Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-11-22
For the spV.l
The City Aims HOuse,

Three years ago, as companion of world re-
nowned philanthropist, visited the aims house
of our city. Its dilapidated condition, its total
unftness for the health and comfort of its in
mates aroused her warmest indignation and
stung me with shame. Because of her visit the
appropriation then pending was speedily passed
for the erection of building that might do hon,
or to our benevolence, and stand monument of
ofour charity.
All who remember the inaugural address of the
mayor, believe we now have it. With this i'm
preston on Saturday last, with the sBme dstin-
guished parsonage, visited it, in the full expec
tation of proving our redemption, and of graft
flying my pride, by showing to her that the Heart
of the Commonwealth had well planned and
well ordered establishment, second to nome
Judge of my surprise when l tell you turned
away with more disgust end deeper humiliation
than before heard it compared with similar in
stitutions of all the kingdoms of Europe, save
Spain and Portugal and Sweden alone of them
all had one that was its equal.
Formerly there FEASIBILITY in our negli-
gence; now we have no excuse for the deplorable
condition Of our unfortunate poor We have
given freely for their relief, but we have chosen
men incompetent to act. We have given the dis
bursement of 1000 to officers without experi-
ence and without comprehension. Consequent
ly we have building miserable in arrangement,
and unadaptedt to the purposes for which it was
designed Yet this is secondary evil.
Having the building, we should make the best
fit, and seek the physical and spiritual well be-
| ing of its inmates by never allowing our suFra-
| ges to elevate men to office who will so abuse our
confidence, and peovert our purposes as to deyel-
| ope such state Of affairs as now exists.
OF the twenty-seyen occupants of our poor
house, but four are Americans, the balance for
egners, some convicts, some insane all making
one family, without any regard to neatness, so.
cal reinement3 morality or religion. Was our
appropriation made for prison? Did we build
the house for an insane hospital?
Did we mean that our unfortunate citizens, in
seeking an asylum here, should be forced to min
| gle with the wicked and unclean Though they
are guilty of no crime, they must have for their
associates, the outlaw and the convict, and the
wailmgs OF the insane, TO make their declining
| years more gloomy.
The whole moral is painful. There is no grace,
no peace to consecrate the household no trans.
forming spirit ever enters there no minister of
the Gospel ever cheers the lowly, or consoles the
death-bed with last benediction the teachings
Of Holy Writ are never heard-its familiar words
give no comfort, and rebuke sin, There, but
one text seems to be remembered "Let him
which is filthy, be filthy STILL" seems to stamp
every feature, and leave dropping sadness on
every cOuntenance.
"Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify
your hearts, ye double minded, +" is peculiarly APP
plicable to our municipal authorities for they
alone are responsible for this sorrow, this re-
proach ; with their Inauguration the food gates
OF lntemperance and de0auchery were thrown
open, and sin and iniquty have stalked forth in
our midst, wasting our energies, corrupting our
morals, and sending to our almshouse the impov-
erished and the criminal, robbing us of honor and
giving to our city no enviable reputation.
The year is closing, our ballots will soon be
called tor, " so let us redeem our banished hon
ors, and restore ourselves into the good thoughts
of the world again" L.