The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-02-20

week for the boys club. on Tuesday
afternoon for the mothers club and
all day Saturday for the girls-the col
ored girls using it in the morning and
the white girls in the afternoon. Be-
sides the gym" and drill work. talks
and entertainment, they have classes
in cooking, sewing, tattinG, crochet
ing. rafi1a work, etc.
The first board of directors was
much more capable and efiicient in
some respects than the one today. If
we may judge from their selection Of
a general secretary.
C. b. Van Horn, now DR.. Van Horn.
was tho first secretary, and great
deal Of credit - due him for the sp1en-
did equipment and beginning of the
work. After him Guy T. Justice. then
Miss Mary r. .Vose and last August
assumed the duties of that position.
There are today six paid workers at
the building: the secretary and as
sistant. Mrs. Myrtle Callahan, q woman
of exceptional tact, Judgment and Abil-
ity; the m4tron, Miss Lidzy. the nurs-
cry governess: Mrs Hensley, a woman
to help her with the domestic work
of the nursery. and last. the janitor.
who, besides caring for the furnace
and the building, looks after the hobos
at night and the wood yard by days,
delivers baskets each week for the
county and calls almost every day ut
some Of your homes for your casfo6
clothes, old paper or discarded furni-
ture.
Besides these workers. Mrs. Charles
Thomas gives practically all her time
to this work, and some half dozen vol
unteer workers and several friendly
visitors give more or le99 time to the
work.
So much on the presumption that
the majority OF you are typical Ameri-
cana. and give only q paaBin9 thought
to certain public places OF interest that
lie at your doorstep.
+ Other Charity Work.
The only other agency in Topeka
that does much relief work - the COM
missioner of the poor. Mr.. Bacon. who
gives out perhaps twice a. much as
all the rest together. The different
churches and schools do more or less
relief work among their own number,
which IL right. if administered rightly.
The police department In any city Is
supposed to relieve certain cases. but
here it continues to practice to some
extent the work it did before the aSso-
citation was organized. The humane
society. which Il supposed to restrict
itself to dumb animals or abused or
mistreated children or old people,
often does relief work in families
"
by the association or the county.
Spasmoilic Giving.
The Good Fellow movement, whose
object il to spread Christmas cheer
and bring individuals I'm touch with
needy families in whom they will In
terest themselves as sort of a big
brother" has here by means OF a
promiscuous publicity developed Into
a year around series of spasmodic CIV
ne ThA fnoQ vuA fnr IT n
that we hope the motive IL more
praiseworthy than the method:
| All this ON the side Of so-called re-
lief On the side Of indoor relief. we
will barely mention the county home
or poor farm AZ usually called. the
ate girls. the Orphans home. Ingle-
side home and the Methodist home.
both for aged persons throughout the
state, and both of which charge an
entrance fee of three or four hundred
dollars. Also, we should mention the
hospitals, both Stormont and Christ's
especially the latter does a great deal
of charity work.
The Salvation army Is cooperating
with the Provident association.
| want to say that there Is an excellent
man at the head Of the army in To-
peka-Ensign Houser. The Salvation
army does some good work although
| of the methods used.
/ Departments Increase Cost.
said awhile ago I would say more
about the charge that our overhead
expenses are too heavy and that toe
little Of the money gets to the needy
Please remember that besides the &C
tual relief work we carry on several
activities which in most cities are con.
Quoted by different institutions at al
expense Of several hundred dollars ev.
cry year. with little or no actual re.
lief The day nursery IL maintained
in q separate building as IL usual,
done would cost at least 81 200 . year
A municipal lodging house and = woot
yard would be fully that. Our sicl
rooms and dispensaries could not b.
maintained separately for any small
sum. Our laundry and baths. cooking
and sewing classes. club work. etc.
are all expenses to us, which We thinl
wise but do not show as relief.
Merchants Arc Liberal.
On the other hand, the money fall.
far short of showing the actual relie
given. Many firms make their contri
buttons In the form Of goods Ont
firm gives us 500 worth of groceries
| . xx,31lirw rovvnv1a 1naf DaaHr en1d f1an1