Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-09-28
CHARITIES HOLDS
YEARLY NEE NC
MRS. STOCKUM PRESENTS
ANNUAL REPORT FOR
LAST YEAR

LAST YEAR
At a meeting of the Federated
Charities held the middle of last week,
Mrs. E. F. Stockum rendered her an
nual report The. organization has
once again mailed requests for SUBJ
scription renewals and it is anticipat
ed that the coming year will be full
of activity
Report
| Mrs. Stockum's report follows:
"Many people think that the princi-
pal work of charity organization So
ciety is only to furnish material relief
such as groceries, fuel and various
other things of that kind. AS a mat
| ter of fact this is the smallest part
of our work and the easiest to handle.
| OF the seventy-two families represent
ed this past month only nineteen have
been given material relief. We settle
| many family quarrels by bringing hus-
bands and wives together, and par
ents and children together. We have
| fourteen widows and their families to
| look after. In every case they are
practically self-supporting. They come
| to the office for advice and to ask
| help in making the older children
obey. OF the nineteen social welfare
cases, eight were the care of girls
about sixteen or seventeen years of
| age. Four were the care of mother
| less children. In two families the
| mothers are in asylums. One was a
| blind girl. One a hayward boy. One
is family of four boys. The mother
is with thenl but they have a step
| father, and While he is doing all and
more than could be expected of him
to caring for the family, it is neces-
sary for the Charities to be ready at
all times to help In another family
the mother is irresponsible and con-
slant friendly visiting is required.
| Other Help
1--WE take sick people to doctors
| for examination, and if necessary,
see that they get hospital care. Chill
| dren are placed in various institutions
by order of the court. We investi-
! gate cases for other local organiza-
lions or for the judges and lawyers.
We investigate cases for societies in
| other cities. We receive letters from
| town chairmen asking for investiga-
lions, and after such Investigations
have been made, we report to them
| We insist on the observance of the
child labor and compulsory education
laws. and when a child of school age
is found working without permit he
is Immediately referred to the permit
officer. We show mothers how to
keep themselves and their homes
| clean, and to observe sanitary laws
In many cases it is almost a hopeless
task and usually thankless one.
"These are some of the things that
take large part of our time and can
not be shown in dollars and cents.
Our society is here to do this work
and we are the only body so organ
lied that can do it. A charity organ
lzation society is therefore an indis-
pensable factor to the moral and ply
steal well-being of every city.
Illustrative Story
"a good smile for the purpose of
illustrating the real duty of charity is
found in the following story:
At the foot of the precipice there
was knd-hearted community. Run
ming along the edge of the precipice,
high above the town, there was a pub
lie highway. This road was so dan
gerous at one point that many travel
ers toppled over the cliff and were
killed or badly injured.
For the purpose of affording re-
lief to those who were not killed out
right, the citizens supported an am
bulance and kept it near the spot
where people who fell over the preci-
pice might be picked up.
""This was supposed to be a most
excellent form of public service until
it occurred to somebody that the kind
hearted community might, by building
fence or wall along the road at the
danger point save more people than
there were being saved by the main
tenance of an ambulance. The sug-
gestion was acted upon, with the re-
suit that no more travellers fell over
the Cliff, and consequently, there was
no further use for the ambulance"
The giving out of groceries and
fuel and clothing is just the ambu-
lance form of assistance, but the goal
to which we are working is to make
our organization the stone wall of
this community and entirely do away
with the need of an ambulance"
Following is the field report issued
by the secretary:
Families represented - 70
view
Continued " "a
| Problems presented.