The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-18
What the Florence Crittenton
Mission Is Doing.
Comes to the Rescue of Those
Who Need Help.
CAST OFF BY WORLD.
Then the Poor Girl May Turn
to This Institution.
A Close glimpse at the Inner
Workings.

Inc FiOlence CfllNeuLOn missions are
commonly called homes for fallen wo-
man and in some cases the designation
is accurate but the Topeka home should
rather be called a refuge for unfor-
tunate girls. OF the thirty-seven wo-
men who have been inmates of the
home since it was started less than
three years ago few have been over 20
years old and some have been as young
as H. They are suffering the penalty
of first mistake. Neither vicious nor
degraded refuse Of the slums, it is the
purpose of the home to save them from
becoming so. The mission takes them
in when every other door is closed
against them, provides them a home
when their own families cast them off,
cares for them and their babies until
they are able to care for themselves,
finds them respectable positions when
they leave the home and holds them
back from the deep plunge into an evil
life which in many cases seems to be
the only future awaiting the woman
who errs.
In large cities the work of the Houses
of Refuge is graded and all classes of
unfortunate women are TAKEN the
young girl, facing for the first time the
catastrophe of shame and despair to
which her weakness, ignorance or van
ity have driven her, the old and hard
o
the hopeful and the hopeless. In the
Topeka home only the first class is
taken. The house is too small the re-
sources of the charity too limited to al
low of a graded system and to mix all
classes together without regard to
moral difference would be disastrous
in consequences. The mission occupies
q house of some twelve rooms and an
attic on Quinton Heights The grounds
comprise % lots. The society pettlOneG
the last legislature for $4,000 to build
hospital in one corner of the grounds,
not only to facilitate the work already
being undertaken in the home but also
to increase the scope of the work to the
extent of admitting and caring for the
most discouraging cases met with by
this form of charity-WOmen suter1ng
with frightful diseases In all Kan
sas." says Mrs. A. G. Lord, founder OF
the home. its present matron and pres
ident of the Florence Crittenton Home
society there is 10 place for the dlS-
eased fallen woman. If she feels
vearning for a better life the only an
swer to her cry for help IS Get OUT:
have talked to the members of the sal
walton army about this class Of women
and have been told that they know OF
many young girls in this pitlable con
dition whom, as things are now, no one
can help The hospitals can't take
them No family can take them Ihey
have no homes They must walk the
streets or enter some low owe, llNlhs
! examples of the most Wretched ana
horrib la form of slavery IN existence
THE legislature refused the petition but
the society has not given up nope
exDpcf to go out through the state TINS
sDrina-" saws Mrs Lord, land solicit
/ help and believe that by anotneF year
we will have our hospital started
The Florence CrittentOn Home IN 10
nel1a is g branch of that noble philan-
thropy which has its headquarters IN
I Washington. d. C.. and It's motnsr ms
sion at 2123 Becker street, New YORK
civ and which was founded by Charles
N. Crittenton, of New York. wholesale
! druggist and a man of great Wealln. AZ
a memorial to his little daughter, fAoI-
ence. who died at the age of four years
The mission house and grounds We're
donated by the old Accounting IrusT
company, of Topeka, which held II AZ
MORTGAGE: Mr. Crittenton gave the
money to nut it in repair, and makes
other donations from time to ti1nes the
/ legislature appropriates $500 year TOR
Z the current expenses of the MISSION.
and odd donations OF bedding. CLONES
food and furniture are given by people
/ throughout the state who have been IN
/ terested in the work through the efforts
of Mrs Lord to whom more than any
other one person the home owes It's eN-
4 istence. The house Was furnished by
different Topeka churches, each denoml-
nation fitting out room. the nome IS
far from cOnlfOrtless. Compared to th-
! bare and dreary aspect of the Topeka
The charity needs help. NO one can
deny that the hospital is a crying neces-
sity and the attic of the building should
be finished and made habitat bic fo4
sleeping rooms, as the home is not large
enough to care for all the girls who are
sent to it. But its inmates lack no ma
terial comforts and the charity is fairly
prosperous.
In large cities the Florence Crittenton
homes include hospitals, day nurseries
and kindergartens- The Topeka home
has nc such ambitions. EXCEPT for q
hospital and the enlargement of the
home it has no imperative present
needs A day nursery is certainly need
ed in Topeka, but it should be estab-
lished in the heart of the town
The Florence Crittenton home is too
far out to be practicable place for it
and it Is not needed in connection with
the work of the mission because, as the
matfon says good situations may be
/ found for the women who leave the
] home where they can keep their babies
] with tharn AnnLlca tinlae Il 49, II l-i...-