The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-25
By CAROLYN B. ELLIOTT.

Most everybody in Birming ghan knows Mrs. M. w. Searght. And every body who remembers her as pioneer worker in the city welfare department, is glad she has returned to fBirming ham for little visit with the friends of 'Auld Lang Syne" whom she num- bers by the hundreds. I happened to see her yesterday for a few minutes, when she greeted me with the glad smie that I think is the overflow from the brimful sunshine of one of the kindest hearts ever knew.
 T just want to tell you" she said, "how much good it did me to see your interview with Dr. Walter Brown. that the welfare work here is still alive, and that 1t is enlarging it's activities, and that the people of Birmingham are interested in it..
 "Of course it's alive, and developing every day. was my reply. And HI wager, you've already been looking around to see if the work you left us to do when you moved to Memphis is being attended to, or whether BirminS- ham is neglecting her unfortunates."
 "Oh, no, I haven't.' she defended laughingly, T just happened to see wei fare department listed in the phone book with the same old number we used to have and I was so happy over it. Then I saw your story in the Age-
 
 every church to cooperate with the city, and couldn't help adding amen to his plea.
 This cooperation would mean every thing to the community work of the churches, and to the welfare of Blrm- ingham." Mrs. Searight emphasized. There would be no overlapping then in any charity work, because the wei fare department of the city is already
 fnr al ri- table organizations in the district. The community activities of Birmingham could be carried on more intelligently and systematically with no waste or time, money or energy, in such cooper ation with the city department of well fare mad corrections. The needs or poverty and misfortune are investigat- ed by the department in such way that an organization which co-operates with it stands much better chance of removing the cause of distress or of alleviating it, than if such work Is done without regard to the efforts of othsrs.
 THE START
 "When the work was begun here, Mrs Searight reflected, "1 simply couldn't have gone step if the church es hadn't co-operated, and if some or the ministers of Birmingham hadn't I of them who gave us so much assist ance. and still feel personally grateful to them To a great many others too some of the doctors and lawyers. The policemen co-operated with me, too, and the merchants and the undertakers.
 "Stop," I warned. before you go to the cemetery"
 And the cemetery peIple, and the gravediggers co-operated with our de- partment in the kindest way" she in- sisted reminiscently, without the slightest alarm about burying all of Birminghanl's troubles.
 And, oh yes--the newspaper people" she fIattered. "they always seem to understand what one Is trying to ac- complish, and they go straight ahead to help accomplish it. They came to our rescue when the welfare depart ment was born. They helped it to crawl, and to stand on its feet. Every newspaper in Birmingham did that, and I think they are responsible for much of the fine public spirit that prompts the people of the city to keep all this constructive work going.
 But how did it happen at all that the city ever instituted welfare de- partment?'
 Don't you remember" the first su- perintendent of the welfare depart ment rebuked. Tt really began where a great deal of benevolent or altruistic work begins-with a few women, or ganized to help a part of the worlds s misery and discouragement be- longed to one such organization here; was, in fact, a member of the board of managers of the Girls home. the in- stitution that afterward, under care of the state. developed into the Alabama State Training School for Girls.
 INTERVIEWED THEM
 "As chairman of the committee on receiving girls into the home. 1t be- came my duty to interview those who were sent to us by the city court. MT Bodeker was chief of police at the time, and I remember how kind he was in trying to prevent. whenever pos sible, trial In the police court. Often I was called from home for this. and sometimes at the most unreasonable hours I was called for the purpose of providing shelter for a penniless wom- an- I talked to Judge Lane, the presi- dent of the board of commissioners, who had as big a heart and as much love for humanity as any man who ever lived. talked to him to see If some provision could not be made to helr these unhappy people without bel ' called so much from my own home. ]