USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Somerville > Report of the city of Somerville 1882 > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
66 1858 “ 1863
R. E. Demmon .
66
1858 “ 1859
John R. Poor .
66 1858 “ 1859
Prof. John P. Marshall
1859 “ 1863 66
1868 “ 1872
Geo. D. Clark .
66 1858 " 1864
John G. Hall
66 1859 " 1865
J. E. Howard
66 1859 “ 1862
Cyrus F. Crosby
66
1860 “ 1864
Austin Belknap
66
1862 “ 1865
Nelson Howe .
66 1863 " 1863
Joshua H. Davis
1863 " 1872
Prof. Benj. F. Tweed
1863 “ 1864
Josiah L. Lombard
66 1864 “ 1866
Leonard Arnold
66 1865 “ 1870
.
.
John K. Hall
.
6 6
1865 1866
66 1855 “ 1857
1876 “1881
155
NAMES OF SCHOOL BOARD SINCE 1842.
Prof. H. A. Dearborn
.
from 1864 to 1866
Enoch R. Morse
66 1865 " 1873
Oren S. Knapp .
Pres. C. C. ·
1872 " 1873
66
66 1873 " 1874 -
66
1879
Rev. E. Porter Dyer .
1865 “ 1867 66
John A. Hughes
66
1866 “ 1870
Samuel A. Carlton .
1866 “ 1873
Wm. K. Fletcher, M. D.
66 1866 “ 1868
S. C. Whitcher
66 1866 “ 1867
Henry F. Spencer
66 1867 “ 1878
Rev. Geo. W. Durell 66
.
1883 “
H. P. Hemenway, M. D.
66
1870 “ 1872
Edwin Mills
1870 “ 1875
Hon. Geo. O. Brastow, Mayor
1872 “ 1874
Henry M. Moore
66 1872 66
Uriah R. Harding
66
1872 “ 1873
Rev. J. W. Hamilton
1872 “ 1873
Reuben Willis, M. D.
66
1872 " 1875
Horace Chapin, M. D.
66
1872 " 1878
Prof. Benj. G. Brown 66
66 1872 “ 1877
66 1878 “
Sanford Hanscom
66
1872 " 1881
Chas. G. Pope, Pres. C. C.
66 1873 " 1874
S. S. Woodcock
. 66 1873 " 1876
Samuel M. Pennock
66 1873 “ 1874
66 Pres. C. C.
66
1875 “ 1876
Russell H. Conwell .
1873 " 1874
Hon. Wm. H. Furber, Mayor .
1874 “ 1876
Wm. H. Hodgkins, Pres. C. C. Rev. Chas. Lowe
1874 “ 1875
Daniel E. Chase
1874 “ 1878
Jas. E. Whitney
1874 “ 1876
Col. Chas. F. King
66 1874 “ 1879
Michael F. Farreil
66 1875 “ 1879
·
.
1865 ~ 1872
.
·
.
.
.
1874 “ 1875
66 1867 “ 1875
156
ANNUAL REPORTS.
Rev. Henry H. Barber
.
from 1874 to 1876
Hon. Austin Belknap, Mayor .
1876 “ 1878
Stillman H. Libby, Pres. C. C. . ·
66 1876 “ 1878
John H. Butler
66 1876 ‹‹
Joseph P. Williams .
1876 “ 1877
66 1882 “ 1883
Henry F. Woods
66 1877 “
Walter W. Colburn
66 1877 “ 1879
Hon. Geo. A. Bruce, Mayor
66
1878 “ 1881
Luther B. Pillsbury, Pres. C. C.
66
1878 “ 1879
Jesse J. Underhill, Pres. C. C. .
Enos T. Luce .
66
1878 “ 1879
Hon. Selwyn Z. Bowman .
1878 “ 1880
Rev. C. M. Smith, D. D. .
66 1878 “
Edward Glines, Pres. C. C.
Alonzo H. Carvill, M. D. .
.
1879 " 1883
Henry C. Buck .
66 1879 “ 1882
Jos. W. Bailey, Pres. C. C.
; (
1880 “ 1881
Quincy E. Dickerman ·
66
1880 “
Hou. John A. Cummings, Mayor
66 1881 "
Mark F. Burns, Pres C. C.
66
1881 “ 1882
Horace C. White, M. D.
