USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume III > Part 25
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Morgan Memorial Church of All Nations, 81 Shawmut Avenue. Rev. E. J. Helms, pastor.
Oak Square Church, Brighton. Rev. G. R. Wolverton, pastor.
Orient Heights Methodist Episcopal Church, Bayswater corner Butler Avenue, East Bos- ton. Rev. J. F. Hoon, pastor.
Parkman Street Methodist Episcopal Church, 29 Parkman, Dorchester. Rev. J. E. Brown, pastor.
St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church, Centre, corner Walden, J. P. Rev. A. H. Wallschlaeger, pastor.
Stanton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, Stanton, corner Evans, Dorchester. Rev. Wallace E. Hayes, pastor.
Tremont Methodist Episcopal Church, Tremont corner West Concord. Rev. Lynn J. Radcliffe, pastor.
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THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT
Union Methodist Episcopal Church, corner Meridian and Havre, East Boston. Rev. G. E. Allan, pastor.
Upham Memorial, Wachusett, corner Patten Street, Forest Hills. Rev. Edward E. Marsh, pastor.
Washington Boulevard Methodist Episcopal Church, Washington Street corner Edge- mere Road, West Roxbury. Rev. H. N. Clay, pastor.
Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, 624 East Fifth, South Boston. Rev. David M. Angell.
Winthrop Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Winthrop Street, Roxbury. Rev. George M. Bailey, pastor.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AFRICAN).
Charles Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, Mt. Vernon corner Charles. Rev. S. Stanley Jacobs, pastor.
Columbus Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Columbus Avenue corner Northampton. Rev. B. W. Swain, pastor.
Grant Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church, 133 Vernon, Roxbury.
NEW CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH.
Branch I, of the Christian Science Parent Church of the New Generation. Service, Sun- day morning, Copley-Plaza Hotel, Trinity Place entrance.
NEW CHURCH (SWEDENBORGIAN).
Boston Society of the New Jerusalem Church, 136 Bowdoin Street. Rev. H. Clinton Hay, pastor. -, church parlor, Freeman Place, 15A Beacon.
Roxbury Society of the New Jerusalem, Regent Street corner St. James. Rev. H. Dur- and Downward, minister.
PRESBYTERIANS.
First Presbyterian, Berkeley, corner Columbus Avenue. Rev. Robert Watson, D. D., pastor.
First Presbyterian of East Boston, Meridian, corner London, East Boston. Rev. George W. Warren, pastor.
First Presbyterian of Hyde Park, 1109 River. Rev. A. Roy Thompson, pastor.
First United Presbyterian, West Brookline, corner Warren Avenue. Rev. D. Cameron MacGuire, pastor.
Fourth Presbyterian, 117 Dorchester, corner Silver, South Boston. Rev. John A. Mc- Clelland, pastor.
Roxbury Presbyterian Church, Warren corner Woodbine Street, Roxbury.
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 65 Rexford, corner Oakland, Mat. Rev. George G. Squires, pastor.
Scotch Presbyterian Church, Tremont corner West Brookline. Rev. Hector Ferguson, pastor.
ROMAN CATHOLIC. His Eminence William Cardinal O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston.
All Saints Church, Centre, corner Penryth, Roxbury. Rev. Mark J. Sullivan, pastor. Rev. Edward P. Twigg, Rev. John Garrick, assistant pastors.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Washington corner Malden. His Eminence William Card- inal O'Connell, archbishop of Boston. Rev. Neil A. Cronin, administrator ; Rev. Wm. A. Dacey, Rev. George P. O'Connor, Rev. Richard Cushing, Rev. Harry M. O'Con- nor, Rev. Robert P. Barry, Rev. John W. Wall, Rev. Richard Quinlan, Rev. Edmund J. Haynes, Rev. William Foley.
954
METROPOLITAN BOSTON
Church of Gate of Heaven, East Fourth, corner I Street, South Boston. Rev. George A. Lyons, pastor. Rev. J. Walter Lambert, Rev. Waldo C. Hasenfus, Rev. John E. O'Connell, Rev. John F. Burns, Rev. John E. Killian, assistant pastors.
