Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-03-22

emergencies to help those who were Or
dinarlly ready and willing to help them
selves ana TO avoid the danger of fos-
tcrlng improvidcnce or au inclination to
lean on his bequcst for support
The trustees must necessarily have such
local organizations as may be devised to
thoroughly investigate ana understand
each individual beneficiary and we may
be sure that all those who are fairly en-
titled to assistance under the terms of
This bcquest, will be furnished it gladly.
lhose who are not entitled to it must
expect to be refused.
II can readily be seen that a thougbtless
use OF this fund might in the course of q
Few years attract to the town an over
supply of this kind of labor none too we'll
pam at present and thus, by making
wages low and employment precarious,
work injury to the very persons whom
the testator sought to benefit.
1t Will be understood that for this spe-
enc purpose, that is, for the relief of
the sewing women, all disbursement in
Brattleboro must be confined to bona
iide residents of Brattleboro and the
trustees will be warranted in insist
ing that in each case the benehc-
iary is shown to be bona fde resident.
and in refusing all requests from anv
who come here with the evident purpose
of securing the benefit of this fund
Properly and carefully administered, as
We p'leNe II VIII Dei all this Will be of
unbounded good to the sewing women
and shop girls and to Brattleboro, never
theless, indiscrminate administration of
this charity would work great harm and
we would be better off never to have had
II, should il result i'm the decentralization
of what is now a self-respecting and a
respected portion of our community
The good sense of all our people ought
to and will aid the trustees in giving
this bequcsts the great value to US which
it ought to possess.
There must needs be a large portion of
this income left each year for those kim
dred objects of charity, which this agree
ment for the settlement provides First;
the hospital for which We have so long
hoped is evidently soon to be ours Brat
teboro and Windham county have great
need of IT. 1t is believed that there will
be sufficient money to erect suitable
hospital modernly equipped and to assist
In maintaining it. The hospital ought to
he for the free use Of those only who can
not pay. All who can, ought to and no
doubt will bear the expense of care
and treatment in the institution. 1t is
valuable To have a hospital in town, even
for those who are able to pay and how
much more does it mean to those in need.
who will there be given good care and
treatment. Let il be called the "THOMP-
son HOSPlTAL' 20 the memory of
Thomas Thompson. II, as it is likely,
there snail remain a surplus, the proViS-
ions for the care of aged persons and
the support of kindergartens and other
schools, commend themselves as wise, as
in other cases. preference is to be given
to the persons whom the testator had
especially in mind, that is the seam
stresses, needlewomen and shop girls.
They are to have the preference in all
these kindred charities. as il is proper
that they should.
This trust must be administered un-
der the Massachusetts courts and by Bos-
ton trustees The trustees will be held
to strict accountability by the court for
the faithful performance of their duty.
We cannot ask and they cannot grant
more than the will with the compr5rriSs-.
agreement provides for and we must all
the time remember that the trustees have
the right and duty to withhold from us
and give elsewhere funds for which prop
er use in Brattleboro is not shown to
them.
Only by the hearty and conscientious
cooperation of the community both in
preventing abuses and in finding and or
the best means of showing how
this fund can be well and wisely used,
can the fun measure of the benefit of this
great benefaction be secured to Brattle-
boro.