Evening star., 1907-11-19


Lack of proper employment. ...............
Evil surroundings ................:.
Total percentages NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 100
OF the 1906 cases dealt with by the So
ciety. 1t was found that 439 We're deserted
wives and 1,23S widows, or a total of
1,6i1 where the entire burden of family
fell upon a woman A general era of
prosperity does not remedy these cases, it
was pointed out.
The problem of the children, he stated.
was an important one. as the society aims
to rear the children so tat they will not
grow UP needy. During the fifteen
months the society aided LOIS children,
helping 145 to be saved from improper
homes. influencing 1T truants to attend
school and clothing 693 for school.
Inciting Help.
In the treatment of all needy people. 1t
was stated the ideal of the society is that
every possibility of self-help shall be dis
covered and strengthened. First. the
relatives. church or social connections,
former employers and other naturally in
terested are consulted and the needed help
secured from those sources. as much as
possible. Employment was obtained 634
times. and care was enlisted for the sick
COL times. Correctional or legal aid was
given in 434 cases and transportation to
other cities where care is assured was
given in siXtythree cases.
An important part of the work of the
agents OF the Associated Charitie-, it was
stated, comes at holiday time. when their
trained knowledge is used :. TO pick out
proper recipients for Christmas gifts. Dur
ing the past fifteen months the agents of
the society selected ninety-one boys to re-
ceive overcoats from Saks e. Co. recon-
mended sol families for basAleGs gifts
nd
further 1873 families were supplied by the
Associated Charities with udSkets or gifts.
The summer outings work OF the Asso-
ciated Charities Isl also extensive, accord
ing to the report. The agents made selec-
tions for these summer trips, giving 7s7
children outings at Camp Good VIII and
125 at Camp Pleasant, picking out J061
children for special day outings and Civ
ing S.JS5 tickets to children for trolley
rides.
Golden Book Fund.
Regarding the golden book fund, all
the receipts of which are used directly for
material relief, it has been used to supply
money for unusual needs. such as, in the
past fifteen months, rent necessary to
prevent the eviction of needy families;
medicines or surgical appliances; transpor-
tation to friends or employment in an
other city; the dollar fee at an employ
ment Office or the cost of a newspaper ad-
VertiSement for work; street car tickets
for woman going to position in III
suburbs or required to go regularly tnt
medical treatment at "a distant Glsrcn-
sary: an occasional small loan for wh;ci
no security or indorser can be given;
telegram to enlist help from a relative in
another city; repairs to make usable an
old bicycle which will enable boy to Sc
cure employment and help his dependent
mother: repairs to d broken cook stove on
which depend a familys food and the
mothers earnings by laundry work:
bed to enable an INDECENT consumptive to
cease endangering his children by sleep
ing with them; a small stock of flour and
other supplies to start woman in home
baking business; the first stock of news
papers for lad who wants to increase
poor family's earnings by work outside
his school hours; some books not other
wise obtainable for a promising pupil who
must stay in school until fourteen or un-
til his earning powers are increased TO
meet the famly's future needs
To the golden book fund the contribu-
tions during the past year have amounted
to $40 Il, practically all of which has
been expended. To meet special cases,
it was FURTHER explained, special funds
have been created
Compulsory Education.
To meet the special conditions resulting
from the compulsory educ tion law
where some children would not have
| proper-cEothing to wear to school, spe-
| cial fund for that purpose was created
And the pupils who could afford 1t were
| asked to contribute to this fund From
| the school children there was collected
| 81 $50 To avoid embarrassment, the con-
| tributions were given in sealed envelopes
! in which it was impossible to tell whether
| child gave d penny or a quarter. Of
| this, 81 1915 was used to buy clothing
| and shoes for needy school children.
Other special funds which have been
| created are the needy hour loan fund
| from which money is loaned at moderate
rates of interest in places of the extor-
| tionate rate of pawn brokers, and the
| special coal loan fund. by which bushels
of coal can be purchased by poor families
at ton rates instead of at the usual bushel