1881 “
Rev. Albert E. Winship
.6 1881 "
Miss Harriet M. Pitman .
66 1882 “
Frank E. Fitts, Pres. C. C.
.6 1883 “
.
66 1876 “ 1880
Albion A. Perry 60 Pres. C. C. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
1880 “
Norman W. Bingham .
.
.
.
.
1879 " 1880
66
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
SOMERVILLE MYSTIC WATER BOARD.
1882.
CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
IN BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN, March 1, 1883.
Referred to the Committee on Printing, to be printed with the Annual Reports for the year 1882. And sent down for concurrence.
GEO. I. VINCENT, Clerk pro tempore.
Concurred in.
IN COMMON COUNCIL, March 1, 1883. DOUGLAS FRAZAR, Clerk.
CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
OFFICE OF WATER BOARD, Dec. 31, 1882.
To His Honor the Mayor and the City Council : -
GENTLEMEN, - The Somerville Mystic Water Board respectfully submit their annual report for the year ending Dec. 31, 1882.
The accompanying report of the superintendent gives, in full, a detailed statement of the property of the city in water works, and also of the work accomplished under his supervision during the year.
That report shows the total amount of distribution pipe, laid to date, in the city of Somerville, to be forty-five (45) miles and four thousand four hundred and eighty-one feet two inches (4,481, 2).
Whole number of stop-gates, four hundred and five (405).
Whole number of fire hydrants, two hundred and ninety-four (294).
There have been added, on extension of the distribution pipe, two thousand four hundred and forty-four feet two inches (2,444, 2).
There have been relaid fifteen hundred and seventy-nine (1,579) feet.
Seventeen (17) stop-gates and eleven (11) new hydrants have been set.
Twelve (12) hydrants have been taken out and replaced by new or repaired and improved ones.
One hundred and sixty-one (161) new services have been put in, in length six thousand and ninety-two (6,092) feet, at an average cost of eighteen dollars and thirty-six cents ($18.36) each.
There have been made in the shops of the department, during the year, sixty-two hundred and ninety-four (6,294) feet of wrought- iron pipe ; one hundred and ninety (190) new service connections. One hundred and sixty-nine (169) services have been cut and fitted.
Twelve (12) old disk hydrants have been altered into gate hydrants, reconstructed and made as good as new, and numerous
160
ANNUAL REPORTS.
repairs have been made on gates, stop-gates, stand-pipes, fountains, blow-offs, and hydrants, by which the works have been placed in most excellent working order.
Water is now supplied as follows : -
Dwelling-houses .
3,636
Families in same .
.
.
5,029
Stores and shops .
89
Stables
527
Saloons
6
Offices
1
Manufacturies
4
Churches
6
Laundries
1
Bakeries
4
Clubs .
3
Halls .
4
School-houses
82
Miscellaneous
19
Value of water works, Dec. 31, 1882, $341,000.
We are gratified by the knowledge that a most satisfactory improvement has been made during the year in the general condi- tion of the water works, guaranteeing a permanency, well assured. The shops are now supplied with the best and most approved machinery for the manufacture of pipe, and the experience of the last six years, during which not a single break or joint leak has occurred in the pipe which we have made and laid, gives us great confidence in the wrought-iron and cement pipe, and the methods now employed by us in its manufacture.
The urgent plea for money which the Board has made from time to time, that it might have the means with which to remove the worthless pipe laid by the American Patent Water and Gas Pipe Company, is justified, we think, by the quality of the pipe sub- stituted, in streets where there has been great outlay for repairs, occasioned by frequent breaks, and great expense incurred from damage to those streets and the property of abutters.
161
REPORT OF THE WATER BOARD.
When that old pipe shall have been entirely removed and re- placed with such a superior article as the works are turning out at the present time, the bills for repairs will be but a small item in the expenses of the Water Board compared with what they have been during the few years last past. That this most desirable end may be hastened and the streets all be supplied with pipe that shall be good for generations, we trust that the City Council will be lib- eral in its appropriations for water maintenance the coming year.
The need of some system of high service is no longer a question of doubt, but of fact, and until the City Council shall employ some means for water supply on our high lands, more efficient than we have at present, that large territory, two hundred acres or more, the most beautiful and desirable land within our borders for resi- dence, will remain but sparsely settled, and that which should be to the city a source of large revenue will hardly pay the expense of the police that protect it.
