Demoine courier., 1855-02-01
The Suffering Thousands in New York

The following letter has lust been received
by Mr.. Van Meter, bookseller of this city,
It's details are truly heartrcnding. Cannot
some steps be taken among us to ameliorate
the horrible suffering here referred TO? IL con-
certed efforts cannot be made. at least v~olunta-
ry contributions can be resorted to by every
one. Mr.. V. NJ. will very gladly receive any
amounts, no odds how small, and forward them:
-Bur.' Tel. .re...
FIVE POINTS HOUSE OF INDUsTRY,2
New York. Jan. 10, 1855.
My DEAR BROTHER: You ask why | do not
write. How can /, with the cries Of the starv-
ing constantly ringing in my ears? One hun
bred and ninety thousand are objects Of chart
ty. Twenty thousand sewing girls are out of
work. We support in our own ward not less
than 10000 beggars. We feed at the mission
not less than 10000 per day, according to the
report of the Superintendent. saw on Fri
day, in front of the Methodist mission, not less
than / 600 beggars.
Yesterday when I would step out a crowd
would Immediately surround me-sick, feeble,
aged, young, mothers with starving children in
their arms-ald cry aloud, 80, sir, pityl o for
Gods sake pity my starving child!" "Please,
sir, come and see me, and you will KNOW we
are starving" / 60 as much as is possible. o
how my soul sickens. Last Saturday | went
with a mother and six starving little ones to a
cellar, and gave bread 10 them. went toward
bed time TO another cellar, in which were Hthir-
teen starving. Just around the corner from lis,
in a room 10 by II feet, are three families (l6
persons) with no fire. no food. | went into an
attic in Cow Bay 10 see a poor afflicted widow.
and found four very small children, no fire, not
a rag of bedding, and those dear little innocent
ones had lived thirty hours on a piece of raU
cabbage head! wept, but could give no more
than kind words. | went up Pearl street, al d
found in a neat but poorly furnished room a
mother with seven small children all ~stsrving.
and not a coal with which TO make fire There
lay the mother with an infant but a few hours
old; as | entered the room the mother wept for
Joy; 80, sir" she cried, "we have done all we
could, but | had TO stop and lie down, and the
children cried for bread. Yesterday they came
around my bed and begged: last night they cried
for food-what could | do? | could only cry
and put my arm around them. 1 told them God
would send them bread Tomorrow, and they
cried themselves to sleep, but, sir, | could not
sleep. The morning came but no bread.o |
said dear woman, God has sent yoa bread" |
handed her 50, all | had, and that, too, which |
was going to send 10 my own family. / felt
that they would not suffer. When ] handed
her IN" money, her little daughter, ten years old,
threw her arms around me and kissed me and
cried for joy.
My dear brother, never have | been so over
whellned with a sense of the sinfulness of hoard
ing up wealth for the sake of personal aggran-
dizement. Our churches and citizens are at
work, and sending in every direction for help.
| cannot write more, for | must work. Will
your citizens and churches, sabbath schools
and musical associations, help us quickly, We
must have it soon, or many win perish and our
hearts sink. God bless you.
s In behalf of the outcast poor.
w. c. VAN METER.