the kindling touch of personal enthusiasm and effective call to join in the new forward movement, will, we are confident, accomplish greater things than in the past.

With her small houses, practically a separate home for each family; with her ample wealth; with her homogeneous population; with her great industries, comparatively little affected by industrial disturbances; with the co-operation of the great university, the women's clubs and a favorably disposed public press, all of which are effective agencies for social and philanthropic reform, Philadelphia has no mean advantages over most other American cities. Our gratitude to Philadelphia for its past advances from which all have gained! And our right hand of fellowship in the hard work. now before us severally and in common!

** -*

The will of the late Abraham Wolf was filed for probate at Morristown, N. J., November 9. Among his charitable bequests are the following: To the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society of New York, $5,000; to the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews of the city of New York, $5,000; to Mount Sinai Hospital, $1,000; to the Monteflore Home for Chronic Invalids, $1,000; to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, $1,000; to the Colored Orphan Asylum, $1,000; to the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York city, $2,500; to the Educational Alliance of New York, $3,000; to the

Mr. George Blair, Superintendent of Outdoor Poor of the Department of Public Charities, addressed a meeting of the visitors of the relief department of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the district agents of the Charity Organization Society, and others, in the United Charities Building last Saturday afternoon.

The subject of the conference was the almshouse and the possibility of caring in it for more of the homeless aged or disabled persons who would be better off in the almshouse, but are kept away by prejudice or misunderstanding.

Mr. Blair showed that, though the standard of comfort and care of the inmates of the institution upon Blackwell's Island has been raised during the present administration, yet the number of

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We publish in this number extracts from the annual report of the Charity Organization Society now in press. A copy of the report will be sent upon request.

66

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*

Before the Civic Club, of Philadelphia, on Saturday, November 3, Miss Mary E. Richmond, general secretary of the Philadelphia Society for Organizing Charity, delivered an effective and inspiring address on 'Co-operation of Charitable Agencies." It argues well for the new régime in Philadelphia that the women of the Civic Club have entered heartily into the movement for a new awakening in the field of co-operative charitable effort, which is not unlike certain educational and civic advances that have marked the higher life of Philadelphia in the past decade.

organization movement nearly a quarter of a century ago. It was the first considerable city to abolish public outdoor relief. Preserving to a greater extent than most other large cities a feeling of local responsibility for local conditions in the several independent communities now merged into the great municipality, the city has seen a number of very active and efficient district organizations, in which high standards have been maintained. But there is no gainsaying the fact that even the strongest and best district organizations suffer and fall short of rendering their full public service, if there is not also an energetic and efficient central organization standing conspicuously for the principles of adequate relief, co-operation among workers, personal service on behalf of those who are in need, and determined, social conditions which create pauagainst the unremitting warfare perism.

* *

*

It is in this respect that the wisdom of the Philadelphia society in the selection of its general secretary is shown. We predict that there will be increased local interest and co-operation, even where these are now great

est, because of the increased interest and co-operation which the society will inevitably secure, acting upon the lines of the Civic Club address. The old friends of organized charity in Philadelphia, of whom there are fortunately many, re-enforced by other friends of the poor who await only

the kindling touch of personal enthusiasm and effective call to join in the new forward movement, will, we are confident, accomplish greater things than in the past.

With her small houses, practically a separate home for each family; with her ample wealth; with her homogeneous population; with her great industries, comparatively little affected by industrial disturbances; with the co-operation of the great university, the women's clubs and a favorably disposed public press, all of which are effective agencies for social and philanthropic reform, Philadelphia has no mean advantages over most other American cities. Our gratitude to PhilaPhiladelphia for its past advances from which all have gained! And our right hand of fellowship in the hard work. now before us severally and in common!

The will of the late Abraham Wolf was filed for probate at Morristown, N. J., November 9. Among his charitable bequests are the following: To the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society of New York, $5,000; to the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews of the city of New York, $5,000; to Mount Sinai Hospital, $1,000; to the Monteflore Home for Chronic Invalids, $1,000; to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, $1,000; to the Colored Orphan Asylum, $1,000; to the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York city, $2,500; to the Educational Alliance of New York, $3,000; to the

Mr. George Blair, Superintendent of Outdoor Poor of the Department of Public Charities, addressed a meeting of the visitors of the relief department of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, the district agents of the Charity Organization Society, and others, in the United Charities Building last Saturday afternoon.

