USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The city of Cincinnati : a summary of its attractions, advantages, institutions and internal improvements, with a statement of its public charities > Part 7
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barring dower of insane wives; appointment of various trustees ; approval of appointment of deputies of the clerk, sheriff, and recorder, etc. The judges, whose terms will expire in 1872, are Hons. Charles C. Murdock, Joseph Cox, and Manning F. Force.
4. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF CINCINNATI consists of three judges, elected at city elections, by the voters of Cincinnati, for the term of five years. The terms of the court commence on the first Monday of each month, except July, August, and September. A special term of the court is held by each judge, and, as a general rule, the judges sit alternately in each of the three rooms of the court, submitted cases being heard in room No. 1, and jury cases in rooms No. 2 and 3. The general term is held at such time as the court may direct, by two or more judges, the concurrence of two being necessary to pronounce judgment at general term. Petitions in error lie from the special to the general terms, and from the general terms directly to the Supreme Court of the State. This court has no jurisdiction except that specially con- ferred upon it by statute. Generally it has, in civil actions, the same jurisdiction in the City of Cincinnati that the Court of Common Pleas has in the county of Hamilton. It has no jurisdiction of appeals or petitions in error from other tribunals, nor of criminal cases, nor of applications for divorce and alimony. At present, the judges are Hon. Bellamy Storer, whose term ex-
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pires in 1872; Hon. M. B. Hagans, whose term expires in 1873; and Hon. Alphonso Taft, whose term expires in 1874.
5. THE PROBATE COURT, a court of record, open at all times, is holden by one judge, elected by the voters of the county for the term of three years. The Pro- bate Judge is clerk of his own court, and his compen- sation is by fees fixed by law. He has jurisdiction in probate and testamentary matters; in the appointment of administrators and guardians; in the settlement of the accounts of executors, administrators, and guardi- ans; in habeas corpus; in the issuing of marriage licenses ; in sales of land, on petition of executors, ad- ministrators, and guardians ; in the completion of con- tracts concerning real estate, on petition of executors and administrators; in holding inquests of lunacy; in ascertaining the amount of compensation to be made to owners of land appropriated to the use of corpora- tions; to try contested elections of justices of the peace, and of proceedings in aid of execution. He also has authority to administer oaths, and to take depositions, and the acknowledgment of deeds, etc. The present incumbent is the Hon. Edw. F. Noyes.
6. THE POLICE COURT OF CINCINNATI is held by a police judge, elected by the voters of the city, for the term of two years. He has, in criminal cases, the same powers and jurisdiction as justices of the peace. He
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has jurisdiction of all violations of the ordinances of the city, and of all cases of petit larceny and other in- ferior offenses committed within the limits of the city, or within one mile thereof, and which the constitution or laws of the State do not require to be prosecuted by indictment or presentment of a grand jury. In the ab- sence, sickness, or other disability of the police judge, the mayor may select some reputable member of the bar, residing in the city, who may, after taking the necessary oath of office, preside in the police court as "acting police judge." Hon. Walter F. Straub is the present judge of this court.
7. THE UNITED STATES COURTS held in the city of Cincinnati are the Circuit and District Courts for the Southern District of Ohio. The District Court is held by the District Judge, and has jurisdiction in cases in admiralty, in bankruptcy, of all seizures, of all suits for penalties and forfeitures, and of suits at common law by the United States, or any officer thereof. The Circuit Court consists of a judge of the Supreme Court assigned to the Circuit, and of the Judge of the Dis- trict Court of the District. A recent statute provides for the appointment of an additional Circuit judge. The Circuit Court may be held by either of the judges. It has, in general, cognizance of crimes and offenses cog- nizable under the authority of the United States, and of suits of a civil nature, when the matter in dispute
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exceeds five hundred dollars, exclusive of costs, and when the United States are plaintiffs, or an alien is a party, or the suit is between a citizen of the State and a citizen of another State. Justice N. H. Swayne, of the Supreme Court of the United States, and Hon. H. Leavitt, Judge of the District Court, are the present judges of the Circuit Court. Judges of the United States Courts hold their offices during good behavior.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHARITIES OF CINCINNATI.