We would respectfully urge upon the City Council the wisdom and necessity of an early consideration of this question, which is daily growing in importance, and would recommend an examina- tion into the system of high service employed by the city of Salem as one that might, with great promise of success, be adopted by Somerville.
That old and ugly question which has been to the members of the Water Board a continual source of irritation, and put to the test their virtues of patience and forbearance more than all other questions combined, " modification of contract," is still the burden of their anxieties.
The people of Somerville are suffering a wrong which they must and will hold the city fathers responsible for, and, while the mag- nitude of that wrong is made so apparent to us, because we are brought constantly face to face with it, we cannot excuse ourselves if we neglect to urge upon the City Council the appointment of an efficient committee of business men who shall take that question and grapple with it fearlessly and vigorously until it shall be brought to a successful issue.
It has been our endeavor to manage the work devolving upon us with practical economy and in the interest of the citizen and the
11
162
ANNUAL REPORTS.
city, and in this effort we have been most ably assisted by the efficient superintendent, Mr. Dennett.
We desire to express our thanks to the members of the City Council for the uniform courtesy extended to us, and to all who in an official capacity have rendered us assistance, especially to the police, who have given us valuable aid in the care of those streets where old pipe yet remaining is liable to break at any moment.
Respectfully submitted,
EDWARD FOOTE. W. C. CRANE. A. R. COOLIDGE. E. S. CONANT. J. O. HAYDEN.
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
To the Somerville Mystic Water Board : -
GENTLEMEN, - I respectfully present a report of the work per- formed under my direction during the year ending Dec. 31, 1882.
WATER PIPE LAID, GATES AND HYDRANTS SET IN 1882.
LOCATION.
set
2 in.
4 in.
6 in.
2in.
3in.
4 in.
6 in.
8 in.
4 in.
6 in.
Austin Street.
70
Boston Street ..
65/41.
. .
1
Brick Yard Lane, Prospect Street Place to Emerson Street ..
67
Brick' Yard Lane
69
Cross St., Extension Westerly
617144
1
1
8
Egl intine Street
103
1
Emerson Street ..
11
Garfield Avenue.
192
73
1
Hawkins Court
142
2
London Street
38
1
Pearl Street, Marshall Street to Walnut Street.
275/4/1
1
13
Prospect Street, near Fitchburg Railroad.
17:24
Prospect Street Place ..
141
School Street, Oakland Ave. to Broad way.
317
Aldersey Street, corner Vinal Avenue ..
1
Berkeley Street (controlling blow-off), at dead end.
1
Boston Street, corner Cross Street
1
Bow Street Place (controlling blow-off).
1
Franklin Avenue, corner Washington Street.
1
Garfield Avenue, corner Broadway
1
Gilman Street, corner Eglantine Street.
1
Lake Place (controlling blow-off), at dead end.
1
Medford Street, corner Cross Street.
1
Myrtle Street, near brow of hill.
1
Park Avenue. corner Wallace Street.
1
Pearl Street, corner Marshall Street.
1
Allen Street, corner Charles Street.
1
4
Boston Street, at dead end ..
1
18
London Street, dead end near Lowell R. R.
1
1
Maple Street, near Medford Street ..
1
18
Maple Steeet, near Poplar Street ..
1
18
Vinal Avenue, near Highland Avenue.
1
...
8
Vinal Avenue, near Aldersey Street.
1
7
Vinal Avenue, near School-house.
1
7
Webster Street
....
.... . .
. . ..
.
. .
. ..
7
..
....
.... . .
.
.
. ..
.
...
..
.
.
..
.
1
.
.
. .
Broadway, nearly opposite Sargent Avenue.
1
. . .
71
...
...
...
Vine Street, corner Hanson Street ..
.
Washington Street, near Asylum Avenue
Hydrants
Hyd'nt
pipe
laid.
Distribution Pipe laid.
Stop-Gates set.
...
...
..
1
Ha son Street, near Village Street ..
164
ANNUAL REPORTS.
WATER PIPES LAID, ETC. - Continued.
PIPE FOR BLOW-OFFS.
Distribution Pipe laid.
Stop Gates set.
Hydrants
Hyd'nt
pipe
laid.
LOCATION.
set.
2 in.
4 in.
6 in.
2 in.
3in.
4 in.
6 in.
