The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-28
UNITARIAN
CLUB HOLDS
MEETING
Several Interesting Addresses
Made at tho Ladies' Night
Session In the EIOise.

Ladies' Night" was observed by the
last evening. in a most delightful man
ner. large and representative company
Of ladies and gentlemen being In attend
ance.
From $50 to 1880 o'clock a reception
was held In the parlors OF the Eloise
after which an elaborate banquet was
served In the ball room Following the
banquet a brief business meeting was
held, after which a discussion concern
ing the methods and aims of rescue and
probation work was in order. the speak
ers being Miss Ada Eliot of New York,
known as tho successor OF Mrs. Foster.
the 'Tombs Angel" Miss Denehy the
probation officer OF this city and the
superintendent OF the Rescue Home, and
Hon. Rathbone Gardner.
The business meeting was presided over
by Mrs. q. G. Cameron, the president
OF the Unitarian club and the report OF
the secretary. Mr. William Eddy was
FIRST called for.
Upon motion OF Mr. II. X Hilton. the
president. then announced the following
as a nominating committee 10 choose
officers for the coming year. and 10 report
at the April meeting Mr.. III. X. Hlto~'
Mr.. Robert b. Brown. Mr.. Theodore f.
Tillinghast.
After these preliminaries the president
introduced the first speaker Miss El-
Hot, who. by a most pleasing personality,
put herself at once en- rapport with
her audience. She spoke first Of the sig
nifcance OF probation and defined II as
q suspension OF sentence under detention.
She then gave a brief description OF the
character OF her work and the extent OF
illustration. In four months, she said
she had 40 men and - to - women under
the men were for non-support. she said
and she explained the character Of these
particular types OF criminals.
The women probauoners. she continued
OF them given TO drinking and disorderly
conduct.
Miss Eliot told also OF the court OF
special sessions OF New York. where only
women were tried. She explained the
process OF this court and how prisoners
were placed in her care.
reasons for probation as follows: First
offenders are saved the humiliation and
the depraving companionship of a prison
term; second, IL an offender can he made
20 behave himself In his own home the
discipline OF will power is indefinitely
greater than under confinement. where
practically nil: third, whenever gentle
methods prove as effective as harsh ones
the hunnonizing influence on the commu-
nifty that Furnishes as on the criminal
who is punished, is beyond calculation.
Probation Is one more step away from
the brute.
Miss Eliot was followed by Miss Den
ehy. who told of the two kinds OF her
work. the probation and the rescue worn
and both as she said. closely related 10
each other.
Miss Denehy gave an interesting de-
scription OF the character OF her work
and incidentally said that I'm the six
years OF the existence OF the Rescue
Home over 700 girls from the ages of IL 10
rs had been received and sheltered there
and that in a majority OF these cases n
work OF reform had been wrought.
Hon. Rathbone Gardner was the final
speaker and he dwelt on the work OF the
Rescue Home OF which he is one Of the
board OF managers, and incidentally paid
q high tribute to the worth and services
OF Miss Denehy.
He called attention also to the fact that