Page:Distinguished Churchmen.djvu/278

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DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN

Church of England in the country, under proper supervision, there were 392 boys and 300 girls. During twenty years homes were found for nearly 9000 children. Nearly 700 cases were accepted during the year 1901. Yes; you may say the new century has dawned, presenting a larger field than ever for our exertions, and we need all the sympathy and practical help which the public can afford us. Our receipts for the general fund last year only amounted to £46,116—not nearly enough for the work before us.”

“Now a word about the character of the cases you do take in. A lot of careful discrimination must be necessary?”

“To begin with, the voting system is not adopted, nor has personal or other influence the slightest weight in the deliberations of the case committee. The most destitute, and therefore the most deserving case, has the best chance of being accepted; in fact, the great majority of the children under the Society's care have been so friendless that they have been accepted as entirely free cases. Wherever friends are interested who can afford to help the Society, it is only natural that the committee should look to them to make some monetary recognition of the Society's benefits. The maximum payment requested is 5s. per week, but many cases are received for a much smaller payment. No two cases are exactly alike, hence great care and discrimination are necessary. The com-