The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-24
SPIRIT or TEE PRESS.
Editorial Opinions of tho Leading Journals
Upon Current TopI~s-COmpiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
HOMES FOR OUR SOLDIERS

we brleny noted on friday the praise
worthy move of the commissioners of Public
Charities whereby the east wing of the In
ebriate Asylum of Wards Island has been
made a permanent home for soldiers who, by
reason of wounds and infrmities, have be-
come inmates of various hospitals and aims
houses in and around the city. 1t is matter
of public congratulation that this step -laud-
able alike on patriotic and on charitable
grounds--has been taken; but the question
comes up, what the true system of charity is
for our poverty-stricken defenders, our
manned veterans who wander through the
streets of great cities showing the crutch or
the empty blue coat-sleeve badges of our
American nobility. Shall we open for them
local homes in every great city of the land,
like this of Wards Island? Or shall we gather
them into great "homes" under national
auspices, like those at Dayton, Milwaukee
and Augusta? Or again, shall we encourage
them to seek their bread at the street corners,
as SO many do, reaping no small sums from
the charity of the passers-by?
We already have the National Asylum"
for disabled volunteer soldiers-a most excel
lent and fourishing nstitutlon-supported in
good part by the pay struck off the accounts
of deserters and others by sentence of court
martial. and thus making the bad soldiers
support the good. This great institution
with its central asylum in Ohio, its eastern in
already been of great service to our crippled
volunteers. Congress, by the legislation
already spoken of, and also by provision for
furnishing some extra supplies from the COM
missary stores at very low price, has firmly
established it, Private benefcence has helped
the scheme, as, for one example, in the mag
nifcent gift of $1OO, 600 by the ladies of Mil
waukee to found the branch in that city.
Perhaps the day will come when this great
hnnavnlant do al 10
required for our brave volunteers, since their
number dwindles fast as time wears down
frames already exhausted by hard field SER
vice. Meanwhile, however, the asylum has
actually to go out into the highways and by
ways like the stewards at the marriage-feast,
and compel them to come in" Ex-soldiers,
poor and proud, are besought to remember
that this is "a home, not charity;" and even
with this kindly suggestion the vacant places
are but slowly taken.
The soldier shrinks with a natural repug-
nance from billeting himself in any institu-
ton, call it by what name you will. The
same thing was noted in Greenwich, where,
after years of benefcence and the expendi-
ture. of millions of money, until the very
name of the hospital became synonym of
grateful and patriotic recognition of service
in the countTy's cause, it was lately found
desirable to dismantle the great institution,
to diminish its corporate and collective chari-
ties, and to rely chiefly on its facilities for
distributing annuities to out-pensioners, or
people living beyond the bounds of the
buildings. Here, then, we get another great
principle to guide us in the matter-not only,
in the first place, to make these retreats for
manned veterans as much like homes and as
little like almshouses as possible, but also, in
the second place, to leave the destitute
soldiers, whenever practicable, among their
own friends, entering them on the charitable
lists, and dispensing the national or civic
bounty to them at their own fresides.
After all this, however, by far the largest
class remain unreached. These are the ex-
soldiers who through some distress of for
tune, and perhaps quite untitled for peace by
long service in the field, or destitute Of home
and friends, are not even in the way of ad-
mittance to the national asylums These
poor fellows, utterly wrecked and helpless,
find their way to the various pauper asylums
of great cities, and above all of New York.
They are not the spruce and martial young
fellows whose very appearance invites conf
dence and helping hand; they are the bat.
tered, broken-down hulks of war, who have
brought out of the long campaigns chiefly itt
residue of misfortunes. We praise the Wards
Island movement because of its abundant
charity to this class, whose wounds plead fol
them through the rags that may cover them
The Commissioners ordered, last November
that the volunteer soldiers, inmates of the
various hospitals and infrmaries under thei
charge, who had been honorably mustered
out by reason of wounds received or diseas
contracted in the line of duty, should ''b
provided with comfortable clothing differen
from that of inmates of the Almshouse, an,
that their diet be the same as that of the in
mates of the Incurable Hospital" To thi
generous provision has now been added ne,
quarters, where, in their army clothing, AM
with friendly association the ex-soldiers ma
know that honorable service for the Unio
will not go wholly unrewarded.
NEWS FROM FRIEND OF SPANISl
TYRANNY.
From the NJ Y. Sun.
Our Spanish Secretary of State now appea
to the public through the columns of th
World. That journal has always been a
enemy of Cuban liberty, and an ally of th
hired Spanish counsel, whose family relation
ship to the Secretary of State has lately bee
attended by circumstances so discreditable [
the Government and the people of the Unite
States. Accordingly, it is quite natural th
tho World should give much prominence
anything that the Secretary may desire to sa
I'm his own defense.
MIR. Fish states-he does not write und
his own name, but anonymously-thatth the
is now no war in Cuba ''of sufficient magn
tude to warrant the recognition of both pa
ties to it as belligerents." ''The insure
tion has at no period been thoroughly orgal
lied and powerful" ''The venture was r
GREETED by large body of wealthy and inf
sntial Cubans who have never given Il
movement enthusiastic aid. All of which
as truly Spanish as if it had proceeded direct