Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-01-11
MILLIONS FOR CHARITY
Curious Facts About the Wards Of
the state-counties Without an
Observation-Disclosures Homo
Not Needed Now-Dope
Hospital instead
BY GEORGE NOx MCCAIN

1 State Board of Charities. and Secretary
Bromley Wharton are just now in the throes
They are figuring out the ratio that each
eleemosynary, stitution In the common-
wealth should receive in the way of appro-
priations for the next two years.
Every state or semi state institution, hos :
pital, dispensary, home, asylum or charitable
institution Of any kind desiring aid for the
ensuing two years must file statement Of
Its expenses, number of patients treated and
similar data with the board.
There are several hundred of them.
The Board of Charities reviews their
work. scans their demands for aid. decides
upon what 1t thinks they are entitled to and
then submits the result to the Legislature
for Its approval.
The board acts as q sort of governor on
the states machinery for supplying public
money for charity.
Day and night for weeks, prior to the as.
sembling of each Legislature, members OF
ant and several assistants, work over these
statistics.
It's a great job, for it involves an ex I.
penditure Of $50, 100000 or more.
A UNIQUE system that exists In this state
A Is the borough almshousc.
There are thirty seven of these institu-
tions.
Instead Of sending their INDECENT or inse Se
boroughs elect to care for them themselves.
1t is survival of the old English
"Union,' which Dickens has made famous or
infamous.
It is an obsolete system. It is upsatis.
factory and should be abolished.
:. But legislation alone can accomplish this.
Every time 1t is proposed objections are
raised and they are, permitted to remain.
forgotten. The officials of the borough poor
boards fail to visit them.
The physician who Is supposed to look
after them neglects his duty or gives them
only perfunctory care.
It is the one blot upon our charity system
that should be erased.
NF THE sixty seven counties in the COM
~ monwealth, there are. eight counties
that have neither county home nor q bor-
ouEh poor house. Think Of It!
The latter fact seems almost incredible
to city dwellers, who see SO much Of poverty
in its various guises and who are constantly
beseeched by pencil beggars and others on the
streets.
There are forty seven counties that have
one almshouse. The thirty seven borough
almshouses I have mentioned are located
within twelve counties.
In all the almshouses in the state there
are in round numbers $4,000 inmates.
They come under the name of pauper and
are a class separate from the inmates Of
A N HOUR spent in the rooms Of the State
n Board Of Charities in this city discloses
some wonderful facts about the wards of the
state-the INDECENT, criminal. helpless, aged,
infrm, crippled, blind, consumptive and deaf
and dumb.
II they could all be gathered together in
one. community they would populate a city
as large as Harrisburg.
If all the attendants, guards. nurses,
nh tpaphara
marshaled together and uniformed as an
fantry.
There are five times as many children and
aged persons in homes that receive appro-
priations as there are inmates of the jails and
warehouses.
If all the inmates in hospitals for the
insane and state and county institutions
were formed In one grand procession, march
ing four abreast in close order, il would re
quire two hours for them to pass given
point.
If the penal institutions and jals and
warehouses; should enlist their inmates for
war today there would be enough Of them
to form three regiments Of 25OO men each.
not including officers and ambulance corps.
DR1EFLY, here are some facts additional
- about our unfortunates.
In private sanatoriums for consumptives
there are 1853 inmates.
of the state tuberculosis hospitals at Mont
Alto, Cresson and Hamburg.
Nor does it include the dispensary work
in the free dispensaries for tuberculosis
maintained throughout the state.
In the various institutions and homes for
the weak minded there are sheltered over
1000 of these un.ortuates.
The deaf and dumb number 1000 in the
various institutions devoted to their care and
instruction. Incorrigible boys and girls num-
,. The criminal population in penal institu-
tions alone, including both male and female,
is $500 persons.
MO ONE thing stands out so conspicuously
~ in the humanitarian progress of our
age as the advancement in penoogy.
Particularly is this true in its applica-
tion to the erring and criminal of the female
sex.
At the base of Bold mountain IN Lycom;pp
county there is an institution in the midst
OF 800 acres of land. There are roomy
stone buildings in an environment both
healthful and pleasing.
The commonwealth maintains this as an
industrial home for women.
Any court of record, exercising criminal
jurisdiction, may at its discretion sentence
to this home any female between sixteen and
thirty years of age upon conviction or upon
pleading guilty Of any crime.
In course of construction in Union county
Is village for feeble minded women.
The plan is to add buildings to those
already erected until it is possible to provide
proper accommodations for feeble minded
women who are now, or later will become,
inmates OF other state institutions.
DRoHIBITION has, apparently, put the
1 skids under a proposed hospital for
inebriates.
Down at Whitehill in Cumberland county
five miles from Harrisburg there are several
hundred acres Of land that In 1917 were
purchased with a view to establishing home
for the treatment Of inebriates.
Prohibition came along, and nothing more
has been done. No buildings have been
erected.
But the scene and the circumstance shift
to sadder theme.
1t will become necessary to utilize this
property for incurab'e drug addicts. The
idea has not eliminated as yet In anything
tangible.
The tremendous increase in the number
of drug users will ultimately require an In
stitutiOn Of that kind.
Philadelphia police authorities can fur
nish ample statistics on the subject.
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