PETITION
To the Honorable Senate and Assembly of the State of California:
The undersigned, Board of Managers, respectfully pray your honorable body to grant them an appropriation of thirty thousand dollars, to enable them to meet the pressing calls upon them for the support of destitute children and indigent women, who are constantly coming to them from California and from all the Pacific States and Territories. Five friendless women and one hundred seven-eight children are now provided for beneath the sheltering growth of the "Home."
There is a debt of five thousand dollars, which has been incurred in erecting an addition to the original building of the institution. This is now full, and a further addition is required, which will cost twenty thousand dollars more. The income received from the donations of benevolent individuals, and from monthly and annual subscriptions, is found inadequate to meet the large and increasing demands upon the resources of the society, and while they gratefully acknowledge the liberality of the Legislature in times past, they desire to present briefly to your Honorable body their reasons for asking once more the exercise of that same benevolent generosity which has placed them already under so great obligations. When the last appropriation was made by the Legislature, at its last session, there were about one hundred and fifteen children at the Home, and the appropriation was nine thousand five hundred dollars.
The number of destitute children were not orphans, but in many cases worse than orphans, is increasing in California, in a ratio even greater in proportion than the population. They enter the "Home" in every phase of destitute should and suffering of which humanity is capable. They are not confined to any nationality, class or religion, and they are received, fed, clothed, and also instructed in the rudiments of a common English education. The pulper and poor-house systems, which are established in the Eastern States, do not exist in California. Our institutions afford but he limited substitute for the liberal and well ordered "Homes," which are there are provided for the destitute, in the shape of "Poor Farms" and "Houses of Refuge."
California, on the other hand, relies upon a few voluntary establishments like this, the contributions of charitable individuals, although they go far to relieve want, are found inadequate to supply what is actually needed, and hence this application to the Legislature.
We respectfully request that your honorable body will appoint some committee to visit this institution and examined for themselves into the manner in which the bounty of the State has been expanded heretofore,
and also inspect carefully every department of the establishment, in order that they may inform you, better than we can do, in this is petition, of the reasons why the appropriation here sought should be made. We also beg leave to refer to the annual reports of Secretaries and Treasurer, for the last two years, appended hereto, and trust that you may find, after do examination, good reasons for granting a liberal appropriation for a charity so much demanded by the public interest. And, as a duty-bound, will ever pray.
Mrs. N. Gray, President.
Mrs. A. G. Stiles, Vice President.
Mrs. G. Barstow, Recording Secretary.
Mrs. S. C. Bugbee, Corresponding Secretary.
Mrs. J. H. Flint, Treasurer.
Managers:
Mrs. J. Archbald,
Mrs. J. H. Applegate,
Mrs. E. Burke,
Mrs. F. Conro,
Mrs. C. Clayton,
Mrs. A. Coffin,
Mrs. A. Dam,
Mrs. H. Dodge,
Mrs. M. C. Fessenden,
Mrs. J. P. Goodwin,
Mrs. T. Hill,
Mrs. C. Jackson,
Mrs. C. Palmer,
Mrs. Dr. Ober,
Mrs. M. Parker,
Mrs. W. Stringer,
Mrs. S. B. Stoddard,
Mrs. J. W. Stowe,
Mrs. Dr. Soule.