Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1934-01-10
NEW YEAR GIFT
WELFARE HOME
Radio, VictrOla Equipment
Presented to Aged by AL
dred /. dupont
TO BE FINISHED SOON

Alfred I. DUPONT, father of Del
aware's old age welfare policy, has
kept his promise to the guests of
the State Welfare Home near
Smyrna. They will have music
through radio or victrola or ampli-
fcation of musical programs and
exercises in the Home all of
which will be heard by them in
their bedrooms. Within a fort
night, the work of installing a
central radio system, connected
with every room in the home, viii
be finished. From then on, time
will not drag so slowly and life for
the aged and INDECENT will be even
more comfortable and agreeable.
Last fall when the State Welfare
Home was dedicated, Mr. DUPONT
who had nurtured the old age well
fare movement in Delaware, prom
ised he would have installed in the
Home radio system. 1t will not
involve a penny's cost to the State,
but is being done under his spon-
sorship upon the approval of the
Old Age Welfare Commission. To
those who are spending their last
days in the Home, Mr.. duPont's
promise is a golden one. 1t means
contact with the outside world. It
means hours of entertainment. 1t
will also have perhaps a therap-
eutical effect upon the patients.
The radio system is in the nature
of New Years gift to the guests.
II places the State Welfare Home
on an almost unequalled level COM
pared with similar institutions in
the country. The control panel
will be in the general Office of the
| Medical Center unit of the Home.
| There will be a manual tuned
radio receiving set and full auto
matte talking machine capable of
playing "a records separately or
mixed. This talking machine may
be started in the morning and run
all day without requiring the re-
stacking of records or other atten-
ton. In each room will be wall
cabinet speaker with two knobs.
The turn of the first knob to the
left may ring on a radio program;
the turn of the same knob to the
right will bring on the talking ma
chine program or a program being
broadcast through microphone
somewhere in the home. The sec
ond knob is the volume control but
the speakers are so constructed
that never at any time can the
radio be turned on so loud that the
music will become raucous or an
noying to other patients in the
same or adjoining room. Complete
control of the program Is at the
panel in the general Office. There
is also a reproducing arrangement
SO that should the superintendent,
DIR. A. v. Gilliland, wish to make
an announcement to all guests at
one time he may do so from the
main office, or, if a program is be-
ing given in one part of the home
be it musical or religious servic-
es or a play perhaps-it can be
transmitted to those guests who
cannot leave their rooms or beds.
Ease of operation and simplicity
of control were the goal Of the en-
gineers in the installation of the
system. Reduced maintenance
costs, requirements and reduction
of operation costs are realized
through this system. The master
ed selection of programs from the
main Office eliminates the POSSIBLE
ity of disputes arising among the
guests regarding what programs
they will want to hear. After these
items were considered, there arose
the QUESTION Of how much could be