Norwich bulletin., 1912-01-24
UNITED WORKERS ANNUAL MEETING
Decreased Contributions Make it Necessary to Use
$4,000 of Invested Funds-Appea Made for Increased
Assistance to Garry the Magnificent Charitable
Work-Reports From the Different Departments

! lilies helped, yet it is the work which
! the committee cannot do which stirs
! their deep sympathies. Among the
! work done numerous families with sick
Hembers in them had been aided, and
! two brides had been helped to trous-
seaus, while one had been given a
| trunk for her wedding clothes.
The report acknowledged help from
| Christ church guild, the Kings Daugh-
| tiers and the general public.
City Missionary's Report.
The report of City Missionary Nor
! throp went into that work in detail
! giving also many helpful suggestions
| on phases of the work. 1t was In part
as follows:
! The most noticeable though not most
| important, activity of the City Mis-
I sion is seen in the material aid ex-
tended to individuals and families.
About 2S0 families have come into
! touch with the mission during the past
I Year and have received help in one or
more Of the three usual lines of food,
fuel and clothing. Clothing has been
! given to 140 families. About 80 of them
| have received clothing only, which has
| been supplied from the donations of
| the public. Only a limited amount of
money is spent for new articles of
clothing. About 80 families have re-
| ceived food and fuel during the year,
so of them only occasionally, or for
| few weeks, 20 of them pretty regularly.
Only seven families have received such
| aid every week OF these so families
more than one-quarter received aid
also from the town, mostly in rent. 1t
Is to be regretted that the suggestions
made last year by a special committee
of the Board of Trade Of the city in
the way Of improving the public SER
| vice, so far as the outside noor are
concerned, have not been acted upon.
The much needed cooperation between
public and private charity still awaits
| realization.
He mentioned the Thanksgiving din
ners in which 100 families were assist
| ed, 60 of these having no other help
from the mission during the year
| There was about $40 contributed for
Christmas money, and in addition there
were toys distributed to over 100 chill
dren of 40 different families. In the
fresh air work there was about $40
available in giving trolley and steamer
| rides to nearly $50 women and children
representing over 80 families.
Probably the most valuable work Of
the mission, Of a kind that cannot be
tabulated, is to be found in the friend
ly calls made by the missionary his
assistant friendly visitors, district Wis
itors and nurses, and in the assistance
rendered at the rooms in the way Of
information, instruction, advice, direc-
ton, warning, encouragement, given to
all sorts Of seekers.
OF course, we do not give to every
man that asketh Of US. In some cases
it is better not to. The public are
again asked to send all house to house
applicants, whatever their declared
needs, to the mission rooms, where
they are sure of receiving the best at
tention that modern charity can give
them. It is not the purpose nor the
intention of the mission to give food to
wandering beggars, nor to men with no
desire to work.
For purposes of accommodation, and
not as a settled policy, the mission
acts as an Intermediary, especially in
the cases of those connected with the
mission, in the matter of bringing to-
gether those who seek work and those
who seek workers. AS a rule, strangers
seeking work are referred to the apprO-
pirate agencies in the city which are
engaged In the regular business of en-
ployment bureaus
OF the various matters that have
conferred around the mission depart
ment it may be sufficient to refer to
ease made more bearable till death
came by the ministrations of the dis
trlct nurses, and the comforts and con-
veniences ennanating from this depart
ment; to special nurses provided for
| urgent needs; to three persons sent to
the Underclif sanatorium at Meriden
by way of the mission rooms at the ex-
pense of the Red Cross society and
anti-tuberc1losls league; to three chill
dren of a disbanded home sent to the
care and training of an excellent pri-
vate home in the statel to two weeks
) vacation given to young working cir
in the vacation house at Madison, CT,
The city missionary in his capacit y
: as probation officer of the city court
gets insight into the family life AnG
Individual habits Of many who are
: helped or who may come to be helpeC
by the mission, and many opportunities
of doing good to those who may never
ask for help of any kind. Out of the
hundreds that pass through the city
court yearly, only a few are likely t.
be helped by the probation system, fol
5 most of them are old offenders. gen.
3 orally Incorporate, and with fixed hab.
= it's with little intention or power to d.
l better. And for such q Jail sentenc,
! or a fine are about all that our socia
| conditions provide Just now Infre
ouent victims of intOXication who hav,
families may sometimes best servt
d the public and their families by beinj
}, allowed freedom to keep at work on
b suspended sentence, under direction a.
: to conduct and disposal of wages, Whil
9 in the case of young boys and othe
first offenders the method of probation
I is worth trying, and in many case
= works we'll
l. Out Of the 40 cases put in charge o
: the probation officer during the year
1e we're boys, ranging in age for theft
some of them for the first time. Tw
= OF them were II years old, six were Il
three were a. four were Is and on
d was IT Gust beginning to drink.
= In almost all these cases parenta
- neglect lies at the root Of the mischiet
d which has begun to be rather deep
seated before the boys get arrested
= Sometimes the home is the worst plac
g for the boys to grow up in and in sue
cases 1t is the parent who should prob
: ably be brought into court for neglec
of duty. The only chance for som
4 boys TO grow up useful and honest /
8, to be found In some retormatory inst
a tuition.
d The one girl under probation prove
incorrigible, both before and after, an
has left home, probably TO continue
dissolute life,
- There were two women placed o
probation with somewhat hopeful re
suits, at first.
n Twenty one men were given a chanc
n to keep out Of jail and be good citizen