Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-26
Letter from Boston.
COnditIOn of the City-MethOds of Relief
Work the Park-street Vestry-COndi-
ton of Working GirIs-SmaII POx-SnIe
fthe COIiseum-The Old south.
[FRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT

and hundreds of spectators still wander over
them; but most of the streets are open to travel;
| horse-cars make their regular trips; shops are
| filled with goods and customers; the burnt-out
firms are established in new quarters; the streets
were never more crowded with well-dressed men
and women engaged in shopping and other bust
ness. The theatres and lectures were interrupt
ed not by the fire itself, but by the shutting off
of gas from the whole city, which left them in
darkness for two evenings, and obliged them to
omit two performances. On the third evening
entertainments were all resumed to good
houses, and for the last week audiences have
been as large and as interested as ever.
First among the matters of public interest are
the Encouragement of streets, and the best mate
rial and style for rebuilding; and the newspa-
pers are full of information and suggestions in
regard to all the details of architecture. Next
in interest is the whole question of relief, which
is a very difficult one to settle If all the needy
in Boston were TO be helped, and friendly cities
sent in contributions for that purpose, the work
would be perfectly simple, although it would
take time As it is, the COMPLICATIONS are end
less. Let us look at it not sentimentally, but in
its practical aspect. Sentimental theories are
easy to form and pleasant to state; but they are
bad basis for extensive public work There is al.
ways avast amount ofpoverty here caused by low
wages, high board eXtravagant dressing, sick
ness, ignorance, shiftlessness and vice. The usual
chances of business slack work ,incapacty, single
failures, small fires and so on, throw numbers of
persons out of employment every week. There
is always certain percentage of the population
in pursuit of work. But with all these the relief
committee have nothing to do. They are organ
lied and receive money for the express purpose of
aiding the sufferers by the great fire. and in the
case of the ladies' relief committee established
at Park street yestry, of aiding working women
who suffered by the fire. | can find no exact
statement of the number of women thrown out
of employment, but it is estimated at about
10000. OF these probably one half are already at
work, or will be in few days, for their former
employers. Many had homes or had something
saved, and took this time for vacation. In some
cases vacation would have been given at any
rate, in order to take account of stock. Others
have established relations with the numerous
Christian associations and churches of the city,
| and receive from there personal friends and ac
| quaintances the help they need. All this still
leaves large surplus to be cared for by
| special and temporary committee for help. At
| Park street vestry more than 1900 applications
have been made; and there come the hard work
on one side, and often wounded feelings on the
other. And wounded feelings cannot be avoided
for this reason. Whenever any place is opened
which promises assistance to any class of per-
sons, no matter how definite the statement or
| how clear the limits of the class to be helped,
| professional beggars, cheats, and forlorn crea-
| lures of all kinds rush there, clamor for help,
tell pathetic stories without word of truth in
them, and are aggressive in their imaginary
claims and Immediate need" The invariable
appearance of numerous representatives of
| classes vino have no claim on this special com
mittee oblges the committee to investigate every
| application that is made. They do not want to;
| it is not pleasant work for them; they would be
| glad to be sure that every applicant told the
truth, and to help her on the spot. But that
would be not only reckless but dishonest; the
money given is given for sufferers by the fire
and none others, and the good and honest
women who apply must submit to the annoy
not so hard for them as for the visitors who in
vestigate. And here ! want to say a word
about the ladies' committee and their
assistants. ! do not belong to the
! committee; most of them are stran-
gers to me; but for a week l have watched
their arduous work, from the receiving
| of applications through the investigation, TIL
the aid was given and the whole story carefully
| registered; and have seen on their part, moth
ing but kindness, patience and perfect courtesy,
desire to hear and to help to the utmost For
two weeks the committee have worked from nine
in the morning till six in the afternoon, and
often have given their evenings to the same
work at home. They have visited in the most
wretched and dirty lanes and alleys of the city
They have endured fatigue and faced Testilence
in the discharge of their self imposed duty
The duty has proved anything but play, but no
one OF them has shiTked for one hour. All my
life long have had abundant reason to rever-
ence, admire and love women, but the work of
the committee in Park street yestry has increased
my reverence and admiration.
Among the applicants for help many only
needed money TO pay their board or rent for the
one or two weeks they were out of work. Others
had lost clothing, were permanently out of
work, and desired all that could be given to
them. There were some cases of heroic work
and character on the part of young girls; and
some of pathetic sorrow, labor and misfortune.
The fire brought to light hidden jewels as well
as wrecks and rubbish. 1t brought to light also
alarming impr0yidence; an immense amount Of
hand-to'mouth living with utter disregard of the
future; a terrible amount of evidence as TO the
narrow margin between wages and board, and
outrageously high rents. A very large number
Of charwomen or ScruObers were thrown out of
employment by the destruction of the buildings
which they used TO clean. They earn FROM two
to four dollars week; and most of them have
large families which they help to support. They
probably had washing and scrubbing to do in
other places; are getting their work back by de.
greeS' from their former employers and their
small Dut pressing wants were easily supplied,
| AT the charity bureau on Chardon street. as.
sistance has been given to men who lost work,
or were burnt out, and larger sums have been
required to supply the absolute need of
applicants there. The committee have dis
tributed about $4,000; the committee at
Park street much less than that. The relief
fund is not yet exhausted and fresh donations
arc daily received. While Chicago offers $780,
900, with these pathetic words: We want this
money; we can use it here, but we can spare it
for little while IL you need it and, perhaps,
trust to the future" there are still in Boston
$4,000 of the fund raised for the reliefof Chica.
go last year, which was nos called for there.
We hold $4,000 for the benefit OF their sufferers,
while they offer 100000 for the benefit of ours
rms seems remarkable interchange of cour.
tesies 1t is impossible 10 say how much longer
help WIN be required or given, bat the general
leeling is that money should not be accented
from other cities until we are in worse con.
dltlon Than we are now. Macullar, Williams &
Parker are praised everywhere for their noble