VINHE nineteenth century can boast of no brighter glory than its Christian Charities. They distin- guish it as the era of philanthropy, and, in their vast extent and ramifications, declare a nobler type of humanity and a higher civilization than any previous age has seen. The toilers of the Christian Commission were truer heroes than the exactors of Magna Charta ; John Howard and Elizabeth Fry the apostles of a more glorious idea than that which made martyrs of Hamp- den and Sidney. Let history, then, set anew its stakes and cords, and mark well the track of the philanthropies which have made these later years an epoch in the prog- ress of the race, and which make gloriously true the utterance, that "Peace hath her victories no less re- nowned than war."
The chronicles of the Charities of Cincinnati would, of themselves, require a volume. But a brief outline can here be given. There is exhibited a princely lib- erality in the support of these "inns upon the road of
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life, where suffering humanity finds alleviation and sym- pathy;" and all honor is due to those individuals who pass not by unheeded their pitiable fellow-mortals, but are stretching forth unceasingly the helping hand. These are they who do not believe that misfortune is a crime, but who, recognizing the universal brotherhood of humanity, "walk the crowded streets with eyes keenly alert to detect the objects of suffering and sympathy around them, and wait not for the opportunity to be pressed upon them, but seek out the opportunities which shall give expression to the grand impulses of their natures."
Let this be counted a hopeful sign of the times, that there is rapidly progressing a skillful adaptation of ju- dicious charities to the wants of men, and that those heaven-born words "Our Father," of which Madam De Staël said that if Christ had simply taught men to say them, he would have been the greatest benefactor of the race, are gaining here, as elsewhere, a new mean- ing in the minds of earnest men.
A reliable, though necessarily brief, statement will be given in the following pages. It is done in the hope that such persons as are willing to bestow a portion of their time and wealth in a benevolent direction may be able to gain a knowledge of the special province of each institution. It will be well if from many new sources there come generous responses toward these in-
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stitutions of blessing, whose corps of workers is always open to recruits, and whose treasuries can never be too full. The greater prominence is given to what may be termed the voluntary Charities, unsectarian in their character, and maintained by voluntary contributions. The municipal institutions are mentioned subsequently. Laboring side by side with the common purpose of lightening the load of human misery, they are a shin- ing sisterhood of mercy, a joy to the world.
CINCINNATI UNION BETHEL.
The Cincinnati Union Bethel was first established on the 27th of January, 1839. It owes its existence to the efforts of the Western Seamen's Friend Society, under whose control it was, with some intermission, from the above date until February, 1856, when it be- came an independent institution, incorporated under the general law of the State of Ohio.
The first record book states that, at its opening, on that date, there were present seven teachers and six- teen scholars; that the school was opened with prayer, led by Philip Hinkle; and that it commenced its mis- sionary labors by inciting the zeal of the scholars in a promise to record, on the minutes, the name of the scholar who brought in the most children on the next Sunday. The week following, the minutes of the
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school showed that John Ryland and John M. Jones each brought two new scholars, and that William Har- rison brought two as far as the door-" one came in, but the other ran off."
Since the period of this simple, life-like record, the Bethel has passed through many changes-at times being suspended, and at others abandoned. It was then a tenant at will in the location now occupied, was frequently driven from place to place in search of a home, until, in the year 1852, it entered upon a new and more permanent career. The citizens of Cincin- nati placed at the disposal of the Western Seamen's Friend Society, means sufficient to build the well- known Floating Bethel, which was occupied until the year 1859. In that Chapel, in the year 1854, the Bethel School, which has continued without interrup- tion since, was gathered by Rev. S. D. Clayton; was carried on under his direction until 1857; from 1857 to 1859, under the management of Rev. Wm. Andrews; and in the fall of 1859 was removed from the Floating Bethel to its present location on the wharf. Subse- quently, the school has passed into the charge of Ben- jamin Frankland, and with the exception of the two years, from 1859 to 1861, when Mr. Clayton was again the efficient Chaplain, the entire Bethel work was under his general supervision.
Under Mr. Frankland's care, it accomplished won-
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derful results, and reached the height of a successful career. Thomas Lee is now Superintendent, and a new future of prosperity is opening.
The object and organization of the Bethel are pre- sented in the following extracts from the Constitution :
This Association shall be known as the CINCINNATI UNION BETHEL.