Church of Our Lady of Czenstochowa (Polish), 655 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston. Rev. John M. Chmielinski, pastor. Rev. John A. Drozek, assistant pastor.
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, 33 Brookside Avenue, J. P. Rev. James F. Kelly, pastor ; Rev. John P. O'Riordan, Rev. James Dowling, Rev. William O'Connor, assistant pastors.
Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 124 Gove, East Boston. Rev. Alberto Martucci, pastor ; Rev. Hugalinus Bifarini and Rev. Daniele Schiavoni, assistant pastors.
Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 1545 Tremont, Roxbury. Rev. John O'Leary, pastor.
Church of Our Lady of the Cedars of Mt. Lebanon (Syrian), 78 Tyler. Rev. Anthony P. Yazbek, rector.
Church of Our Lady of Ostrobama (Polish), 27 Chambers. Rev. Ladislaus A. Sikora, pastor.
Church of Our Lady of the Presentation, 676 Washington Street, Brighton. Rev. James J. Murphy, pastor ; Rev. Gerald C. Fitzgerald, assistant pastor.
Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, 92 West Sixth, South Boston. Rev. Patrick B. Murphy, pastor ; Rev. Michael E. Doherty, Rev. John F. James and Rev. George A. Scully, assistant pastors.
Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (Syrian), 178 Harrison Avenue. Rt. Rev. Nicholas Gannam, pastor; Rev. Atanassias Gannam, assistant pastor.
Church of the Assumption, Sumner Street, East Boston. Rev. William J. Barry, pastor. Rev. John B. Condon and Rev. William H. Ullrich, assistant pastors.
Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Centre, corner Creighton, Roxbury. Rev. A. T. Con- nolly, pastor. Revs. John F. Madden, Edmond D. Daly, Francis X. Kelleher, assist- ant pastors.
Church of the Holy Trinity (German), 140 Shawmut Avenue. Rev. Charles P. Gisler, S. J., rector. Rev. Joseph A. Keller, S. J., Rev. Francis J. March1, S. J., and Rev. Herman J. Adelman, S. J., assistant rectors.
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Harrison Avenue corner East Concord. Rev. James T. McCormick, S. J., rector.
Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, Maverick, corner London, East Boston. Rev. Wil- liam B. Whalen, pastor. Rev. Cornelius Foley, assistant pastor.
Church of the Most Precious Blood, Maple, corner Oak, Hyde Park. Rev. Henry T. Grady, pastor. Rev. Edward J. Fraher, Rev. Daniel J. O'Connor, Rev. John J. Dignan, assistant pastors.
Church of the Sacred Heart, Brooks, corner Paris, East Boston. Rev. James H. O'Neil, pastor. Rev. Patrick J. McCarthy, Rev. Edward E. Murphy, assistant pastors.
Church of the Sacred Heart, Brown Avenue corner Ashland, Roslindale. Rev. John F. Cummins, pastor; Rev. Eugene A. Twomey, Rev. Henry C. Reardon, assistant pastors.
Church of the Sacred Heart (Ukrainian), 138 Arlington. Rev. Joseph Pelecovich, pastor. Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Italian), 12 North Square. Rev. Lino Merlo,
pastor. Rev. Francis Berti, Rev. Oreste Alussi, Rev. Pio Parolin, Rev. Agostino Lazarin, assistants.
Notre Dame des Victoires (French), 25 Isabella. Rev. Henri deLa Chapelle, pastor. Rev. Henri Thiery, Rev. Francis Remy, Rev. August Reis, assistant pastors.
Our Lady of Pompeii, 3 Florence. Rev. Pasquale DiMilla, pastor; Rev. Pietro Barbieri, assistant pastor.
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THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT
St. Adalbert, 1446 River, Hyde Park. Rev. Alexander Syski, pastor.
St. Ambrose, 240 Adams, Dorchester. Rev. John H. Harrigan, pastor. Rev. Joseph P. Murphy, Rev. Dennis J. Maguire, assistant pastors.
