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 8
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Every attention is given to the moral and mental training of the children. Regular religious services and Sabbath school instruction are provided, while, during the week, those of sufficient age attend the city Public Schools. The present Matron is Miss Jennie Watson, assisted by her sister, Miss Belle Watson. Dr. C. D. Palmer is physician in charge. The cost of con- ducting the institution is about $15,000 per annum. Of this, the endowment fund yields an annual revenue of about eight thousand dollars. This leaves about the same amount to be contributed by the benevolent people of Cincinnati and its vicinity.
The Thirty-fifth Annual Report, made in 1868, states the whole number of children admitted, since the founding of the institution, to be 16,053. There are about 100 inmates at present.
What a history of benefaction do the annals of this institution present ! Who shall define the ever-widen- ing circles of its precious influence ? As long as useful men and women have a work to do; as long as a happy home gathers about its name the dearest associations of human existence, so long shall this shelter and comfort of the orphan continue to receive the countenance and support of the dispensers of charity. The fifth decade of its history should be one of signal prosperity.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
OFFICERS AND MANAGERS.
Officers.
Mrs. Catherine Bates, President.
Mrs. Eliza J. Funk, Vice-President.
Miss Janet C. Brown, Recording Secretary. Mrs. John Davis, Corresponding Secretary. Mrs. John Shillito, Treasurer.
Managers.
Mrs. J. P. Harrison, Mrs. Henry Probasco,
J. D. Jones,
S. J. Broadwell,
A. D. Bullock, " A. S. Winslow,
M. F. Thompson,
G. H. Barbour,
J. H. Cheever,
G. T. Stedman,
" A. F. Perry,
William Hooper,
Mrs. C. T. H. Stille.
CINCINNATI RELIEF UNION.
This noble organization was established in 1848. Prominent among its originators was Rev. James H. Perkins, whose benevolent efforts in Cincinnati are matters of history. It is regularly incorporated, and has for its sole mission the temporary relief of the worthy and destitute poor of the city without distinc- tion of religion, nationality, or color. It is altogether dependent on voluntary contributions. As often as
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appealed to, a generous community has responded with funds. A Board of Managers, composed of members from each ward, gratuitously devote much time and care, and have given it years of experience. The de- sign of the institution is :
The prevention of vagrancy and street-begging ;
The diminution of imposition upon the benevolent;
Advice and instruction to all as to some honest means of procuring a livelihood ;
The placing of the young in secular and Sabbath schools ;
The relief of those who are known to need it, by gifts of food, fuel, clothing, and other actual necessaries.
The expenditures of the institution for a period of twelve months, from November 8, 1866, to November 9, 1867, show an aggregate of relief dispensed of $34,000, prudently distributed in provisions, shoes, clothing, fuel, and other necessaries, to the needy and worthy poor of Cincinnati.
To properly carry out the above objects, the institu- tion is organized as follows :
There are several managers or directors for every ward in the city, whose duty it is to become acquainted with the condition of those families in the ward that require assistance; and, to more effectually carry out this provision, it is considered the duty of the managers to visit the families at their residences.
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A Board of Control meets weekly during the winter season, and once a month the balance of the year.
There is a Central Office, where the goods purchased for distribution are stored, and where the orders of the Ward Directors are filled. The office is open every afternoon, except Sundays, during the winter season, from 2 to 4 o'clock, for the transaction of business.
The Relief Union has the highest claims, and should be cordially sustained by the citizens.
Its method of distributing relief is admitted to be the best of any system of charity now in vogue, combining simplicity with great economy. It is managed by gen- tlemen who serve gratuitously, and whose only motive is to do good. The whole expenses of the institution, for several years, have averaged less than $300 per year.
No money is distributed except in extreme cases, the means of the institution being invested in goods, pur- chased at the lowest rates.
By the thorough system of visitation and inquiry adopted by the managers, the relief goes where it is most needed. The directors are familiar with the wants of the poor of our city, and are also familiar with the means generally adopted by impostors and the unworthy to impose on the benevolent.
Indiscriminate giving of charity is injurious, and en- courages vagrancy and street-begging. Many of the
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persons who solicit charity in the streets are unworthy of assistance. By supplying the Relief Union with abundant means each year, the subscribers to this great charity fund can be assured, with all confidence, that the really needy and worthy will be properly assisted when in distress.