The object shall be to provide for the spiritual and temporal welfare of river-men and their families, and all others who may be unreached by regular church organ- izations; to gather in and furnish religious instruction and material aid to the poor and neglected children of Cincinnati and vicinity, and to make such provisions as may be deemed best for their social elevation ; also, to provide homes and employment for the destitute.
Any person paying into the treasury of the corpora- tion the sum of ten dollars, shall be a member for one year, and of fifty dollars, a member for life.
There shall be a Board of Directors, to consist of twelve persons, four of whom shall retire each year, and their successors shall be elected at the annual meeting, to serve for the term of three years.
The Board shall appoint from their own number a committee of five, to be called the Property Commit- tee, whose duty it shall be to supervise and manage all real estate, of which the corporation may at any time become the possessors, and all moneys or prop-
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erty which may be donated or bequeathed for the en- dowment of said corporation, under direction of the Board.
All operations of the Union shall be conducted upon the basis of a union of all Christian denominations.
No debt shall ever be contracted by the Board of Directors which will encumber the property of the cor- poration.
It shall not be in the power of the members of the Society at any meeting, or of the officers thereof, to divert the property of the institution, real or personal, from the distinct purposes provided for in these arti- cles, but the same shall forever remain to fulfill the object of the Society, as herein defined, and for no other purpose whatever.
The Bethel work, at this time, embraces the follow- ing departments :
1. The River Mission, among boatmen, etc.
2. Systematic Visitation of Families.
3. The Bethel Church.
4. The Bethel School.
5. The Relief Department.
6. The Sewing School.
7. The Free Reading and Cheap Dining Hall.
8. The Newsboys' Home.
The details of the various branches of the work are placed, by the constitution, in the hands of an execu-
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tive committee, composed of three members of the Board, and the Secretary of the Society.
The annual report of the Secretary, Dr. J. Taft, made in March, 1869, furnishes the following interesting facts in regard to these departments. They will make the best exhibit of the varied work of this noble institution.
THE BETHEL CHURCH .- Services have been held regularly each Sabbath, morning and evening, and each Wednesday evening a social prayer meeting has met. Extra meetings in January and February, under the ministrations of Rev. Thomas Lee, resulted in an acces- sion to the church of twenty persons.
THE RIVER MISSION .- We have, as in the past, en- deavored to carry on active work among the boatmen and laborers that throng our wharf, by missionary visi- tation to the boat, the distribution of tracts, and wel- come to the services of the Bethel.
THE BETHEL SCHOOL has not only sustained its previous reputation for numbers and interest, but has considerably exceeded the last report. The averages of attendance of scholars for the several months have been as follows:
1868-March, 1,630; April, 1,350; May, 920; June, 920; July, 700; August, 750 ; September, 850; October, 1,250 ; November, 1,850; December, 1,970. 1869-Jan- uary, 1,940; February, 2,000.
Since the 1st of November last the actual attendance
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of scholars has exceeded 1,800 on sixteen Sabbaths ; has exceeded 1,900 on eight Sabbaths; and has exceeded 2,000 on four Sabbaths. The highest attendance was on February 21, when the number of scholars present was 2,248.
The usual attendance in the boys' infant class is about 350; the girls, 300. We have fully 200 scholars over eighteen years of age.
The indications of the accomplishment of great good in this department are so manifest and abundant as to constitute a source of great gratification.
THE RELIEF DEPARTMENT is carried on under the special direction of the Ladies' Union Bethel Aid So- ciety.
From the report of Mrs. J. W. Canfield, their Secre- tary, are compiled the following statistics :
The number of distributions of clothing held during the year was twenty-nine, at which 2,782 articles of made clothing were given away; also 1,388 yards of white muslin, 3,862 yards of calico, and 803 yards of cloth for boys' wear.
Embraced in the above are the following items of separate articles, and numbers given : Shoes, 750 pairs ; hose, 140 pairs; hoods; 84; caps, 234; jackets, 61; shawls, 63; skirts, 10; comforts, 55; girls' hats, 100; aprons, 79; shirts, 159 ; pants, 90; dresses, 69; under- garments, 190.
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In addition to these regular clothing distributions, almost hourly calls at the Bethel for assistance have been patiently inquired into, and, when deemed worthy, and the means at our disposal have justified it, relief has been given.
