90 



7? 



housing reform, which in New York took the form of the state 

 commissions of 1884, 1894 and 1900, of which last named com- 

 mission he was a leading memher. ' 



It was in association with Seth Low, Darwin R. James, Sr., 

 Charles Pratt, and other pul)lic-spirited young men of Brooklyn 

 that Mr. White founded the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities in 

 1878, one of the best known and most influential charity organiza- 

 tion societies of the country. He was president of it for over 

 thirty years. He resigned the office of president last spring but 

 could not escape many of its respqnsibilities. I asked him 

 whether his retirement from office meant a withdrawal from 

 active work. " No," said he, " I have plenty of work laid out 

 for the next five years, and after those five years are over I have 



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a program for five more years which will fully occupy me. 



Would that he had lived to fully carry out this philosophy of 

 hfe! 



Alfred White's official relations to charity included almost 

 every important institution of Brooklyn and very many outside. 

 I will only attempt to enumerate a few of them. 



The Brooklyn Children's Aid Society was a lifelong interest. 

 So was the Brooklyn Society for the Prevention of Cruelty 

 to Children and the State Charities Aid. The After-care of 

 Infant Paralysis and the systematic instruction of the blind were 

 more recent interests. He was a leader in the estalilishmcnt of 

 the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and when the City of New York 

 declined to appropriate sufficient money to install* it, and was 

 only willing to provide one-half the necessary amount if the 

 other half could be provided elsewhere, Mr. White arranged 



r 



to provide it elsewhere. 



He was one of the original trustees of the Sage Foundation, 

 selected by Mrs. Russell Sage. He was one of the leaders of 

 the National Red Cross, active not only in his own city but at 

 one time a member of its national executive committee. He 

 was a charter member of the Survey Associates. 



*This refers to the completion of the buildings and certain other per- 

 manent improvements. Ed. 



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