St. Andrews, Walk Hill Street, Forest Hills. Rev. Patrick J. Durkin, pastor. Rev. Francis P. Doyle, assistant pastor.
St. Angela's, Blue Hill Avenue corner Fremont, Mat. Rev. Francis J. Ryan, pastor. Rev. Edward D. Maguire and Rev. Augustus McMahon, assistant pastors.
St. Ann's, Neponset Avenue corner Ashmont, Dorchester. Rev. John J. O'Donnell, pastor. Rev. Francis P. Foley, Rev. Patrick J. Scannell, Rev. John P. Hennessey, assistant pastors.
St. Anne's Church, 86 Milton Avenue, Readv. Rev. David F. Regan, pastor. Rev. Leo A. O'Leary, assistant pastor.
St. Anthony, Holton corner Athol, Allston. Rev. Nicholas J. Murphy, pastor. Rev. Timothy Gleason and Rev. George McColgan, assistants.
St. Augustine, Dorchester, near East Eighth. Rev. Joseph F. Coppinger, I. P. P. rector. Rev. William J. Kenney, Rev. Thomas F. Devlin, Rev. Thomas F. Garrity, Rev. Richard A. Burke, assistant pastors.
St. Catherine, 49 Vine, Charlestown. Rev. Thomas R. McCoy, pastor. Rev. Daniel J. Golden, Rev. Henry J. Evers, curates.
St. Cecilia, Belvidere Street. Rev. David D. Ryan, pastor. Revs. John J. Fletcher, Ambrose Walker, Mark C. Driscoll, Edward J. Campbell, Ovid Chaput, assistants.
St. Columbkille, Market corner Arlington, Brighton. Rev. Joseph V. Tracy, pastor. Revs. John W. Mahoney, William J. Desmond, Oscar R. O'Gorman, Charles J. White, assistants.
St. Eulalia, O Street corner East Broadway. Rev. Mortimer E. Twomey, pastor.
St. Francis de Sales, 303 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown. Rev. Thomas F. MacCor- mack, pastor. Rev. Charles B. Gaffney, Rev. George H. Quigley, Rev. Francis X. Quinn, curates.
St. Francis de Sales, 110 Vernon Street, Roxbury. Rev. William T. Deasy, pastor ; Revs. Joseph Keenan, Patrick J. Lydon, assistant pastors.
St. Gregory's, 2221 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester. Rev. Francis X. Dolan, pastor ; Rev. Richard F. Howard, Rev. William Daly, Rev. Francis B. Murphy, assistants.
St. Hugh's, Blue Hill Avenue, corner Schuyler, Roxbury. Rt. Rev. Patrick J. Supple, pastor.
St. James, 125 Harrison Avenue, near Kneeland. Rev. Philip J. O'Donnell, pastor. Revs. Albert J. Shea, Robert E. Lee, and Lawrence P. Morrison, assistant pastors.
St. John the Baptist (Portuguese), 336 Saratoga, East Boston. Rev. Paul L. Despouy, pastor.
St. John's, Blue Hill Avenue, corner Woodcliff, Roxbury. Rt. Rev. Patrick J. Supple, pastor. Rev. John J. McMahon, Rev. James Grimes, Rev. Francis L. Thomas, Rev. David B. Waters, curates.
St. Joseph's, Chambers, corner Allen Street. Rev. Charles P. Heaney, pastor. Rev. James D. Canarie, Rev. Joseph J. Smith, and Rev. Joseph M. Holland, assistants.
St. Joseph's, Breed, opposite Ashley, Orient Heights. Rev. Francis Cronin, pastor ; Rev. Daniel A. McCabe, assistant pastor.
St. Joseph's of Roxbury, Circuit Street. Rt. Rev. Michael J. Splaine, pastor. Rev. Den- nis F. Sullivan, Rev. John J. Phelan, Rev. Garrett J. Condon, S. T. L., assistants.
St. Lazarus (Italian), Ashley near Breed, Orient Heights. Rev. Lodovico Toma, pastor.
