The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-12

What College Settlements Are Doing
for the Children.
Eve

No more interesting spectacle in the slums
of New York can be seen than the deposi-
Provident Fund Bank at the College ana
University Settlements. The former has
only about 36o depositors, but the University
Settlement, a few blocks away. has over
seven hundred. The bank has capitalfza-
ton of SIPS, and one day recently 1t paid out
$1l5, yet did not go under. On TUESDAY and
girls gather round the Settlement, on Ed
ridge street, and sometimes it is Impossible
for a pedestrian to make his way thro9g . n
children align themselves two deep on the
sidewalk, and at times the line extends up
We 5TcE and ss hundred
depositors are attended TO in that period.
The deposits vary from 1 cent to 90 cents
Like all children coming in contact with
the settlement workers, the little ones dis
play tidiness of person which is comfort
ing TO the residents, despite the probability
that it is for that day only. But character
is a matter of habit and the children are
drawn on the influence of the Settlement
regularly by the bank method. Every child
holds tightly clutched in his hands his
'bankbook." This is a pasteboard folder,
with the depositors number on the outside,
through which, by referring to its duplicate
in a book accompanying the name, the child
Identifies himself by calling out his name.
The old depositor can be distinguished at
glance from the new one, who deposits his
money with q daZed expression Shadows
of doubt play over his face as he leaves his
pennies behind at the desk and carries of
only the piece OF paSteboard ana a rev au-
ditional stamps. The old depositor steps
forward with an air of ASSURANCE and some
times even of patronage to the receiving
clerk
The matron stands inside the door and in
spects the children as she greets them
cheerfully. Her assistants marshal them 10
the desk, behind which sit the resident
workers. There are smile and salute
for every child and a polite return from him.
Then the money is deposited or Withdrawn.
Stamps of denominations of l. 2, 3. 3. 10,
% and 30 cents and 81 are before the work
er and one representing the amount of the
deposit is pasted in the book.
Many of the depositorS draw their money
when il reaches 80 cents, almost invarfa-
bly, to be spent for necessities. Many of
to So and then deposit it In real bank.
as they call ii. The most frequent deposits
are and 10 cents.
Statistics show that during the year
Jan. I, 1898, to Jan. /, 1893, 3,05l books were
issued. OF these, about 1900 have already
en- at random, the average attendance was
found to be 542: 300 books were closed,
amounting to $iSS04, which would show on
an average the number of accounts closed
at each session to be twenty-eight and the
average amount of each account to be S1.5S.
AS far can be gathered from the guam
tity and denomination of the stamps sup
piled, the average deposit of these eleven
sessions was cents.
The progress being made by the Penny
Provident Fund in New York city shows
eloquently how the spirit of thrift is being
inculcated in the children of New York S
poor. During 1893 the Central Penny Provi-
dent Fund Bank. on Fourth avenue and
amount of $4,000. The Educational Alliance
has the largest deposits of any institution
in the city and the University Settlement
follows close second.