Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-17
EIGHTEEN YEARS
ACTIVE SERVICE
Headworker Submits Annual Re-
port of Peoples Settlement;
Officers Elected.

At the annual meeting of the Peoples
Settlement, held last night at the settle
ment house, 40S East Eighth street, the
following officers were elected: President,
Frederick T.. Stone; first yice-president,
Horace Wilson: second vice-president,
Mrs. Holiday Needs; secretary, Freder-
ick f. Blatz; treasurer, Charles Is. Palm
er: corresponding secretary, Mrs. William
Hilles.
The settlement hcadworker Miss Sarah
w. Pyle, submitted the following report
of the work of the Peoples Settlement for
the year:
HEADwoRKER's ANNUAL REPORT.
With the record of lS years of active
service behind it, Peoples Settlement stiil
continues to serve the community In
many WAYS. Every day oi the week, every
week of the year, services OF different
kinds are asked from its workers.
The settlement experience IS gathered
from every day contribution from Its
neiehborhood, and many of its members
have grown from early boyhood and girl
hood to become valuable helpers IN the
house as men and women.
The work and the influence OF the house
have spread far beyond its walls, and the
district touched by the house has widened
wear by wear, and never covered so broad a
territory as at the present time.
In recent contest for new members IN
the Woman's Club, the west side commit
tee won over the east side, with much
larger number OF new members gained:
At the regular meetings, women attend
from Richardson Park, Gordon Heights,
Union street, Forrest Palk, Jessup street,
Third and Eleventh street bridges, as well
as the immediate ncighborhood
Ii is hard TO tell how many. different
people come in contact with the settle
ment from year to year. IL Is Impossible
TO tell how many persons the settlement
influences. The gain in children under
IA wears of age for the past year has been
over 200. and at present 535 juniors are
registered as house members.
Over 1000 calls were made by the resi-
dents in the interest Of the settlement
during the year.
Fifty girls are registered at National
Girl Scout headquarters for the People 8
Settlement Troop, and during the winter,
over SIS has been brought In for uniforms
The scouts are trained TO give service IN
every possible way, both IN the settle
ment and outside, and at present are
interested IN assisting national mead
quarters to make the Girl Scout contrlbu-
tion from America as large as possible Tor
the Marne memorial statue, soon to be
erected in France on one OF the world $
most famous battlehelds.
The Penny-a- Day Society doubled Its
contribution toward paying of the mort
gage this year, by turning IN $500 IN
stead of Sl00 for 1918.
One Of the new features OF the year was
the formation of House Dramatic Cub,
with the purpose of presenting at least
one standard play each year. The ciub,
this spring. cleared $50 on performance,
out az which thev paid their coach, and
covered all expenses for programs, stage
carpentry, etc This group will represent
the house in dramatics as the senior boy
basketball team docs in athletics.
Because the settlement was fortunate
in securing the services of an ail-tlme man
worker this wear, the house was opened on
Saturday evenings for the first time for
basketball games with outside organiza-
tions. We never had so crowded basket
hall schedule nor so much enthusiasm.
The house team played IL games, both at
the settlement and out-of-town, and came
out second in the Independent League.
The house program shows full schedule
from the first of October until the present
time, and the neighborhood gathered
when anything Of interest or heneht was
given Entertainments by the Men ana
Woman's Clubs, proved OF special inter
est Other features OF the work were; lwo
Froebel groups of boys and girls, the
kindergarten, Brownie Scouts, cooking
classes. gymnasium for all ages, basket
ball. home nursing, the ever-popular game
room for boys and girls, excursions to the
country, hikes by The scouts for the alter
noon and supper out-of-doors, various
parties" of all kinds, lectures and many
/ other attractions which were offered to all
Some of our welfare features hav en
passed on to other more specialized gan-
! izations. such as the ReconstructiC Jm-
mission. The well-eqmpped dispen ,aiy at
/ this house, has been given free Oi charge
! for the work carried on throughout this
/ district by the child health centre.
The secret of success in any form of
social work is cooperation, and during
/ the past year the playground and gym
nasiuIn have been used by the following
/ organizations du Pont Sports Club item
/ mis-. gymnasium and basketbali); Pioneer
/ Athletic Club, lone evening each week for
/ basketbalD; Parkslde football team. (even-
ing practice on the playground last
! November); Goldey College, basket ba > !;
/ Y. w. c. A., (womans gymnasium class
one morning a week.; Service Citizens,
! tciaSS Tor lore gIlefS one evening Il Week =
and various churches, lodges, etc. Last
summer the Delaware State tuberculosis
I Dispensary was temporarily housed here
! for June, July and August.
Both Goldey College and Beacon Col
lege have continued he scholarships given
annually to this house, and several stu
dents have taken advantage Of this oppor-
tunity for education.
Our relation TO the neighborhood as a
public recreation centre is always empha-
sized in summer when the playground
is in full swing An average attendance of
5000 per month was maintained during
/ this season, although July was a month
of constant rain, and the full capacity
of the grounds, with its splendid equip
ment for outside recreation, was utilized
during the day by children under fourteen,
and in the evening by the working boy
and girl.
In closing wish to thank the Execu-
tive Committee, who have assisted to a
larger extent than ever before in securing
/ finances for the settlement, and the
volunteer workers who have given so
generously of their time, paid and unpaid
trained and unframed, all have given
their share to make the whole a success.
The growth and development Of the
work is indicated by the annual budget,
which has grown from less than one hnn-
/ dred dollars eighteen years ago, to over
| thirteen thousand for 1920.
/ We trust that our usefulness to the
4 4 II L =