The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-27
CHARITY AN ILLUSTRATION.

of trouble. You see wretched beggar-your
natural sympathy makes you feel uncomforta-
ble-you do not care whether his wretchedness
be assumed or not, or, if not assumed, whether it
be retribution or misfortune, and you are too
indolent to inquire in what way you may most
effectually at once relieve and reform him. You
toss him a piece of money, and bid him
BECOME simply to relieve yourself from dis
comfort, or escape the upbraiding of conscience.
Suppose you have thoughtlessly given your
money to an mnpostor, you have done wrong
you have wasted means which God has intrusted
to you for a wise use-you have robbed the de-
serving poor of what they mieAs sast -sNR-'
Or, the beggar may have been poor and wretched,
but he needed counsel, food, and clothes, which
he could not waste in drink, instead of money
which he forthwith laid out upon the indulgence
of a vile appetite
MIR. b. talked sensibly enough, but so constant
ly had he trained himself to look upon all needy
persons with suspicion, that he went to the other
extreme, and gave to nobody. They were either
impostors, or their poverty was their own fault,
he said 1t did not strike him that in boarding
his wealth so carefully, he was abusing his trust,
as steward of God and that, in turning away
the poor from his door, without inquiring into
the nature and merits of their claims, he was
chargeabe with selfindulgence and dislike Of
trouble in greater degree than his neighbor,
whose indiscriminate charity he rebuked.
Let us relate the circumstances of case which
will show that all who ask relief are not impos-
tors, and also furnish an illustration of the right
kind of Charity.
An Irish woman, about thirty, good-lOoking,
but detected in a miserably squalid dress, was
seen passing along one of the wealthiest streets in
Washington She knocked at several doors, but
evidently found no one disposed to listen to her
story. At last approaching a house where gentle
man was standing in the door, she paused, as if
afraid of another repulse but something in his
countenanoe revived her confidence, and, going
towards him, she asked for the lady of the house.
The poor woman, whom we shall call Bridget,
was asked to walk in the lady was summoned,
and soon heard enough to awaken her iveliest
concern. She told the woman she would 90 with
her to her lodging, and see what her case re-
quired. In few minutes she reached the spot
and what spectacle presented itself Imagine
single room some twelve feet square, scarcely
furnished, with two families, of eechildren
and their parents, the other Of five children and
| their parents, living in it, using it as kitchen,
dniug-room, parlor, and chamber. The poor
woman was of the peasantry of Ireland Her
parents, for the sake of keeping her near them,
had constrained her to marry man great deal
older than herself For many years they lived
comfortably, but in an evil hour he endorsed for
relative and was ruined. They were sold out,
and abandoned with family of five children to
beggary A brother in this place wrote to her,
desiring her to leave her husband, and come to
this country--he would take care of her. She
would not abandon her husband, but begging
what they could, they took passage on board a
vessel bound to Boston On their way, disease
fell upon their little flock, and they committed
two to the deep. Storms beset them, and the
Captain of the vessel, to save her from founder
ing, was obliged to throw overheard not only the
cargo, but the emigrants' baggage. The poor
family lost everything, and landed on our shores
| in state of absolute restitution They begged
their way to Washington, ho ing to see the rela-
tive who had invited Bridget, but he was dead.
In their ignorance and want, without o dol
lar, without friend, strangers in strange place,
with three little children looking up to them for
bread, what an hour Of bewilderment and agony
was theirs A poor Irish laborer, himself ex-
perienccd in all the woes Of poverty, observed
their misery, and, learning their situation, in
vited them to his single room, in which he shell
tered wife and five children. He, too was a
recent emigrant, earning an uncertain support by
hard labor, but here was wretchedness even
greater than his own, and his last crust he was
willing to break with his needy countrymen. He
took them home with him, and for one week had
given them shelter under his roof, and a portion
of his bfr~i. lie had no bed to share with them
or rsimentNto give them. The children were
barefooted, and had nothing to cover their naked
ness At night they lay upon the hard floor
covering themselves with what rags they could
gather.
In an hour after this visit, Bridget was at tn,
lady's house, receiving more clothes than she
could carry. In the excess Of her gratitude che
fell on her knees, and with the Characteristic flu
ency Of her nation, with tears streaming from her
eyes, invoked blessings upon the head Of her ben.
efactor The lady handed her in addition some
money, but she put it back-it was too much
she had no right to such as that-and she could
not be prevailed upon to accept it, until promised
that she might some day have the privilege Of
working it out
We need hardly say. that with very little
effort, and not much expense, on the part Of
few charitable persons, Bridget and her
husband were furnished with an outfit small
house WAS hired for them for one month, and
work procured for them. They wanted nc
more-iheir own exertions hereafter will b,
enough.
A little discriminating Charity goes a great
way. Never stop your ears against the cry o.
, the needy. Common humanity requires that w
should look into the merits Of every petition FOL
relief II is often difficult to detect imposture
but better take the trouble Of doing this, thar
close the heart against real suffering How mucl
may be done by little individual effort A kline
word, aid that might not cost dollar, given a
the right moment may save soul from prostitu
ton or death. We have more faith in the we'll
directed charity Of individuals, than in the cum
brous machinery of benevolent societies. Her
is poor emisrant with his family You have oil
clothes enough to make him and bis children loo