The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-13
CHICAGO CHARITY WORK
ITS WORKINGS DESCRIBED By
ERNEST p. BICKNELL.
He Left Here Five Years Ago to Be-
come Superintendent of the Chi
cagO Bureau of Charities.

Ernest P. Bicknell, superintendent of the
Chicago Bureau of Charities, Is at the
Hotel English with his wife. LIZ. Bicknell
went TO the Bureau of Charities in Chi
cago five years ago as general superin-
tendent, and is as enthusiastic to-day as
he was when he began. In speaking of the
methods pursued by his people he talked
in a very interesting way last night. He
says that for the fiscal year ending May
81 1902, the bureau dealt with $4,000 fam
lilies.
''Our custom up there" said Mr.. Bick-
nell, is not to give family some coal
and some groceries and then let them go
until they come back for more supplies.
Instead of that, we take up family,
help them and do not let go until we have
them on their feet. We have adopted the
pension scheme in Chicago. and find 1t
very successful, and 1t seems TO be grow
ing in popularity. One Of the most per-
picking problems We have to deal with in
our charitable work is the proposition Of
taking care of old couples For instance.
we find a gentle old couple who are abso-
lutely incapable of supporting themselves.
There is one thing we can do with them,
but ii has it's drawbacks. We can send
them to the poor house. but there the hus-
band would have to live In his own ward
and the wife in a ward set apart for wom-
en- Here are two old people who have
gone through life together and it seems al
most brutal to separate them in their de-
clning years. There are some private
homes for old people where we might put
Them but they would be no better of,
for these homes are either exclusively for
aged women or aged men. So. after all.
they would have to be separated Besides
we can't always find a place In these
homes.
SOLUTION OF PROBLEM.
1--WE believe we have practically reached
a solution of this problem. We have adopt
ed the pension scheme for two kinds of
cases. and this is one of them. For in
stance, we go to some well-to-do people,
perhaps a wealthy family, and ask them to
contribute SIS to $40 month to the sup
port of a certain old couple. 1t is under
stood that this pension is forthcoming as
long as the old people shall live. We get
them a sunny room somewhere and there
they pass the time with no particular cares.
Sometimes the money is paid them by the
week, and sometimes by the month. An
other class that is enjoying the pension
scheme usually includes the moor widow
For instance, the bureau runs across a
widow whose husband has recently died
and VINO is le1t Win SeNeTdl small cnllOren.
The children are of that age that they cam
not be left alone by the mother, and con-
sequently she cannot go out and work.
Under the circumstances. she too is abso-
lutely unable to support herself. We have
some of these cases on the pension list
but of course they are not for life. IL
the widow has an infant son, we only ask
benefactors to contribute this pension until
the son probably reaches an age where
he can do some sort of service. In Chicago
there are perhaps 100 well-to-do people who
are contributing pensions of this kind.
1--WE also undertake to find employment
for people, and last year got jobs for 200
persons. We have been working the vege-
table garden scheme with considerable sue
cess. We follow the Pingree plan We
have in Chicago two forty-acre tracts OF
ground, cut up into three-quarter-acre gar
dens. We furnish tools and seed for poor
families and allow them to cultivate these
gardens. They go there a Saturday
a Sunday in the summer and work I'm the
ground. Ii is a treat to see these people
some warm Sunday enjoying their little in
dustry. Another pretentions undert aking
which Is a part of the bureaus work is
the sending of women and children to the
country In the summer. Besides sending
them to country homes we have four camps
on the lake shore, where mothers and chill
dren are cared for"