Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-10
Venerable
Mansion.

ve0ero0le set OF washington. 1T II
r..:. a quaint structure, with
@AeAvA' Moorish windows filled
! with wonderful stained glass: elaborate
ceilings. wide doorways and all the other
| features of a "palatiar' home during the
youth Of the National Capital. Once
| through its doors entered all the elite OF
| the town, bewitching women and gallant
men. Today, too. this old building is
| serving as a CENTER but now it is head
| quarters for those who are making their
way up in the world, the Working Boys
Home.
The aim Of those who are behind this
establishment is to provide place where
| boys. mostly between the ages of ten and
twenty, who are earning their own living
can live at the lowest possible cost to
| themselves and yet receive the best pos
sible attention, the best meals and the
best environment The movement, while
kept alive largely by outside people, is not
an Intentional charity: that Is. every eff
fort is made to make the boys feel that
they are absolutely self-supportfng and
in no way dependent upon charity. The
boys are for the most part, from out OF
town. without friends or relatives here
| with whom they could live. The home is
| the alternative for them between the
food on the outside. and, on the other.
pleasant surroundings. good food. and. In
addition, q general supervision over their
physical and moral welfare.
~
The Working Boys Home and Chill
dren's Aid Association. as the organiza-
ton is called, is man.
Organization aged by board Of
:: nla trustees. board of
IN Charge: managers or senior
committee and junior committee. At
present those in charge. are Mrs. Andrew
tC Bradley. Mrs. w. A. De Cafndry, Mrs.
c. M. Ffoulke, E. M. Gallaudet, Mrs.
Nicholas LoQuer. H. b. F. Macfarland,
Mrs. j.. c. Poor and Rev. DR.. Cotton
Smith as the board Of trustees. The
board of managers is composed of Mrs.
William Ker. acting president; Mrs.
Jesse Ramsburgh and Mrs. G.. NJ.
Ffoulke. vice Presidents; Mrs. George
H. Eldridge. secretary. and Miss F. G..
Childs. treasurer. NThe honorary vice
presidents are Mrs. Charles J. Bell,
Mrs. Andrew C.. Bradley, Mrs. Thomas
9: Childs. Mrs. Teunis 8. Hamlin, Mrs.
John Hay. Mr.. George F. Hun. Mrs. H.
Miller. Mrs. T. Norris Murray, Mrs.
Henry 7. Satterlee. Mrs. A. H. Snow.
Mrs. William II. Taft and Mrs. H. M.
Teller. The officers OF the junior COM
mittee are Mrs, Gilbert Grosvenor and
MISS Mary McCauley. vice presidents;
Miss .Sophy Johnston, secretary, and
Mrs. Walter ,Tuckerman, treasurer. This
committee has charge of getting up the
various entertainments which are given
Tor the benefit Of the home.
The organization was founded in 1885
and fnC0FnOr tod INV CnnpNoeo fko fn11nv--
ing year Mrs. Darwin r. James. whose
husband was then representative from
New York, was the founder Of the work,
It then being known as the Newsboys' and
Children's Aid Society. The primary idea
was to deal with both boys and girls,
colored and white. and the work was done
on lines similar to that now being done
by the board of children's gardians but.
OF course, on smaller scale. At the
beginning the eface OF the organisation
was in one room, shared with the Humane
Society. Then 1t moved to the old Metz
croft house. on 18th street. There was an
agent in charge of the work. and it was
his duty to.visit the Police Courts, gather
In the children NE found On the, streets
and In other ways bring together all the
destitute children OF the city. s.
X X a.
At that time the Organization made no
attempt at housing the. children. They
b were simply kept there in
No Housing the. evenings. In cases
~ rS-.4 wore child had no
1es' home, however. one was
found for it. From this point the work
grew, and the need of some place where
the children could be given at least q
temporary home was seen. 1t was then
that a small house on E street between
9th and 10th streets was bought and the
work proceeded on this larger scale. 1t
was not until 1895 that the present home
was secured. This was obtained through
a legacy left by Mrs. George Maulsby,
amounting to $4,000 The house at Sd
and G streets was bought. and the gym
nasium which now stands at the rear was
erected, the entire cost coming within
placed over the entrance of the home
bearing the words THE George Mauisby
Memorial Home
With the growth OF the work it was
found that the orphan asylums which
were Swinging up all over the city
that the board of guardians, too, was
doing a similar work. Consequently
the work of the home became more
nearly centered upon the one object OF
making a home for boys. Then 1t was
found that not all the boys at the
home were newsboys, and, besides
other working boys began to think they
would be excluded on account of not
being 'newsies."- So about ten years
ago the name was changed to the
Working Boys Home ands Children's
Aid Association. At the present time
the work is confined almost entirely
to the working boys.
At the present time there are eleven
boys at the home. These live in the
gymnasium building.
Eleven where each has a
separate room. Twen-
Residents. ty-ave boys can be
accommodated, including both the
buildings Aside from the gymnasium.
which is open to the boys evenings,
there is a well stocked library. 3 piano
and an entertainment hall, wherein
debates or entertainments can be given.
In addition to the boys who are regu-
lar boarders at the home. the outside
boys are allowed to come into the
gymnasium in the evenings and are
also allowed the use of library. The
outside boys are charged l cent admis-
sion to the gymnasium.
The boys are called at 5:45 each MORN
ing. excepting Sunday. Breakfast is at s
sharp. Then the boy is required to clean
fr~s,I 1T