Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-13

was dry, and everybody in the group
looked straight ahead without a word
1t was several minutes before even
the charity worker began to look
happy and was able to laugh in the
way she had learned how to-no mat
ter what happened-in her two years
OF work among the poor.
Don't worry" she spoke up cheer
lily. dts going to come. out all right
because we're going to sec that it
does"
The charity worker is Miss Minnie
Van Epps. and she is known through
out the city. She is young and strcng
and beautiful and has the habit IF
falling in love with poor people.
Things are never so bad that they
couldn't be worse" she declared as
she went through the house and took
stock of the miserable pieces of fur
niture-a flour barrel that had been
scraped clean few days before, and
q jelly glass holding a handful Of
wild violets that bI ought an ache 70
her heart. Il was said that poor peo-
pie loved pretty things as we'll as
other folks.
Words of Cheer and Comfort.
Were going to hsve something to
eat here in a jiffy," went on Miss Van
Epps. Pm hungry too-and then
when we're all fed and in our right
minds. Wen talk about how we can
help John, and what he just can't pay
and well see il we can get some
body who's got lots Of money to give
II to us, and one OF these days every
thing viii be all right again"
Fifteen minutes later Miss Van Epps
was telling funny stor:es to the whole
six who were sitting in a prim row
on the side of the bed while their
mother was cooking something on
the cracked stove in the kitchen.
This is the kind of Summing" that
the five women agents OF the Atlanta
Associated Charities do. At least that
is what New YolRers might call
stunning" but the Atlanta workers
don't like the term-they call 1t help
ing"
over all parts OF the city through
out the day the five women go. finding
Wretcnedness and trying to bring
happiness out of the threads that life
has tangled so. They have all kinds
OF cases, mostly OF widows and chill
dren and women who have been de
serted by their husbands. frequently
at the time that q new little baby is
born and support and care is most
needed.
knotty Problems TO Solve.
The agents have to be schemen
and solvsrs of problems. Every case
presents a different angie. There IL
an emergency fund that is called on
when groceries and other things are
needed at once. but il 4 is a case for
pension. they must find societies
or churches or philanthropic people
who will take the case in hand per-
manenuy or as long as help is need
ed. The aim throughout Is to teach
families to support themselves as far
as possibie-not to make beggars or
paupers Of them.
"Its so hard 70 know what 70 do
in so many Of our cases" said Miss
Van Epps. zone thing is wrong with
one amiiy-anOther with another,
and so many are sick.
The trouble is your heart gets so
tangled up in the WORK YOU can't
sleep nights, and you wish you had
indefinite millions so that you could
just SHOW people what you could
make some families blossom out into
and what could be done for little
folks.
But" she sighed comfortably.
good times are coming! / see 1t.
And | don't feel like We're going To
have to wait tin the millennium for 2,
thanks bel"