The name of C. W. Starbuck will stand upon the records of this munificent charity as that of "one who loved his fellow-men." Its success in late years has been largely due to his efforts.
The office of the Relief Union is in the City Build- ings.
Officers.
Rev. J. Chester, President. S. S. Davis, Treasurer.
J. C. Morrison, Vice-Pres. Alex. Aupperle, Secretary.
WARD. Managers.
1 ... E. Evans. Wm. Haller.
2 ... George C. Miller R. Allison.
3 ... H. Kiersted Wn. Clark, J. C. Morrison. 4 ... J. E. Vansant.
5 ... G. H. Dean John H. Balance.
6 ... Ira Wood Henry Stauffer, Sam. Stokes.
7 ... Samuel Blair J. F. Leuchtenburg.
8 ... R. B. Moore Hugh Pugh, A. Carnes.
9 ... F. Beresford J. Feldwisch.
10 ... Jos. Siefert Isaac Wieser.
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WARD.
11 ... R. Bieman. M. B. Masson.
12 ... John F. Forbus C. V. Bechman, Geo. Scheu.
13 ... Dr. M. Lilienthal John T. Jones.
14 ... John Webb, Jr Benjamin Groff.
15 ... C. W. Starbuck Carter Cook.
16 ... Wm. H. King Hiram Pugh.
17 ... Milton Glenn H. Janes.
18 ... Rev. J. Chester. H. W. Taylor.
19 ... Alex. Aupperle John Whetstone.
20 ... Thos. Asbury. Samuel Beresford.
CHILDREN'S HOME.
The idea of the reformation and training of neglected children is of comparatively recent development. Chris- tian philanthropy had long been accomplishing a noble work in other directions before Raikes, wiser than he knew, initiated the movement which has grown into the vast system of juvenile reformation now existing. The philosophy is correct-the twig may be bent where all effort will fail to change the tree. Murray Shipley had long been actively engaged in this department of labor in Cincinnati, when, in 1860, the initiatory steps were taken by him in a new and noble enterprise.
It was found that a portion of the city, south of Fourth and west of Plum, was almost destitute of religious in- struction. It embraced over thirty squares, closely popu-
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lated, in which were many tenement houses, rookeries, and shanties, and included one ward of the city noted as a resort for large numbers of regular thieves and abandoned characters.
The need being felt of some evangelizing influence, a cellar-room on Mill Street, below Third, was rented, and there was commenced the Penn Mission Sabbath School. The children were of the rudest and roughest character. The numbers were limited to the capacity of the room, about seventy ; but in November, 1863, a three-story brick building having been erected on Park Street, with a large hall in the third story, fitted up for meetings and Sabbath Schools, a removal was made, and the school at once increased to an attendance of three hundred.
The Children's Home of Cincinnati was incorporated December 12, 1864. The work had been previously car- ried on by the President, Murray Shipley, and the ma- jority of the present lady managers. There were then a superintendent and matron employed, and thirteen children in the Home.
Experience having shown that the boys received who were over twelve years of age needed to be trained into habits of industry, an appeal to our citizens met with a ready response, and $20,000 was subscribed. As a result, in the spring of 1867, a farm of seventy-five acres, on Col- lege Hill, about eight miles from the city, was purchased,
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and is now in successful operation. This is the Chil- dren's Home School Farm.
A Branch Home, on East Sixth Street, with a day school, was established in January, 1868. There are then, three departments :
1st. The Home, 19 and 21 Park Street, where the children live, and its day school.
2d. The School Farm, for older boys. A similar pro- vision for girls is in contemplation.
3d. Branch No. 1, East Sixth Street, and its day school. Religious services of various kinds are held on Sunday and during the week. The Penn Mission Sabbath School, on Park Street, and the Grellet Mission School, on Sixth Street, have each an enrollment of about five hundred.
The institution aims to ameliorate and elevate the condition of the children of poor and unfortunate par- ents :
1st. By procuring for the homeless and destitute who may be committed to it, in accordance with its charter, permanent country homes in Christian families, where they shall be trained in habits of industry, and receive a suitable English education. They are clothed, fed, and instructed gratuitously as long as they remain in the institution.
2d. By affording a temporary home to poor children, whose parents, thus aided, may be enabled to support them in a short time in homes of their own.
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3d. By rescuing from the education of the streets, so ruinous in its effects, many who, for the want of cloth- ing, books, etc., do not attend the Public Schools.
The following are some of the conditions in regard to applicants for children to be placed in homes.
