The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-02-20

4
Even when his strength was so limited
that he could not receive social calls
from friends, he has made an effort to
see Mr.. Preston on the business Of the
Organized Charities. It is to be hoped
that he will long continue to favor the
association with his advice and judg
ment, and that he will soon be restored
to health.
| William L. Kingsley was the first
vice president, and served the society
faithfully from 1878 to 1892. In 1892
William E. Downes succeeded Mr..
Kingsley, and was in turn succeeded by
H. W. Farnam in 1897, and the Rev.
E. S. Lines in 1899. DR.. Lines first be-
came active in the society in 1882, and
has ever since been of the greatest SER
vice in its expansion and development.
Max Adler, who Joined the society in
1881, was made chairman of the finance
committee in 1884. and has ever since
filled that office with marked success.
The society has only had two treasur-
ers in the course of its history, Charles
A. Sheldon and F. B. Bunnell.
Following Rev. W. D. Mossman in
1886, Rev. W. G.. Buttrick and then
Luke Bradner filled the office of cor
responding secretary. In the Office of
recording secretary, or simply secretary
as it has been designated since 1888,
the society has been served by Rev.
Whitman Peck, by F. R. Honey, by
Charles P. Wurts until 1889, by DR..
William G. Daggett until 1897, and by
Amory E. Rowland until the present
time. E. N. Seelye was our first agent.
He resigned in 1885 and gave place to
S. o. Preston, who has filled the office
ever since.
To mention specifically all those who
have helped the society by work or
money would extend unduly the length
of this paper. There have been many
members of the board of directors who
have taken an active part in the work
without holding any executive office,
such as Mrs Timothy Cowles, A. B.
Hill, Eli Whitney and Henry C. White,
both of whom were formally thanked
for their services in connection with
the new building, Rev. w. L. Phillips,
and others. There have been many
others who have testified to their be-
lief in the society by leaving requests
in their wills. Among them are Joshua
Colt, who left us $3.50 in 1882; Matthew
G. Elliott, who bequeathed $500 in 1892;
Hiram Camp, who was our most lib
eral annual giver in the early days
and from whose estate we received ST.
500; Major H. H. Strong, from whom
we received $500 in 1894; Mrs. DR.. D. c.
Leavenworth, who in accordance with
~ s-I,, g
ter his death in 1897; F. G. Phipps, from
whom we received $1,000 in 1898.
In 1880 Mrs. T. D. Wheeler gave 5000
as a loan fund, and the older methods
of raising money are recalled by the
entry in our minutes of $3.50 received
from IAN entertainment" in 1881, of
$205.25 received from reading by
Charles Dudley Warner at Mrs. Henry
Farnam's in 1885, of $3.50 received as
the proceeds of musicale at M Ad-
ler's in 1887. of $685. received from the
chrysanthemum exhibition in 1888,
ss74S2 from the charity ball in 1891. and
s93.S2 from lecture by Lieutenant
Peary in 1893. =. - V..:.sa, = r..
Mr.. Preston has very kindly pre-
pared d table showing the activity of
the.association2 from the beginning. Elk
act statistics have been kept only since
1888. This table, which is extremely in
teresting but too long to read, will be
printed with this report. 1t shows,
however, that since 1883 we have dealt
with some $1,000 different cases, while
if we estimate the figures for the ear
lier years, some $1,000 cases have pass
ed through our office. We have on our
books the record of $4,000 persons,
equivalent to nearly half the popula-
ton of New Haven at the present time.
Many of these are, of course, tran
sients. We have furnished work in
81, 900 cases since 1885, and probably to
$4,000 cases in all. We have given or
secured aid to 1898 since 1888, or over
5000 in all. But when we consider that
this has been done at a total expense,
in the twenty-five years for which we
have exact records, apart from build
ings, of about 100000 or $4,000 a year
on an average, it is quite evident, not
only that the society does an enormous
work at low cost, but that it saves
money to the public. On the showing
that I have made, it is not too much to
claim that it saves its own cost five
times over every year. The receipts
in the labor department alone for the
same twenty-five years amount to over
$14S 900.
This utility of the association is due
mainly to its principle of thorough in
vestigation. So thoroughly has it earn
ed the confidence of the city authorities
that they often turn over to Mr.. Pres
ton the task of looking up cases that
are brought before them, and promi-
nent officials of the town have actually
offered to propose an appropriation to
the town meeting for the use of the Or
ganized Charities, so heartily did they
appreciate the services which it renders
the city government. All of this work
could never have been accomplished
without the cooperation of the public
and the press. In the early days of our
history criticisms of our methods (gen-
orally the result of misunderstanding
sometimes found their way into the
public prints. During the past fifteen
years such expressions have been rare
ly heard, and the readiness of the New
Haven papers to print articles relating
to our work to collect money in emer-
gencies, and to help in the education
of public opinion cannot be too cor
dio1lv aclnowledpad