The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-21
BOOST FOR The
CRITTENTON HOME
THE GRAND FORKS TIMES HAS
LONG EDITORIAL COMMENCING
WORK OF HOME IN FARGO
WORKERS ARE cANvAssINGl
GRAND FORKS.

The Grand Forks Times has the fol-
lowing editorial regarding the Flor
ence Crittenton home of Fargo and the
work of the home in general:
Miss Elizabeth Biggs and Mrs. Geo
Osgood Thomas are in the state work
| ing in the interests of the Florence
| Crittenton home at Fargo. They are
| spending a few days in Grand Forks
and will then visit other cities. The
main feature of this work is the rails
Ing of funds for the maintenance of
the home. Miss Biggs was here about
year ago and at that time interest
ed number Of Grand Forks citizens
In. the work. Their sincerity was
shown by the liberal contributions
which she received. This year she
hopes to do even more in the way of
raising funds and has met with a
hearty response.
The Florence Crittenton home was
founded in one of the noblest char
tiles of womankind-a charity which
called from the Great Reformer the
memorable text, Let him that it
without sin cast the first stone" He
taught the great charity of extending
the helping hand to the woman who
had erred instead of stoning her to
death as was the old law Man has
taught the dogma that no woman,
once fallen, can recover her lost es-
tate. The Florence Crittenton homes
teach that though a girl may err, she
can yet become noble-that while the
scar will remain, the wound may be
healed. Intelligent philanthropy recog-
nizes the fact that because in a mo-
ment when reason and self restraint
are dethroned a woman commits one
sin, there is an opportunity for her to
return to the paths of integrity. She
can not undo but she can mend the
past But to do so she must be sur
rounded by those who are willing to
help her rather than sneer at and spit
on her She must realize that she
must pay the penalty but that the
door of hope is not closed.
In the past the girl who loved too
we'll but not wisely became an out
cast from her home, pariah in her
community and poison in the world.
Left without hope she turned in her
desperation to the only avenue she
knew and her body became a COM
modify in the mart and her soul pre-
pared only for eternal perdition. The
scarlet letter was not worn on her
bosom but it was scared into her
heart. The Florence Crittenton home
came to the rescue of these. and in |
stead of their bodies being fed into |
he awful maelstrom of prostitution. |
hey were given a chance to live |
again. They were taken into the |
homes where sympathy took the place |
u curses and kindness the place of |
contempt. They were given the
'hance to start life anew They knew
he wages of sin and no influence
ould induce them to venture into the
esion of the deadly moral upas
Out Of these homes have come wo-
men whose lives afterward have been
IS pure and sweet as angels. Their
'ast have been the remembrance of a
ideous nightmare They have &C.
epted the responsibilities of their sin
With mothers devotion while their
artners in crime have been the re-
ipient of fortunes favors.
The homes do not make the penalty I
Or sin less. They teach the highest ,
irtue. But they do not condemn to
cath for one sin. The girls who {
ave found helping hand in those 8
lstitutions prove their reformation 9
y the efforts they make to help the '
ONES while inmates. At the Fargo
ONE, the girls do any ktnd of work S
lat viii earn a penny for the home. $
hey are not taken in merely to hide r
leir sin, but must remain long q
lough to prove that they are on safe t
round When they leave it is with Il
lie assurance that they will go their 8
avs and sin no more. n
The homes are maintained by vol
1tary contributions except for the /,
fginal endowment which, while gem G
GUS, is not equal to the present de- v
ands. The cause is a noble one to fl
hfch women whose lives are wholly Il
lselfsh are devoting their time and a
cir talents. Those women of Grand h
orks and of the state who have in t.
@-~-~-~-~~~~-~-~-~~~~~~~-~~