The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-09-08
WORLD GETS BETTER
Work Inaugurated by State
Board Of Charity.

To the Editor: The world is growing
self-sacrifice. 1t has drawn nearer to the
beautiful ideals of Christianity and find
ing from this vantage point through still
sublime they are not unattainable, 1t has
taken courage. To the question, Am l
my brothers keeper" the unhesitating
reply, Il am" comes from every Chris
tanned country.
The practically of the age teaches US to
take these ideals into our daily hfc, to do,
not to dream. To organize and sys-
tcmatize charity, not to dole out pence
with mauldin s~entimentality. nnumer-
able philanthropic institutions nave been
established and the great cities have or
ganized their charities on Il business
basis, carrying into their charitable works
a religious life the common sense which
makes successful whatever they under
take in their secular affairs.
Recognizing hat in a multitude OF
counsellors there is wisdom, the National
| Conference of Charities and Corrections
has met annually for thirty years for the
EOI1 ~ !JDNt vi - i0FD1I ti@ ~
and philanthropic problems which con
front us daily. The President of this As
sociation said in his address that 'hc to
whom a problem comes, is the one to
solve it
one of the vital questions before the
Board of Public Charities of North Caro-
lima is how to uplift the jails and county
homes for the aged and infirr1 to a plane
commensurate with the stand which the
State IS taking in all things great and
good. When the writer remarked that
the world was full of love and self-immo-
lation, she was thinking of the boards Of
county visitors and the auxiliaries to these
boards, who for fourteen years, Come
continuously, have aided the Board of
Charities by making the scmi-annual IN
spections of the county institutions. When
this work was begun III 1889 they found
many of them in a deplorable condition.
Improvement has been steady and the re
suit is due to the efforts OF these citizens,
the Board of Public Charities and the
untiring zeal of the late secretary, whom.
many rise up and call blessed" The
jails and homes are classed as to their
condition and management in the follow
ing order, viz: Excellent, good, fair, in
Il iAt Ddh - ~ ohEoIbINlJ
bad ana as few are excellent, but the
number classcd as good increases yearly.
This is but comparative, the standard is
not yet sufficiently high. The Board Of
Charities now proposes with the help Of
: the local boards to arouse the interest Of
the counties in their institutions and to
bring the people nearer to them. A board
OF three gentlemen and two ladies will
make the usual inspections in March and
September and forward their reports to
this officer, but it Is expected and earn
estIv desired that the ladies' Will take an
active interest in the women and chill
dren especially, and at other times will
| visit them in a friendly spirit. Many of
the inmates have nothing left but sad
memories. They sit ~listless and idle.
These should be taken by the hand and
encouraged. If God cares for the sparrow
will He forget them?
\ number of the homes have occasional
religious services, d few have chapels,
one has a Sunday school maintained by
the superintendent wife and daughter.
but in some of these institutions the IN
fortunate inmates never hear the word OF
God. The ladies of the board can interest
their ministers and religious societies.;
failing there why cannot they open the
Bible and show the poor creatures (part
morally and wholly physically blind, It
may be-. the Sun of Righteousness?
They will, it IS hoped, encourage the idle
to take up light occupations, such as they
may still have the strength to do, sewing,
knitting. basket and Recommending. They
may recommend that each inmate who
can be induced to care for a bed of flowers
or vegetables be given the exclusive use
and care of that one little spot. This is
practical, because the majority of the