New Britain herald., 1915-12-09

ton. It must nave been exceedingly disappointing to some of these people to carry a basket of good things to
 someone, only to find that a lodge or charity representative had been there before them. Many people now use the charity organization by sending word that they expect to care for a certain family and in these instances we always see to it that their pleas ure in giving is not disturbed by col lision with someone else's plans. It Is a relief to get back to the ac- customed constructive work of this organization begin again to aim at prevention instead of allevia- tion. Social Workers. Our recently organized monthly con- ference of social workers is proving very successful. Its membership con- sists of the visiting nurse, tuberculo- sis nurse, health nurse, school nurse | probation officer, truant officer su- ] perintendent public charities, superin- tendent City Mission, and charity or | ganiZation agents-all paid workers. | visiting daily in the homes of the | poor,-a Sunshine society incorpora- 1 tor is also included The conference l is a strong expression of the charity
 organization get-together spirit It |
 makes for closer relationships all |
 around and aids its members in work
 ing shoulder to shoulder for the city's
 welfare.
 Welfare Agencies.
 Another piece of charity organiza-
 tion work long contemplated and re-
 cently commenced, is the compiling of information concering the city's
 
 overwh elming number of these as we of the charity organization well know. since we are forced to fill in the gaps by making some sort of provision that ingenuity may contrive, for the needs which the Travellers Aid society the Lodging House, Shelter for Wom- en, Day Nursery, Free Employment | Bureau, etc., minister to in larger ci- ties. There is, however, considerable | confusion in the minds of many con- corning those agecies which we have | and the city directory does not, per- | haps, give enough information to set tie the question. Our idea is to set | forth briefly the name and address of | every organization formed for the | public welfare, giving the names of 1 the paid workers connected with it. | the office hours of each one and tell 1 ing briefly its aim and scope, so that | those needing the services of any or ganization and not very familiar with 1 it's work may know exactly what to ex- pect of it and just how to go about l getting it. This sort of a directory has been made of a group of fifty New York organizations and institu- tions and something of the sort may be attempted in Hartford, later on.
 If this directory would only settle | in peoples minds the tIistir ction be- tween the New Britain Board cf Pub lie Charities and tho New Britain | Charity Organization, not to mention | any other value, the labor put into | 1t would more than be worth while. It | is not surprising that this confusion exists in many minds, especially un- l der the close relationship existing be- tween the two offices, and yet both the Public Cha rites and the Charity Organization could render better ser vice if the distinction were clearly 1In- derstood.
 Help Big Sisters.
 Ther Is need of more hclpful. friendly work being done for the young girls of this city,-girls be- tween fourteen and eighteen years. especially the daughters of immigrant parents. Most of these girls are working, So that their earning powers foster independence, moreover after receiving a few years education in our schools, which are splendidlv equipped to meet the needs of foreign born children, they. emerge obviously knowing so much more of America and its possibilities than their ar ents, who on arrival plunge at once into drudgery to support their families that they brook no parental discipline and forget that mothers advice is worth having on many subjects which are the same the world over. For these girls we hope to form some sort of Big Sisters Organization.
 The girls in our schools are taught domestic science carefully md if we could only make sure that they all went home as valiant little mission aries to bring their households out of domestic chaos all would be we'll. However naturally, no mother takes kindly to patroDizing instruction from her young and she takes more readily to the diplomatic Suggestions of woman her own age who can explain the differences between Old World and New World housekeeping md the advantages of certain changes. We know that every paid woman worker visiting in the homes is do- ng just that sort of thing every day. Ind we question whether it might not De wise for the Charity Organization o go into the matter more systemati- ally.
 As for the boys who sometimes re- lu1re supervision beyond their par nts' control if only some charitabIv ncllned people would see fit next ummer to provide a few weeks out if door life for them under man eader whom the boys could admire