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2 ward the open door of alleviation. The Element of Childhood. Poverty is always a grim foe—wherever met its visage is hard and despair clings to its footsteps; but the pathos of poverty is most clearly seen and most keenly felt where it lays its blighting touch on the tender lives of young children. Under its shadow these helpless victims lie powerless and suffering; innocent of the slightest responsibility, ignorant of all save the hardships of life—sur rounded by its baser side, and yet mutely bearing physical burdens from which the bravest souls might well shrink. It is with these small atoms of humanity that the New York Society largely concerns itself. Through the medium of district visiting, through the desired intervention of teach ers and physicians and friends of the Association, thousands of cases of sick or dying children are reported, and never is a case passed without atten tion. No time is inopportune, no hour too occu pied for even a temporary postponement of the kindly investigation which so often reveals start ling cases of almost unbelievable misery. Form of Help Given. Carefully chosen is the form of help in each indi vidual case—here a child may not be separated from its mother, and it is watched in its own home, the district nurse making daily visits to instruct the willing but ignorant parent in the proper care of the little one; again the case may demand hos pital treatment, and the child is removed to a suit able institution. Yet, again, it may simply be a case demanding pure food and clean raiment, fresh air and sanitary surroundings—in this case often both mother and child, and maybe even small broth ers and sisters are moved to Sea Breeze, the hand some seaside home, hospital, what you will; an earthly paradise, surely to these poor waifs of the slums, who are there given their first glimpses of the smooth places of life. Sea Breeze as a Sanitarium. It is only comparatively recently that American physicians have learned the value of salt air in the treatment of that subtle yet deadly disease of childhood, bone tuberculosis—this ill which, in most instances, is the direct result of unsanitary living, causing intense suffering, and it is statistically known that about 75,000 children in the country are afflicted with it. The report of the Hospital Department at Sea Breeze shows almost marvelous cures of this disease, as well as invariable relief. This one element alone should assure a permanent support of this branch of the work of the New York Association. Adults at Sea Breeze. But not only for the children is this resort de signed, for, as has been said, jarents are often given a much needed holiday of a week or ten days during the long, hard summers, and in a profound ly practical way are these weary women instructed in many of the refinements of life, with the hope that they may, in their own homes, apply what is learned there. Space forbids a more specific account of the life at Sea Breeze, but it must be said that, in addition to the thousands who have a summer outing there of a week or more, there are many other thousands who are taken on the day parties, the sea trip and the ocean bath, the good dinner and life-giving air serving as the most effective tonic for bodies weakened by many years of un remitting toil. Other Activities of the Association. One of the most beneficial steps taken by this great organization is the crusade against impure milk which has resulted in the saving of countless lives in the city of New York. Then, too, the es tablishment of free bath-houses at the river piers near the poorer districts of the splendid metropolis has proven a large factor in the preservation of the city’s health. The “Amusement Piers,” sit uated in this same locality, are also appreciated “breezing places” for the multitudes during the summer, and are patronized daily by hundreds of families. The Golden Age for October 11, 1900. District Visiting. Yet another feature of charitable work directly under the supervision of the Association is that of the district visitor or “visiting housewife,” whose complex duties are outlined in the following ex tract from a note book of one of these workers: “Took six garments for new baby, swept two rooms, and dusted, washed the baby and the baby clothes. “Washed Mrs. T , who was ill in bed, ar- ranged bed, bought medical supplies and disinfec tant. “Washed two children, had their hair cut, wash ed heads. “Showed Mrs. B 'how to get washing ready for tomorrow. Packed furniture and dishes ready for moving. Carried some of them to new rooms. (Woman sick.) “Cleaned all the woodwork and scrubbed the floor. Moved the bed from the dark room to the light room (woman very ill), put house in order. “Straightened up the room and stayed to help until funeral was over. (Mother had died.) “Swept and cleaned rooms, made bed, went to store and got dinner ready for Mr. G—* and the little boy (man sick, wife dead). “Washed and dressed infant, got children’s din ner ready, made good fire, bathed four children and left house in order. “Swept kitchen, bathed little girl, prepared food for sick woman. “Cleaned one room, polished the stove, took little girl to the dentist at dispensary.” The Sewing Bureau may be said to be another branch of this department, and an enviable record was made of 32,325 garments completed