Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-12
Annual Meeting Of Distsict AS
ISOLATION Held tast Night.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Address by Mr.. James B. Reynolds on
Philanthropy and Public Welfare.
WELLER'S REPORT
Conditions Of the Poor in the District,
With Illustrations and
Comment.


Comment.
The annual meeting Of tho Associated
Charities was held last evening in the First
Congregational Church, 10th and g streets
northwest, and considerable business was
transacted. including the election Of officers
for the ensuing year. Reports on the work
accomplished during the last fiscal year
were made and plans for the future were
outlined.
Mr.. James B. Reynolds, known as special
investigator, appointed by the President to
report upon sanitary and other conditions
in the District, addressed the association
on What Private Philanthropy Owes to
the Welfare Of the National Capital" He
gave suggestions for charitable work in this
city which were based on an investigation
of three months into the conditions here, a
subject upon which he is yet to make spe-
cial report. Mr.. Charles F. Weller made
the annual report as general secretary in
charge. using lantern slides by way Of
illustration.
Justice David ]. Brewer of the United
States Supreme Court presided. After the
reading of the minutes of the last meeting
Mr.. John Joy Edson's report as treasurer
was read 1t showed that the receipts OF
the association for the year ending June
80 last were $21, 221.77 and there was in the
bank at that time 1918.
By Unanimous Vote.
The election Of officers was unanimous,
the successful candidates being:
President David ]. Brewer.
Vice presidents-Rev. ]. H. Bradford, Mr..
j. L. Blout, Rev. s. M. Newman, DID,, Rev.
John Van Schaick, jr., Rev. D. J. Stafford.
Honorary NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Charles
p. Neill.
Treasurer-Mr. John Joy Edison.
Board members. elected for three years
Mr.. Frederic L. Moore, Charles p. Neill,
Col. George Truesdell, John B. Sleman IT,
Judge William H. DeLacy.
The committee which reported the nomi-
nations was composed of Prof. B. T. jan
ney. DR.. Merrill E. Gates and Gen. George
L. Sternberg.
Justice Brewer, in introducing Mr.. Rey-
nolds, declared that every American hoped
to see this the greatest capital of the
greatest nation on the globe and that, to
make it SO, aid must be given to the So
called submerged tenth OF the city. The
people, whose present greatest ambition Is
for a drink. and their ultimate hope Is six
feet of ground in potter's field. must be
raised, the speaker declared. to have the
charitable people of the city where they
are today.
Mr.. Reynolds Address.
That charity societies should bend their
efforts along the line of aiding the labor
poor class was the keynote of the address
made by Mr.. Reynolds. The great mass
ers who have not organized into unions and
who receive the lowest wages. and the way
that the charity societies should aid this
class iR by getting them employment EN-
ployments agencies. he declared, did not
Of people in city looking Tor . men to do
a certain kind of work. and in another sec
ton of the city a number of men are wait
ing for an opportunity to do just those
things. There ought to be some way of
bringing these people together, but, he de-
clared, the employment agencies do not
do it.
at is remarkable" he said. that the
supply and demand of labor should be
brought together in such a haphazard way
as 1T Isl
Another way of helping this class is by
helping them to save. Three methods of
saving are thought of, bank, insurance and
best the speaker declared, but such in
situations must be made more democratic
before they will really aid the poor in saw
ing. The insurance method, the speaker
said was more expensive, and the pawn
shop still more expensive. -
In connection with the pawn shop dis
cussion, the speaker made an appeal for
more equal conditions for the poor and the
rich. When a rich man wants to raise
some money in time Of sickness or mis-
fortune he mortgages his property, paying
to per cent and retaining the use Of
the property meanwhile. The poor man,
however, must leave his property in
pawn shop, very often the property being
a tool which he uses in making his liveli-
hood, and must pay 20 to 80 per cent in
terest
poor until we take away the conditions
which make their property their greatest
adversely" concluded the speaker, in refer
ence to this topic.
The Submerged Tenth.
In four lines, the speaker pointed out.
philanthropy should help the Submerged
tenth and the next tenth which is in danger
Of becoming submerged"-as to health
home, education and labor. Moral influ-
ences will follow benefits from physical
benefits, he said, and charity must not fail
to remember, said Mr.. Reynolds. that the
more one limits the cubic feet of air space
in the home, the more he drives the hus-
band and children from the home to the
street. Charity work should drive the
children and parents from the street in
huence to the home and school influences
maintained that the schools should teach
more and more the value of using the
hands in working and the dignity Of work
ing with the hands for livelihood
General Secretary Weller made his report
suggestive by showing pictures OF actual
conditions met with in the work of the as
ISOLATION. The figures presented by Mr.
Weller which were regarded as most inter-
esting were those dealing with the causes
of distress where the Associated Charities
gave aid. The table shows the causes as
follows: Sickness, 20 per cent; ignorance or
weakness, 20 per cent desertion, Is per
cent; intemperance. IL per cent. old age,
per cent; other causes, IL per cent
For the purpose of giving aid eight agen-
cies or branches are maintained in the city,
each in charge of a woman agent, who de-
votes her entire time to the work.
Percentage Obtaining Relief.
Almost one-twentieth Of the population of
this city was given help by the Associated
Charities last year. according to Mr.. We'll
Ter. Aid was given to Att families or to
Il, 1874 individuals. OF these 4377 families,