New-York daily tribune., 1857-10-22

D0UtnEus queeuOn tbAI must DC uet lnofc u
20 tine to lore. Il is not over forty days before
the c. pmspct nest of .cod Wioter-s Winter u It
must prove to many thous., de in this city the most
ctee,less they have ever seen. Want of food aud
fripe viii not be felkby the idle, begging class 90
severely as by the honest, hard wOrkitg mechanics
-irdeed BY all who work for wisrs aud Sho have
betn thrown cut of employ ment or soon will be-.
What ale these people to dol Perhaps one-tenth
of tho number have very small fuod saved up, Il st
by rigid economy will exc ont existence till Spring
ard hope come again. Eus what will the oshers
do?
The lumber of people now in this city who have
been accustomed to a comfortable home and plenty
Of food fire snd clothing, who have no means 10
carry their families through the Winter without
work aud wages, is almost incOnceivable BY those
who have means, and fearful to contemplate by
those who must attribute to their support or see
them starve. But how shall that contribution be
made and applied The wolf is already a. tae
door, ard the sooner he is me: and driven way,
the better and easier il will be done. Wait till
Winters famine makes him gaunt and ravenou.,
that are doomed to suher need present aid. Not
that any yet are starving, but they are already
wasting their means. If you doubt it go " the
shops Of the pawn.brohers wa,ch who come
there, and what they offer to pledge, and above all,
look at the little price obsipei-for price i. is just
as much as though it was an actual sac sin e but
small portion Of the pledges will ever be redeemed
BY the owners.
Not less than million of dollars will be lost to
those who are driven to the necessity of pawning
their property to buy food within the next SIX
mcnths to ssy nothing of the fearful rate Of inter
est that all must pay for pawnbrokers' loans Tho
IT. gal rate is twenty-five Per cent per annum, no
more, for any ium for any time, under heavy pen
altes-fbat are never inflicted The law says the
pswLbroker shall charge only twentS five per cent,
but be charges three per cent month, and does it
openly. Iudeed, be much oftener takes fifty per
cent per aDDum than less, and not uufrequenty two
HUNDRED per cent. The law says the pawnbroker
shall sell the unredeemed pledges for the benefit of
the owner, at a fair public sale, after duly adver
tisipg what is to be sold, aud pay the sur
plus to the holder Of the ple3ss ticket. This
is pever done Just as soon as the year exp res,
the pswnbrOker claims all articles as his Own,
confiscating them without mercv, refusing to
allow the owrer TO re1eep THUS he often obtains
valuable articles at tthe Of thei cost. 1t is trae
he has no les right to refuse rede uptou as long
az the property remains unsOld; but what is legal
right to poor widow or sewing-gh, once in the
hands Of hJlocki Aud host wul inevitably fall
IN 10 such hands, for Of all classes of workers, the
largest proportion thrown out of employment by
the revul.ion are the sewing women. Many Of
these women will be driven to pawn every pie,e of
dress or other property not absolutely necessary;
sid it s fightful to contemplate the pittaoce they
will receive for the valuable articles thus parted
with forever. Yet maDy Of these poor creatures
will do it rather than make their distress known in
quarters whence relief might come.
Now, what can the charitable do for the relief Of
such class Of their felIow-creatures, without de-
basDg them The best thing that can be done is
TO give them work There is bat ons way that
those wanting work done can find those who have
been thrown out Of employment and are most in
need Of work, aud that is, to have central point
Of brip gipg them together. If some benevolent in
divduals will join in the expense Of opening an
Office, under the charge of some capable woman,
where every other one who could briug good cer-
tiicate from her late employer might come and
register her rame, and the Kind Of work she could
do it would enable any one 10 want Of such work
to give her employment BY merely sending note
through the penny post. Is net this f.a.ibls plan
# giving the very best Of relief What benevolent
ades will take the thing in CHARGE We n,ue
ne estsbli.bm bt that has lately discharged thre,
hundred faithful honest girs-sewing girls, Of good
bsracter-spd we doubt not The ma mes of three
thousand would be handed in within week after
,uch an Office WAS opened and advertised.
There is another plan OF real charity and Of
sexual benefit to the poor-betser than charity as
usually aiven-and yet it will cost nothing except
the use of capital. Let half dozen benevolent
persons unite together and establish mont de pits,
Ele that Of Paris. Instead of giving money to be
doed out in charity let every person who 10 willing
10 give. instead of bestowing dollar or two cut
rish. and without knowing what good it will do,
put sum of money into the hands Of these trustees
to be loaned out upon pledges Of dischuged work.
ere. who can be well recommended ss deserving and
who are likely to come to want without aid from
the charitable. Let these pledges be aie at fair
saluaton without interest, or at most only enough
TO pay Office expenses In this way substantial re-
lief can be given to many worthy families at no
other cost than the interest Of money advanced;
end million of dollars worth Of property can be
saved from a great maslsrom that already has
many poor wretch in its never-ending whir- 1t
need not be sneeripgly answered that this is simply