The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-15
Largely Attended Mass Meeting
Held in the First Meth
odist Church
OVER $500 IS RAISED
TO RELIEVE SITUATION
Committee Appointed to Call on the
City and County Officials and
Urge That They Help Sup
port the Institution.

At the mass meeting held yesterday
afternoon in the First Methodist church
in the interest of Hillman hospital $3.50
was raised In a public subscription. Part
of this is payable at once, but in several
instances it is to be paid by the end of
the month. The sum total subscribed,
however, was over s250O.
A resolution was passed for the chair
man, the Rev. ]. w. Stage. d. D., to
appoint committee of twenty-five of the
appear before the mayor and board of
aldermen and the board of revenue, and
urge that those two organizations con-
tribute regularly and sufficiently to sup
port the hospital. The committee will
be appointed today.
County and City Urged.
It was the sentiment of the meeting, as
expressed by rising vote, that the city
and county should support the hospital,
and that to a large extent it should be
given over to charity patients.
There were probably three hundred peo-
pie at the mass meeting most of whom
We're women. There was, however, good
ly number of representative men of the
city, physicians, business men. attorneys
and ministers.
Several CT the men present made speech
es The meeting was called for the pur-
pose of finding ways and means of keep
ing the doors of the hospital open. The
lady board of managers issued a plea
to the public about two weeks ago that
they would be forced to close the hos
pital If there was not instant and boun-
tiful financial relief from the citizens OK
Birmingham.
DIR. Stage stated briefly the object of
the meeting. He said that 1t would be
a grave mistake and black mark on the
pages of the city's history to allow such
an institution to close it's doors for lack
of funds. He called of Rabbi Newfield as
the first speaker.
Common Cause for Humanity.
Rabbi Newfield said that all were gath
cred in the church to discuss and to de-
wise means for alleviating suffering and
spoke at length on the reputation OF Bir-
mingham all over the country for its
charitable people, and also on the injury
that 1t would do the city to let 1t be
known generally over the country that
one of its noblest Institutions had to
close its doors for lack of money.
r. I'll. Pearson said that it was the
duty of all citizens to come to the rescue
of the ladies who had been carrying on
this noble work for so long, and that the
business men of the city should get be-
hind the movement and raise sufficient
money for the present needs, and to Sc
cure permanent source of income. He
spoke of the possible closing of the doors
as a great calamity. He stated that In
his opinion the city and county should
take charge Of the financial end of the
institution, and furnish the women with
enough money to run 1t as 1t should be-
Situation Not Understood.
Col. T. G. Bush stated that he did not
think that the people exactly understood
the situation, as they did not know un-
der what difficulties the women had been
laboring. He said that the people of Biz
mingham spent SO much on theatres and
amusements. so much for whisky and SO
much for cigars, total of considerably
over 100000 year, and that he did
not see why they could not give at least
$4,000 to the Hillman hospital He sug-
gested that 1t would be easy to raise the
money If so men would give 500 annually;
so men give $50 annually; so men give s25
each; 200 men give $40 each, and 200 men
give IS each. This, ne said would make
a total of over s12,0O annually, and would
not tax any one too hard.
DIR. e. H. Sholl stated that IL an extra
tax Of l cent on every $40 taxable prop
erty was levied that it wo.-- more than
support the hospital, and that the burden
would fail equally on every one. He urged
that some action should be taken, and
was supported in his arguments by T.
H. Motion. This lead to the rising vote
that the city ard county should support
the hospital
Committee Appointed.
The Rev. Frank w. Barnett moved that
a committee of three be appointed to go