The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-13


The Board of Charities held its initial
meeting yesterday at the District Building
| in the room formerly occupied by the
Superintendent Of Charities. Prior to the
calling of the meeting to order Commits
sioner mcfarland welcomed the members
to their rooms. and spoke a fea. words to
| them as President of the Board of District
Commissioners. He said:
Il am here to welcome you to the Dis
| trict Building and the District service.
| Congress. at the instance of the Superin-
tendent of Charities. approved by the Com
missioners, has abolished his office and
created a Board of Charities to administer
| the institutional charities of the District.
supported. in whole or in part, by public
funds. Congress in SO doing, recognized
the force of the Superintendent statement
of the need for the coordination of those
! charities into harmonious system. based
en- the principles of charity administration
established by the experience of the best
charity administrators in this country and
abroad, and the fact that this could be
more easily and satisfactorily accomplished
by a board of representative citizens hay
ing the confidence Of the community, and
serving without compensation than by a
salaried Superintendent OF Charities who
was by law required to be nonresident.
THE community counts itself fortunate
that the President has procured for it
your services as members Of the first
Board of Charities, and is grateful to you
for undertaking the arduous task, as it is
to him for inducing you to do SO. 1t ap
preciates the self-sacrifice and public
spirit shown. and anticipates corresponding
success from your 1abors.'
The Board Of Charities then went into
private session for organization and the
election of officers. S. W. Woodward was
chosen president. DR.. Charles B. Neil was
made vice president and George S. Wilson
secretary. Percy B. Smith was appointed
messenger. The action of the board was
entirely harmonious and the business of
the day was disposed of promptly.
After the meeting a member OF the
board. in speaking of the choice of Mr.
Wilson as secretary to the board said
that his election was entirely satisfactory
to all the members and that his name was
the only one which was seriously consid-
cred. With regard to Mr.. Lewis, the
former Superintendent of Charities. who
was also candidate for the position. the
same member of the board said that they
could not afford TO select a man for the
post against whom SO much opposition ex-
listed. Whatever its cause, he said, it was
such as to preclude the possibility of Mr..
Lewis election. The member stated that
the board was a new one and would in the
course OF time probably develop enough
trouble without taking on any at the be-
ginning. Personally. said this man, no
member Of the board has aught against
Mr. Lewis. but the fact that the board
had to face was that MIR. Lewis has enc
mics, and that to place him in the re-
sponsible position of secretary would be
to invite criticism at the start and to
shoulder a handicap which it was feared
would embarrass the organization later.
George S. Wilson. the new secretary
came to Washington from Toledo. Ohio
in 1895. and has been since that time sec
rotary of the Associated Charities of the
District. which position he last night for
mally resigned. Mr.. Wilson is of Scotch
Irish descent. and was born in Belfast, |
Ireland. He came to the United States |
in 1889 and went to Wisconsin He en-
tered the State University of Wisconsin
and graduated in 1894. In his last year in
college Mr.. Wilson devoted much alter
ton to the study OF political economy and |
the principles Of practical philanthropy. |
At graduation se took one of the two |
scholarships offered in the University of |
Wisconsin on Charities and Correction, |
which enabled him. through the School of |
Philanthropy in Cincinnati, to make a |
special study in the fall and summer of |
1894 of the State. county. and municipal |
charities in Ohio. Indiana, and Kentucky |
Under the direction and authority Of the |
Ohio Labor Commission Mr.. Wilson in
vestigated the sweatshops in Cinciraati
and his report was incorporated in the
annual report of the commissioner for
1894.
In the fall of that year Mr.. Wilson was
called to Toledo, Ohio, TO take charge of
the associated charities of that city. In
December. 1895. when the Associated
Charities of Washington were recognized
Mr.. Wilson was invited to take the secre-
taryship and accepted the position.
A few days ago friends of Mr. Wilson.
It is said. approached him and asked him
10 allow his name to be used as a capdi-
late for secretary TO the Board of Chart
les. He refused, he said on the ground
hat he and Mr.. Lewis had been friends.
md that he did not wish to place himself
n the position of antagonism to him In |
Consequence, yesterday, when he was sent
or TO confer with the board he was taken
" surprise. as he said he had done moth
ng to seek the place.
The new field to which Mr.. Wilson will :
evote his labors differs materially from
hat In which he has worked in the past
lie explained to a Times reporter yester-
ay that the Board of Charities has super !
ision over the money which Congress APP
ropriates TO various charities in the
district of Columbia, amounting to about r
SOC. 600 annually, while that of the Asso
lated Charities is devoted to giving in
elligent direction to money donated pri- 7
ately for the relief of the poor. The two c
re distinct. Mr.. Wilson said, and do not n
ontiict in their practical application. n
The Board of Charities adjourned 10 .
leet on August 30 Mr.. Wilson viii i'm n
1ediately take charge of the work of the 4
oard. and will have the field well mapped n
ut by the time of the next meeting a