Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-03-29

csn has been issued for the annual
.forence of the National Florence Crit
.VVl..or Home which will be held in Boston
" from the 22d to the 26th OF April
Nc home in this city will be represented.
A. interesting report for the past year
r. heen issued by the national society
delaware has only one home, the one
:. Wilmington. 1t was organized in 1897.
H. report contains the following sta
..st;cs concerning it: Cash on hand at the
teginning OF the fiscal year, S3l so; re-
1t sq72. 81; general expenses, S986.l3
WI s..b nnspent at the end of the fiscal year
sso5. cash for real estate, 81 600; i'm
49,, sor,snts % S2IS2. so: value Of real
dstste 81. 900; personal property, 81 600
Jsbts $500; due on real estate, $1,000;
sIs in home during year, IA; children,
IN births during the year, ,; girls in the
iome at the end of the fiscal year. IA;
children. 10; value of donations, Sl69. 80.
Following is a summary of the report
nj All Of the homes in this and other
countries. Cash in hand at the beginning
ri the year, 81 .376.S7; receipts, Sl45,-
5S459. general expenses, S1lS.0S3 n;
easb on hand and unspent funds at the
md of fiscal year, SIC $500; spent on
real estate, S23, ,794.S5; improvements,
g2644l3; assets, S21 ,506.7O; value of
real estate, S4l5,l 100; personal property.
Sl5626.l3: debts, S4,62294; due on real
estate. sol 694; girls in homes during the
wear. $50; children, 1,5l4; births. 627;
girls in homes at the end Of the year, 467 E;
Value Of donations, S23, ,5S5.lS.
According to the report there are 50
homes six in Pennsylvania, FIVE in Vir-
ginis. four in Georgia, three each in Cali
iornis New Jersey, New York and Ten
pessee. two each in Arkansas, Illinois.
Ohio. Washington and West Virginia, and
one each in Arizona, Colorado, Connecti-
cut Delaware, District Of Columbia Idaho
Iowa Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts,,
MARYLAND, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Mississippi Montana, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina
Texas, Utah, China, Japan, France and
Mexico.
The receipts during the past year
amounted to S2S7, 1866 Al; value of dona-
tons food, clothing, &c, S23,5s51S;
expenditures, S21S, ,541.37.
The Florence Crittenton Home work
dates back to early in the SOS. In 1882
Charles n Cnttenton was a prosperous
Wholesale druggist of New York City.
The centre Of his life was his beloved little
girl four years old, who was the Joy of bis
heart. In the spring OF that year she
died suddenly from an attack of diphtheria.
For months the father was almost pros
trated In the following October he was
converted and he promised God that he
would do anything that He wanted him
10 do. Soon after this a direct call came
to him 10 60 down in the slums Of the city
snd see if something could not be done for
the many thousands of girls who had no
one to care for them. As a result Of these
visits he determined TO purchase piece OF
property for a rescue home, where these
girls could be cared for, for at this time
there was on such place open for these
girls Calling together some prominent
cergymen and laymen that had expressed
an interest in this matter, a board OF
directors was organized.
Mr. Crittenton placed in their hands
deeds to the property At 2l-23 Bleekei
street. The board Of directors, in looline
about for a suitable name decided that
they would call il the Florence Mission
in memory of Mr.. Crittentons little girl
10 which proposition Mr.. Crttenton con
sented. Later a number of other home
sprang up and adopted the name OF Flor
ence. It being a common name, Their
was no law to prevent anyone using II
Acting under the advisement Of thei
attorney, the board decided to add tn
name Crittenton to that Of Florence. Nj
Cnttenton has never been reconciled 3
this change and only a year ago he sen
personal letter to all the homes askin
il they would be willing to drop Critter
ton from the name. A majority of ther
replied that they we're not willing to
so. Some attempted to make the chang
but it led to so much confusion that the
had TO return to the old name. This fac
is mentioned in order to make it plain tbs
any attempt to magnify his own part {
Importance in a work 80 great as this,
entirely foreign to one Of so simple an
retiring a nature as is Mr.. Crittenton.
After being in the work, night and da,
for three years, Mr.. Crittenton was ordere
by his physician to take an ocean trip. 1
lourneyed around the world and it was {
this trip, when the needs and anguish
this long neglected class met him at evei
turn, that he planned for a great intern
uonal work. Such is now the result.