The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-12

ISOLATED Charities.
Back of all these stands the board
of control, which disburses $4,000 an
nually of money raised by taxation.
This money is used to buy food and
fuel and is expended under the recon-
mendations of Secretary Jackson. In
cidentally 1t may be remarked that the
cost to the city of Minneapolis, for a
similar purpose, is over $4,000.
1t is a mistaken notion on the part
of some people that these relief agen-
cies institute a search to find people
whom they can assist; that they en-
ploy officers to ferret out persons upon
whom to bestow aims: The truth is
that the needy ones themselves must
apply for aid; or perhaps their neigh
bors may report them to the societies,
and in some rare instances cases of
restitution are discovered by accident.
Several evenings ago, Secretary
Hutchins was on his way to his office
on East Ninth street to do little
work after hours. AS he passed by
tumble down house on side street, he
heard the plaintive wailing OF a small
child; a five-year-old boy, chilled with
cold, was standing on the stairway,
unable to open the door. Coming to
the little fellows assistance, Mr..
Hutchins entered the house with him
and found a scene OF misery. In
couple of dingy and scantily furnished
rooms upstairs was a young woman
whose features were still handsome,
though pinched with suffering, and
with her were her two children, the
bow above referred to, and a three
year-old girl. Where the husband was,
Heaven only knew The stove was cold
for lack of fuel and the cupboard bore
a strong resemblance to that of Moth
er Hubbard of the nursery rhyme. In
quiry showed that the family had just
moved here from Minneapolis. 1t was
a pitiable case and Secretary Hutch1ns,
whose heart remains warm through all
the suffering he has witnessed, took
prompt measures to assist the family.
Yesterday when he called again, the
rooms had been brushed up and were
clean, the children were bright in clean
clothes and with secured faces and
combed hair; the mother was cheerful.
Employment will be found for her dur
ing the day, and while she is at work,
the children will be cared for at the
day nursery of the Relief society.
A young couple, the husband but
twenty-five years Of age and his wife
only twenty-three, applied to the So
ciety for help. They had come here
from Duluth a couple Of weeks ago,
confidently expecting to find employ
ment, but did not. Their slender stock
of means was soon exhausted, and they
were obliged to seek assistance. They
will probably be sent back to DulRth.
A large portion of the aid thus dis
pensed in st. Paul is in cases similar
to these, to strangers coming here des-
titute and thus obliged to seek assist
ance Immediately. During the past
week four of these cases were brought
to the notice of Secretary Hutchfns,
~,
family from Missouri and another
from Buffalo, N. Y. Mr.. Hutchins will
bring the II after to the attention of the
board of control with a recommenda-
ton that in these cases the parties be
returned to the places where they came
from and where they should be sup
ported at public expense, if necessary.
The chief aim OF the society is to find
employment for the applicants, to help
them help themselves, to palce them
in a position WheIe they will be self
hearty support of a number of citizens,
and odd jobs of work or steady en-
ployment found for both men and wom-
en-. Mothers who go out to work by
the day can leave their little ones in
the day nursery. for which a nominal
charge of cents a day is made, the
children being fed, washed and cared
for and when tired are tucked away
in little cribs to sleep.
Another feature of the work of the
society is worth mentioning. 1t has
loan fund" out of which small sums
NOT to exceed $25-are loaned to de-
serving persons at a. rate of interest
of per cent per annum. 1t is neceS-
sary for them, however, to obtain the
Endorsement of a business man on the
note. 1t is a purely business transact
ton, and there have been practically
no losses. AS an illustration of its
workings, one case may be cited. Last
summer a man who has a family de-
pendent upon him for support applied
for loan of S. to take him to the
harvest fields. He returned the loan
several days ago and exhibited little
roll of $65 he had earned-enough to
enable him and his family to get along
without assistance during the winter.
The childrens sewing class is anoth
er phase of the good work being car
ried on at the headquarters of the re-
lief society Every Saturday forenoon
Mrs: T: I. Blood, assisted by a little
band Of workers, conducts school OF
young girls, literally taken from the
streets. After singing exercises the
girls are given instruction in sewing
and other branches of houseWork, are
taught manners and personal cleanli-
ness There are at present 264 girls
in the school.
The work of the society at Thanks
giving time was recently given in the
G l o be in detail. Another annual
custom is the observation of Christ
poor children. This year the Christ
mas tree festivities will be under the
charge of the band of Ready Help
ers," composed of children living on the
hill.
Secretary Hutchins reports that up to
Dec. 9, of last year. the number of ap-
plications for relief for the year was
q, 439. This year, for the corresponding
period, it foots up 4,675, but this in
crease was during the winter and
spring; for several months past there
has been a decided falling off in the
number of requests for aid. To his
personal knowledge many who were as
sisted last winter are now earning their
own livings.
Secretary Jackson, of the Associated
said in an interview: There
is clearly less suffering than a year
ago; fewer families need assistance
Our society has had more work to do
which I ascribe to several causes; some
agencies are using us more in their
quest of information concerning per-
sons, there is a larger per centage of
needy old people, there may have been
more sickness among the classes with
whom we deal, and-what is probably
the principal reason-there are many
more recent corners to ST. Paul who re-
quire aid.
"As indicative of the Improvement of
the times may be mentioned the growth
of the provident fund, feature of this
society to encourage savings among the
poor. The savings in November this
year were $80.45, as compared with
sail in November, 1896. This is de-
veloping into a decidedly helpful part
of the work of the Associated Chart
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