New Britain herald., 1916-02-10
IN THE ENGINE ROOM
 WITH CHARITY AGENT
Miss Osborn Tells How OrganiZa-
 ton Carries on Its Work

SdnlZaIlOn makes N2W brlldlll an un- comfortable p,nca for Iii rosters to live in, how 1t learns of deserving cases and how it systematzes the ,, work of alleviating the suffering of the poor and needy was revealed last evening at the monthly meeting of the organization by Miss Elsie c. Osborn, the agent. These revela tions were contained in her report for January, which follows:
 To the Directors of the New Britain Charity Organizations
 "United we stand; divided we fall' is as true in charity work as In any other line. That does not mean oI course, that it is the poor who shoulo be regarded as standing united. It IS the welfare agencies organized 10 De friend them Gin one way or anotner' which must unite in their efforts. Who are the poor" any way-that large, vague, impersona1 group we hear so much about? Some people seem to think of the poor as great mass of humanity, devoid ot any nat uraI human preferences. racial ties, or religious creedS to be dWelt With collectively and moved about like checkers on a board. We have no right to deal with the poor en masse, as if they were sheep or Hottentots. They are not a. remote and distressing group whom the fates have treated severely, but flesh and blood people to he befriended. Each one of them is intensely individual and the needs of each family must be threshed out sep arately. Nothing worth while is ever gained by wholesale effort with hu- man nature.
 It is twenty-tWo years since four pastors of this city, while discussing problems of mutual interest, came upon the astounding fact that they were all aiding the selfsame needy family, each one being under the inn pression that the family belonged to his parish and his alone. This result ed in the forming of the New Britain Charity Organization society. 'TO promote the systematic corporation of all charitable agencies public and private in the city of New Britain, and to be a center of inter er-communication between those agencies according to our state charter.
 
 tionately greater than twenty-four years ago, in ratio to the increase in population. There are more home less men floating about from one church residence to another to see what they can get. There are more women and children begging from door to door for clothing to sell to the second hand men. There are more strangers going the rounds with hard luck stories which they revise to suit their listeners; more men and women asking for carfare to another city; more families changing from one church to another to see which one will help them most generously, and there must be some focusing point some central bureau to turn to. Ob- viously the Charity Organization is expected to act as the hub in New Britains charity wheel.
 What Organization Does.
 And how is the Charity Organization accomplishing this?
 1 By serving and seeking service from every other charitable organiza- tion in this city.
 By conducting much used con- fidential bureau which registers all families known to any agency in this city, and from which we give inform alton very cautiously and only to those who have a right to know. At holiday times this especially useful to dozenS or Organiza tiOns and churches, and scores of people
 D. By the most intimate relations With officials of the board of public charltles, With whom We are con- stantly ln touch, notifying them of any other agency which becomes in terested in families under their care ana conducting a constant interchange of information. Again and again both they ana we ourselves have been saved from hours of unnecessary labor and from many imposters thro11eh this cO-Opera ton.
 4. By equally friendly relations with the police. This comes about the more naturally since the agent of the Charity Organization was apDointed part time woman probation officer by Judge Meskill in November 1914 Whenever We are in need of advice any information we find all of the police court officials and chief and bis force unfailingly courteous and helD- ful. We try to reciprocate by giving them in return any facts we gain from out of town correspondents or local investigation, which may possi- bly, be of use to them,
 (5) By constant intercourse with the principals and teachers of the public schools Gas well as the truant { officer and the school nurse) in rega rff to neglected, truant, or insufficientls- clad school children. They frequentl1s find that things are not always whatI they seem and we in turn find many a time the help and influence of 8 { teacher is invaluable in really reach ing tD the heart of a family trouble I