New-York daily tribune., 1846-02-06
Helm for the Poor.

Annual
citation for the Improvement OF inc ooho'''oA - '>
Poor is before u.s. We have turned over i'' pase'
with mingled feelings OF pain and pleasure pam
,ha, 80 large number OF the nhaotants Oh our Wy
are reduced 10 abect and almost hopeless FoVer'y'
and pleasure that through the agency OF this As5o
cs,ion their more immediate and pressing wants
NAV be relieved Hoping for the day when
,bo,oueh Reform in our Social System shall super
sedc all mere temporary expedients avert the ills
of Poverty we yet regard this lnstitutlonwith favor
and would do all in our power TO extend the sphere
of its usefulness and impart even greater efficiency
N i,s excellen, management. Its principles and
plan OF operations have already been pretty fuy e*
hjbited in our columns but ia this as IN every other
enterprise which depends upon the favor OF the pub
lie for its means of doing good 1t is necessary to give
line upon line and precept upon precept Seve-
raj features of this Association worthy OF notice
as commencing it TO the support Of the benevolent.
l. The thorouetness of its system. Its organlza'
ton. though by no means complex, is yet so exten-
sive that through it all the Poor of the City may be
reached. Mark by how simple process this object
NAV be effected. The City is divided into Sixteen
Districts. each Ward forming District and the
Districts are again divided into two hundred and
as NAV be about twenty-five families. Each Dis
,rict has an Advisory Committee consisting OF iive
members and each Section Visitor The mem
bers of the Association are all furnished with
Pocke; Directory, which shows the name and resi-
dence of each Visitor and the limits of tho Section
committed to his care and TO which his labors arc
expressly confined When person applies TO
member for assistance it is only necessary in the
first place to ascertain in what District and Section
the applicant resides; then by turning TO the Soce
,y's Directory you find the name of the Visitor for
that Section, and when the application is made
known to him it is his duty immediately TO inquire
into the case and to ascertain by direct personal
investigation the amount and kind OF relief which is
needed Assistance is never TO be granted until
this personal examination has shown TINT there is
lust occasion for it-that the person is really poor
and has no other means Of relief. Under this
raugemen, all the children of want in our City may
easily find relief if only the proper steps taken
TO keep the treasury well supplied; and there is no
reason to doubt that the pecuniary means of the So
ciety may at any time be made fully commensurate
with its opportunities for useful expenditure.
@ II is strictly a coluntary Society, and its char
ties are dispensed con amore, by persons whose be-
ncvolensc chilled by the constrains of law or
of pecuniary reward. This brings the recipients of
it's bounty into the most friendly relations with their
benefactors and lays foundation for that mutual
respect and confidence which may be the means of
inspiring hope in place of despair, and elevating
multitudes above the need of pecuniary assistance.
Though the expended in any given case is ne
cessarly small there is yet scope for the exercise ot
those kindly Influences which hallow even the
dinner of herbs and rob Poverty of more than half
its horrors. Coleridge says Of the poor of England
that they
The morsel tossed by lao. forced charity,
dnd die so sloriy thar none call Il murder; ;;
but those who receive assistance from this Associa
,ion are not thus mocked The supply, though stint
ed is yet sufficient to avert bodily suffering, and is
offered by hands stretched forth in kindness and
love; while the intercourse between the almoner
and the recipient which it is part of the Societys
plan to encourage, affords many opportunities for
such sympathy and counsel as may tend to foster vir
tuous habits and spirit of selfreance. A friend
y word is often as ctcacous in assuaging the grefs
of the heart as crust of bread in satisfying the
ings of hunger; and any system of charity which
regards the wants of the body to the exclusion of
the higher demands ef mans spiritual nature is sad
ly defective.
D. It's tendency to repress street begging and fos
ter wise discrimination between the vrtuous poor
and mere lazzaron who live only by fraud and i'm.
posture is also worthy of consideration. |, is not
always easy to determine whether person who
asks aims in the is worthy object of charity,
and men of warm sympathies often give money TO
such from fear that by refusing TO do they may
plant thorns in the hearts of the poor and needy.
member of this Association need not be subjected TO
any embarrassment on this account. He has only TO
carry with him copy of the Socety's Directory
find out the residence of the person applying for as
sstance and direct him to the Visitor for his District
and Section whose duty it will be 10 investigate the
case and administer relief If necessary. If the 90
lictor is unwilling to his residence, you may
be pretty certain that he is an imposter.
Such are few of the most prominent features
of the institution which ente il TO the support and
confidence of the public. There are others scarcely
less important, but we have not space now TO point
them out We could easily start objections TO some
parts of its plan but might be embarrassed If called
upon to tell in what way il could be made better
Until the time shall arrive when Society will be pre-
pared for thorough Reorsanizations Association,
such as this can hardly be dispensed with. AS
temporary charity we canno, forbear to commend
them to general support. Whiewe labor earnestly
to produce a state of Society in which gripping
Poverty shall hold place. lei not forget that we
owe duties TO the Poor of our generation as mpera
tive as the ties Of Humanity and the obligations of
Religion can make them
F NEw.HAMrsHIRE is in very wholesome
state OF excitement respecting the Election 10 be
held there in March next The Radical Loco Focos,
who have ruled that State long, have been driven
to desperation by their failure elect the man whom
they had chosen to take the place in Congress OF
Hon. John P. Hale They seem to be fighting with
the energy of men who conscious that their time
is now or never. Hale has detached from the party
large number of its best and stronges, men, and
now that tho Ice fairly broken many disposed
10 follow the example of independence so conspicu
ously set before them, The Radicals are also sorey