The applicant must live in the country, and is required to be a member of some Evangelical Christian Church.
He is to agree to take the child into his family, clothe and feed it comfortably, give it good common school education, so as to enable it to enter creditably on the ordinary duties of life.
4th. He is to agree to train it up, so far as he is able, in the precepts of virtue and the Christian religion.
Parties having children will be expected to report to the Superintendent every three months.
A cordial invitation is extended to all to visit "The Home," at 19 and 21 Park Street.
In 1868, one hundred and fifty-nine children were received into the Home, and one hundred and fourteen were provided with homes in the country. Thus the grand work is going on, and hundreds of useful men and women will hereafter rise up and pronounce blessed this noble charity.
The Trustees of the Institution for 1869 are --
Murray Shipley, President.
O. N. Bush, Treasurer. B. Homans, Jr., Secretary.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
S. S. Fisher, Wm. Woods,
John Shillito,
W. H. Doane, Larz Anderson, G. H. Lounsbery,
H. Thane Miller.
Lady Managers.
Mary J. Taylor,
Mary S. Johnson,
Hannah D. Shipley,
Harriet D. Bush,
Hannah P. Smith,
Aurelia S. Fisher,
Lydia S. Bateman,
Cornelia B. Marsh,
Elizabeth L. Taylor, Caroline Bruce,
Priscilla Jones.
FORM OF BEQUEST.
I give and bequeath to the Children's Home of Cincinnati, Ohio, the sum of - Dollars, to be paid to the Treasurer, for the time being, for the use of said Association.
THE GERMAN PROTESTANT ORPHAN ASYLUM was chartered in 1849. A structure of ample dimen- sions was erected upon Highland Avenue, Mt. Auburn, to which extensive additions have recently been made. The aims and modes of operation of this institution are similar to those of the Cincinnati Asylum.
The institution is under the superintendence of Rev. G. F. Pfafflin and Mrs. Mary Pfafflin. Under their able and careful management, the Asylum has enjoyed most encouraging prosperity.
10
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Children of members of the Association are admitted, though they may have lost but one parent; in other cases, only those who are bereaved of both parents.
At such times as are deemed proper, the children are placed in families, who obligate themselves to retain them until they arrive at their majority, at which time the boys are to receive two hundred dollars and the girls one hundred dollars in cash.
Cooperating with the institution, is the Ladies' Prot- estant Orphan Association, that furnishes all the cloth- · ing for the children.
The present improvements will cost thirty thousand dollars, and will accommodate one hundred additional children.
HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS.
This praiseworthy charity, the object of which is the reclamation of abandoned females, is under the direc- tion and management of ladies connected with the dif- ferent Protestant Churches of the city. The Board of Managers includes benevolent women who move in the highest circles of the city, and who deserve honor for their persevering efforts in behalf of an unfortunate class that are regarded by many, though unjustly, as beyond the hope of redemption. An act of incorpora- tion was obtained in 1860.
The constitution provides as follows :
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
This Society shall be called "The Protestant Home for the Friendless and Female Guardian Society."
The object of this Society shall be to seek out and provide a home for destitute females who, having for- saken the path of virtue, or having fallen into the hands of the betrayer, desire to return from their evil way, and again become respectable members of society. And it shall be the duty of the Society to guard virtuous fe- males (who may seek temporary protection in the Home) from the snares of vice, by aiding them in every laud- able way to obtain an honest livelihood and avoid temptation. It shall be its duty also to provide tem- porarily for destitute children, and, whenever practi- cable, to secure for them permanent homes in respect- able families.
The affairs of the Society shall be controlled by fif- teen managers, to be elected, as far as practicable, to represent the various Protestant denominations.
Any person paying the sum of from three dollars to five dollars yearly subscription shall be entitled to a membership in this institution, and each donor of twenty dollars, at any one time, shall be a member for life.
The work of these noble women who are thus, through this institution, bringing so many each year from loath- some to virtuous lives, is a glorious one. Many who enter the walls of the Home to attempt reformation be-
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come good women, and finally become useful members of society.
The following are statistical items from the last report :
Number admitted during the year, 163; of these re- turned to parents or friends, 23; provided with situ- ations, 52; sent to hospital, 29; dismissed at their own request, 3; dismissed for bad behavior, 2; died, 3; ad- mitted for transient rest, 44.
