Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-22
REFUGE FOR INFANTS
Children Cared for While
Mothers Are in Service.
WORK OF YOUNG WOMAN
Elvira Ida Aliens Labor for the
Colored Race.
ABLE AND FAITHFUL HELPER
Individual Effort Aided by Those
Benevolently Inclined-White
People Contribute.

refuge for infants and helpless young
colored children, whose mothers are
obliged to work from early morn till late
at night, and where bread and milk are
served the younger ones and boiled din
ners to the elder ones. at ) cents day, Is
one OF the practical charities of Wash
ington. 1t is the conception of young
colored woman and has been conducted
for five years There have been times
when the children and their care-taker
were without bread. sometimes without
fire in cold weather, and always without
an over-Iiberal supply of the necessarics
Of life.
Five years ago Elvira Ida Allen, then
a young student twenty-three years of
age, whose life ambition was home mis-
sonary work. rented a humble frame
house at 2265 9th street extended. near
Barry street. northwest. She had no
money, no furniture, and. indeed, nothing
save the clothes on her back and her
small trunk. with which she had come
from Charlottesville, n. c.. to attend a
kindergarten course at Howard Unlver-
sity. She was studying kindergarten
work in the belief that it would broaden
her knowledge of children and teach her
how to properly care for them, one OF
the elements of her home mission work.
Born in Live Oak. Fla, in which state
her father is a minister of the gospel,
she had pursued her course of education
in the schools and in Florida Institute
of her native town: for while at the
Charlotte University at Charlotte, N. e.,
and Shaw'S University at Raleigh, N. c..
and for two years at Booker Washing
tons institute at Tuskeegee, where she
learned of Howard University and the
the wider advantages of its kindergarten
training.
Pays Her Own Way.
BY the sweat of her brow and the in
dustry Of her hands she had paid for
her course through the different schools
she attended and with nothing but a sim
pie faith in the divine guidance she I'M
dertook to found the colored children's
refuge now known as the Allen Mission
and Day Nursery.
There were many times when life went
hard with her The neighborhood in which
she had ffguratively pitched her tent was
not peopled with the elite. 1t was CEN
ter of lodging places for colored girls and
working women: a loungfng place for
idlers; contained numerous speakeasies
Nearly all OF the latter. she says. have
disappeared, but the two former still
abound in plenty.
BY soliciting aid from the colored
churches, personal friends and white SYM
pathizers, she soon gathered enough to
buy stove, few chairs, bed and
the Indispensable necessaries Of house.
keeping. Then she began her work Of
caring for the colored babies and young
children of mothers who had to work
hard all day for their support. Without
such q refuge for their children their
means of livelihood would have been
uncertain. at least.
In the five years that .Elvira Allen has
conducted her refuge she has cared for
$50 children, and at one time had as
many as ten bottle babies" infants who
one time. Yesterday she had fifteen chill
dren In her charge. The mothers pay
cents day for each child, and this
insureS them care, comfort, amusement.
bread and milk and boiled dinner at
midday. The cents does not, Of course.
pay for all this but the deficiency is
made up by contributions from the col
ored churches and others who have a
sympathy with the work.
But One Object in View.
When asked if she felt this was
worthy charity and If it did not encour-
age a condition that was Objectionable
in the working women who prof1ted by
1t. she answered: Il do not ask and do
not care why or where the children come
from only know they are here: that
they must be fed and cared for, and
that unless their mothers are relieved
from the burden they cannot work for
the betterment of their children.
II do know there Is a chance for doing
much good with the children committed
to my care. l know. too, that today we
are caring for eight children of one
mother, the eldest ten years old. and
that she is unable to pay even the 5
cents day for them Her husband de-
serted her, and unless a way were found
for her to work she and her children
must starve. We also have four orphans
whom we care for as charity. And
we are constantly receiving applications
for more. both In this city and out Of
1t, principally from Virginia
Our quarters are entirely too small
and we are planning to buy the ground
and build an adequate home across the
street During our Ave years we have
cared for more than 300 girls who have
come to the city frfendless and penni-
less, looking for work. Some OF them
stayed with us quite two weeks. We
ultimately succeeded In placing them all,
but We cared for them in the mean
while.
Mothers Club Formed.
We have mothers club, which meets
here at stated times, and We endeavor
to teach these mothers how to care for
their children. how to take care of their
homes and how to look after their hus-
bands interests and make ends meet on
the small wages many Of them get. This
club is composed of some of the mothers
whose children we care for and Of others
who live in the neighborhood but take
an interest in our work.
1--WE have also boys club. Our aim
with the boys who belong to 1t, is prin-
cipally to keep them out of the juvenile
court. We gather its members out of the
streets In the netghborhood.
1--WE have an industrial class, too,
among the girls. They are taught
how to take care Of themselves. to stay
OF the streets. earn an honest living and
get some education besides.
AT ) O'Clock every Sunday afternoon
we have Sunday school for children who
do not attend any other Sunday school
and some of them who have never heard