The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-23
WOMEN'S EXCHANGE WORK

vance Over Proceeding Years-Lunch
 Room is uccessful--Resume of the
 work Done During the Last Year
 What Work is Done and Nurtured
 by the Exchange.
 The annual report of the Womens Exchange is full follows.
 Once more the end of the Fxchanee year calls for a few words from the committee in charge, and once more the duty is pelasing one. The finan- cial statement shows a steady advance along all our paths of activity. par- ticularly an increase of $3,OO0 over last year and a gain of almost one-half in the lunch room receipts. This written story is well, and what shall be said Of the unwritten part of our work. that which, for obvious reasons, is rot given to the public? The confidence of many who have come temporarily or permanently to their hard places, or who ask our aid in carrying out wise and helpful plans for other good: the patient hearing, the kindly interest and sympathy-surely, all this may take its place by the side of the more practical dollars and cents as part of the good which goes out week by week from the Exchange
 And is 1t too much to say that be- sides being a friend indeed to many whom we call consignors, the Ex- charge is also a convenience and pleasure to those we call our patrons? Let US look as it from this point The best laid schemes of housekeepers will fall the carefully planned work of cooks will go wrong, and oftentimes the cooks themselves will go. And then what to do? A counter piled high with appetizing and wholesome cookery at the Exchange gives answer.
 Again the plain sewing of house. hold had such power of accumulation; our daughters get married, and in so doing demand the fine embroidery and dainty linen; our friends and neighbors give and take the birthday and Christ mas gifts the small house furnishings so dear to the feminine heart wear out and the Exchange needlework stands ever ready to fill these and many like needs
 Then when high noon comes, bring ing with it a healthful suggestions of lunch, home long way off, ones er- rands still unfinished, out of town friends met, perhaps unexpectedly well, just around the corner Is the Ex- change lunch room, simple, to be sure, but restful, clean and bright. Add to all this the invitation that has con- stantly gone forth to New Haven wo- men to use the Exchange as a place of rest, or place of meeting, a spot for their convenience, regardless of wish to buy. More than ever this year we thank those who have so faithfully patronized the Exchange and made possible the satisfactory report, but We venture the hope that we are also to them, as we have tried to show, and oftentimes. a comfort.
 There are two points which must be reiterated even to the verge of tire someness year by year. The first, as to the nature of our work and the sec ond in regard to our financial status. May we be pardoned if we use almost the same words as last year? Our con- sienors are largely educated and re- fined women who have been brought in varying degrees, face to face with need and trouble-trouble oftentimes falling upon them with crushing suddemess, financial loss, sickness, the death or perhaps ill-doing of those to whom they should look for help. Weak, possi- bly,, quite inexperienced and untrained for any special work, such women are confronted with the questions which discourage many a strong man in these days How to supplement an inade- quate income, or how to accomplish some work for others which presses upon them, to educate a child, to pay a mortgage, to carry on little mis- sion school The trained business wo- man of to-day can meet these ques- tions with some hope and success. The laboring woman, be she faithful and competent, can succeed, in proportion to her needs, fairly well. Between these two classes come a great company who gladly, and with no loss of self-respect receive the philauthropic aid from all over the land. Now a word concerning our financial needs. It is often said ''the exchange is so successful it will soon become self-supporting, will it not?' No. In exact proportion as our work grows, doubling or trebling its usefulness, so do our expenses grow. The gain is for those we try to help ard not for for our own treasury. The ten