St. Leo's, 100 Esmond, Dorchester. Rev. Francis A. Cunningham, pastor. Rev. E. Ambrose Gallagher, assistant.
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METROPOLITAN BOSTON
St. Leonard's of Port Maurice (Italian), 33 Prince.
St. Margaret's, 806 Columbia Road, corner Dorchester Avenue. Rev. William A. Ryan, pastor. Revs. John W. Churchward, Leo E. Sullivan and Joseph A. Brandley, assist- ant pastors.
St. Mark's, 1725 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester. Rev. John A. Daly, pastor. Rev. Francis V. Cummings, Rev. William F. Toohig, Rev. John J. Scollan, assistants.
St. Mary of the Angels, Columbus Avenue corner Walnut Avenue, Roxbury. Rev. Charles A. Finnigan, pastor. Rev. Walter A. Quinlan, Rev. Francis McGrath, as- sistant pastors.
St. Mary of the Sacred Heart, Endicott corner Thacher Street. Rev. Augustus J. Duarte, S. J., pastor. Rev. Charles F. Arnold, S. J., Rev. Henry A. Leary, S. J., Rev. James F. Leary, S. J., Rev. John C. Coughlan, S. J., Rev. Joseph P. Green, S. J., Rev. William J. Stanton, S. J., Rev. Francis B. Goeding, S. J., Rev. Charles J. McIntire, S. J., Rev. Daniel J. Cronin, S. J., Rev. John G. Covenly, S. J., assistants.
St. Mary's, Warren corner Winthrop, Charlestown. Rev. John W. McMahon, pastor. Rev. James H. Phalan, assistant pastor. Rev. Michael J. Murphy, Rev. James A. Donnelly, Rev. James L. Davey, curates.
St. Mary's Star of the Sea, Saratoga, corner Moore, East Boston. Rev. William H. McDonough, pastor. Rev. Richard S. Millard, Rev. Bennett J. O'Brien and Rev. Thomas F. Brennan, assistant pastors.
St. Matthew's Church, 33 Stanton Street, Dorchester. Rt. Rev. Edward F. Hurley, pastor. Rev. Robert Hinchcliffe, Rev. Daniel F. Burke, assistant pastors.
St. Monica's Church, 385 Dorchester Street, South Boston. Rev. Francis J. Kenney, pastor. Rev. John J. Johnson, Rev. John Cashman, assistant pastors.
St. Patrick's, Dudley Street corner Dunmore Street, Roxbury. Rev. William J. Casey, pastor. Rev. John J. Donahue, Rev. Timothy J. Donovan, Rev. D. Edward O'Bryan, Rev. Andrew J. Corbett, assistant pastors.
St. Paul's, 24 Hartford Street, Dorchester. Rev. John J. Farrell, pastor. Revs. Fred- erick J. Allchin, William A. Connor, Michael J. Norton, assistants.
St. Peter and St. Paul, 55 West Broadway, South Boston. Rev. James A. O'Rourke, pastor. Rev. Timothy J. O'Connor, Rev. James Fitzsimons, and Rev. James A. Hicks, assistants.
St. Peter's, Meeting House Hill, Dorchester. Rt. Rev. Joseph G. Anderson, rector.
St. Peter's Lithuanian, 75 West Fifth Street, South Boston. Rev. Casmir Urbanowicz, pastor. Rev. Francis W. Strokoskas, assistant pastor.
St. Philip's and Old St. Patrick's, Harrison Avenue, corner East Lenox Street. Rev. Peter Foley, pastor. Rev. James F. Welsh, Rev. George S. Brennan, Rev. William Keville, assistant pastors.
St. Stephen's, Hanover Street, corner Clark Street. Rev. Charles J. Ring, pastor. Rev. John H. Powers, assistant pastor.
St. Theresa, Spring Street, West Roxbury. Rev. John F. Broderick, pastor. Rev. Wil- liam J. Connolly, assistant pastor.
St. Thomas, 97 South Street, Jamaica Plain. Rev. Edward J. Moriarty, pastor. Revs. Florence W. McCarthy, William Scully and Maurice Flynn, assistant pastors.
