George B. Young.
Delegates at Large: T. A. Abott, John Caul-
| field, Mrs. Frances P. Corning, H. S. Haas
| H. II. Hart, Rev. L. A. Johnston, John d.
Ludden, D. R. Moves, Mrs; G. c. Higbee, Rev.
D. W. Rhodes, E. W. Peet. Rev. S. G. Smith,
D.. D., John A. Swenson, Miss Katrine Wheel
ock and John Willis.
President Smith, in referring to the
recent Incorporation of the Associated
| Charities, said:
1t will not affect its practical workings. but
it enables the association TO receive property
1t needs 100000 as modest endowment to
assist in the proper prosecution of its work.
L Nope that these and other friends will re-
member the associated charities with a por-
ton of their property. We do not want any
one to die soon, but when they come to die
Arrangements for the annual public
meeting of the society were started
1t will be held Oct. 81, at the Peoples
church, and the principal speakers wi
be Julia c. Lathrop, member of the
state board of charities and correction
and resident of the Hull house, and
Rev. Father ]. j. Lawler, of this city.
General Secretary Jackson presented
his annual report. Among other
things, he said:
SECRETARY JACKsON'S REPORT.
The associated charities of St. Paul has
taken a desirable place among American
charities. 1t has continued to be the agent
for Investigations desired by the various
charities and by the city. The past year
we made 661 investigations and 642 reinvesti-
cations. During the five years we nave
made 1880 investigations and 2,lO4 rem
vestigations. We also have 9.oSO reports
copied from cooperating societies, making
total card registry of more than IL 600. Our
registry contains knowledge of more than
SO per cent of the people for whom relief
has been sought in the past five years. No
other American city has more complete
knowledge of its unfortunates. We earnest
ly invite all who wish to help the unfortu-
nate to consult us freely. We especially
invite the pastors to avail themselves OF our
facilities. A leading pastor said of the as
sociated charities "fhis is the greatest secu-
lar help in my work.
If there were faithful use of this agency
and hearty cooperation few beggars would
tions bring to light all sorts of needs, real
| and alleged. One chief object of investiga-
ton and reg stration is to make it possible
for volunteer workers to give their atten-
tion understandingly to a family whose con-
dition should be improved.
Some believe that with improved times the
charities will have Little to do. nope 1t
may prove true, but it is significant that
only one-fourth the chief causes of need were
from lack OF work, and as we have often
pointed out, one moral delinquent demands
twice as much of our time as out-of-work.
The return of good times will materially re
duce suffering, but will relieve this agency
of only small part of our work, much OF
which is preventive or reconstructive
Some facts from the carefully prepared
statistical tables may be interesting. or the
633 applicants, whose abodes were located,
both parents were living in 34S; ninety were
widows or separated wives; the average fam
lily contained AS people and occupied 3;6
had resided in st. Paul one year or less; sew
enty were illiterate; 366 had received no
previous aid and only sixty-two lived in their
own homes almost invariably mortgaged).
The chief causes of need were lack of or in
sufficient employment, 16O; intemperance,
SO; sickness, so; no male support, 70. The
decisions were: Should have temporary re-
lief, 252; should have work rather than
relief, 100; should have institutional relief,
81; not requiring relief, &C. The causes of dis
tress with more than three-fourths OF those
needing temporary relief was either lack of
work or sickness 1t is also important to
note that less than / per cent of all appl1-
cants members of trades unions.
REPORT OF THE TRUsTEEss.
Thomas A. Abbott secretary of the cor
poration, reported for the trustees as fol-
lows:
Your board of trustees report that the work
of this organization continues to be con-
Quoted along the lines followed from the be-
ginning, viz: Cooperation, investigation,
registration and personal service, which has
found added expression in friendly visiting,
and the encouragement of thrift by means
of the provident fund
This association has now come to be rec
ognized by all best fitted to deal with
questions of public and private charity. An
evidence of this is found in the fact that
our common council placed General Secre-
tary Jackson in charge of the selection of
the unemployed for work the streets.
City officials and business men expressed
themselves entirely satisfied with the prompt
ness, fairness and efficiency Of his labors,
though this work was done at considerable
expense of time and money to the associated
charities, it was so great an economy
to the city that the outlay was justified
The thorougnness of the friendly visiting
done here has placed st. Paul abreast of any
other city in the estimation of the charity
workers of the country. Yet more workers
are needed. AS soon as practicable it is in
tended to secure the services of a trained
worker presumably woman, all of whose
time shall be given up to this important
branch.
The report of Treasurer E. w. Peet showed
that, through stringent economy, the year
was closed without debt.
REPORT OF FRIENDLY VISITORS.
Miss Clara Sommers, of the Friendly Wis
itors reported
Statistics may not be shown of added am
bition for cleanliness, independence, honesty
temperance or purity, yet are these to be
compared in value with load of wood or a
suit of clothes? 1t is the business of the
visitor to strive for such a recreation of
family methods as to make the gifts unnec-
essary; never to destroy the responsibility of
the head of the family, by giving what he
should provide, but to help him to face his
responsibilities
Little time is spent in families that have
for years been fostered in pauperism. Life
is a battle and it is better to prepare five
families for victory than to let five fail while
superhuman effort and though are expend-
ed in the endeavor to reconstruct a wreck.
Reform cannot come by chance contact with
nobler ideals, but will appear, if at all, be-
cause one person has given untiring energy
and devotion to secure the prize.
Friendly visiting is not the only personal
service but it is the best. Its watch-word
is conservation; Its basic principle simple