The Portland daily press., 1900-10-30
FEMALE PKOVIDENT ASSN.
Holds Its Annual Meeting and Elects
Officers.

The Female Provident ASSOC iation held
It's annual meeting yesterday The an
nual report OF Mrs. Mary e. Cole, the Sec
rotary, was as follows:
Again we gather IN this room to
review the work OF the year and make
plans for the future. The work has had
no distinguishing mark from that OF
many other years. Ne have met, with one
or two exceptions, the first Monday or
each month from November to April in
elusive. The attendance at the meetings
has not been large but their interest has
not Jagged. Matters connected with the
work and leases requiring special care
and wisdom have been OF sufficient in
terest to hold the attention and thought
OF the managers and officers.
Our faithful depository has given free
y a very large part of her time to the
accomplishment Of the work, as have
some OF our faithful managers. Our
financial position continues strong and
we may he said to be as prosperous as any
similar organization In the city We
grieve 20 record the death OF one OF Oul
OLDEST mem bers, Mrs. Caroline Hall, who
until the past few years has been a regu-
lar attendant at the meetings and a
valued friendly visitor. She was a wo-
man OF considerable decision Of character
and valuable member OF the oryaniza-
ton.
Your secretary has been thinking OF
late whether or not all of our charitable
societies are doing the best that can be
1One to better the poorer Glasses among
IS. Is not our charity by which we mean
% lessen their burdens one Of the causes
T their continuance? In our long and
varied experiences together have we not
been learning that many or those upon
whom we b8stOw our aid are the victims
OF circumstances OF either their own
or another making-1mprOviden
~I~ -f-n+ AID
tending to create, to Increase the moral
stamina needed to fit them for the posi-
tiOns and responsibilities Of citizenship
and parenthOOdf Or are we making them
less and less capable of resisting their
natural weaknesses by removing the
necessity for strong action such as heads
of families must have il they have any
SELF respect, or manhood?
Your secretary is not referring to any
one charitable organization, rather to
the present system of the bestOwment Of
pecun1ary aid of all our charitable socie-
ties throughout the country. These
thoughts have been borne IN upon her
during the past few months and have re-
suited IN a settled conviction that we
should reach our poor by broader and
deeper avenues than those which simply
supply creature comforts.
Mrs. Octavia Beckett reported the
following articles as having been distrib-
uted during the year: 90 pairs of boots,
four pairs shoes, 81 pairs rubbers, u
undervests, 70 pairs drawers, pairs
hose, BIZ yards cotton, 10 yards print,
40 yards cambria, 171S yards silesia, 10
pieces braid, IL spOOls cotton, nine spOols
silk, four cards hooks and eyes, S6 steels
eight night dresses, eight blankets, IA
wrappers, "a yards percale, 1S11 yards
flannel, 81 yards canvas, Is yards cotton
flannel, 70 yards outing flannel, 80 1-3
yards dress goods, three REFERS two
underskirts, five pairs pants, eight suits
boys olothes go yards bingham, two
dress skirts, one jacket, one cape, three
waists, six yards nainsook.
The report Of Mrs Ellen M. LittlefieId,
the treasurer, was as follows:
Receipts