Evening star., 1954-04-02
By Betty Miles

Forty-five years ago yesterday,
Lydia Burklin came to Friend
ship House. Now 10, Miss Burk-
lin will retire as its director in
June-a woman whose long life
has taught her that dreams
come true.
Miss Burklin. found "once-
a-week kindergarten class. the
woman'S club-and a bunch of
boys" when she first came to
the community house. Little by
little, vitality needed programs
were developed, and. with the
help of volunteers with special
skills, classes were added in art,
music, dancing and dramatics.
Today, in it's lovely old re-
stored home, formerly the
Naples. Friendship House has
become one of the most beauti-
full and ideal settlement houses
in the country. 1t has a staff
of IA full-time workers, a num-
ber of part-time specialists, and
many volunteers.
Miss Burklin'S service in the
non-Secretarian settlement house
at 619 D street Sc. has been
based on abundant faith, which
she feels has been constantly
justified. and simple but COM
pelling principle - the principle
that a community can have very
real needs which have not been
put into words.
Il very early distinguished be-
tween need and demand" the
white-haired, kindly director
explained.
Her sense of inarticulate needs
has resulted in striking "firsts"
at Friendship House. The first
day-care program for children
of working or i'll mothers in
Washington. still thriving today.
was established in 1910 after a
call for help from a sick mother.
This was a need Miss Burklin
had sensed during her six years
as a visitor for two of WASH
ington'S downtown churches.
"At that time the only avail
able agencies to care for the
children when their mothers
had to go out to work were the
very inadequate orphanages and
untold suffering was caused by
this enforced separation" Miss
Burklin said.
Before she could set up the
program, however, the first small
charge actually arrived.
EARLY one morning in 1910
weary, l3-year-old girl came to
see me-" she recalls. In her
arms was sick-looking, cry
ing, miserably unhappy baby.
Thrusting the infant at me, she
burst out with, Mother says she
is so sick she can't stand hearing
Sissy cry another minute. She
wants to know if you won't look
after her today-you told her
to let you know if there was any,
thing you could do to help her.
"Of course, there was only
one thing a real neighbor could
do, and it was DONE" Miss Burk-
lin went on. She arranged with
a friend who was serving as
houSekeeper at Friendship
House to care for the baby, and
the day-care service was born.
Furnace Duty, Too
Miss Burklin and her friend
continued to care for children
of employed parents themselves
until the number grew too great,
as well as doing all the work the
house demanded, including cook
ing. housekeeping, neighborhood
visiting, overall supervision of
clubS-and tending the furnace.
Another first" that filled an
unvoiced need was the estab-
lishment of the first library in
Southeast Washington. The di-
rector of the District of Colum-
bia Public Library. at Miss
Burklin'S request. agreed to sup
ply the books if they would pro-
vide the room and librarian.
Still another was the summer
coaching school for first and
second graders, which supple
mented the remedial work in
other grades begun by the
schools in 1914.
A native Washingtonian who
first planned to become a
teacher but went into church
work instead, then to Friendship
House, Miss Burklin has been
nominated by the D. c. Chap