SEWING SCHOOL .- Intimately connected with the above department of the work, is the Mothers' Sewing School, which, during the most of the winter, has met, each Wednesday afternoon, at the Bethel building, under the direction of a committee of the Ladies' Bethel Aid Society. It numbers eighty-four members.
The following materials have been made into gar- ments by the women attending; calico, 5872 yards ; muslin, 2222 yards ; flannel, 1262 yards.
This movement has been very successful, the time occupied by the women in sewing being improved by the reading of interesting and profitable selections from books and magazines, and in giving practical advice in matters of domestic economy.
NEWSBOYS' HOME .- Three thousand six hundred and fifty night lodgings have been furnished to boys- newsboys and boot-blacks-and about seven thousand five hundred meals, at a nominal price of ten cents each.
In September, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Worcester, who, for more than a year, had charge of this department, left us to enter a missionary field in the Indian Terri- tory. From that time, Mr. C. B. Taylor, of Lane Semi-
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nary, superintended the newsboys' department. He also, for some three months, successfully carried on a night school for boys, with an average attendance of twenty- two.
THE COFFEE AND READING ROOM .- This has been successfully continued, and is fulfilling the purpose of its establishment, not only by furnishing a cheap and substantial meal, without any of the objectionable asso- ciations too often found in boatmen's boarding houses, but as a direct means of promoting frugality, temper- ance, and practical religion. The number of persons daily availing themselves of its advantages is about three hundred.
While it is self-sustaining, it really proves, from the low rates charged, a great help to many whose means are limited, and it attracts to our institution a large . number of just the class of people that we are desirous . should become acquainted with the other features of our work. The following bill of fare, etc., will give an idea of the arrangements :
BILL OF FARE.
Coffee or Tea, with Crackers or Bread, 5 cts.
Milk,
5 cts.
Butter, 5 cts.
Doughnuts, 5 cts.
Pie,
5 cts.
Soup, with Crackers or Bread, 5 cts.
9
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Cold Meat, 5 cts.
Roast Meat and Potatoes, 10 cts.
Pork and Beans,
10 cts.
Other articles in proportion.
Dinner Tickets, . . . 25 Cents,
For which will be furnished Roast Meat and Vegetables, Ple, Coffee, Bread, and Butter. Dinner from 12 to 2 o'clock.
The rooms are open from six A. M. to eight P. M. The free reading room is supplied with daily and week- ly papers, and other reading matter.
The importance of a suitable building had long been felt, and, in 1868, the foundation of a noble edifice was laid. Its estimated cost is sixty thousand dollars, and the plan provides for the following departments :
1. A grand hall, with class and anterooms, capable . of holding two thousand five hundred people, or three - thousand children, to be used for the sessions of the Bethel School, meetings and lectures, religious and oth- erwise, and for night schools for the working classes.
2. A temperance eating establishment, where, with cheerful and pleasant surroundings, the boatman and laboring man can obtain a cheap meal, without resort- ing to drinking saloons.
3. A free reading room, accessible at all times, and supplied with choice and entertaining reading matter.
4. Dormitories, airy and clean, for boatmen, poor stran- gers, and children who may need temporary shelter.
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5. A people's bath and wash-house, conducted upon such plan as will reach the wants of all.
6. A workingmen's gymnasium.
7. Rooms for relief department and uses of Ladies' Bethel Aid Society.
8. A newsboys' home.
There will be a hall seventy-five by eighty-six feet, the height of the ceiling being forty feet.
The plan proposes a wide entrance-way from Front Street, and two entrances from Yeatman Street. Spa- cious galleries are to occupy three sides of the audience room, the space underneath being divided into Bible and infant class rooms, separated by sliding glass doors. It will probably be the most complete hall of the kind in the country, and, for school purposes, will accommo- date four thousand children.
Thus is the Cincinnati Bethel faithfully fulfilling its noble trust. A pure and lofty purpose, a catholic spirit, and far-reaching charity make it a mighty agency for good. The entire community owe to it a debt of grati- tude that should find its expression in substantial to- kens.
Officers.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
John Gates, President. Philip Hinkle, Vice-Pres.
