The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-02-28
pR ERpMAN Al TRENTON.

ence in Trenton, listened with
pleasure to the brief paper read by
the Rev. DR.. Erdman, of your city,
and in order that others may be bene-
fitted by it, have secured the manu-
script and would be glad to have you
publish same This the Chronicle
does with pleasure as follows:
AS member of the Board of Mana
gers of the State Charities Aid Assoc
citation the task assigned to me is
simple and yet most honorable, The
honor of representing the State Asso-
citation Ghas fallen to me simply be-
cause it has been my privilege to be
connected with the Morris County or
ganization out of which the State
Association sprang.
| In the early part Of 1881, the atten-
ton Of few of the citizens ofsMorris
County was called to the conditions,
prevailing in the County almshouse
and particularly to the twenty or
| twenty five children confined in it.
A public meeting was called in Nor
ristown, at which after an address by
Bishop Potter, Of New York, an or
ganization twas effected under the
name of the Morris County Charities
Aid Association. One of the first
fruits was the incorporation Of the
Morris County ,Children's Home. a
arge mansion with some 25 acres
of ground was purchased by public
subscription, the children in the aims
house were transferred to the thome"
and it's beneficent work has gone on
till now it shelters annually about go
children. The evil condition of the
county Jail .also enlisted the interest
of the Association; but it soon be-
came evident that to accomplish any
permanent reform in the penal and
charitable institutions Eof any one
county and to secure proper and
efficient legislative action, the state
at large must be aroused and.the pub
lie conscience, if there be such a
thing--and there is-be awakened.
Accordingly in April 1886, the
county society was formed into
State Association. Through the in
telligent and interchangeable and unset
fish labors of the honored secretary
Mrs. Williamson--other, counties be-
came. interested and in 1883 a new
Board of Managers representing
different sections of the state was
chosen and incorporated under the
name of the New Jersey State Chari-
ties Aid Association, the several
county organizations. heing connected
with it as county branches or County
Local Committees.
Our sister commonwealth, the EN-
pire State, is just now engaged with
thesproblem Of the best administration
of its institutions for the insane. The
question seems for the present to be
settle, but the test is yet to come, for
nothing is settled till it is settled
right. However, the case may be in
New York State with regard to this
one department OF public welfare. it
may 60 without question that in
New Jersey the results accomplished
by this State Association, cannot be
over-estimated. The legislative en-
actments secured for the amelioration
of jails and almshouses, the reforms
inaugurated to remedy existing evils.
the establishment of the probation
system and the indeterminate sea-
tence for first offenders, and the gen
eral awakening Of public interest in
the conditions prevalent in penal and
charitable institutions throughout the
State has been of untold value.
And the work has only just begun. To
show the wide range OF its work, the
Association has eight standing com
miUtees, viz On Prisons and Peniten-
tiaries, Reformatories, Hospitals, and |
Asylums, Elevation of the Poor in
their Homes, Jails and Station houses,
Almshouses, Children, Laws.
We plead therefore for deeper and |
more general interest in our work /
and for the hearty cooperation Of all /
in it's efforts to deal with the ever in /
creasing problem of penology which I
has well been defined as the science
of the protection Of society from
crime by the repression. reformation
and extirpation of criminals, as we'll /
as with the amelioration of the hap
less condition Of the unfortunates in
the Hospitals and Asylums of our
State,
The papers to which we have list
ened and the many institutions re-
presented on the program of this con-
ference present an alarming array of I
questions that imperatively demand
the earnest and intelligent considera-
tion of every patriotic citizen and the
highest humanitarian and Christian
cooperation.
Suffice it TO say in conclusion, that
while each of these causes, in the
main, has to do with local conditions
some particular phase of the general
problem, the State Charities Aid AS
is concerned with all of |
them and exists as bureau of in
formation and assistance for all, and
Nv visitafinn ana snvackioa4inn ava |