Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-01-26
THE DARK SIDE OF CITY LIFE.


The Number and Condition Of the Poor in
Cineinnati-Negleoted Ohildren-The Chill
dren's Home and its Work Among the
Poor-What the Country May Do for the
Poor Of the City.
To THE EDtcoR oP THE JOURNAL; cannot
doubt that many Of your readers will be deeply
interested in learning something Of the number
and circumstances Of the poor of this city. Gin
cnnati has very large class Of poor people
more, probably, than any other city in the
country in proportion to its population; certain
ly more, II we except New York. Duriug
residence Of nearly ten years in Chicago made
1t a constant habit tn observe the condition Of
the poor, aud since my sojourn in Cincinnati
have been particularly impressed with tho diff
ference between The number and circumstances
OF this class Of people in the two cities. Not
but that there nremany persons in Chicago whose
condition Is very miserable; wherever there are
three thousand liquor saloons 10 active opera
ton in the midst OF n population Of three hundred
thousand people, as in Chicago before the lire,
there is sure to be mach want, suffering, and
thesituaiou Of theltwo places has much to do with
the condition Of the poor, who cannot determine
for themselves how or where they will live, but
are obliged to take'up with such accOmmoda-
tions as they can find. In Chicago there
were very few tenemeut-hOuses, but the
greater part OF the poor were scattered WHOLLY
over the city in small houses, many Of them in
cottages of their own, erected at small ex-
pense, on leased grouud while in Cincinnati
nearly all the poor people are quartered In small
close rooms in some one Of the third, fourth, or
even 9th, stories or cellars OF our large lene.
mcnt-houses,
Chicago has infinite room to spread out in on
three sides, the street car placing Il cheap home
within the reach of all. Cincinnati is more
crcumscribed by natural barriers anil it Is thus
obliged to build more compactly and into the
air.
1t may not generally be known that Cnciu.
natl is more densly populated than any city IN
the country, the population here being about
thirlY Y-siE thousand tn the SQUARE mile. New
York is about thirty-tw thousand, white Ohica-
20, before the fire, cnuld not have exceeded bait
Ut that number, or only about sixteen thousand
to the square mile
There are in Cincinnati about fourteen hun
dred tsuemlnt houses, containing about sixteen
thousand roums, in which are dnmiciled ten
thousand families, aggregating between forty
and fifty thousand persons. There are between
four and five thousand families in this CITY oc-
cupying only one room each, and aggregating
from sixteen to twenty thousand persons. In a
few extreme cases, two and sometimes three
families are crowded into one small rn0m, and
there, as may be imagined, the degradation and
misery are utterly indescriblo'e,
Ii is impossible in such state Of things as
this, but that there should he great poverty and
suffering. No mere description can do justice
tn the wrctcheduess of these dwellings. They
must be experienced to be appreciated. There
is always in the growing cities of this country a
sort of border land between business anl resi-
d7nce property, which, owing tn the near en-
cr,achment of business, has become uudesira-
BILE as place of abode for the rich, and is not
vet required by the demands oG trade and is
n s-suunauflv snrraniAreh In the nf oil
classes This is particularly true oi Cincinnati.
The line is distinctly marked, and forms Il per-
feet moral slough, easily traceable as those
low, marshy streaks which are au eyesore and
annoyance to many farmers. Dwellings which
were once the homes Of the rich aud respecta
Bile, aud griced with all that taste and culture
could suggest to render them attractive, are now
the filthy abodes of theives aud harllts and re-.
sound with midnight orgies and drunken regelS
BY far the saddest feature Of the condition OF
the poor is the presence OF neglected children,
who fairly swarm everywhere.
Our late esteemed friend, Mr.. C. W. Starbuck,
who was SC prominently engaged in connection
with the Relief Union ot this city. says
"At enc tenement house | made an edirt 10
count the children at play in the yard, but after
reaching as high as 1875 | missed count, and
gave it up as too difficult task. 10 conversa-
tun with Que of the mothers, she said she
thought there were about 225 children belonging
to the premises"
To rescue and shelter some OF these the prac-
tlcal iberality of our age has established differ
ent institutions, prominent among which may
b. recknned The CHILDRPN's HOME, now located
at 80 West Third street.
This is chartered under the laws Of the State
Of Ohin, and is sesking to carry out those ben
Efficient provisions of the statute which look to-
ward the rescue and reformation Of children
| who would otherwise become subjects for the
| expensive and degrading discipline of our jails
| and the penitentiary, notwithstanding the nuOe
efforts of our Board of State Charities to rescue
| these institutions from their purely penal char
| acter, and give them more the Character OF ie-
have NJ suitable care takers, and adopts them a;
| its own, that they become thereafter the wards
| of The HONE. 1t does not look toward kee ping
| them together in the institution, however, fo
| any great length Of time but, acting on the be
lief that a home presided over by Christian
| woman is tue most natural and healthful cOndl
| tiOn in which child can be placed, they a
taken, as soon as practicable, to god country
homes, among Christian people. An agreemen
| is entered into between the officers OF ruE HON.
| and the persons receiving children quirinj
| that they shall be properly cared for in ever
way, body, mind aud spirit, and allowed, on at
| tainng their maj orty, such sum of moRey a
| the circumstances of the case may seem TO war
| rant, varying from one hundred and fifty 10 tw
hundred aud fifty dollars. The rules Of Til
HONE require that reports shall be received from
all children at least four times year, aud tha
every child shall be visited in its home at lras
ouce year; and its conditiun, care and progrCs
is thus noted aGd recorded.
Since the organization of the institution near
| ly one thousand children have been received
and nearly five hundred are now in good home
in the country the condition aud progress o
| whom is highly satisfactory and encouraging.
In the course Of the work for the children, tn
Managers Of the Home are brought in contac
with all class ~ of poor people, and their sympa
thies nre appealed 10 on every hand. Now
may be poor sick woman in need Of thin
u m Ike her comfortable. and again another VIII
IS able 10 make her work. but has un clothes
10 go ont in. not to speak OF enduring the incle
ment winter weather.
One 0i the most common nnt beneficial form
nf relief which they are able to grant is the dis
tribgtiou of secondhand clothing among de
serving poor. which is supplied by the generou
Contributions of the friends Of the Home, as in
deed are all The means Tor carrying on tie work
In the course at this work il has repeatedly bee
demonstrated to them that as they 90 forward
trusting in the Lord for means to carry it on
thsir wants will be supplied. As they give 5
they receive, and numer ius instances might b
cited which are at least quite remarkable, an
to them seem nsthing short of tokens OF Divin
approval.
At one time clothing was very much needle
fnT the children OF poor woman who had bee
brought to their notice. The Matr0n said, Nv
cannot give her any we are entirely out" Sli
had scarcely done speakug when the door be
rang and gentleman handed in bundle
childrens clothing containing the very arti Gle
needed.
Only few days since the lady visitor roun