Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18

| house and for extra hospital supplies are
urged by the visiting physician.
I For a porch for the north wing Of the
aimshouse, 81 200 is asked.
THE increases asked for the reform
| school for girls are made necessary by the
enlargement Of the Institution. They are
somewhat less than asked by the trustees
| of the institution.
Public Charities.
1.-The proposition to appropriate $4,000
| for additional hospital care of persons who
are destitute is rendered necessary by the
| fact that the private hospitals which re-
ceive appropriations have been entirely in
| dependent In the natter OF the reception of
patients, and there are many patients for
whom the Commissioners are requested to
| furnish hospital care, who, for one reason
or another are not accepta BILE to the pri-
vate hospitals for whom there Is no
room. 1t Is expected that it will be neces-
sary to erect a temporary building for the
accommodation of such cases.
This raises the question as to what
shall be the development of the medical
charities of the District. 1t is sufficient to
say here that the chronic and incura BILE
cases which cannot be cared for at home
must be provided for In hospitals as well
as the acute and surgical cases. and that
while there is competition among the pri-
vate hospitals for the latter class of ma
tents and while every enlargement is cal
culated to increase the provision for them
the chronic and tncurable cases are not de-
sired and must be provided for, if at all.
in public hospitals.
zone thousand dollars Is estimated for
repairs at Columbia Hospital. The estimate
asked by the board of trustees was two
and half times that amount
For the Industrial Home School an in
crease of 81, 900 is estimated for each of
three itemS-maintenance. repairs and i'm
provements to buildings and grounds and
for the enlargement and Improvement of
the industries. The proposition to appro-
pirate $4,000 for a new school building
presents a somewhat different question,
The rooms occupied for school pur-
poses are not well adapted to that pur-
pose. The inspector of buildings estimates
$4,000 as the necessary expense of sep
arate four-room building of first-class ma.
terial and finish. similar to other buildings
erected for the use of the city schools
For the board of childrens guardians
an increase of $500 is estimated in the
fund for administrative purposes This is
to cover the expense of supervision of POO
children added to the number under the
guardianship of the board but residing In
the homes of persons to whom they are in
dentured apprenticed.
Fer the care and maintenance of chill
dren committed by the courts and not vet
p aced out the same amount is estimated
as is now available except that this fund
will now be relieved of the support of the
feehle-minded, who are provided for by
special estimate elsewhere. There Is there
for the support of the various sorts of de-
pendents placed by law under the care of
this board.
Other Expenditures
I'm the list Of private charities the pro-
vision is generally introduced for the pay
ment of the money appropriated by way
of specific payment for specific service to
be rendered under contract with the Com
missioners. Heretofore there has existed
no accurate measure either of the amount
or necessary charitable work done by any
institution or its value. Amounts appr0-
priated In aid of Institutions have been de-
termlned arbitrarily upon the general state
ment that they are doing good. The amount
or contributions from private sources earn
lngs equipment economy Of management
efficiency of service, appreciation of re-
sponsibiity to the public because of the
use of money raised by taxation and the
diversion of private income to the acquisi-
ton of real estate have scarcely been fac
tors in the equation. This has led to the
needless multiplication Of institutions of one
Kind and to the neglect of equally as i'm
portant work of another sort. It has con-
tinued the appropriation of money where
it was not needed. It has prevented the
creation and Improvement Of public insti-
tutions which are sadly needed in order to
accomplish work which the private tnsti-
tutions refuse.
The approximation herein recommended
in aid Of the Young Woman's Christian
Home should be the final one for that in
stitutfon. The work done is not such as Is
properly any part of the duty of the gov
eminent. There is a strong possibility that
the institution will he able TO go on with
its work after 1901 without embarrassment
even though congressional assistance be
Withdrawn.
The work of the Womans Christian As
ISOLATION is of a different character. Most
of the inmates of its home incapaci-
tated by age or infrmity. and when home
less are proper subjects for public charity
lrNl Id
Five child-caring institutions were
dropped from the list of those receiving
public assistance for 1900. Three of these
have asked that they be restored to their
former places in the appropriation bill.
There is no public reason why these re-
quests should be granted.
New Unofficial Charities.
The Aid Association for the Blind rep
resents a very well-developed sentiment in
the District Of Columbia favorable to the
creation of an Industrial institution for
the employment of the adult blind and a
home asylum for the care of such of
this class as are without settled place or
abode. 1t is exceedingly desirable that
blind beggars should be banished from the
streets of the capital city. There is excel
lent prospect that the Aid Association may
soon be placed in possession of a building
somewhat suitable for its purposes, and
that beginning will be made which can
be developed into institution for their
proper direction into honorable independ-
enCe.
"A proposition to appropriate $4,000 for
the equipment and maintenance of work.
shops for the blind a public undertake
ing was urged upon the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia when discussing
the estimates for the charities schedule,
but pressing necessities In other directions
made 1T impossible for them to approve the
plan at present. One thousand dollars has
been reserved from the funds for the re-
q n no li..1 n he ain
tenance of the blind soon place for
them has been arranged. The present pro-
vision for the education of blind children
need not be at all interfered with by any
plans for the employment of the adult
blind.
The National Prisoners Aid Society has
been formed for the purpose of assisting
discharged prisoners. and of preventing the
imprisonment of children and irresponsible
persons. That there is just there a great
and unoccupied field of usefulness no one
for moment doubt
Junior Republic.
1.-THE National Junior Republic has been
organized with board of trustees divided
between the cities of Washington and Bal