The subject of the conference was the almshouse and the possibility of caring in it for more of the homeless aged or disabled persons who would be better off in the almshouse, but are kept away by prejudice or misunderstanding.

Mr. Blair showed that, though the standard of of comfort and care of the inmates of the institution upon Blackwell's Island has been raised during the present administration, yet the number of

inmates has decreased from 2,900 to less than 2,400. This change has been brought about by means of careful investigation concerning the needs and circumstances of the applicants, and the requirement of some work on the part of all inmates who are physically able. Mr. Blair advocates a state home for the reputable aged.

Mrs. M. Fullerton, Superintendent of Relief of the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor; Mrs. C. L. Cooper, secretary of the New York County Committee of the State Charities Aid Association; Mr. Homer Folks, Mr. Frank Tucker and Mr. Edward T. Devine participated in the discussion which followed the address.

The Tenement-House Commission appointed by the legislature to investigate the tenement-house problem in New York and Buffalo will begin to hold public hearings on Friday, November 16, in the assembly hall of the United Charities Building, 105 East Twenty-second street, at 3 P. M., and will continue these hearings on November 23, 26, and 28, and possibly other dates.

The subject of the first public hearing, on November 16, will be "The Relation of Tuberculosis to the Tenement-House Problem." At

the other hearings "The Existing Evils of the Tenement-House System" will be fully discussed, going into the questions of airshafts, small rooms, dark halls, lack of bathing

facilities, etc.

**

The will of Mrs. Babet Hornthal was filed November 3 in the West

SOME UNRECOGNIZED SOURCES OF
PAUPERISM.

Mr. James B. Reynolds, of the University Settlement, addressed the Associated Charities of Boston at the annual public meeting November 8. We quote the following abstract of his paper from the Boston Herald.

Mr. Reynolds' address, beginning with the claim that the Associated Charities seek, not only to relieve the unfortunate, but also to so improve the conditions of life that the streams of pauperism may be steadily diminished, proceeded to show the fatal power of three unrecognized sources of pauperism, namely, the failure of supply and demand of labor to meet, the failure of many of the employments of children to fit them for subsequent fields of usefulness, and the practical defects of current public education.

He who makes the statement that no man who is willing to work need be out of a job" should serve on some committee of the Associated Charities and learn his error, said the speaker. He declared that the man both able and willing to work was the hardest case of all to handle, since the lazy or incompetent can be dropped with a good conscience, or bundled off to the hospital. The instance of Jacob A. Riis was recalled, who hunted for a painter three days to do some work about his house. The fourth day he read of a painter who had just committed suicide because he could not find work. Had he met that man, he could have saved a life and relieved his own household.

During the past six months, said Mr. Reynolds, I have been constantly looking for a job for a man, able and willing to work, honest, fairly intelligent, and with good physical strength. There are doubt

less many places in the city where he is needed, but I have not succeeded in bringing the place and the man together.

We need labor bureaus or labor exchanges, well organized and constantly in touch with both the supply and the demand of labor, to cope in a large way with this serious difficulty. Such labor exchanges should not only fill the positions for which applications are made, but, through expert investigators, they should keep themselves thoroughly posted as to the condition of the labor market, and, through their bulletins, when one industry was glutted or another in need of more workers, they should constantly bring the employer and the employé together. Such an exchange should likewise aid in the exchange of labor between the city and the country. We should probably all agree that the disposition of the unemployed to remain in the city is to be regretted, yet I know personally how hard it is to secure a position for a man in the country after I have persuaded him to go there.

Among those who apply to me for work are many boys and girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, who have secured positions giving them a slight remuneration, which is, perhaps, as much as they could expect to receive at that age.

The value of such work and its influence upon the worker depend upon whether the position is, in fact, directly or indirectly an opportunity which will lead to a permanent occupation. And that question must not be decided by the result which appears in the case of the few who possess unusual cleverness or unusual ability in making the most of their opportunities. It must be decided by the result which is found in the case of the average boy or girl who works in a particular occupation. The clever youth will always look out for himself, not because he is