For several years the want of accommodations was strongly felt. Funds were raised, and in September, 1868, the corner-stone of a new building was laid. This edifice was formally opened in April, 1869. It is located on Court Street, between Central Avenue and John. The Home is a handsome structure of brick, with stone trimmings, fifty-four feet front, and four stories high. The internal arrangements are admirable. There is a roomy chapel, dormitories, and all needful accommodations for one hundred and fifty inmates.
Officers.
Mrs. Bellamy Storer, President.
" R. M. Bishop,
" W. B. Chapman, Vice-Presidents.
" Sarah Frankland, Corresponding Secretary.
" M. M. White, Recording Secretary.
" C. F. Bradley, Treasurer.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Managers.
Mrs. R. M. Bishop, Mrs. Cyrus Mendenhall,
1
C. F. Bradley,
Wm. H. Malone,
" W. B. Chapman,
B. F. Richardson,
" Sarah Frankland,
Bellamy Storer,
Richard Gray, Mary J. Taylor,
" G. Mendenhall, " M. M. White,
Mrs. J. F. White.
Trustees.
R. M. Bishop, President. Joseph Kinsey, Vice-Prest.
S. S. Davis, Treasurer. B. F. Brannan, Secretary. Robert Moore.
Mrs. Geo. H. Smith, Matron.
Miss M. A. Cunningham, Asst. Matron.
FORM OF BEQUEST.
I give and bequeath unto the PROTESTANT HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS AND FEMALE GUARDIAN SOCIETY OF CINCIN- NATI, OHIO, the sum of -, to be paid to the Treasurer, for the time being, for the use of said association.
LADIES UNION AID SOCIETY.
The object of this Society is to relieve the destitute sick and the deserving poor, without regard to color, and render aid to suffering humanity in general. It has been in operation but a few years, but has already done a noble work.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
The number of persons who received assistance in 1867, nearly all of whom had aid each week during the winter, were six hundred and fifty-six.
Clothing and provisions distributed, were as follows : Calico, 1,006 yards; flannel, 1,186 yards; muslin, 1,096 yards; jeans, 246 yards; burlaps, 368 yards ; blankets, 72; comforts, 23; drawers, 109 pairs; stock- ings, 310 pairs; underclothing, 111; shirts, 45; shoes, 65; dresses, 61 ; skirts, 44; sacks, 6; hoods, etc., 10; hats and caps, 9; boots, 3 pairs; vests, 19; thread, 404 spools ; bread tickets, 294; corn-meal, 1,276 quarts; hominy, 475 quarts ; beans, 519 quarts; potatoes, 4 bushels ; bacon, etc., 12.
The officers are :
Mrs. H. C. Whitman, President.
Mrs. Nathan Guilford, Sen., Vice-President.
Miss L. Vallette, Treasurer. Mrs. A. L. Ryder, Secretary.
Managers.
Miss M. L. Harrison,
Mrs. Charles Graham,
R. B. Field,
J. P. Whiteman,
WV. J. Sampson,
" E. D. Wilder, J. Paul,
Wesley Taylor,
Mrs. Henchman.
Miss L. Vallette,
Mrs. William Woods,
Bellows,
J. E. Stevenson,
" E. W. Guilford,
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Mrs. H. S. Applegate, Mrs. H. C. Whitman,
William Coolidge,
Pitts Harrison,
" William Sumner,
Dr. Richardson,
A. L. Ryder,
N. Guild,
S. B. Brown,
J. B. Bruce.
FOWELL BUXTON MISSION SABBATH SCHOOL.
Officers.
H. B. Baily, Supt. Levi C. Goodale, Assistant.
Wm. Browne, Treas. Wm. I. Gray,
Geo. B. Frost, Secretary.
John T. Bateman, Cyrus Mendenhall, Dr. Wm. Storer How, Executive Committee.
This mission originated in January, 1865, beginning with twenty-eight scholars and three teachers.
Its name was taken from that of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, a prominent leader of Emancipation, in Eng- land.
The objects are :
To gather in the neglected and destitute colored children of our city; to teach them the truths of the Christian religion, to the saving of their souls, and to relieve the physical suffering of those requiring aid.
To accomplish this, they are furnished with Bibles, New Testaments, Sabbath School books and papers,
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for their attendance, and the very needy are supplied with clothing, after personal visitation.
