The Republican journal., 1897-11-25
Associated Charities,

AooO@A0NOA SNdllIlCSs
Two preliminary meetings looking to the
establishing of society for associated char
lty have been held in this city and some
progress made. At the meeting Nov. 10Th
N. e. Keen was elected temporary chairman
and W. R. Howard secretary. Mr.. Howard
was instructed to correspond with similar
societies in some city or cities and report
constitution and bylaws at the next meet
ing. The meeting adjourned to Monday,
Nov. 10Th, at 2 O'Clock p. m. at the office of
the Superintendent of Schools.
AS some uncertainty exists in the minds
of many interested parties as to how associ-
ated charities affect the work of the existing
organizations, churches and phianthropic
individuals, we give the following points
CLEANED from recent magazine articles:
Such an organization does not do away
with any existing charity or charitable Or
ganization. 1t is merely uniting all who are
engaged in philanthropic work with view
to helping each other, preventing the prac-
tice of fraud upon the benefactors, and incl
dentally to help the benefciaries to become,
through their own efforts, independent of the
| need of help. These societies cannot be re-
garded as new societies established for new
purposes, They are rather associations of
representatives of the old societies, of those
who We're already engaged in searching for
the best way to help the weak aud suffering,
who join themselves together in order that
they may aid each other in the work-that
they may each profit by the wisdom of all,
and that by joint action they may accom-
plish what has proved an impossible task
for each alone.
1t has long been evident that it is not want
of money, nor want of relief which produces
so much distress and pauperism, and these
societies were formed not to raise fresh re-
lief fund.- but to attack the causes of want
and pauperism in systematic manner.
The methods of work in one city, and
which might, with slight notifications. be
adopted here, are thus described in the
Chautauquan:
The society established a central Office
and divided the city into districts, in each
of which was a local Office with an agent to
be responsible for the care of such suffering
people as might be found in that district
and to serve as rallying point for all per-
sons IN JDaU ulStTlCU VINO were Trying TO nelp
these people.
The society obtains from all the various
associations and societies the name and ad
dress, and such further facts as to character
and circumstances as are accessible, of all
persons applying to them for aid and like
information is also received from all the dis
trct agents in the city. To any church or
society sending in the name of a person who
has made an application all the information
on hand concerning that person is at once
sent in order that the relieving society may
be able 10 act with knowledge
The following aims were announced for
the society formed in Buffalo, n. Y, in
1877, the city then having over 20 benevo-
lent societies besides the churches.
l. To bring into intelligent cooperation
all persons and societies giving aid to the
poor.
Q To investigate thoroughly and with
out charge all individuals applying for relief
to any person or society.
g. To bring all worthy cases to the at
| tenton OF societies and philanthropists who
might be willing to give aid where it was
necessary and might be helpful,
4 To secure volunteer visitors who
should regularly cali on all applicants for
aid. not with immediate relief, but to learn
their condition, to ascertain what they
could do and aid them in procuring work to
encourage them in such reforms as drinking,
IOOu, dress. sanitation, JnrlIb, etc, as might
lead them back to independence.
Al the outset the Buffalo society met a
difficulty which has troubled the various
charitable societies here, namely, the dupi-
cation of charity. Association in the work
at once removed the difficulty. We quote
from report of the work in Buffalo
The names of 5000 benefciaries were re-
turned, whose names We're recorded, to-
gether with the societies from which they
were receiving aid. The preliminary clas-
sification showed to the great astonishment
OF many benevolent people that the same
beggar was often receiving aid from eight or
ten individual =, from one or two benevolent
societies and from two or three churches at
the same time, This led to a thorough over
hauling of such cases and the destruction at
one fell blow of the Aristocracy of Beggar-
dom. Some of its princes at once moved to
more kindly cities which have not been
cruel enough to aim a blow at an entire
class by establishing charity on scientific
y After investigation of each case
the visitors reported to subcommittee,
and decision was reached as to what So
ciety or individual had better give aid in
the case, and the nature and amount of aid
needed. The Charity
Society only asked money enough to carry
on its organization and to relieve the poor
in exigencies. 1t aimed to furnish benefac-
tors full information in regard to the past
and present condition of the needy and to
report their progress toward self-support,
and left the aims to be distributed by the
established agencies No attempt was made
to have all the funds of societies or benefac-
tors paid into a common treasury.
Band Concert, Supper and Dance.
The supper, concert and dance at Belfast
1otl,