New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-19
BOSTON AND THE RELIEF COMMITTEES

BOSTON IND THE RELIEF COMMITTEES
An excited reporter telegraphing from Bos-
ton when the great fire was at its hight, fastened
to assure the world that while the palaces OF
New England commerce wero turning to dust
and ashes, fortunes vanishing in the flames,
and all the best parts of the city threatened
with instant destruction, the people of Boston
preserved their decOrum. Probably the writer
of this dispatch had no idea what fine touch
of character-painting was given in his rather
absurd statement The conventional Bostonian,
as he is drawn in the New-York papers, staid,
precise. self-cOntained, and thoroughly con-
WINGED that in Boston nothing can go much
out of the night course, fits admirably the
description of q people who retain their
decOrum while q cOnflagratiOn is devas-
tating their property and burning the
clothes of their backs. And in truth the
great fire of the 9th and 10th instant was
one of the best managed misfOrtunes known
to history. The disorder was wondo fully
slight The excitement was apparently less at
the scene of the fire than in New-YOrk and
Philadelphia; and while New-Yorkers were
running about in dismay, asking for the latest
telegams, the ruined Boston merchants were
holding dccorous meetings to plan new streets,
and relieve their suffering neighbors. 1t was
their pride to show that fire could not conquer
them, and that there was no misery in the
whole catalogue of human ills for which Bos-
ton was not fully prepared
Such courage and cOmposure, of course, are
admirable qualities. They have made much
of tho prosperity Of Boston heretofore, and
they are guarantees of her prosperity in the
d. ~hof1,o in,
particular they have not hurried her into a
serious mistake. DecOrum, it seems, forbids
her to accept the offers Of assistance which
are mado from all parts of the Union and
even from across the seas. The citizens are
reported to receive the prompt cOntribu-
tiOns of Chicago with mingled emotions
of gratitude and shame; the news that
Relief Committee from that city had instantly
started for Boston, with 100000, was received
with considerable amusement" and Mayor
CASTOR is blamed by the newspapers for not
declining with thanks the money which chan-
table people, who have not the distinction of
being BOstOnians, are kind enough to send for
the relief Of the destitute sewing-girls. There
is no suffering, say these excessively decOrous
citizens, which Boston cannot allay with her
own purse. Meanwhile, at the rooms of the
Relief Committee, "the call for clothing and
"bedding has been so great that it is impos
" sible to supply the demand" and the Ladies'
Committee, after giving money and food
to nearly thousand women, are still beset
with applicants for charity, to whose wants
they have not yet been able to attend. OF
course the world will not force its gifts upon
those who refuse TO receive them. But it is
understood, by everybody outside Of Boston,
that the privilege of aiding the destitute,
clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry,
is not restricted by State and city boundaries
it belongs to humanity. Nobody that we know
of has imagined Boston in the attitude of q
beggar, and nobody has proposed to give
penny to the city. But when $4,000 poor per-
sons in a single locality are suddenly thrown
out of employment, there must inevitably be
great penury for a while, and anybody who
has the means of relieving it has right to
do so. We are not told in the scriptures to
be charitable only to our next-doOr neighbOr
The citizens of Boston, who refuse outside
contributions for these unfortunate working
people, take upon themselves a serious re-
sponsibility, and we presume they will meet
it, 1t will be their fault, after this, if single
sufferer goes cold, or hungry, or homeless.
Their own gifts must be prompt and munif-
cent. But after they have raised all the
money they can have a good use for, the fact
will still remain that they have checked gen.
erous and ennobling impulses by their I'M
gracious repulse of very kind deed. Boston,
which knows so well how to give, does not
know how 70 receive.