C. R. Lewis, Treasurer.
J. Taft, Secretary.
L. E. Stevens,
A. Judson Davis,
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M. M. White, A. Erkenbrecher, Abner L. Frazer,
C. H. Gould,
W. B. Moores.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
C. H. Gould,
M. M. White,
Chas. R. Lewis,
J. Taft, Ex-officio.
PROPERTY COMMITTEE.
Philip Hinkle, L. E. Stevens, Andrew Erkenbrecher,
C. H. Gould,
W. B. Moores.
AUDITING COMMITTEE.
C. H. Gould,
Abner L. Frazer.
GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.
Rev. Thomas Lee.
BETHEL CHURCH ( Undenominational). Rev. Thomas Lee, Pastor.
BETHEL SCHOOL.
Rev. Thomas Lee, Superintendent.
Philip Hinkle, Assistant Superintendent. J. Taft,
John Gates,
C. R. Lewis, Secretary.
Cincinnati Union Bethel, Nos. 30 and 31, Public Landing.
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FORM OF BEQUEST.
I give and bequeath to "The Cincinnati Union Bethel," a Corporation created in the year eighteen hundred and sixty- five, under the laws of the State of Ohio, or to the Treasurer thereof, for the time being, for its corporate purposes, the sum of - dollars.
FORM OF DEVISE OF REAL ESTATE.
I give and devise to " The Cincinnati Union Bethel," a Cor- poration created in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-five, under the laws of the State of Ohio, or to the Treasurer there- of, for the time being, for its corporate purposes, all that, etc. (Here describe the property.)
CINCINNATI ORPHAN ASYLUM.
No class of suffering humanity more tenderly appeals to the heart of benevolence, or more readily enlists the sympathy and kindness of men, than orphans. Not only does their destitute and helpless condition awaken pity, but their forming minds and impressible natures seem to invite the power of good influences to shape and mold them into beings who shall ornament society and bless the world. It was thus that they early became the ob- jects of philanthropical effort. Early in the history of Cincinnati this method of charity began to enlist at- tention, and the result was the pioneer charity of the Queen City, the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum.
This beneficent institution is now in the thirty-sixth
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year of its corporate existence. One of the earliest organized Charities in the State of Ohio, it has steadily pursued its object of caring for that class of children whose misfortunes appeal so strongly to their fellow- mortals. For many years it was the only Protestant institution in the city which offered relief and shelter to those of tender years. It had its origin in a previously existing society of ladies who had in view the circula- tion of Bibles and the general relief of the poor. In 1833, a charter was obtained, and in 1836, a commodious building was erected upon Elm Street, north of Twelfth, sufficient to meet the growing demands of the Society. Prominently identified with its early history are the names of Mrs. Judge Burnet, Mrs. Samuel Cloon, Mrs. Catherine Bates, Mrs. Samuel W. Davies, Mrs. Stille, and others. The arms of its generous ministrations were stretched widely to embrace every class of suffering and neglected children. The establishment, in later years, of kindred institutions in a different field, left the Orphan Asylum to carry out its primary intention and to devote all its means and energies to orphans alone.
In 1861, the Elm Street property having been sold, the structure now occupied on Mt. Auburn was erected. The location is a delightful one, comprising ample grounds and commanding an extensive view of the city, Ohio River, and the distant hills. The building is a
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spacious brick edifice, three stories, with basement and tower. Suitable apartments are provided, the best ven- tilation secured, and every provision made for the com- fort and health of the inmates. The regulations provide for a Board of Managers, consisting of twelve ladies. They are elected agreeably to the charter every three years. A duly appointed committee exercise discretion in regard to the admission of children. All applicants are examined by the attending physician. A binding committee superintend the placing of children in homes. No child is to be placed with any one who keeps a hotel, tavern, or coffee house, nor with any one who does not regularly attend religious worship. The relatives and friends of the children are allowed to visit them on the first Wednesday in every two months, and at other times only by special permission of the man- agers.
The laws of the institution are formed with a careful regard to the present and future well-being of the orphans. No child can be taken out of the asylum until it has remained there at least one year, so that vicious habits may be corrected before they mingle with society. The strictest scrutiny is made into the character of individuals who apply for children. Stip- ulations are made as to the amount of education they shall receive. When a child leaves the institution, a manager is appointed as its guardian, to whom, in case
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of grievance, it may apply for redress, and look for pro- tection.
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