in a sin gle year as well as 696 women given employment, thus bringing needed incomes into many homes. Joint Application Bureau. Almost experimental in its tendency is the Ap plication Bureau, designed primarily to ascertain the number of men really desiring work and un able to procure it. A large class of idle men in New York City make this excuse for poverty, and the Association desires to expose spurious cases, as ■well as to aid worthy and reliable ones. The method adopted to subserve this purpose was to print 28,000 cards addressed to “The Homeless Men of New York,” stating that work could be had on application; dispensary treatment in case of sickness, or other urgent needs supplied. Os this large number of cards distributed at the “bread lines,” where hundreds of men stand nightly for the free distribution of bread and coffee, at other midnight coffee stands, missions, etc., only brought 305 direct appeals for aid, and each appeal was met by a most practical response. Thus, step by step, each link in the endless chain of charitable work is forged—we could re cite countless avenues along which aid is offered; we could mention innumerable forms in which aid is gladly received, and, alas! almost as many where the ignorance is so dense and the conditions so dark that even the sufferers scarcely realize the acuteness of their need. The latter is, perhaps, the most difficult class of all to reach, but it is being gradually decreased by this constant and unremitting effort, and it is a source of satisfaction to know this great work is going on from year to year, and growing in volume as the years increase. Co-operation With Public Schools. One special phase of activity in which the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, is of particular importance, is the hearty co-operation which it gives toward compulsory edu cation, and the unremitting effort it makes to bring children into the schools. To accomplish this end much more than the perfunctory services of the “truant officer” is required, for children must be clothed, and, in many cases, properly fed before they are fit to partake of the great gift of a “free” education. It was found necessary, therefore, to establish a system of free breakfasts, to furnish many little ones with free luncheons, and yet many more with suitable shoes and clothing. (Continued on page 5.) Items of General Interest. London cab drivers earn an aggregate of over $40,000 a day. Last year 5,500 native Christians were added to the church in Japan. Parliamentary Bluebooks were first issued in 1681, but not sold until the year 1836. If kept going, the wheels of a watch, it is es timated, travel 3,558 3-4 miles in a year. Nearly 70,000 tons of cork are needed for the bot tled beer and aerated waters consumed annually in Britain. The last South Australia vintage yielded 2,655,- 947 gallons, as compared with 2,045,478 gallons in the previous year. There are no paupers in the Gold Coast Colony, and there is neither lunatic asylum, reformatory nor poor house. The first Japanese newspaper was published in 1863, only forty-three years ago, and it contains some news translated from some of the Dutch pa pers. Today Japan has 1,500 daily newspapers and periodicals. There are 10,700 pieces of wood, cloth and felt and 1,180 feet of wire in a concert grand piano. The earliest recorded public performance on the pianoforte took place at Covent Garden, London, on May 16, 1767. Very numerous -are the patents that have been issued to women on novelties in furniture. One piece, which appears to be a school desk, also con tains an ’organ. With simple manipulation, an innocent looking sofa is converted into a bath tub. New York city boasts the oldest structure on the hemisphere. It is the Egyptian obelisk, in Central Park, first erected as an offering to the sun god by Thotmes 111. Moses saw it when it was old, for it was constructed more than 1,600 years before the Christian era. The paper bag with a satchel bottom, which has proved so convenient to grocers and shoppers, and the device for making it, are the invention of Miss M. E. Knight. The wonderful little machine turns out these bags with great rapidity and accuracy of construction. After the Torrey-Alexander mission closed in Philadelphia a number of Christian men and wom en banded themselves together to hold seven ser vices a week. They go about in a gospel wagon, never take up a collection, sing the Torrey-Alexan der hymns and are personal workers. It is not generally known that bread contains a modicum of alcohol, but the fermentative process to which bread is subjected by baking does produce al cohol and Dr. O. Pohl has ascertained that ordinary bread contains .0753 of a grain of alcohol for every 100 grams of bread, or a little more than 7 parts in 10,000 —surely not sufficient to warrant fears of intoxication! It has recently been demonstrated that Christo pher Columbus was not the first to note the decli nation of the magnetic needle as there has just been discovered at Innsbruck a sun-dial bearing the date 1451. There is also an engraved line on the needle indicating the declination at the time of construction as well as other lines showing changes of direction undergone by the needle in subsequent years. The latter would indicate an even earlier date than the one mentioned and the real inventor remains utterly undiscovered.