and, according to the spirit of republican institutions, he who does this is entitled to pay. Work thus paid for is always better done, and dereliction from duty can then be authoritatively dealt with.

It only remains now to make a few remarks concerning the hospitals mentioned in the first part of this paper. From the account there given it will be seen that Cook County, with a population in round numbers of three-quarters of a million, has only the following really charitable medical institutions :

Cook County Hospital; Cook County Insane Asylum; State Eye and Ear Infirmary; City Small-Pox Hospital; Chicago Floating Hospital; St. Luke's Hospital.

The two latter are really deserving and thoroughly charitable, and, as is so often the case, are always in need of funds. The two former accomplish a good deal, but are subject to the evervarying "inflooence" of the dominant party of the day, and, aside from their medical staffs, very few find their way into any official or menial connection with them who have any recommendation other than their devotion and services to party. For instance : we not infrequently have had the melancholy spectacle of a medical superintendent and his assistants being obliged to spend the greater part of the week or two just preceding the annual election lobbying to keep their places.

The principal explanation of this condition of affairs is, that the Boards of County Commissioners, or Aldermen, or whatever they may be, are, almost without exception, composed of illiterate, uneducated men, foreigners often, whose energies have been misdirected into politics, who may be able to manage their own private business, but who know nothing of political economy, or the still greater problems of public welfare and public health. The average commissioner knows as much about the best interests of the insane as the average alderman does about the proper ventilation and lighting of public schools, which in either case is nothing.

So long, then, as the management of institutions which need for their governance the ripe experience of educated and trained minds, is relegated to the control of such men, what can we expect? In our opinion, public institutions are never so well managed as when they are under the direct control of two or three trustees, provided these be well selected. Compare, for instance, our County Insane Asylum, with one of our State asylums, or the County General Hospital with the State Eye and Ear Hospital; the county institutions being managed by the Board of County Commissioners, and those of the State by trustees appointed by the Governor.

What shall be said about the other hospitals I have named, and which depend largely, or entirely for their support upon appeals to the public in some shape? We have here the curious spectacle of several Boards of Trustees, Boards of Councillors, Boards of Lady Governesses, or what not, meeting and grappling with problems

too large for them; pondering on how to make five dollars pay ten dollars indebtedness; organizing fairs, getting up benefit entertainments; ingeniously wording appeals to the generous public, and continually devising expedients. We see them, too, with their petty jealousies, their occasionally ill-concealed distrust of measures or men, and now and then even an eruptive spasm, followed by a reorganization. Much that passes for true charity is either unrestrained desire for notoriety or an explosion of restlessness on the part of some unoccupied or perhaps hysterical individual, usually of the tender sex. Such an one finds the same gratification in the notoriety or excitement of starting a new charitable institution, and devising means for accomplishing much with little, that others do in the fervor of religious enthusiasm, or wild and impracticable missionary schemes. An institution started under such auspices needs a close succession of such enthusiastic leaders, or it must surely soon come to grief. There needs no apology for such comment. The time has come when more can be accomplished by properly directing and limiting charity, than by originating it; and, if necessary, legislative aid should be invoked to refuse charters to affairs not begun on sound financial bases. Let us suppose it is desired to found a "Hospital for Diseases of the Joints." Some tender hearted lady, who has a relative suffering from a chronic malady of this nature, has conceived the idea. She interests a few of her church in the matter. They bring in a few outsiders; the medical attendant of the poor invalid alluded to, Dr., the eminent orthopedist, being consulted, sees here a chance to increase his reputation and income. He, therefore, cordially joins the movement and agrees to organize the surgical staff. A public meeting is held, one or two cripples judiciously exhibited; "public interest is awakened," so it is announced in the papers; a few hundred dollars are subscribed, after personal entreaty, a charter secured, and all goes well for a few months. Those who have watched the course of such hospitals can complete the picture, and can realize the amount of work and drudgery needed to carry it on and prevent a speedy collapse.

In Great Britain they often experience a trouble which we never complain of here. Some of the London institutions are accumulating such enormous endowments that their incomes largely exceed their expenses. Now and then an inquisitive person makes some inquiry as to the ultimate disbursement of all this money, but usually with very little satisfaction. Any such efforts by outsiders are discountenanced at once. It is not noticed, however, that these institutions make any the less loud calls upon the public for a share of their subscriptions or bequests.

We have not yet attained to this happy condition. It will be a long time before any of Cook County's institutions can lay aside from their incomes a yearly surplus.

From what has been said of them, however, it will be seen that

1

they in no particular respect differ much from those of any other large centre of population where charitable impulses run wild. We have the same problems to solve; the same great interests to take into earnest consideration; the same proportion of unthrifty paupers to care for and protect ourselves against; the same lack of means to do with; the same difficulty in antidoting the evil influence of politics, and guarding against the consequences of misguided and ungovernable political aspirations in those least fitted for positions of public trust; and, realizing that the struggle is not confined to our midst, but is an universal one, we are watching to see what others are doing for self-protection, ready to adopt any measure or means which gives fair promise of success. That the Conference of Charities of 1880 may shed additional light upon an abstruse subject is the earnest wish of the writer.

