The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-02-17

55i. Lost children sheltered until
 called for, 1O2.
 Total number of persons or families
 recorded from 1878 to 1905: Residents,
 15.O61; non residents, 41,S37. Total. 56,-
 S9S.
 Note.-The records for the first nine years of the associations work are
 very imperfect, but an estimate based an approximately correct number of
 cases handled in twenty-six years, ST. O54, of which probably 75 per cent. were
 nonresident people.
 The following extracts are from Mir.
 Preston's report:
 The increase of the dependent foreign element is almost becoming a serious
 matter, large number of partially de- pendent people are constantly arriving
 here, either as voluntary or assisted emigrants.'' ,.'
 New Haven has, hitherto, had com parativelyi few of this class to deal with
 but conditions are changing, and cau- tiOn must be exercised lest heavy bur
 den be imposed upon us. Some of our
 local societies are now feeling the strain, and the situation must not be l approached in any sentimental spirit. The work of the agent as probation | officer of the city court is shown Tn
 the statistical tables, 1884 persons hay ing been placed in his care during the
 year. The work is thoroughly in har- | money with our methods and appears
 to meet general approval.
 An impression has apparently gone
 forth that New Haven is a fertile | field for imposture ard fraud, and the returns indicate that such an impress
 sion has good ground. For many | months beggars, under all sorts of pleas, have been reported as operating successfully in all sections of the city, | and in many cases telling such trans parent lies that it seems incredible that
 people can be so readily defrauded.
 The old injunction, Investigate before
 giving help" is still imperative and
 must be constantly and emphatically reiterated. The evils of 1ndiscriminate charity
 are therefore many. iD The demorali- zation of the recipient. Very few of ! the semi dependent class are willing to | work unless necessity compels and gen lerally are what they are paid to be. It ! we make it more profitable for a man to beg. or to deceive, than it is to la 1 bor we must expect that the line of
 least resistance will be followed. @
 The demoralization for indiscriminate charity is contagious and epidemic.
 The easily adopted line of reasoning is | If my neighbor gets an easy living 1 by system of deception fostered by
 careless people, why should not do so rather than to labor hard for my ex-
 istence?'' (3) Children are keen to per- ceive the possible profit of deception,
 and that to weep and. whine is sure to excite compassion and secure results, and from begging and deceipt to crime I is a rapid progression. (D Indiscrim- mate charity increases the burden on the community rapidly, by developing the dependent classes, and there are many other evils resulting, but per- haps the greatest is that the giver him. self becomes demoralized. It talks but a few instances of exposed fraud to harden the heart until all appeals are met with suspicion, and the springs of l benevolence are dried up. This is even
 worse for the given, and for the com
 munity, than it is for the beggar.
 The agent and the office force ac-
 knowledge with hearty thanks the kind
 consideration and hearty moral and financial support extended by the pres ident, the officers and directors, many
 public and private agencies, and the numerous individuals who have made
 it possible for the association to retain it's solvent financial condition, and to
 complete another years successful | work. ..