The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-17

The District Board of Charities at its
meeting held last night authorized George
S. Wilson, Secretary of the Board, to at
tend the meeting of the New York State
Conference of Charities. to be held in
Albany for three days. beginning Deem
Der 3. Mr.. Wilson will leave next week,
spending some time in the cities CT Balti-
more, Philadelphia, and intervening cit
les. studying charity problems as they
exist. After the meeting of the confer
ence in Albany he will go to Boston, and
will visit several New England cities,
observing especially the manner of con-
Quoting hospital work.
Mr. Wilson explained to reporter of
The Times today that the District,
through its Board of Charities, is grad
uaIly feeling its way into a practical
system OF public charities. including hos
pital care and treatment, care OF the
insane. as well as of the poor who have
to be relieved temporarily or otherwise
with food, clothing, coal, and :he neces-
saries of life. Mr. Wilson stated that
upon his trip he should pay good deal
of attention to the methods adopted IN
the different cities relative TO the re-
ceiving of persons in hospitals. He re-
ferred to the fact that it was at this
point that the charities of the District
seem to be the most lacking.
We have IS yet no public hospital" he
said, patients which The District must
take care OF being placed in several pri-
yate or semi-private institutions, and 1t
is left with them to say whether the in
dividual patients shall be taken in or not.
If the hospitals have rooms and the pa
ticnts are not afflicted with incurable
disease, the hospitals Will take them IN,
but it is a fact that there is no place
where the District authorities can take
| sick man or woman and be sure OF the
| patient being received, except at the lit
| tie hospital at the Washington Asylum.
which was built for the purpos@ of af-
/ fordIng accommodations for the sick of
| that institution alone Hence. the Dis
triet IS poorly equipped to take care OF
| the INDECENT sick which are constantly
thrust upon our hands for care"
Mr.. Wilson stated that there was an
economic side of the question TO be con-
sidered. He explained that it takes $10,-
900 or $50 goo to supply The needs OF the
poor under the head of what is commonly
called relief work, while it takes $100,ec0
or $500, Geo TO pay for the hospital treat
ment and the care of the INDECENT sick in
the District.
We have now site for municipal
hospital. - said Mr.. Wilson. and may say
in passing that the Board of Charities are
particularly well pleased with the success
which has crowned the labors of the Com
missioners in securing so good site at
so reasonable a price Now it IS incum-
bent upon Us to have the best hospital
outfit and the best conducted institution
in the United States, if Congress will give
us the money. To this end my trip TO the
| Mort bern cities will be one OF observation
! and the collection of Information for the
/ guidance OF the board upon my return.
Doubtless the construction of the hospital
| buildings viii be entrusted to q commits
sion who will view buildings elsewhere
and learn what are the best appliances ia
the line of buildings for modern hosPi-
tai But after the buildings are put up il
will be necessary to set the hospital run
ming. and l may say that the Board Of
Charities are already at work upon that
problem and will continue TO work upon it
until it is solved in practical way