8 in.
| 4 in.
| 6 in.
Berkeley Street, dead end.
12
Bow Street l'lace, dead end ..
14
Brick Yard Lane, near Emerson Street
7
Lake Place, dead end.
2"
GATES DISCONTINUED.
Emerson Street, corner Newton Street.
· .....
... ...
1
Hanson, corner Durham Street ...
..
. ......
.
. ...
I
Washington Street, near Franklin Avenue.
.. ....
1
BLOW-OFF DISCONTINUED.
Emerson Street, near Brick Yard Lane.
WATER PIPE RELAID IN 1882.
LOCATION.
2 in.
3 in.
4 in.
6 in.
8 in.
Allen Street.
501
Appleton Street.
-1
Beacon Street.
6
Beacon Street.
7
Berkeley Street
5
Broadway
7
Chester Street.
5
Crass Street.
7
Dane Street
7 8
Elm Court
5
Franklin Street
6
Gilman Street.
7
Jaques Street
16
Kent Court.
8
Linden Street
8
Maple Street
H
Maple Street.
6
Myrtle Street.
Newbury Street
7
Oliver Street
7
()tis Street
Park Avenue
6
Poplar Street.
6
Professors' Row
13
School Street
7
Spring Street.
6
Somerville Avenue
Vinal Avenue.
Vinal Avenue
·
.
6 472
Wallace Street
8
Washington Street
Washington Street
Waverly Street.
4
...
8
.
. .
.
.
·
.
·
·
·
.
.
.
· ·
.
.
·
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
·
.
.
.
.
·
.
.
·
.
.
· .
.
. .
·
·
·
·
.
.
.
·
385
.
7
.
...
.. . .
...
.
. . .
1
Dane Street
7
· . .
165
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
DISTRIBUTING MAINS.
The distributing mains have been extended, during the year, 2,444 feet and 2 inches, of which 186 feet was hydrant pipe and 60 feet blow-off pipe, making the total length of pipe now laid 45 miles 4,628 feet and 2 inches.
There was relaid 1,579 feet of pipe.
During the year there were thirty-three breaks, fourteen joint leaks, and two leaks from rust-holes.
Of the above several were of a very serious nature, causing much damage to streets and to the property of abutters. Damages were claimed by the latter in five instances, and in four were settled at an expense of $140.00. The streets wherein these breaks and leaks have occurred are those to which attention was called in a previous report, and were laid with contract pipe, which, when un- covered, has been found, I regret to say, in a perishing condition, and much of it will have to be relaid or extensive repairs made at an early day. I recommend to the Board that all doubtful streets be tested under pressure of force pumps, or by a method similar to that employed in Lowell, that the weak places may be detected and repaired at once. The fourteen joint leaks above named were caused by the rotting of rope on wound joints, so called, and as fast as these come to repair they are replaced by a cast-iron joint, which remedies all difficulty. Wound joints are entirely unreliable on account of their tendency to rot.
SERVICE PIPES.
The whole number of service pipes laid was one hundred and sixty-one, an increase of twenty-two over the previous year. Their total length is 6,092 feet, and the average cost of each service was $18.36.
There were thirty-four leaks on service pipes, of which,
19 were caused by broken leaks
4 66 66
" loose couplings,
5
66 66 " defective nipples,
3
66
" settling of earth, and
3
66 66 " picks.
166
ANNUAL REPORTS.
These pipes are always liable to freeze in extremely cold weather, and the usual amount of labor was caused thereby during the past year. I again recommend that they be at once lowered beyond the reach of frost.
I am under the necessity of again calling your attention to Bond Street, referred to in my last report. The pipe there remains the same, and the services freeze regularly every winter.
The number of service pipes stopped by rust, frost, and other causes was one hundred and eight, of which forty-one were dug up and retapped at the main, forty-four were cleared by force pumps, and twenty three were thawed out.
Eighteen services were lowered on account of change in street grades,
Water has been shut off from sixty-five dwelling-houses, stables, . school-houses, etc., on account of leakages inside the premises.
Forty-three decayed wooden boxes have been taken out, and cast- iron boxes substituted.
As many of the wooden service boxes are situated in gutters, on account of the widening of streets, and as all of them are either decayed or filled with stones, thereby causing great inconvenience and expense to the department, I recommend that the stop-cocks be removed to their proper position inside the curbstone, and that iron boxes be substituted for wooden ones.
