The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-01

HOW TOHELP POOR
Mrs. Chown Tells the Teach
er's Club Methods Of
Charities Aid.
FRIENDSHIP NECESSARY
Education is Another Requi-
site in Assisting others
Manual Training
Important.

The Jersey City Teachers Club met in
Foye Hall. last might, and had its regular
monthly entertainment In additioh u
the many entertaining features OF the
programme there was an instructive az
dress on Education, the Basis OF the
New Charity" by Miss A. A.. Chown. the
SUPERINTENDENT of the Organized Aid AS
Eociation.
The programme opened with a piano
selection by Miss Josie Weis. Harry Kos
sell recited lawfully Lovely Philosophy
There were selections by a quartette con-
sisting of Messrs. Hensell, Herring, frehz
and Berries, and then Miss Chown spoke.
She said:-.sThe aim of the Organized
Aid Association may be expressed IN one
wo~rd-character. But character galnesh
through education-of spirit. OF lnteilece'
of custom. of manners, of skill. OF heart
ana head and hand. 1t behooves us at
the close of the Nineteenth century 70
stop and ask, what is charity! WAY !
end? What is the object II sets peioie
itself? r
I'VE know the old conception Of charity
was simply che giving of ans. the SUP
plying anothefs need. Even II II sprans
from a desire to purchase heaven n lsas
IN nuCA LII kIC oaS -
dispensed that made it admirapie. bu.
with the changing industrial cohoilIons
and corresponding social conditions 1nels
has a gulf arisen between tFe aIea
the poor. 1t Is the gun "a
of each other. .lover
We must recognize that the eInpiosSt
of labor and the laborer have lost slara
of each other. Much as ne may uestls
it it is impossible for the large empioset
of labor to have the Individual interest
in his workmen that the small farmer ~
manufacturer had in his FEWER iapoleis.
This then is the problem tnat con
fronts the new charity called new pc
cause it stands in contrast to the olu'
which had less complicated soclal ION
charitable to give aims in the past De.
case he or she knew the conditlon o.
the recipient. 1t is oft times uhsaie'
both for the giver ana receiver, 10 oi . :
pense doles today, because the abyss OF
( unacquaintanceship Whlcn yaWns "
tween rich and poor makes 1t easy LOT lne
shiftless, the lazy, the imprevldenl 70
concoct some story which Appeals 70 tne
slf = AA0 "'
"And SO we have come to our first step,
knowledge of conditions which cause
poverty in the particular case MhiI r.
makes the demand on our sympathy: -
is better to help one man into a position
of Independence than to help twenty. men
exist in misery Ihe new cnalits nnar
This knowledge is best acquired at hfsl
hand. but that is not always possible, SO
it places the service OF an investigator a.
your disposal.
w investigate that we may know
conditions. Through knowledge OF mol
vidual conditions We come 10 KnoWleuss
of causes of poverty. a knoWiease y
conditions teaches us that, except in cases
of distress or sickness, what the poor
need is not aims but a friend. a frleno
with whom to advise, VINO Will give nelp
and counsel, using his influence to secure
r.yarB A frfopd who will stimulate am
bition. To be such a friend means a aaliy
education in the spirit OF brotnernooa. ~
means a broadening comprehension OF an
others individuality. Education mas OFTEN
times served to erect barriers between
the learned and unlearned. The cultured
man or woman desires to converse Win
men and women who AVE read the latsst
novel. who are interested in the new de-
velopment of thought, who can taxi ap-
etractions about the spirit OF the age. II
is a distinct gain in the development O
the spiritual faculties which cOmprenend
truth. when through contact with our
brother we have learned to understand
his individuality and need no interpreter
for him. We have passed from the Phase
OF being admiring critics of others ar
tistic delineation to the sympalhetlc IN
sight which needs only expression Tor ar
tfstic creation on our own part. Sucn an
education is beyond all knowledge or
training gained by intellectual exercises.
1t is original, creative, Individual
IF the gain be SO great to the one VINO
realizes the spirit of human protnernooo,
it is correspondingiy valuable TO those
who are the recipients because 1t seeks
to promote conditions which will develop
the manhood and the womanhood OF those
who are handicapped by lack OF materlal
or educational advantages. The Organ
lied Aid aims to help men and women 20
fit themselves to fight the battle OF HE
individually. Some one has SAID tnat the
only thing it is safe to give lavlshly, un-
stintedly, is the opportunity for intellect
or spiritual development.
1--WE are wisely recognizing that all
good work, whether it is material or IN
tellectual, developes the character, that
t-horoughness is only truth in action and
visa versa, truth becomes t-horoughness
in work. I would like to pay my hlgh
tribute here to the work you are doing
for society and teachers, the great econ
omic value of your work, and would like
to pause and put In a plea for manual
training in the schools and Tor domestic
training in cooking and sewing. The
economic value to the State of these two
branches of training make it imperative
that sooner or. later the State will under
take to give this training to its citizens.
."Th wealth of the State consists in the
ability of its citizens. 1t is therefore i'm
portant for its own welfare that 1t should
provide that it's citizens should be fitted
to keep it's industrial pre-eminence. But
the schools and their training, except as
we recognize them as very important rae
tors in solving the problem of the poor,
lie beyond the scope of this paper. Our
work has to do with principles and the
adoption of principles by individuals. We
desire to win for every poor family a
friend who will not make it easy for them
in poverty but endeavor to drive or lead
them out of it.
.sThere are two forces in life, one tend
ing to drag men down, the other forcing
men up. One is l~aziness, the other dis
content. We desire to introduce higher
standards of living so that the man who
is down may refuse to be satisfied with
his present Surroundings. All workers
along Organized Aid lines found t heir
work on the belief that the only true
charity is that which helps the poor to
help themselves"
Miss Chown hopes to introduce the
Penny Provident Bank into each of the
schools in Jersey City.
After Miss Chown's address there were
songs and recitations and then the floor
was cleared for dancing. The arrange
ments last night were in charge of Miss
Alice Whitaker.