The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 7, 1901, Page 11

7= HIS is tne second of a series of || articles being published by Th= £ Sunday Call in the interest of cnarity as exemplified by those cha: itable institutions of San Francisco controlled by women. These pavers are written by the presidents of the different orgar izations and therefore can be relied -ipon as accurate in detail. Coming from such sources of au- thority they cannot fail to awaken interest among the many readers who know, in a general way, that good work is being done, yet lack specific information as to how, where and by whom. The present interesting paper on the San Francisco Fruit and Flower Mission is by Miss Muriel Wemple, the president of that organization. Next week will appear an article by the president of the Maria Kip Crphanage on the condition of that charity and the good it has accom- plished. By Muriel &Izmp'e, LOWER Mission work in San Fran- cisco originated in 1879, when a number of the members of the en’s Chri n Associa- ived the id f carrying als and to dty. They were made a committee by wesident <f the ociation, but at WHERE THE FLOWER ARE close of the year asked permission to form an organization of their own, and in 1880 the San Francisco Fruit and Flower Mis- sion. with Miss Mari Bates as president, began a work of active charity that has extended over twenty years. There are no paid officers, and many a worker has lovingly given her entire time, counting it no sacrifice. In the beginning of the work the spirit of the mission was entirely in the personal visit, the fruit and flowers being nafls to hang it on, as it were. The jdea of the visit has remained the same through all the years, but the fruit and flowers are a very small feature of the mission's dis- tributions. The name is so suggestive of sentimental limitations that the mission would correct the prevalent and errone- ous impression that the work is on no more practical lines than fruit and flow- ers suggest. “Fruit and Flower Mission.” a physiclan exclaimed recently lowers in a sickroom! Bah Think of the inconsistency of putting a pansy away to die in loneliness, while sewer sends out a million mi- Early in the mission’s history visiting was done in the hospitals. but now it is confined to the invaiids in their homes. The crganization Is entirely non-sectarian in membership and benevolence. There is sccial element in the mission work— just the lovely spirit of harmony among people working for a common good. The active members are young women who might send thelr grocer to the needy and sit back in idle‘indifference if they would. but they prefer to make the people their friends. They do it in a delicate, tactful way, and charity is spelled love among them The number of cases cared for averages thirty. Practically, that means a great 1f there are children: they must all be clothed. Very often the in- valid is the bread winner and the family t be tided over the time of illness. | These cases come to the mission in va- rious ways. Sometimes a member of the family calls, and it is always a pitiful tale. They hear of the mission through their neighbors, or “Johnnie read some- thing in the paper about youse helping folk: Then .etters are sent—pathetic at- tempts, most of them. Frequently other nstitutions report cases requiring the del- fcacies the mission provides. In almost every instance the name is handed to the Associated Charities for Investigation. <If on receiving the report the president con- slders taking the case, she makes a per- sonal visit to see the conditions and dis- cover the particular needs. When the name is added to the list the sick one is taken into the mission family and cared for tenderly. The system of investigation does away with frauds, and Inasmuch as money is never given the wayfarer finds little satisfaction in his appeal. Not infrequently respectable looking men call at the mission in desperate need of work. It is impossible to direct them and feel confident that anything wil: come of it. It would seem as thougin there is something wrong in the scheme of things when no definite provision can be made for such men. In the unpretentious little cottage at 631 Butter street the household affairs of the _mission are conducted. It is there, on every Thursday morning, that bright, cheery looking girls gather to have their baskets filled with good, substantial pro- visions. The cynic may regard those bas- kets as an unnecessary badge of thought- ful care. He probably never has lifted one, It is working pretty hard to look picturesgue, The provisions are clothing to th store closet everything from daintiest delicacy. The ~Aucted on a wonderful THE SUNDAY CALL. sysiem. Sugar, rice and meal are kept in bins ard packed in Dhags that hold a week's supply. Each basket is filled with these. as well as po- tatoes, tea, flour. fee. e soup, wine jelly. custards, beef extract, con- densed milk and sherry or port as the physician prescribes it. Otker jcllies and fruits, fresh cr canned. are given out. Some discrimination is made in tha d's- tribution, the cases receiving the delic cfes they most jequire. In many instances milk is sent every day, and fuel Is_fre- quently provid:d. The diet k'tchen is an important feature of the work. There iz a well-eaninned kitchen, and every Wednesday afterrnen a committee of capable girls make jellies, custards or whatever sUggests itself to them. They enter Into it with an enthu- slasm that would silence the cynic for- ever. There is a clothes closet filled with garments that have been slightly worn There are infants’ outfits, and children of every age are provided for. There new garments—flannels. sheets, towels, and the like. Many of these are voted to icn Ly the Needlework Guild and nurses are supplied and a for. In the basement of the liitle there Is a library conta'ning magazines in many larguages. widely distributed and giv ure. The flower room !s a p'cture these sum- mer mornings. Great quantities of beau- tiful blossoms come from the interfor. a mber of florists send them. and little fldren everywhere help in that preltys Each lasket its bunch of love- v color and sweetn The man who sald “Bah” has nev n a dear old wrinkled face changed to pure joy