St. Vincent de Paul, corner West Third Street. Rt. Rev. George J. Patterson, pastor. Rev. Timothy C. Sullivan, Rev. William B. Foley, Rev. Edmund J. Haynes, assist- ant pastors.
St. William's, Dorchester Avenue corner Belfort Street, Dorchester. Rev. David J. Murphy, pastor. Rev. Francis Eagan, Rev. Edward I. O'Brien, assistant pastors.
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THE RELIGIOUS ASPECT
SPIRITUALIST.
Unity Church Inc. (Spiritual Science), Jordan Hall, Huntington Avenue, Rev. Fred- erick A. Wiggan, pastor.
Universalist Spiritual Church, 30 Huntington Avenue. Frederick Nicholson, pastor.
UNIVERSALIST. Headquarters, 176 Newbury Street.
All Souls Universalist, 70 White Street, East Boston.
Church of the Redemption (Second Church), Boylston Street corner Ipswich Street. Rev. Stephen H. Roblin, D. D., pastor, 13 Regent Circle, Brookline.
First Universalist Church, Thompson Square, Charlestown. Rev. Roger F. Etz, pastor. Grove Hall Universalist Church, 70 Washington Street, corner Wilder Street, Dor- chester. Rev. Flint M. Bissell, pastor.
Roxbury Universalist Church, Buena Vista Street, corner Fenno Street, Roxbury. Rev. Stanley G. Spear, pastor.
St. Paul's, Rockview, opposite St. John Street, Jamaica Plain. Rev. James F. Perkins, acting pastor.
VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
African Orthodox Church, 528 Massachusetts Avenue, Rev. Oscar W. Hollinsed, pastor. All Nation Church, 81 Shawmut Avenue.
American Rescue Workers, 380 Tremont Street.
Anchor Mission, 122 Ruggles Street.
Annie Besant Lodge (Theosophy) 739 Boylston Street, rooms 112-114.
Apostolic Faith Assembly of the P. A. of W., 819 Tremont Street.
Armenian Apostolic Church, 397 Shawmut Avenue.
Armenian Brethren in Christ Mission, 613 Massachusetts Avenue. V. S. Bilzikian, sup- erintendent.
Bethel Pentacostal Apostolic Church of Boston, Inc., 986 Tremont Street.
Bethshan Pentacostal Assembly, 681 Tremont Street. Rev. Hortense M. Pruden, pastor.
Bible Truth Hall, 25 Huntington Avenue, rooms 213-219.
Blue Hill Evangelical Society, East Milton Street, corner Hamilton Street, Readville.
Boston Community Church, 467 Stuart Street.
Boston Unity Truth Centre (Practical Christianity) 142 Berkeley Street.
Chapel of Vedanta Centre of Boston, 176 Marlborough Street, Swami Paramananda in charge.
Chinese Mission of New England, Inc., 16 Oxford Street. Mrs. E. D. Mason, superin- tendent, 25 Clinton Road, Brookline.
Christadelphians, Caledonian Building, 53 Berkeley Street.
Christian and Missionary Alliance, 30 Kenilworth Street, Roxbury. Rev. E. J. Evans, superintendent.
Church Invisible, The, 482 Beacon Street.
Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith, Inc., 819 Tremont Street, Roxbury.
Church of God and Saints of Christ, 34 Woodbury Street, Bishop William H. Plummer, pastor.
Church of God Holiness Mission, 561 Shawmut Avenue.
Church of God in Christ. Elder, R. H. Stephens, 1119 Tremont Street.
Church of God in Christ, The House of the Lord No. I, 148-150 Lenox Street.
Common Cause Forum, Franklin Union, 41 Berkeley Street.
Faith Mission Church, 15 Sawyer Street.
First Union Church of Hyde Park, Readville, near River, Readville.
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METROPOLITAN BOSTON
Ford Hall Forum Sunday Evening Meetings, 15 Ashburton Place, room 300. George W. Coleman, chairman.
German Reformed Christ Church, Chestnut Avenue, opposite Sheridan Street, Jamaica Plain. Rev. George A. Godduhn, pastor.
