Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-22
A DAY OF OUTDOOR
 CITY MISSION WORK.
City Missionary Has NumberIess Calls
 for Time, Attention and Money.

Few realize the amount of work the city missionary is required to do each day and no little part of it is out door work.
 day of outdoor city mission work as follows:
 The city court claims the first hour
 or two of each day, Sundays excepted,
 ciaI and individual infelicities, and it's
 opportunities for the helping hand, es-
 pecially for the young.
 There will be business calls and vis-
 it's to families by the missionary and
 his assistant. The selectmen must be
 seen with reference to some case on
 hand, or coming into notice. There
 will be conferences with individuals
 about the real needs of certain fami-
 lies, with the families themselves, as
 to their power of self-help. Matters
 pertaining to the interest of certain
 persons assisted will require one or more visits to professional and other
 men.
 Now. 8 young fellow who is being cheated out of his just wages, will
 have his case handled and partial jus tice done him. after one or more con ferences. Another fellow, who bOr- rowed money with promise to pay,
 must be followed up. A landlord for whom rent is Icing collected must be seen. A needy family, new to the place. must be visited. and temporarily helped till it can be determined what is the best thing to do. Visits must be paid to families and friends of ab- sent. homeless ones desiring to return to the city. Cases referred tOa the mission by cores bonding societies must be inVeStig igated- Men and boys on probation must be visited in their homes and note taken of the environ ment and effort made to secure amend ment of life. Persons for whom work is being gotten must be kept in touch with openings, and telephones are not in every house, and so some travel IS necessary.
 Then there are visits to be made to the sick. and those askin" for special interviews. Investigation of cases for the seIectmen's office and for the mis- sion goes on almost daily All the time that can be spared outside the office is taken up by both missionaries in some one or more calling eXpedi- tions in different parts of the town
 A man comes in with story of cold rooms snivering children. no coal. and wants some coal. You slip over to his house. and find warm fire, cozy rooms and some coal in the bin. and you be- gin to think that the Ananias club has reached Norwich. You make in uuiries of the relative sand neighbors of certain others, who are reported to be in dire need, and find that starva- tion is a long way off, and that there is money aVailable-if someone else does not give it@ You investi0ate other stories of more or less phenom- enal wealth in the possession of other would-be fbenefciaries and find them opinions and knowledge on the same street concerning the same persons. and you feel like tossing up cent to get the truth.
 You investigate another similar story and find it too true. A deserting or dissolute or deceased husband has gone and left is family in distress, or the husband is sick or out of work You see the need of help. You can- not give all they need, for your treas ury is empty, and you get some as- sistance from the town or from other charitable source, yet scarcely enough to meet the real needs. You see, es- pecially during the cold weather, such suffering as you would like to relieve, as you think ought to be relieved. but you can do no more than you can, and you cannot do this If you could trust your packers to foot the bills, you would issue more orders for help. You go and secure a nurse for sick woman. You carry flowers and deli cacies to the shut-ins- You cut short your dinner hour to visit those who cannot well be seen, except at poon In search of information. you walk, for miles. after hours. sometimes. and all most always on streets that are troll Ieyless. You go out and help get baby to the hospital, woman to the a aIrnshouse- or Sheltering Arms, a fam ily back to the old country You visit other cities, even. in the interest Of some beneficiary. You look up lodg- ing house CT boarding place for an resident or stranger. You go to inquire about truant children and mysterious thefts- lou visit the county home and the jail and business offices. and stop people on the streets all in the interest of the general welfare You wish your knowledge were shared with &he people who have means, and ability to serve the public, and that every time you found real need, you could also find the way to meet it.
 Blue pink and aquamarine dia- monds were recently exhibited in Ion-