The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-04-28
POOR QUARTERS FOR THE INSANE
 IN THIS STATE
BETWEEN PUBLIC
 AND PRIVATE 8CHARTTIBs
By Fred R Johnson, General Score tary Associated Charities of
 Boston.

| .P is uncertain and constantly changing. Twenty-Five years ago we would have considered impossible the develop ment of municipal charities and cor rections as we today find them. Un- doubtedly the next twenty-five years will witness an even more rapid rate eof progress. Mayor Mitchell by his splendid appointments Of Dr. Davis and MT. Kingsbury in New York city is blazing trail which other cities will follow.
 But whether charity. be public or private. we have right to expect, yes demand, that the prime object of each shall be community service, and to secure service we must have cor dial co-operation and "a full under standing between the two, as we'll as friendly criticism and help Of one am other.
 INADEQUATE FACILITIES.
 We all grant the right of the people of a municipality to control their own public agencies dealing with the poor. We do not all believe that the voice of the public should be heard in su- pervising and controlling the develop ment of our private charities, and yet is it not proper to exercise control over voluntary agencies who solicit public support and who care for de- penedents in whom we are interested :?
 
 field of philanthropy has been to con centrate attention on organizations rather than On the task they should meet All in Connecticut are fanai1- jar with the School for Imbeciles at IakeviIle. How many know that for several years the provisions at the school have been utterly inadequate to meet state needs? There are some what oyer 300 feeble minded children at Iakeyille. A conservative esti- mate places $500 as the mum Der of imbeciIes at large in the state.S To make matters worse the School at Lakevslle is for children and does not child bearing age. Connectfcut haa not met thirteenth of the job which the state should perform. Most of us believe that dependent children should be placed in homes rather than be huddled together in big institu- system of colony homes and orphan ages. Connecticut has 1000 children who are state charges in it's county homes or in private asyluns, with a relatively small number actually placed out. For these which are placed out sufficient means is not pro vided whereby proper supervision may be had in the home. The state has barely scratched the surface of the need which exists in this field.
 REVIEWS NEEDS.
 have spoken of public and semi public agencies. Were we to review the community needs as contrasted with the work of organizations form ed to meet them on the private side we would find even more striking dis crepancies
 If czlaFfties, public and private; are primarily organized to meet the so- cial needs of the community, they should not compete with one another, and they should not duplicate each charities more at fault than are pub lie agencies. Private charity often is an illustration of individualism run mad. Organization after organization has been established by people not familiar with what is already done in the field into which they are plung- ing.
 Let no one believe that division of functions would leave the Board of Public Charities without a task. It would still need to provide a large amount of relief. It still would have the care of the aged, the dispensary and ambulance service, the commit ment of the insane and imbeciIe, the admission of the sick to our general hospitals, and of consumptives to our sanitoria, not to mention a dozen otf- CT functions. From personal exper- fence can assure you that the pub- lie department, supplemented in this fashion by the charity organization society, would have more than you have a right to expect of it to do Bridgeport is in a fortunate po- sition to afford all of us a most in teresting experiment. in working out proper corporation between public and private agencies. You have a progressive Board of Public Chari- ties. You have a live Charity Organ ization society. The results which you achieve will be viewed with in terest not only in Connecticut, but in other states as well