Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-12-16
sATURDKY...:..... pEeEMBER I
a soup-House for the Poor.

Editors journal:
Of The obligation 10 provide for, th
poor. the Christian portion Of the CON
munity are aware, and are constantly
in some way or other, making generou
efforts 10 that- direction. The sympa
thetic heart is always moved by distress
and thatmuch distress is not more readi
ly and more completely relieved, is oftel
owing to the fact that it does not pas
before the view of the sym pathy tha
would hHsren to its relief There is grea
wisdom, and the true philosopy O
all effective -hepevolence, contained il
the words of the Apostle: James, I, q
Pore religion and undefled befor,
God and the Father is this--to 0isit th,
fatherlsssand widoRsip their afaiction
and to keep himself unspotted from th,
world" BY coming into direct contac
wsitb- the SUFFERING. engendered by power,
", The heart is opened to deal with al
unsparing hand; thus effscting perma4
nels good, when, otherwise, pittanee
is doled ont to get rid Of an applicant
who may be an impos:or, or the contri-
button is not at all proportioned to the
necessities of the case, and does not &C
complfsh any permanent relief. And
also, under the last consideration, the
giver fails -of the spiritual good that a
personal observation of, and inquiry
into, cases of suffering must bring with
it in thankful heart, and sense of
the kind proDidenee of God, who has
thus lifted him above want, and made
him the almoper of His bounty and its
dispenser toaothers; SO making him a
recipient Of that blessing which the Lord
Jesns has declared to rest rather upon
the giver than the receiver. s1 e
The obligation to sympathizs with
the suffering consequent upon poverty,
and to relieve it, being recognized, ali
that IS necessary, then, is some system
7 of relief that shall be simple, and at the
] same time effective in its operations,
/ and that shall bring the classes blessed
: with abundance into such relation to-
ward the classes that are not thus bless
ssed, that their sympathies may be kept
u live, and the readiest means devised
~sor the comfort and sustenance of the
poorduring the Indictment seasons of
the winter and early spring. aa III
Such a system is herein proposed,
with the hope that il, or something of
similar nature, viii be Immediately un-
dertaken by TIE good people of this city
IL mustHbe done The suffering isgreat
already Il viii increase. With the
l present high rates Of living it is simply
impossible for the poor TO obtain snf-
ieiency OF food Gnd full and clothing to
keepsof starvation and cold, and their
dire results-disease and death. i. -
The system proposed, in it's main fea-s
lures, was tried one winter in Milwau.
kee, Wisconsin, and succeeded in ale
WAITING vast suffering. IL has also been
tried in several other of our prominent
cities with succesA IT CNrE1
1t is, thata Soup House be provided
in some convenient locality, to be under
the charge of Superintendent, and
suchF assistants as may be necessary,
who for reasonable compensation will
undertake the work. Lee. this be under
thef'control of a. Committee of ladies or
gentlemen, or both, representing the
different wards, or such portions Of the.
citglas may be determinedHn incl6dA
| ing. also, if deemed advisable, the
clergy of the different religious bodies
'@ To this Soup~House let families and
indigiduals contribute such things as
meat, vegetables, bread, &e.--anything
thatcan be made into soup, that will be
nourishing or that can be given away to
feed the hungry. Some families waste
enough of such things that are good, to
keep two or three persons the year
around. Such things can be used here.
ThenSlet the committee for the differ
ant sectioHb or localities, furnish with
tickets such persons or families as may
need assistance, that, three times or
twice day, or once, as their needs may
be, they can come here and take away
/ warm, well-preparad LAID nourishing
:. food to their homes
In addition to this, there might be
sent to4he Soup Rooms, for disposal by
the scommittee. or upon their order.
clothing, bedding, &C., which in many
cases could be. repaired and made over,
by PsrsonsaHus assisted, and made ser
vicabledf IL aB as3fI 81 Eoa4 n9Ua
s To start this, get a room, stoye, DC,
Mand pay superintendent and assistants
1 for two s1r thfea months, the wdteffis
satisfied that fifteen hundred, or at most
two thousand dollars, would be esuf6cient,
4 and he is also satisfied that if the at
tMfempt were made, the liberaiity and
HI Christianity of Evansville would be more
ehan up to The required standarda
In addition to the above, when in
Z operation, discountenance all street beg
wing, refuse to help any except through
Z this agency, referring them to the proper
III personE0l aG s@
The advantages of this or similar
system are many. In the first place, o
large number are made comfortable and
really assisted. Itis not giving them a
dollar to-day on which 60 live, with the
prospect of starvation to morrow IL is
giving them their daily bread, and re-
lieving them from apprehension with re-
gard to the future. 4At+t
In the second place, it removes the
temptation to crime and robbery, which
is frequently resorted, to by some father
who cannot see his family suffer.
IF be replied that the city or county
has made such provision that this need
not occur, the writer is aware that pro-
vision is made, and that the officers ar,
faithful as they can be, but stiil-all art
not relieved, and if relieved it is bu
temporarily, and accompanied with hi
initiation on the part of many so assist
ed, that they will almost choose dealt
in preference to making application t,
the authorities; vixen to- kind, sympa
thizing ladies, or others engaged in sucl
work from purely benevolent motives
they @ouid open their hearts and max
known their necessities.
In the third place, this can be done b
Christians, and as Christian work, ant
as such will have a moral effect upol
J. those aided by it. @s @9
In the fourth place, It is cheaper. an,
the means expended through such an OF
ganized agency go further, do NOR
good, and make more people comfort
! able, than the desnltory and inconsider
1 ate giving usually practiced. If tw
p thousand dollars seem large contribr
ton in money to such an object, NOR
than twice that amount will be give
before spring by the Christian-hearted c
this community, without a tithe of ath
real good that two thousand invested i
this way or some similar way would dC
And, in the last place, as a sanitsr
measure, such an effort could not bJ
be. attended with ths best results TIL
destitute go through the winter, battlin
with starvation and cold, and come ol
81 fTtsfs 3