STAND-PIPES FOR WATERING STREETS.
The stand-pipe on the corner of Thurston Street and Broadway was removed to the corner of Sycamore and Medford Streets, and repairs were made upon that and other stand-pipes, to the amount of $26.62. All the stand-pipes worked to the entire satisfaction of the Highway Department, and all are now in good order.
DRINKING FOUNTAINS.
These remain about the same as last year, except that the foun- tain in Union Square, near the flag-staff, was discontinued, and one of the Jenks pattern set at the junction of Somerville Avenue and Washington Street.
167
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
The granite watering troughs, alluded to in a previous report, are much too shallow, and should be made deeper or new ones substituted.
STOP-GATES.
Stop-gates were set on old mains and located as follows : - Four-inch gate on Aldersey Street, corner Vinal Avenue. Six-inch gate on Vine Street, corner Hanson Street. Four-inch gate on Park Avenue, corner Wallace Street. Eight-inch gate on Myrtle Street, near brow of the hill. Eight-inch gate on Washington Street, near entrance to asylum. Three-inch gate in Franklin Avenue, corner Washington Street. Four-inch gate on Hanson Street, near Village Street.
The following-named gates were set on the extension, and located as follows : -
Six-inch gate on Garfield Avenue, corner of Broadway. Six-inch gate on Medford Street, corner Prospect Hill Street. Six-inch gate on Boston Street, corner Prospect Hill Street. Six-inch gate on corner Pearl and Marshall Streets. Two-inch gate on corner of Hawkins Court and Lake Place.
Two-inch gate at end of Lake Place, for blow-off.
Two-inch gate on corner of Gilman Street and Eglantine Avenue
Three-inch gate on Bow Street Place, for blow-off.
Four-inch gate on Berkley Street, for blow-off.
The following-named gates were discontinued, there being no further use for them : -
One on corner of Emerson and Newton Street.
One small two-inch gate on Washington Street, near Franklin Avenue.
One on the corner of Hanson and Durham Streets.
Repairs upon stop-gates were made as follows : -
One on the corner of School and Avon Streets was taken out and replaced by a new one ;
3 had new spindles ;
26 had gate boxes in place of old ones ; 52 were repacked ;
168
ANNUAL REPORTS.
13 had general repairs ;
5 of the small plug gate boxes were removed and replaced by large boxes with frames ;
8 boxes were raised to grade ; and
14 had general repairs.
The gates had the usual attention paid them, and are now in good order. The whole number of gates in the city is four hundred and five, of which twenty-four are for blow-offs, and of the latter those put in the past year are located as follows : -
One at the end of " Lake Court ";
One at dead end of Bow Street Place ;
One at dead end of Berkley Street ; and
One on Newton Street, near Emerson Street.
HYDRANTS.
Eleven new hydrants were set, two on the extension, viz., Pearl Street, two hundred and seventy-five feet from Marshall Street, and Prospect Hill Street, corner of Boston Street, and nine on old mains, viz. : -
Allen Street, corner of Charles Street.
Vinal Avenue, near the school-house.
Vinal Avenue, near Aldersey Street.
Vinal Avenue, near Highland Avenue.
Broadway, nearly opposite Sargent Avenue.
Maple Street, near Medford Street.
Maple Street, near Poplar Street.
Dead end of London Street, near Boston and Lowell Railroad. Dead end of Boston Street.
Twelve hydrants were taken out and altered to Holyoke pattern ; eleven of the old Bigelow pattern hydrants, the wooden jackets of which rotted away, were furnished with cast-iron jackets.
Three hydrants were moved back to make room for curbstones.
Seventeen had general repairs, such as bolts, nuts, valves, gas- kets, etc.
Seven found frozen were thawed out, and eight had the clay soil removed from around them, and gravel filling substituted.
169
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
As usual, the hydrants received careful attention, especially during the cold season, when they require constant supervision, particularly those of the disk pattern; and I am happy to state that no complaint, on account of freezing or disarrangement, was received from the Fire Department.
The whole number of hydrants in the city is two hundred and ninety-four.
WORK OF DEPARTMENT SHOPS.
