The Portland daily press., 1870-11-24
,iT1lEl l,l2 l1SS.
Thafsday Morning, November 3d. 1870


s,s,p,u.tIc Charity.
Drake not INTO the bowels OF un"eicone
trntb to save a half penny" said sehia' a"-
thor who MANY wears ago wished TO reproVe
those cautious people that always make IL
nont TO become grand inquisitors whenever
moor little begear holds out her hand soliciting
charity. j his rebnke, though less pertinent
now when organized charity has become SO
strong, and so active is not 10 be altogether ig-
nored SO loT.g as there are still hundreds
whom the associations for the relief of desti-
tuition do not reach. Ii is not good, so long
as there are those who are somehow overlook
ed by benevolent societies; to make it an in
flexible rule, as many do, TO refuse all appeals
for help that do not come through the resu-
lar channels. Such a course will be entirely
proper when the work of beuevolence is so
systematized that the existence of any suffer-
ing for the necessaries and ordinary comforts
Of life becomes impossible If relief for the
poor could be given with unerring certainty
In the formal way we could then with quiet
conscience discourage peripatetic begging
But now we stoutly maintain that the little
girl with rather vicious eye and lip that
suggests weakness for CONNECTIONS, who
whiningly demands "a cent 10 buy LOAF OF
bread for her sick mother" is by no means 10 be
hummarily dsmissedon the ground that there
is conclusive presumption against her. The
chance that there may be a sicll.mother with
out a loaf of bread, even with the probability
that she is myth, is too appalling to permit
any Indifference.
To-day, when the kindly impulses of man.
kind are warmed into unusual vigor by the
cheerful festivities of the thanksgiving cele-
bration the poor will undoubtedly be we'll
supplied. To-day and ON those other holidays
that are shortly to come indulgence will be sa-
luted with haistorm of turkeys and plum
pudding. This bland summer of human love
is as warm and as swift in passing as our nat
nral summer in this latitude, which somebody
says is "a flash of lightning between two
snow-drifts." After the holidays the thick
veil thatdivides the happy from the wretched
and which for few days is lifted a little be-
fore the sad eyes of the latter, goes down
again for whole twelyemonth. There are
suffering and sorrow to relieve at other times
as well as near the winter solstice, and it
would be well if benevolence were a more
constant force and not so much the result OF
artificial stimulants applied once year. This
storm of choice viands and bon-bons in the
oidays might well be commuted for gentle
shower of less costly bepeiactons sustained
for longer period. tits good to remember
the poor once a year, but it is better to re-
member them every day.
We believe that civilization has now reach.
ed point where there is no necessity for &C
tual suffering on the part of any member O
the human family except from unavoidable o.
accidental causes. The prosperous portion oil
the race are quite willing TO relieve actual dis
tress, though they are not willing to render il
impossible by recognizing the principle Of
communism. Here in the one city OF Port
land there are no less than sixteen societies
whose aims are solely charitable, to say moth
ing of the lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows
and Good Templars and other temperance so
cieties that incidentally do an incalculablt
amount of benevolent work. Yet it cannot
be denied that here as elsewhere much suffer
ing goes unrelieged. The genius FOR practica
administration which our institutions have
developed in matters purely political has neye
been directed to the improvement of method
TOR giving succor to the poor. 1t is not so bat
- by any means here as in London where it il
said that at least fit y per cent. of the contri
buttons for charitable purposes goes to sup
port the cumbrous machinery fer their distri
button. But even here there is some chance
for Improvement. 1t is easier to say that tht
work is imperfect and the result unsatisfacto
~ than TO suggest anything better But it is
Dbyions that ali relief should be based upon
an adequate investigation of the merits oil
each case. In this way it would be possible
to avoid giving aid to unworthy applicants so
that the really destitute could receive amplet
assistance. In city each ward might dele
gate to few of its most benevolent citizens
the work of investigating the condition of all
the poor within its limits. These commits
sions, acting in subordination to some central
organization, would be of great service both
as the agents of an independent charitable
enterprise and as means of giving the 9TH
er benevolent societies accurate information
as to the persons who come properly within
the scope of their respective plans.