Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-15
Charitable Organizations
Formed in Island Empire.
RELIEF FOR NEEDY
JAPANESE SOCIETIES AID THE
WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.
Care Of Those Bereft by the Present
Struggle With Russia-Em-
ploymeut Furnished.

The equipment and preparedness Of the
japanese at the front is almost equaled, 1t
is stated, by the measures which they have
taken for caring for the families OF killed
or disabled soldiers. There is said to be no
lack OF relief for those dependent on the
men who fought under Oyama, but 1t is
administered with the care and the pains
taking oversight demanded by modern
philanthropy.
Kosuke Torneoko of the Home School at
Tokyo writes In the current Issue of Chari-
ties:
sympathy and enthusiasm abound In
every direction, and relief accommodations
are planned and projected not only by
those. who are willing among the people.
but also by the state itself, which has is
sued an imperial ordinance concerning the
relief Of soldiers and sailors families and
has established the means Of helping those
who have no relatives and friends to help
them.
Particularly our imperial household has
deeply felt the necessity of such help and
has granted money to the Association for
the Relief Of Those Serving in the Army
and Navy. the Ladies' Patriotic Society, the
.Seamen's Families Endeavor Society, and
SO forth.
Hitherto most of the works of relief has
been nothing but mere almsgiving. But at
present, both at the center and In local
places, the utmost caution is taken to pro-
vide relief by furnishing employment to
those in need, so as to preserve and de-
velop the spirit of Independence and self
help in the heart of the relieved and avoid
the abuses of giving out money.
Most picturesque Of the relief work In
the towns and villages is the Secret Plow-
tx,nx of tbo Mon n a a
Village. Either at night, or when nobody
knows. these young men go out and piow
for those who are away at the front the
farms which would be unplowed and I'M
sowed on account OF their cultivators' alb
sence, and thus help labor Of their families
left behind. In Meiji village tillage has
been helped and agricultural work satisfac-
torily accomplished. In kuze county the
school children after school Is over have
helped in the tillage of the farms of those
who are at the front. In some places farms
are gratuitously lent out to the soldiers
families for tillage, or manure and other
things are bought together at wholesale
prices and distributed to them; or capital
is either lent out or given, SO hat they can
devote themselves to the manufacture OF
straw articles, which are by-products OF
farming; or some work in teamaking or
silk-worm raising is found out and given 10
them.
Ladies' Chivalrous Society.
Osaka prefecture, and in Awaga village
Kanzah county, Hygo prefecture the La
dies Chivalrous Society of Saga city and
the Tokyo Ladies merchandising Society
are among the pioneers to adopt appropri-
ate methods in accomplishing relief through
employment The founder of the Ladies
Chivalrous Society, one Teisei Kiyama, is
a monk of the Shin sect. During the late
Chinese-Japanese war Mr.. kiyama had
personal Observation of the soldiers fam
lies and also the influence such relief ex-
erted on the spirit of the soldiers at the
front. On the opening OF the Russlan-Jap-
anese war he pioneered the establishment
of society the principal work OF which
is to let TIE women of the soldiers families
do sewing work In addition, useless things
which are naturally found in every house,
hold are gathered together and sold 10
merchants. In this way the money needed
to pay the necessary expenses OF the So
ciety is obtained. and no need is left to
anybody for begging aims. Through the
Tokyo Women's Work Furnishing society
the sewing and washing of soldiers clothes
is provided as the means of earning i've
Ehood and the work of taking care OF
young children is also carried on.
Moreover, the manufacture of straw
sanada 0ape) and that of kyogisanada
Is havings-tape) are made not only the
means of furnishing work to the soldiers
families, but also the means of advancing
local industries and of offering a means or
livelihood to the poor at large. Thus the
work of relief has ceased to be mere work
of relief, but has become the means of en-
couraging industries in various localities.
Work of Relief.
THAT which most recently has made
very remarkable progress in the work of
relief by furnishing employment is found
in the relief society in the city of Osaka.
The society has to supply clothes for SOL
diers, and 1t has arranged for soldiers fam
lilies to start stores In the reserve hospitals
to meet the demands of the patients in
them
ITO furnish as much work as possible the
endeaVor is made to supply out of home
made articles many of the things needed in
the army, and in the marine products lab
oratory of every prefecture, and in both
public and private factories of canned
goods preference of employment is given
TO the soldiers families and some special
increase of wages is promised to them
Moreover, In certain sections Where articles
needed in the army are made and supplied
special favors are offered to soldiers fam
lilies.
In describing the work of relief through
employment, a few words must be added
about the arrangements lately started for
taking care of young children during the
daytime for the sake of those who could
not otherwise devote themselves to work
The Tokyo Kyobashi-Ku Nursing Place for
Young Children of Those Serving at the
Front, the Osaka Women's Charity Society,"
the Osaka Philanthropic Relief Society, the
Kobe Women's Public Service Society and
the Hiroshima Women's One Heart Society
are reaping good results in these day nurse
rtes.
General and Local.
Besides these societies of local relief,
there are those of universal relief, such as
the Association for the Relief of Those
Serving in the Army and Navy, the Ladies'
Patriotic Society, and SO forth. The former
association, which is under the leadership
of Count Jnoue and Count Matsugata and
supported by the well-to-do classes, both
native and foreign, has already property
amounting to more than one million yen.
The purpose of the society Is, in co-opera-
ton with public and private institutions of
similar nature, to help the families of the
killed and wounded, those soldiers who be-
came invalid or disabled and the families of
such and the needy families of those who
are called away from their homes to the
seat of war AS to the practical methods
of operation. the society has asked the home
department to make necessary investiga-
TONS The Ladies Patriotic Society is a
permanent body, established by patriotic
women, and its purpose Is to help the needy
families OF the killed in battle, and also to