To help to raise the down-trodden, to impart a love of truth and virtue, to aid to self-respect, to help to educate into law-abiding citizens, must be to secure the sympathy of the Christian public every-where. To perform it efficiently, they are dependent, to a great extent, on the cooperation and sympathies, not only of Christian philanthropists, but of a generous commu- nity.
The average attendance during the year has been three hundred and forty-three scholars, the highest being six hundred and twelve. There are on active duty forty-four teachers and assistants.
These represent different denominations.
ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL.
The object of this institution is to afford medical and surgical aid and nursing to sick and disabled persons, by a hospital and other appropriate means, and also to provide such persons with the ministrations of the Gospel.
The Hospital is located on the south-west corner of Franklin Street and Broadway. The Association was incorporated in January, 1866, with Henry Probasco, William Proctor, and Thomas G. Odiorne as Trustees.
The constitution provides that this Association shall
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be called "St. Luke's Hospital Association of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the City of Cincinnati, Ohio," and has the following provisions :
The Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Ohio shall be the President of this As- sociation, and the Assistant Bishop First Vice-Presi- dent. The other officers shall be three Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and a Secretary, to be elected from and by a Board of thirty-three Managers, who, together with the said President and the members of the Board of Council and Advice, shall be denominated " The Board of Managers," any seven of whom shall be a quorum for the transaction of business.
The rectors and city missionaries of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Cincinnati and its vicinity shall, together with the President of the Association and the First Vice-President, constitute a Board, to be denom- inated the "Board of Council and Advice," to whom shall be committed all matters touching the religious ministrations of this Association, and of all institutions connected therewith.
Every person who shall contribute the sum of $5, an- nually, to this Association, shall be a member thereof, and every person contributing a sum not less than $500 shall be a life member thereof.
The following extracts are made from the reports of the Board of Managers :
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In 1865, it was determined that we should no longer neglect to provide a hospital for the sick poor of all classes, with the best medical treatment, and to afford a suitable refuge and consolation, in sickness, for Protest- ant Christians and all others who would choose the benefits of such an institution. The intention was to begin with a few beds, and to carefully increase them as the means offered, until thirty beds should be sup- ported. The building on the corner of Broadway and Franklin Streets, with twenty-eight rooms, the lot one hundred feet front on Broadway by ninety feet on Franklin Street, was leased, with the privilege of pur- chase at $15,000. Very soon the applicants for admis- sion became so numerous that an immediate increase of beds was called for, and was promptly met by the benevolent societies of our churches, and thirty-six beds were occupied. It was also intended to provide a free dispensary for the poor outside of the house.
The managers have kept in mind that this hospital must minister moral and religious support to the minds of the suffering, as well as bodily cure; and it is in- tended to use every effort to make this most important part of the work more efficient. Devoted Christian women will be accepted, and encouraged to engage as voluntary laborers for Christ's sake, in this most noble work, systematically and with constancy of purpose.
In admission, there has been no respect to persons on
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account of creed. Of two hundred and thirty patients admitted in 1866, the first year of the existence of the Hospital, only thirty were Protestant Episcopalians. All the patients have had the privilege of calling in their own religious teachers at any time they desired.
The sacred character of the ministrations, of the gentle influences enjoyed by those who are nursed in an institution like this, of the awakening of their moral sensibilities, and of the evidences of their physical and spiritual improvement, renders it impossible to exhibit completely its results and benefits in a brief sketch ; and so the most interesting facts can only be made public by those who, with gladdened hearts, restored in mind and body, are continually passing out from its quiet wards.
Thousands of people in Cincinnati have already seen, and know of, the substantial benefits which have been dispensed in the last three years. Its growth has been quiet, but not secret; and it promises well to shine as a bright object among the many dark things in our large city. Hundreds have gone out testifying, with tears of thankfulness, to the Christian charity that raised them up to life and happiness.
Accomplished Christian ladies, who have means of support independently of the Hospital Association, and who have been thoroughly trained in the art of nursing and conducting a hospital properly, reside in the insti-
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tution, and work gratuitously, superintending it, and receiving no remuneration. These are independent Protestant Sisters, devoting their whole time in Chris- tian charity to beneficent work. Benevolent ladies of distinction, and of high social and intellectual culture, are now in many places bending their energies to this noble and elevated sacrifice-devoting their superior qualities of mind and heart to the best interests of mankind and of Christianity.
No one connected with the hospital receives any payment for what they do for it, excepting the physi- cian who resides in the hospital, under the direction of the medical and surgical staff, and some subordinate employés.
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