The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-04-03
General Secretary Submits Report for
Month Of March showing
Amount Of Work
Done.
RECEIVE FIFTY CALLS
Attention Called to Thirty.one Fam.
lilies, Fifteen OF Whom Are Mar
rted CoupIes-Few
Widows.

The regular meeting Of the United
ed Charities was held last evening in
the Y. w. c. A. The principal bust
ness OF the meeting was the report
made by the general secretary. Sew
eral other matters of minor import
ance were taken up and discussed,
but no definite action was taken on
any of these.
The report Of the general secretary,
David A. Glasscoff, for March, fol-
lows:
| During the last twenty -six days Of
March or since l made the last re-
port, there have been fifty calls made
upon US either by the poor themselves
or In their behalf. Twenty-seven were
by private individuals interested in
specific families. Nine came from
the applicants themselves, six from
church organizations. societies or
workers and three from teachers.
These calls directed our attention
ito thirty.one, families of whom fifteen
We're married couples, Ave single
men, three single women, three wild
ows with children, four widowers with
lckildren and one widow without chill
dren, that is children dependent on
her for support. This group consist
ed of forty-seven adults and children
lover fourteen years of age and forty
under that age or total Of eighty
seven persons.
4 Successful work in behalf of needy
families in their homes can only re-
suit from a perfect picture Of the fam
lily obtained from various angles. In
order to obtain this knowledge neces-
sary to map out line of endeavor
which would terminate when the
various families had returned to that
position in life where they would be-
not should be-self supporting, eighty
seven visits were made and the tele-
phone used one hundred and three
times. One permanent job was Sc
cured and one that might become 30
Shoes were obtained twice through
! the Good Fellow fund. Care 1T the
Graham hospital was secured for
one and the advice or care Of ply
sicians In ten other instances
Through the very hearty cooperation
of the Benevolent Union home an.
other has found shelter when most
needed. Your secretary has had
brought 70 his attention three in
stances which were purely within his
ijurisdictipEas assistant health officer
land two anat were humane society
Married People in Majority.
During the month Just passed there
were five times as many married
couples coming under our care as
there were widows with children.
This would indicate that either the
widow is not very numerous Or else
she is very capable of caring for her
self and children unatded. At any
rate the story Of the poor suffering
widow supporting her children loses
almost all its force. We have been
wont to look upon the widows pen
i sion provided by our state as a big
stem in the right direction and per-
haps it is, but Is there not tendency
for the improvident widow, the one
who was always poor manager, con-
tinuing her former ways after she has
received state aid? Under present
conditions I question the state gain
ing the desired end. The law stipu-
lates certain conditions under which
these pensions shall be granted but
liza weak in that it does not provide
for any or very little oversight over
the real life Of the family. Capable
women will care for their children,
incapable women can not, even II
fair amount of money Is provided.
The fact that almost one-half OF
the needy we came in contact with
we're children under fourteen years
Eof age would point out the need for
far reaching preventive measures with
regard to these lives If we would be
wise. for poverty degrades all men who
struggle under it's yoke but the pov'
ertv which Expresses childhood is
monstrous and unnatural thing for 1t
denies the child growing develop
,ment and strength: 1t robs the child
tof the present and curses the man OF
1.-THE future.
1 II ia more charitable to put one
family permanently beyond the need
Of aid than it is to tide twenty over
into next weeks suffering. The time
40 here when the other fellow should
he considered rather than ourselves
in the matter of charitable giving. 1t
i.s the effect the gift has on the re-
ciniap+ and not on the giver, which
must be reckoned with. what Is
needed is the concentration OF moneys
expended in behalf Of the poor. not
the concentration Of such funds in
itha hands OF one society but rather
!the concentration where it Will do
GOOD. where 1t will help put fam