New-York daily tribune., 1862-05-06
The Board adjourned TO Tbursday. the 18Th.
THE NE V-YORK LADIES EDUCA
IIONAL UNION

Inc society WHICH DcdTb SOONe hhlhc nos wv"
recently assailed as specimen OF certain confidence
corrorations whore real object is to swindle the
public OH the false prereuse of bene roence.
The anguish occasoned by unjust accusations and
warnings to the community over ambiguous sigma
tures is not wholly aayed by the assurance that
others have suffered in the same way; that the lis
tory Of benevolent ,foit is one Of opposition; ta'
some persons are conscientious in opposing new
effort; that in this way real injury n done, ihns
much an time will bring that reributon when Is
found most richly i'll success accomplished IN the lace
of persecution, or even in the ragnsnmouf assnf'
ance that if the enterprise thall mccessfny outhVe
the storm of opposition, and show itself nvalnera
bic to all attacks then when every effort to put IT
down has f,iled, and the tendency Of popular favor
is unmstakably in that direction, it shall receive
favorable notice from IT'D present opposers. Justice
demands that public mifsaiements should be pub
! licly corrected.
The New-YoYk Ladies Educational Union is an
incorporated society. Its Object If 10 furnish to such
children of deceased disabled soldiers, as would
otherwise be left homeless AMI unprotected, the ad
vantages of well-regulaed home, with proper
facilities for mental moral and physical culture and
the knowledge Of some useful and remunerativc en-
ployment; aso to furnish employment, 20 far as IN
its rover TO the WIDOWS Of soldiers with young
children in need of assistance.
The inquiries will naturally arise Does the pres
ent emergency call for euch al institution Are not
the children Of the soldier sufficiently provided for
by the existing public charities or by our public
schools And by the Government in the bestow-
ment Of pensions Is it desirable 10 provide for tie
children of the soldier than for other poor chill
dren VIII not the benevolence Of private inti-
viduals be adequate to the demand May we no,
leave them TO future provisions by the State
To meet these inquiries with the cGndor they de-
serve, let us note ain iacts.
We have mn army Of about 10000 men. The
estimates of the Sanitary Commission give Gn annual
mortality Of about per cent Of Ihose nen from sick
ness alone. In the Mexican the lose in battle
was about one-eghth that from sickness.
Taking that as The ratio in tie pTesen; war, and we
have:
Annual mortality by sictne.s..............J7 90
Annual mortality IN ba,,le.................. '@7
Tot.............................
This is perhaps the lowest estimate ever made for
an army in like circumstances, and is 'hc suppo-
silion tha. sweeping eIidcmicr he esclped. The
mortality in European armies has RANGED from ten To-
thirty per cent, snd in many instances much higher.
In the British army in the Crimea tie annual NOR
tality was twenty er cent by disease AID three per
cent by wounds. Should our army be Obliged TO
spend the approaching bot in Southern comf-,
the ratio of mortality from disease viii probably cx
ceed that in the Crim,e, Lille from toe experience
of the last few weeks and the immediate prospect
before us that from the battle field will be rGuch
greater. That ratio would give:
Annual ~ oT;sliy from uifelse. ............l51ND
Killed IA Saiiie........-. NV
Total annual nortal,ty
Assuming the very low ratio Of only one married
man ia ten among our soldiers, an allow but two
children to each family and we have according to
the first estmate:
Humber Of farDilie. annually orphaned....... t7ia
Number Of children made ielhcricss... tfo
According to tie second estimate:
Number Of families annually orphaIed.... ....l72o0
Number of children made !gthsTcss..... 100
Add to these estimstes the number who will re-
turn unable to provide for their families in conse-
ouencs Of wounds at a low estimated, twice II,
many as thofe killed in battle, and at least equal
number broken down with disease from hardship
and exposure, and we have according 10 the fret
estmae as above. II 1886; and according TO tie sec-
ond estimate, 81, ,ii0 children OF soldiers annually
orphaned or impoverished by the war. Ii does no:
need 10 be proved that taking the lowest possible es
innate sucn aggregate OF orphsnage ANA desiitu-
ton must arise az will demand new and unprece-
dentod efforts Of benevolencc.
! If we admit, for arguments sake tha. long
established nstuons Of charity ad pied TO this
new want the fact ftares us in the face that they
utterly inadequate. In consequence Of the derange-
ment Of business ordinary pauperism has greatly IN
/ =. al. c,,up,eVcod Tine of
Secretary Ballard shows that the number Of poor
supported wholly or in part by the State Of New
York wac more than 80 900 Greater last year than
during the year before, while the amount dispensed
in temporary relief has diminished $5f ,00O showing
that timely AID has not been rendered. The number
Of Iauper children in the almslouses in the State
was more than nix times great in 1861 IA in 1897.
Whatever provision Government may make for II
seems that none has yet been made Tor widows and
orphans by way Of pensions, the number OF children
rendered destitute, homeless, and friendlese, by thia
war, will be very great. They cannot he left 20 the
spontaneous patriotism Of individuals. The plea
that father has been kaied IN he war will become
the common capital of beegars--not less with the
street vagrant who may may not have an acknow-
ledged father than with the real soldiers orphan.
Nothing but all institution of character and re-
sources can be the channel Of such benevoence
The public schools no more adapted tc the de-
mands of such charity than TO the wants OF the
street children" who never see the inside OF n
schoohouse, and whose number, according to
statistics recently published, ratges from 10000 to
90 ,OOO, in the City Of Ncw-YoTk Alone number
more than sufficient TO crowd all our benevolent
and charitable institutions could they be devoted to
fheir exclusive Use.