New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-06
eternal vigilance is the price of good roads just
as much as il is Of liberty
4 GOOD OLD CHARITY,

| The present time In philanthropic works, as
well as In other activities, is largely reminiscent
of that Of Arthur Pendragon, when every
| morning brought noble chance. and every
chance brought out a noble knight" At least
every year serves to develop some new need,
| which some agency is promptly devised to
meet. Amid the multiplicity of new needs and
new charities however, matter how urgent
| the former and how admirable the latter may
| be, the old needs old our civilization, per-
| sist, and. happily. some good old charities like
| wise continue their benefcent work after many
years. The thought is reused by the reminder
that this week will be celebrated the sixty-sixth
anniversary Of The American Female Guardian
| Society and Home for the Friendless. Sxty-sx
| years mean practically two generations, an age
which might be surmised from the quaint, old
| fashioned name Of the organization. The name
was indeed, still more quaint, with n
moral reform" phrase inserted, that il
akin to Lowells favorite "old fashioned title
page. Old fashioned, too is the society in its
local habtation, its offices being still where they
were originally placed, before street number
ing was fully applied, and the description of the
place was ION Thirteth Street between Madi-
son and Fourth Avenues" In these sixty-six
years many society for the promotion of this
or the prevention of that has risen. run its
course and set. But this one keeps on the even
tenor of its way
Nor has there been found by any one in all
these years a better way, nor is 1t easy to find
elsewhere q more satisfactory record than the
one quietly and unassumingly made. The
Home for the Friendless has since it was opened
been home indeed to nearly thirty-fve thou
sand frendless ones-statistics which indicate
vast amount Of relief comfort and security, and
of saving from pain, danger and death. In the
thirteen schools last year there were more than
1850 students. representing eleven nationalitieS
OF this cosmopolitan city. TO whom for their
urgent physical needs more than 600 garments
and 10000 loaves of bread We're given. Intensely
practical too the schooling. comprising not
only the "three RS" but the various useful in
dustries which are fond of talking about
desirable for introduction into the school sys-
tenn generally-sewing and dressmaking and
cooking. carpentry and cobbling, chair Gaming
and iron work with Accomplishments of penny
provident banks" and object lessons In Ameri-
can patriotism. In truth, this admirable society
is doing. and has been doing ever since Andrew
Jackson was President of the United States. pre-
cisely those things which our most progressive
and enlightened social reformers and phlan
thropists are to-day convinced are the best
things to be done for the betterment of social
conditions in those great under strata which are
so sad aud yet certain ii fact. Home for the
homeless. food for the hungry. clothes for the
naked, instruction for the ignorant and guild
ance in thrift. self-help and all the elements Of
good citizenship-these its works. In needs
nothing more than a sufficient extension of its
ability. through generous support. and the gen
pra promotion of precisely such work on every
hand, to bring the nearest approach to the
social millennium which age is likely to be-
hold.