The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-03-11

months 70 90
-Four games Of billiards per week 80 90
Street car fare, 10 cents each day......... 80 50
o'ai'-..''.-....-..s s...---.--.-....-...SJ sou 40
He gets into society" Society
demands a dress suit, which costs
1928, and society demands that
when he attends party or dinner
that he put on white neck-ties, and
light kid gloves, at $3.50 per pair.
And society, inexorable mistress that
she is, demands that he shall take
Araminta to the opera once in a
while, which means gloves, neck-ties,
boquets aud carriages, which, with
seats at $i.00 each, means $50 for
the nights amusement. And 50 Au-
gustus discovers at the end of the
year that his $4,000 are all gone, that
he has overdrawn $500 or 81 ,000, and
he commences peculiation or specula-
tions-the same thing SO far as re-
suits go-and Augusta drinks to
drown his trouble, and finally he
lands in the Tombs and comes out Il
poor, miserable wretch. This is
what happens to a great many Au-
gustas. Society is what does it for
them.
DISTRESS
The distress among the sick unem-
ployed people in New York at this
time is terrible. Much has been
done by the charitable to relieve it,
but not one dollar has been given
where ten should be. Young James
Gorden Bennett, Of the Herald, estab-
lished soup houses to the extent of
$50, and others have done the
same thing, which is good as far as it
goes, but it does not go far enough.
The people who can come 20 the
soup houses can, generally, get on
without it, for they are able to do
something. But the worst cases are
known only in the houses where
they live. Many prefer starvation
to beggcry, and shrink from allowing
their distress to be made public.
4 case of this character was
brought to my attention yesterday
by child who was begging for mon
ey with which to purchase food and
fuel. In reply to questions he said
that his mother had just been confin-
ed; that his father had been out Of
work since autumn, and that he was
dying for the food he was too proud
to beg. accompanied him to the
house in Canal street, where the fam
ily lived. The house was small, but
was occupied by number of fami-
lies. The boy led the way up a
flight of rickety stairs, which threat
ened to give way at every step.
The room presented the appearance of
the utmost squalor aud poverty.
Every article of furniture which
could be sold had been parted with,
and nothing remained but bed, a
table, and two chairs with broken
backs. Upon the bed lay woman
whose face told the sad story of dis
ease and hunger. The child, which
was but three days old, was at the
point of death. The husband-father
sat with his face between his hands,
and seemed entirely unconscious that
any one was in the room The boy
said that be had been too sick to
wOrk-that he had had for week
just strength enough to drag himself
out to beg, but that for two days
past he had obtained nothing. The
attention of charitable persons was
called to the case, and measures
were taken to provide for the needs
of the starving family, and medical
attendance was secured for the moth
er, whose child was too far gone
with starvation to be saved.
There are thousands upon thou
sands of such cases in the city.
There is work enough for the strong
and healthy to live upon, but not
enough for them to help the unfor-
tunate, of whom they alone know
Thank Heaven tbs spring is near at
hand