Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-11-21
A UNIQUE woMAN's MISSION.
Where Deserted Wives and widows Ars
Taught n Trade.

Taught Trade.
On the top floor of the New Era
building, Halstead street and Blue Isl.
| and avenue, is one of tie most unique
institutions in the city. 1t is known
as the UNITED Hebrew Charities
Workroon." The presiding genius. or
more technically, the superintendent,
is Mrs. Louise Mitchell.
This Wcrkroom has u unique mission
among the poor Jewish women Of Chi.
cago. 1t aims to give employment to
deserted wives and dependent widows,
who have children to feed and clothe.
1t seeks to make them self-supporting
by teaching them various kinds Of
needlcwork. And lastly it endeavors
to educate them in the decencies of life,
to raise them in their own esteem, and
to give them that desire for a certain
social standing so essential to the hap
py woman's makeup.
The committee in general charge of
the undertaking is headed by Mrs.
Louise Schott. The other members
are Isaac Greensfelder, Mrs. Carson
Myers and Mrs. Alfred Kohn.
Every day the rooms are filled with
women whose poverty and helplessness
are known to Superintendent Edward
Rubovits of the United Hebrew Char
tiles. They come at 8 o'clock in the
morning and leave at 4 in the after
noon. These hours allow them to CON-
plete all their housework before leav-
ing home, and to return in time to pre-
pare the evening meal. The tasks Civ
EN- them are not hard, and in payment
each receives seventy-fve cents a day.
The only drawback to the workroom
is that it can accommodate no more
than fifty women at time. The COM
mittee must, therefore, perform its
duties on principles of scientific char
ity and according to the means at its
disposal. 1t cannot be generous 1t
can only be just. In commenting on
this Superintendent Rubovits says:
Our applicants appear in a different
attitude from that adopted by those
who petition non-Jewish charitable in
stitutions. They demand, where others
ask. 1t is true that our donors were
more liberal. The peculiarities may
have their origin in that maxim of the
Bible: For the poor shall never cease
out of the land And, therefore, the
hberality, on the one hand, is greater,
and the demands from our people on
the other hand, are more persistent.
Our manner Of procedure is easily
explained. a case appears and the ap-
plication is taken. Then an investiga-
ton is made. This is done for the pur-
pose of learning the history of the
case and to ascertain the causes that
prompted the person to ask for as
sistance, and also to enable the men,
bers of the committee to form an opin-
ion as to what extent aid should be
furnished. Such Investigations fire.
quently lead to detection of intended
fraud, sometimes to unworthiness.
ION this latter point 1 wish to say
that the women who are taken into the
workroom are all respectable and up
right morally.
1--WE do not, as Il rule, undertake our
Investigations with the preconceived
idea that we shall discover its object to
be unworthy. When we do discover it
to be such, it is quite accidental, and
very disappointing. In that case, of
course, the applicant is refused aid
When we have cause merely to sus-
pect that something is wrong, we give
the woman the benefit of the doubt un-
til something further develops.
Every worthy case is taken up
promptly and all possible assistance
is granted
The. work furnished is chiefly that
of making mems neckties for the
wholesale establishments. The big
manufacturers furnish the material,
and pay from fifteen to twenty-five
cents dozen for having the ties made
up.-Chicago Chronicle.