It may be only justice to myself to state, by way of apology for the appearance of this paper, that it was only written at the personal solicitation of the Chairman of the Committee on Medical Charities, and was prepared amid the press of other work and

cares.

THIRD AND FOURTH DAYS' SESSIONS.

On Thursday, the Standing Committees were appointed, as already given, and on motion of Mr. Robinson, of Illinois, a Committee on Publication was appointed, consisting of the President and Recording Secretaries of the Conference.

In the same afternoon, the President said:

course.

I may, perhaps, take this occasion to announce, for the Business Committee, two nominations which are a little out of the ordinary They recommend for the coming year, instead of a Statistical Committee, a Statistical Secretary; and Mr. Wines, of Illinois, who has charge of the census statistics in respect to the dependent classes, has consented to take the position of Statistical Secretary to our Conference, which will bring to us next year some important tabulations and condensations of statistics. As he is not here, and cannot be offended by anything I can say in his praise, I would say that he is of all men the most fit, and I propose him for Statistical Secretary. [Applause.] It is also thought desirable that the Immigration Committee have a special Secretary, and I would propose Dr. Hoyt for that place.

The motions were made and carried, appointing Mr. Wines and Dr. Hoyt, as proposed.

* Those interested will find valuable papers on this subject in Vol. XLV. of the "Westminister Review."

On Friday morning, Mr. Wines, of Illinois, submitted the final report of the Business Committee, as follows:

FINAL REPORT ON THE BUSINESS OF THE CONFERENCE.

Your Business Committee, impressed with the undue proportion of time allotted to the reading of papers at the present Conference, recommend, for adoption, the following suggestions as to the organization and management of the meeting to be held next year in Boston:

It has been agreed that the Conference will sit six days, and hold no afternoon sessions. We recommend the reduction of the number of Standing Committees, for the ensuing year, to six, and that one day be assigned to each Committee, as follows: Monday, Committee on the Organization and Work of State Boards of Charities; Tuesday, Committee on Charitable Organization in Cities; Wednesday, Committee on Immigration; Thursday, Committee on Crime and Penalties; Friday, Committee on Preventive Work among Children; Saturday, Committee on Imbecility and Idiocy.

We further recommend the adoption of the following rules, for the guidance of the several Committees in their preparation for the meeting:

1. The number of papers to be read at length, each day, is restricted to three, as follows: The Report of the Committee, to be read at the opening of the morning session; one Paper on some special topic connected with the subject assigned to the Committee, to follow immediately after the reading of the Report; and a popular address or lecture in the evening.

2. The Committees shall receive and examine all papers submitted to them, and select, for presentation, those which appear to them best suited for that purpose; but papers not read at length shall be referred to a Committee on Publication. Each Committee may, however, state the point or substance of any paper not read, briefly, in connection with the Committee's Report. The publication of any such paper, in whole or in part, shall be left entirely to the discretion of the Committee on Publication.

3. No paper shall be read at the Conference by any person

other than its author.

4.

Papers submitted for examination and acceptance must be in the hands of the Committee one month in advance of the time set for the assembling of the Conference.

5. The time not reserved, as above indicated, for reading, shall be entirely devoted to free discussion, and to the general business of the Conference.

In offering the foregoing suggestions, your Committee has been influenced by the conviction that this Conference is a thoroughly

"live" organization, whose importance and influence for good is destined to grow with great rapidity, from year to year; and it is essential that it should be so conducted as to retain the respect and confidence of the public to which its deliberations are addressed. It is equally necessary that it should afford opportunity for exchange of opinions, experience and sentiment, between the practical men to whose guidance it has been confided.

Finally, we recommend that instead of a Standing Committee on Statistics, the Conference elect a Statistical Secretary, and that he be directed to present his report to the Conference in a printed form.

CLEVELAND, July 1, 1880.

F. B. SANBORN.
CHARLES S. HOYT.
FRED H. WINES.

The final report of the Business Committee on Friday morning, July 2, included the names of the Corresponding Secretaries for the coming year, who were elected, as reported, and the whole report was adopted.

At a later period Mr. Wines said: I wish now to introduce the customary resolution of thanks, which is as follows:

Resolved, That before separating, the Conference desires to express its grateful sense of the courtesies which it has received at the hands of the people of the beautiful city in which its deliberations have been held; especially to the local Committee of Arrangements for its thoughtfulness in providing a fine hall, and meeting the other incidental expenses of the meeting; to the newspapers, for their full and accurate reports of the proceedings; to the railroads which have granted favors to delegates, and to the Ohio Board of State Charities. The members will ever cherish the most delightful memories of this visit, and of the friends here made. In introducing this resolution, Mr. Wines spoke as follows:

MR. WINES'S REMARKS.

These annual Conferences which assemble now in one city or State and now in another, are not of the most popular nature, since subjects which receive attention here entirely, are not agreeable subjects. It is not an agreeable thing to be brought perpetually into contact with the criminal and pauper class, with the insane and with idiots, and with the other members of society with whom these State Boards of Charities and these charitable organizations have the most to do. It is not an agreeable thing to have one's mind turned perpetually to those subjects, to have one's thoughts