at the sight of a gillyflower or a bunch of Sweet Wil n. He s neve cof witkercd th'ngs d heard tive explanation: couldn’t throw ’era out. Dcarie.” Flowers play a love.y part in the work, but in very seri- ous cases they are given no thought. Save these of contagion, all the ills that men, women and children are heir to have been catalogued in the mission. Sometimes improvidence seems the cause of the aislress, and sometimes an accu- mulation of misfortunes—and children. There are chronic cases that have been on the list for years. The mi on's af- fairs ar= theirs, and the marriage of 2 president is a matter for their personal concern. It is in cases of this sort that the visit counts for so much. Their weeks begin and end with Thursday. One invalid who has lain in bed for years and has a face llke a flower that has bloomed in the shade In full of pret- ty drollery and wit. She thinks of get-! ting a guest book, she says, because all of her visitcrs are lovely and there can Le no distinction save in the name. It is not only the ccarse intellects that the visitors meet. Refined, gentle peo- ple also seek their care and friendship. There was an instance of unusual and extreme need. Both mother and child were {ll and other little ones were unpro- vided for. When the visitor called and récognized ap old schoolmate she hesi- tated in the barrassment of having made what ed to be a mistake. It was a tryilng moment, but a womanly girl’s gentle tact left a sensitive pride un- hurt. They talked of care free days and half forgot‘en experiences, and the pain seemed easicr and life more worth while to the sufferer. This work among the sick reaches every heart somehow. A stranger will call at the mission with a Losket and explain that she has been ill hérself, and knew just how pleasant it war to be thought 11 Y/ THE GIRLS STARTING QN THEIR MERCY of, or just how good a particular jelly tasted. Deliverymen who know nothing of the people are Interested in the num- ber of sick. and will tell how such a ons in the famil ad pneumonia, but *‘pulled out all right.”” © The disconsolate and tha weak are everywhere in the world, and this common ground of misery and lass distinctions are forgotten. In the visiting the gir's are often en- couraged to keep up their languages. There is a representative of almost every rationa'ity in the mission’s family. A gentle Svanish greeting has made man a lr-terless brown eye .voung again. Treubles told in German have lost a weipl't of woe. There is no place for a morbid nature In the work. There is too much real suffering, and the visitor's sunshine should obscure the misery. The mission’s support in membership subscriptions of twenty-five ¢ more a month. peal is made just crce a year. is at Thanksgiving, when dinwers are sent to two hupdred fty or three hundred families, rep- resenting eight or nine hundred people. The dinrers.are given to the worthy poor of the city, to be prepared in their own homes. and there are good things to make eves big with wonder, and appetites sat- isfied for once. The people resort to every ble mears to be thought de- servirg. pale faced man will come with a taby in arms. and four or five at his heels. Applications come In sev- crai weeks early. but the greatest pre- cautlors are taken and a dinner is seldom misplaced. Those who have never seen the mis- sion’s Thanksgiving preparations have missed a goodly sight. Through the ccurtesy of Mr. Reichart the basement of Golden Gate Hall s theirs for the day. Girls in huge aprons are everywhere, each with a particular duty. Express- men hurry in and out. There are turkeys and ples for a regiment, and it seems as though the world and his brother had lovingly opened heart and purse on that one long looked for, dreamed of day. At this season, also, the mission’s store closet and funds are replenished. Canned goods, dried fruits, meals, flour and wine help tide over the year's de- mands. Contributions come from far and near, many without cards or a suggestion of the donor. One friend calling himself “M. R—M. F.” sends $50 each year through the Argonaut. “H. E. C.” and others as modest have baflled the mis- sion’s efforts to thank them. If you be- lleve that the average young woman is bored ard self absorbed, visit the mission at Thanksgiving and have your f{llusions dispelled. It is a long day of hard work, and the enthusiasm {sn't a thing of a day or a week, either. Many of the members have been active for years, and their families have entered Into and shared that enthusiasm. The brother of a member visited one of the mission’s vmost delightful cases with her, and in her absence camé himself to. carry the basket. He was a boy, with a boy's love of play, but somebody’s suf- fering touched all the chivalry and fine manhood in him. Some one said not long ago: “If young women knew what infinite pleasure they would get out of the work, they woull dn it for selfish motives.” Isn’t it some- thing to be the only bit of sunshine in a poor, worn out life? Doesn’t it mean more than the bickerings of a card party? There is a child 9 years old who never has known what childhood means. She is her dying father’s nurse, housekeeper for her mother, who earns the dally bread, and caretaker of a sister who is mute and simple. She seldom smiles. There Is so little to smile at. Girls who play with dolls are *“silly,” she thinks. The patient efforts of a sunny natured girl might give her back her childhood, a little delayed, perhaps, but her child- hood nevertheless. A dainty personality and gentle sug- gestions have often made a woman take pride In cleaning out the corners a bit, The result is sometimes grotesque, but the desire to be even a little cieaner is worth the struggle to implant it, Very Often there 1s little encouragement to go on. The mission’s work seems such a drop in the great wells of misery, but then comes a word of appreciation, rude- ly expressed, but straight from the heart, The gladness of it is not soon forgotten, So, with no thought of reward, with ne ! expectation of getting it back in any way, the mission workers give much of themselves to the sick and the suffering, and live thelr motto, *“Bear ye ona another's burdens.” FILLING BAG FOR' DISTRIBUTION FLOWER} FROM GOLDEN GATE PARK