THE NEW HOME FOR FRIENDLESS WOMEN.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6699, 6 October 1882, Page 3

THE NEW HOME FOR FRIENDLESS WOMEN.

The formal opening of the new Home for Friendless Women in Hanson-street, Newtown, took place at 4 o’clock p.m. on Sept. 29. week. Owing to the impossibility of accommodating more than a limited number of_ ladies and gentlemen in any one room in the in-titu-tinn, the invitation* were confined to the members of the Committee of Management of the Home, the Committee and officers of the Ladies Christian Association, and several gentlemen immediately connected with the undertaking. Sir James Prendergast, ActingGovernor and Chief Justice, who had kindly consent d to preside on the occasion, was accompanierlb'y Lady Prendergast. Among the gentlemen present were noticed the Ven Archdeacon Thorpe, the Rev-. J. Paterson, Mr C. P. Powles, and Mr B. Smith. Tha company having assembled in the Board room, The Ven. Archdeacon Thorpe opened the proceedings by remarking that the institution was one that deserved the support of every one. Its object was to provide a resting-place for friendless women, and to give them kindly help and counsel. They were likely to receive a good ma--y young women from the Old Country, arriving here without homes or relatives, and it must be a great boon to them to find when they came here a place where they would be received with Christian kindness, and those who were prepared to receive them in the spirit of their Master and give them help and sympathy. The Ven. Archdeacon then offered up a short prayer, and read the parable of; the “ Good Samaritan,” after which the 197th hymn was sung.. Sir James Prendergast said he had been invited to be present at the opening of the new building which had been obtained by the Com* rnittee of the Society, and he was very pleased ta attend. He believed he was right in saying that the institution had been established no longer than . three years ago, or scarcely so much. The object for which the Society was started was found to be- one that had been properly taken in hand, and it had been found by experience that there was really med for such an institution. No doubt most of them felt, in considering such a question as the establishment of such an institution, that there was an amount of risk of being before the lime. Experience had, he believed, shown that the ladies and gentlemen who: had taken in hand this business were not before the time, but-had, promoted the establishment of something that was absolutely needed. ; The objects of the- institution,_ as he understood them, were mainly and principally to provide a home and Christian comfort and counsel tor those women who might need a temporary Home. Among the, class requiring such : help it would readily occur to them were women young and old, who necessarily left the hospitals and other snch institutions after having become cured of their ailments, and who for a time ueededsome kind of lost and strengthening before they were able to carry out the desire they might be expected to have of maintaining themselves. The Home, he understood, had that object in view, and provided an asylum foi such persons as that. Then, Here was another class—persons in domestic service, persons engaged in serving in shops, or, perhaps, working in some of our factories. However prosperous times might be, cases would arise which would make such a Home as the one they were now in of very great value. It might be that in most cases females engaged in domestic service seldom left one place before another was ready for them. This was very much the case just now, and would prevent any great demand on the institution from cases of that kind ; still, even in such times as this, the v.a’ue of. such an institution was apparent. He had stated that the main pnnciples of the institution were to provide a temporary- home j but he did not understand that that was the only obj-ct. There must be cases in which it must offer frieudltss worani much more Than temporary aid, for there were many such who must find a permanent home somewhere. If such persons had no relatives, and no home’ to go to, the institution, under its constitution, could admit them. A subject of very-great difficulty was approached in,considering the' objects of the institution as to whether persons sbo ild or should not be admitted who had, through misconduct of their own, or indirectly through the misconduct of other persons, forfeited any claim on their fellow citizens for assistance. As he understood it, the constitution of the Home did not prevent the admission of such persons, so long as they had not become members of what might be called the criminal class. There might be cases where the Committee ; who conducted the institution must feel the greatest difficulty in determining whether a person should .or should not, upon this account, be prohibited from partaking of. the advantages of the Home. If, after properly considering such cases, they felt themselves in a position to admit them it could easily be believed that trouble might ensue. It was impossible to touch such cases without being to some extent involved in the difficulty which must necessarily attend them. He had said these few words with something in his mind which was, no donbt, in the minds of the ladies and gentlemen present. A case had occurred in which there had been some indiscretion on the part of the matron, and the matter had been brought prominently before the public. In the opinion of some persons, too much had been made of it ; but it muH be admitted that there bad been some indiscretion, but that there was more, no person really considering the circumstances would conclude. With these few observations as to the objects of the institution, he had to ask them to bear in mind what a debt of gratitude the public must owe to the ladies and gentlemen—the ladies principally—for they had mainly established and conducted the Home, anc brought it to its present prosperous condition. It was only two or three years ago that it was determined to hire a house and commence the operations of. this Society, That house was found to be inadequate for its want of space, and from the absence of the conveniences necessary for the proper conduct of. such a Society. An appeal was then made to the public, and had, ha believed, been sufficiently responded to, - Before the new building was erected it was felt that persona whe were admitted should, to some extent, be abffi to earn their own living even while being maintained in the institution, and of course proper appliances were necessary. There were mmy reasons for tha Society seeking to have a building of its own It hand been assisted by the Government out of the public funds, and the result had been that it had been able to appropriate to the object of building, fur-nishing,-acd providing the necessary appliances the sum of £1300.' That he regarded as a very satisfactory sum. No efforts had been made to appeal very persistently, to the public, and the subscriptions, he believed, had been mainly voluntary. - The result must be eminently satisfactory to those who had taken up the work. He hoped before they left they .would have an opportunity of looking at the,building, and thought they- had reason to be indebted to the architect for drafting and designing it; All their efforts, from the commencement to the present, had been eminetnly satisfactory,, and he took the opportunity afforded him of thanking the ladies and gentlemen who had so well carried out what he believed to be the desires of the public in this matter. (Applause.) " Mr O. P. Powles suggested that perhaps Sir James: Prendergast and those present might-like to look over the building. He ■ also wished to propose a vote of thanks to Sir James Prendergast for his presence that day—(hear, hear)—and for accepting the -office of trustee. The piece of land upon which the building was erected was leased to certain trustees for the Ladies’ Association, and Sir James had agreed to become one of them. The Rev. J. Paterson seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. Sir James Prendergast thanked those present for the kindness done him in passing mch a resolution, though he did not need it. It was a pleasure to himself and his wife to come' and see such a building opened. This ended the formal proceedings, most of those present inspecting the institution before they left. ■ , , . The Home is not at all a pretentions budding, but rather bears resemblance to a twostoried private residence of the better class. On the ground floor are the Board room, dining-room, hospital ward, kitchen, larder, store-rooms, scullery, and rooms for the accommodation of such inmates as it is not considered desirable to allow access to the others. On the first floor there are nine dormitories. The architect is Mr Turnbull Theie are at the present time seven women in the Heme.