The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-11-10
D. A. GIaseoff, Secretary Of United
Charities Makes His Report
Of Activities Of
the Year.
MUCH ENCOURAGEMENT
co-operation and Abatement Of Evils
Of Unorganixed Effort Ac-
complished During the
Year.

The second annual report OF DAVID
A. Giascoff, secretary Of the, United
Charities shows many encouraging
features Of the work. Mr.. GLASGOW
presented his report at the annual
meeting held last night. Following is
the complete text of the report:
Looking back over the year we note
much that is encouraging in our en-
deavors to make poverty less 1nfec-
tious and to improve conditions II;
which some of our people are forced
to live. With but one or two excep-
itions, all churches and organizations
are working together and many OF the
evils of unorganized effort have been
done away with. The duplicating OF
effort and gifts has been eliminated to
q considerable extent. The United
Charities has become clearing house
for social effort and its usefulness in
this field IL increasing from month to
month.
What would you think II the annual
report of our local board of health
! showed during the past year nearly
ione-fifteenth Of our population suffer-
ed from some disease? If this
same report should show how con-
certed effort of all coming in con-
tact with these patients would re-
lieve many, cure goodly number and
at the same time protect Others from
contamination, how long would 1t be
before the public demanded these
recommendations be carried out?
/ That Is the very condition we are
facing with regard to the disease OF
poverty. Three hundred fifty-four
families, nine hundred eighty-ene in
dividuals, or about one-1fteenth OF
Keokuk's population acknowledged
their inability unaided to cope with
conditions in which they found them
selves. Counting repeaters, the above
| figures would read five hundred TWEEN
| ty-eight families and seventeen hun
dred sixteen individuals. II we are to
effect cure in these cases we must
help them into a normal life, where
they give the community as much as
they receive from 1t rather than max.
ing their present life more desirable.
Poverty Result Of Conditions.
| Poverty is not alone a physical con-
dition, though the majority recognize
only that phase of it. Poverty is the
result Of physical and mental condi-
| tons and is not so much the lack OF
food, raiment, shelter and fuel as 1t is
| the lack of opportunity or ability to
provide them. Neither is poverty an
individual problem. 1t is a commun-
fty problem and one Of the commonest
causes Of its rapid increase Is the
lack Of definite, concerted action
along curative, constructive and pre-
ventive lines.
! The needy themselves called upon
us for material aid three hundred
eighty-five times. Difficulty in secur.
+ ing employment resulted in one hun
dred seventy-five applications, and we
were able to secure permanent posi-
lions for forty-six and thirty-six tenn
porary Jobs The average duration OF
the permanent position was six
months and during that time the
combined earnings of this group
amounted to ten thousand dollars.
Fine as that appears it IS not the best
part for many Of the men and women
who had been idle for long periods,
were helped back into the habit OF
regular employment and not few or
them have been able to better them
selves by taking more lucrative Jobs.
! How Cases Brought to Attention.
Our attention was directed to needy