Gospel Lighthouse, 561 Shawmut Avenue, Roxbury.
Gospel Mission, 720b Shawmut Avenue
Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Parker Street, corner Ruggles Street, Rox- bury. Rev. Emmanuel Papastefanou, pastor.
Greek Orthodox Church, 10 Warrenton Street. Rev. Joakim E. Malahies, pastor.
Holy Apostolic Assembly of God, 7 Arnold Street, Roxbury.
Holy Apostolic Christian Church of the P. A. W., 593 Shawmut Avenue. Rev. Clement R. Wilkes, pastor.
Holy Christian Church of the Apostolic Faith of N. E., 738 Shawmut Avenue. Bishop J. E. Harris, pastor.
Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Catholic Church, 9 Dearborn Street, Roxbury. Rev. J. E. Grigorieff, pastor.
Home of the Healing Light, I Queensberry Street.
Home of the Truth (Practical Christianity), III Newbury Street.
Hope Mission, 554 Massachusetts Avenue.
House of Prayer, 550 Shawmut Avenue.
Independent Spiritual Church, 99 Windsor Street.
Italian Mission, 69 Trenton Street, East Boston. Rev. Archibald A. Forshee, executive secretary ; Rev. Charles L. Page, associate secretary, 525 Tremont Temple.
Merrimac Mission, Inc., 107 Staniford Street, Jacob Fritz, superintendent ; David W. Moffat, treasurer ; Isaac T. Ripley, secretary.
Metaphysical Club (Practical Christianity), 234 Boylston Street.
New Thought Church and School Inc., 739 Boylston Street, room 133.
Old South Forum, Old South Meeting House, Washington Street, corner Milk Street. Parish of All-Strangers, 899 Boylston Street, room 300. Rev. Eugene C. Webster, chap- lain.
Rescue Mission, 15 Sawyer Street, Roxbury.
St. James A. O. Church, 1202 Tremont Street.
Salvation Army, 1522 Washington Street; 14-16 Warrenton Street; 23 Vernon Street, Roxbury ; 146 Hanover Street (Scandinavian), 42 Saratoga Street, East Boston. Seventh Day Adventist Mission, 85 Cabot Street. Elder Herbert D. Greene. Syrian Baptist Mission, 74 Tyler Street.
Union Rescue Mission, 3 Dover Street, P. E., call supt.
Unity House, 7 Park Square.
Unity Mission, 545 Columbus Avenue. Rev. Richard H. Norton, pastor.
Young Men's Sunday Service Boston Y. M. C. A. Building, 316 Huntington Avenue.
CHAPTER XVII. CHARITABLE AND PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITY.
The charities and philanthropic activities of a great city cannot with any adequacy be described or even recorded with any degree of com- pleteness, within the limits of a chapter. One may enumerate the various institutions, societies, foundations and organizations that have been formed to care for the unfortunate, the suffering, the needy ; and one may add the sums that are yearly expended in philanthropies by the munici- pality, State and corporations. There are reports that have dozens of closely printed pages used merely for the listing of the charitable bodies of the city. Other pages bulk large with figures that astound and still are only the annual amounts paid out by these incorporated charities. To these should be added, if it were possible, the individual, unadvertised, often secret, steady flow of benevolence quite unknown to statistics. One of the largest items of expenditure by the city is for public welfare; the State adds to this amount its dole, a large one, for it is more and more recognized that the responsibility for the needy rests upon the State rather than upon the municipality; add the amounts expended by both State and city, multiply the total by five, and one has some notion of the wealth used by the community for the alleviation of the ills of its people. An attempt to picture the charities and philanthropies of today would only lead to an unfinished daub, a canvas utterly lacking in beauty be- cause smothered with detail.
