Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/659

 t it does

not go out and seek to convert anybody to the adoption or belief in any creed or religious faith. It takes the Bible in hand and attacks the devil and all his works wherever and whenever he shows up in his desecration of the souls or bodies of men and women. The letterhead of the society is given here, and the reader can guess the rest:

"the PORTLAND COMMONS,

Office, 22 N. Front St. Pacific Coast Rescue and Protective Society,

Dr. C. L. Haynes, president; Fred Voget, vice-president; Miss A. U. Uttstrom, field worker; Mrs. Florence Wells, city missionary; O. W. Wolf, secretary and treasurer ; Mrs. M. Shelly, recording secretary.

Non-Sectarian Missionary and Philanthropic Society. General Superintendent, W. G. MacLaren.

Not homes to foster pauperism; but homes to help men and women to help themselves — ^good Samaritan. See Luke 10:30-37. Men's home, 22 N. Front street. Beds, meals, free employment bureau. Commons Prison League.

Commons Mission.

Meetings every night and Sunday at 3 p. m., Aaron Wells, leader. Louise Home, Girls' Rescue, 373 Cable street. Commons farm at Eagle- creek."

THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES.

This is the clearing house for all the other charities. It hears complaints from everybody, and all other societies, and with its organization examines all sorts of cases, and renders that aid that is practicable or possible. Associated Charities were formerly the City Board of Charity.

At a meeting of the Society for Christian Endeavor of the First Congrega- tional church, on Monday, October 29, 1888, a committee was appointed to con- sider the formation of a society for organized charity. This committee consisted of W. G. Steel, Wm. Cake, Arthur Hedley, Miss Ann Holcomb and Miss Eunice Van Slyck. A call was issued for a meeting to consider permanent organization and the following committee on constitution and incorporation was appointed : Dr. Ross C. Houghton, Rev. T. E. Clapp, Rev. W. W. Logan, Thomas N. Strong, Wm. Wadhams, H. W. Corbett and W. G. Steel. When permanent organiza- tion was efifected, the name, "City Board of Charities" was adopted, and the fol- lowing were elected as officers and board of directors : President, Thos. N. Strong; secretary, W. G. Steel. Directors: John Klosterman, Dr. Ross C. Hough- ton, J. C. Flanders, and ex-officio mayor, Van B. DeLashmutt. On January i, 1890, Wm. R. Walpole assumed the duties of secretary, and is still serving in that capacity.

In 1906 the name was changed from "The City Board of Charities" to the "Associated Charities," as the former name created the impression in many minds that the support was derived from the public funds instead of being entirely sup- ported by private subscription. Since the organization in 1888, a total of S5>^3^ cases have been recorded.

Of greatest public benefit in times of emergency and stress, were the activity and leadership of the Associated Charities during the panics of 1893 and 1907, and again during the dark days following the earthquake in San Francisco, in 1906. During the panics, without any confusion, the great mass of unemployed was kept busy and quietly controlled through its well organized methods, and it is largely due to this fact that Portland showed a smaller percentage of crime during those strenuous days than did other coas