The shops of the department are now amply provided with the most improved tools and machines for the manufacture and lining of wrought-iron and cement pipe, and also for making all repairs appertaining to the works. There were made during the year 6,294 feet of wrought-iron pipe and one hundred and ninety new service connections, and one hundred and sixty-nine services were cut and fitted. Twelve old hydrants of the disk pattern were altered into gate hydrants, and many repairs were made upon hydrants, stand-pipes, gates, fountains, etc.
STOCK ACCOUNT.
Pipe lined .
$665 30
Pipe not lined
307 56
Sheet-iron branches lined
4 00
Sheet-iron branches not lined
8 00
Sleeves on hand .
21 86
Gates on hand
188 20
Branches on hand
141 18
Sheet iron on hand
·
1,220 04
Hydrants on hand
744 60
Tools for water works
2,435 79 .
Service material .
. 1,394 82
Sundry material .
313 39
Stable department
1,332 42
Office furniture .
177 00
Total amount stock, tools, etc., on hand, Jan. 1,
1883
.
$8,954 16
Respectfully submitted,
NATHANIEL DENNETT,
Superintendent.
REPORT
OF THE
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
IN BOARD OF ALDERMEN, March 14, 1883.
Referred to the Committee on Printing, to be printed with the Annual Reports for the year 1882, and sent down for concurrence.
CHARLES E. GILMAN, Clerk.
Concurred in.
IN COMMON COUNCIL, March 15, 1883.
DOUGLAS FRAZAR, Clerk.
CITY OF SOMERVILLE.
To his Honor the Mayor and City Council of the City of Somerville : -
GENTLEMEN, - In accordance with custom we submit to your consideration and for your information an abstract of our doings and an exhibit of the expenditures of the funds intrusted to our care in aid of the poor for the past year. Our secretary, under instructions from the Board, has prepared a set of tables which will give you the " true inwardness " of the working of outside aid to the poor. This whole system is radically wrong. To illustrate, we quote from a well-posted writer on this subject, James H. Lewis, Esq., of Springfield, Mass. :-
OUTSIDE RELIEF.
In this department of our work lies the greatest opportunity for abuse. The disbursement of temporary assistance to the poor in their own homes, without the most searching investigation, is sure to be followed by demor- alizing tendencies, is likely to result in an increase of mendicancy, the breaking down of ambition to be self-supporting, and, in fact, to become a fruitful source of pauperism. All writers of note upon this subject, as well as those practically engaged upon the work of relieving the poor and ameliorating their condition, agree upon this point. In the cities of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Philadelphia, Pa., the system of temporary outside relief, so far as those municipalities are concerned, has been for several years totally abolished. The results have been very gratifying. It has not been followed, as might be supposed, by an increased number of pau- pers supported in the almshouses, but, on the contrary, a smaller number have received full support than under the old régime. The inference is, therefore, that by removing the demoralizing influences attending the disbursement of municipal relief to the poor in their homes, those who otherwise ask for and receive assistance look about for the means of earn-
174
ANNUAL REPORTS.
ing what they would otherwise receive in dole. Thus they are forced in a measure to rely upon themselves. Habits of frugality and independence almost imperceptibly take the place of dependence and want. As a result the condition of the poor is elevated and improved, and the burden upon the public treasury lightened.
It must not be supposed that no outside relief is given in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, but so far as those municipalities are concerned this is true Private associations in each of those cities supply the wants of such as are found needy through sickness or temporary disability.
It cannot be agreed that it makes no difference whether this relief be granted by the municipal authorities or by private organizations. It does make a very material difference. Private charity cannot in the nature of things be attended by those demoralizing influences pervading and sur- rounding municipal aid.
Especially is this true when such relief is given only after a most thor- ough and searching investigation of the needs of the applicant and his ability to care for himself. Then he is visited from day to day by the trained visitors of the society, and counselled and assisted. An active interest is taken in his individual case, his personal surroundings are carefully considered, his adaptation for a particular kind of labor is investigated, and, if practicable, that work which he is best qualified to perform is found for him. This may be done to test his willingness to earn his own support. If he accepts the opportunity to labor and works faith- fully, his improved condition and that of his family amply repay the time and labor spent. If he neglects it, the workhouse should be his abiding place.
The work, if done by the city authorities, would require a large force of paid visitors, and then would not be half done. Human nature is so constituted that money cannot pay for as good service as that which comes as a voluntary act of a self-denying Christian people in their endeavor to better the condition of their fellow-creatures.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.