Boston has always been notable in the thought and care bestowed upon the unfortunate within its bounds. More than two hundred years ago Increase Mather said: "For charity, he might indeed speak it with- out flattery, this town (Boston) hath not many equals on the face of the earth." About a century later, Josiah Quincy in an address made the boast, "To no city has Boston ever been second in its spirit of liberality." In 1923, England thought so well of the philanthropic institutions of Boston as to send a delegation of her wisest citizens to study the city's methods of poor relief. The city has nothing in its history of charity of which it cannot be proud if her record is always compared with others of the same period. In philanthropy, as in many other things, Boston has always been a leader, a pioneer, marking out the way in which others have been wise to walk.
Perhaps a better appreciation may be had of the heights to which pub- lic relief has climbed in the present day, by a comparison of the methods of the early days with the present. While doing it, one must not forget that Boston and New England were not in any sense behind their age,
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METROPOLITAN BOSTON
rather, as has been said, the city was in the van of every movement tend- ing toward uplift and helpfulness.
Boston was fortunate in being settled by men many of whom were wealthy, as wealth went then. There was also a company backing the colonists in the venture, and a wise leader who foresaw many of the diffi- culties that would confront the pioneers, and took measures to prevent some of them. Nevertheless, there were many who were indebted to the company for their passage to Boston, and such possessions as they had upon arrival. Many were under the immediate necessity of getting a liv- ing in a land to whose rigors they were unaccustomed, and from whose harsh surface they must wrest their very food. They were poor, and before the first winter they were reduced to absolute want. The town survived the ordeal, but its people were two centuries in getting over a fear, that was almost a hatred, of poverty.
Perhaps the hurt done to the spirit of the first settlers of Boston was the reason for many of the severities heaped upon the poor for years. Says Robert W. Kelso, writing in 1925 on the legal phase of poor relief : "Barring Old England, with her debtor prisons and her poor law unions, there is probably not another chapter in the annals of poverty among civilized peoples so drab and dry of true sympathy as that of Colonial Massachusetts; nor yet such a record so pregnant with the quality of justice, or so replete with those salient principles, however slowly devel- oping, which combined in their final stage to make up a wholesome social program among self-governing people. Like the dry, unlovely arms of the century plant, the practices of those earlier decades embraced within their harsh outline a flower, coming slowly into bloom, a system of social service which is still far short of ideal, but which in those early days of the twentieth century stands out in American experience as an example to the world. So great is the contrast between the methods of the olden times and the public opinion of today that the government is busy seeking to redefine its nomenclature of poor relief in milder phrase, and to profess somehow, a complete denial of the existence of the pauper."
There was little need to provide for the poor at first in any formal manner, for the early Boston was only a small community. The needy were allotted land for cultivation, and had a share in the use of the com- mon field ; fuel could be brought from the wood-lots. The very few help- less unfortunate were cared for in the homes of those who had plenty. The affairs of the people were not numerous, neither did they require any elaborate government. Hence the town assembly system developed which provided the laws under which Boston lived for nearly two cen- turies. A committee known as selectmen performed most of the business in the town, including looking after the needy. Charity was principally
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a private activity, and many were the bequests made "to the poore." The selectmen saw to the carrying out of the provisions of these bequests. Hence there was an almshouse provided for by private benefactions as early as 1662. This burned, and in 1682 the town was taxed for the re- building of "an Almshouse and a Workehouse," the first of the houses of this nature erected throughout Massachusetts. The almshouse was not general until after 1700.
The first efforts to solve the pauper question of the Bostonians was of a preventive character. All sorts of rules were passed in the town meet- ings. Many of these seem very harsh when brought to the attention of the present generation. Most strenuous were the efforts to prevent the influx of newcomers who might become a burden to the town. Laws were passed whereby an outsider had to be "Lycensed to come and dwell within this Government." Usually some one in the town had to be responsible for a visitor, even to furnishing a bond that he would not stay over a certain short period. Any person wishing to settle had to pass an examination more severe than that now required by a college. The new- comer not only had to be of the same religion, but must show that he had means enough to prevent his becoming a public dependent. Land could not be bought without the concurrence of the whole town. There grew a custom of warning all settlers of recent arrival to leave the town every so often. These laws were not based on any lack of cordiality or hospi- tality, most of the warnings being formal. But the intention was to shift the responsibility for the poor upon other shoulders.
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