The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-11

People get into the habit OF pawning, and In some
course the TACT that there are great many trades
mems teols IN pawn unredeemed, unquesuonaDly
indicates want OF employment. There Is no doubt
great amount OF destitutcn In this 1.-THE Thir-
Ieenth) ward, yet there are also plenty OF ldlers
who won't work great source OF evil Is the loan
Snd Where abe '1 paEsv pedgSa rs compeed to sign
bill OF sale, setting forth that the article upon
which money Is obtained Will be sold In thirty days
II not redeemed. Pawnbr0kers are required TO pay
q license and charge only Twenty-Five per cent per
annum. Another great cause OF poverty Is the
policy shops, which do considerable injury to the
poor. AS TO the present condition OF AFFAIRS here 1t
may be said that you can hardly Judge OF 1t BY the
business done in pawn ONCE, since the destitute
DO not possess those articles which broker
would think It worth his while TO accept"
subsequently entering some Of the smallest
twenty cents were given on pledges. the HERALD
reporter ascertained that In some localities the
ling. Hitherto those who had come regularly
every saturday might to redeem the articles
pawned the preceding Monday ceased calling
altoge ther-a TACT which showed plainly that such
customers were destitute. Said one broker, III
the gin mills were smut up there would be less
the matter" Altogether 1t was evident. from
the careful Inspection made yesterday,
that In both the Tenth aud Thirteenth wards destl-
tuition exists to an alarming extent. The pawn
Offices can offer 40 relief to those who have notn-
ing to deposit and what business is doing does not
everything. That something should be done, and
without delay, toward helping the un!ortunates,
there can be but one opinion. DETECTIVE Lyon OD-
served, at the end Of tour, that since the
gambling houses and policy shops in the Tenth
ward had been closed, there was noticeable lall-
ing OF in the number OF destitute people.
On the west side OF The metropolis the pawn.
brokers intimate that business Is good-a some
what serious confession, taking into account the
class OF people who seek relief through their nstru
mentality. Like smoking, the deposlting OF artl-
Giles for the loan OF money becomes habit for.
said o veteran broker to q HERALD reporter yester
, day, "We cannot complain; our customers are
about the same; but can tell you, sir, that the
increase or decrease OF our business would not be
a safe criterion BY which to judge OF any prevailing
destitutlOn. We see the same faces nearly every
week, the fact being simply that great many
people, bad managers in household affairs live
ahead OF their means" Upon making inquiries
In reference to the erect or the recent panic
1t was authoritatively stated that, while no actual
distress was noticeable among the class generally
regarded as swell t0-dO," the pawnbrokers' estab-
llshments on the west side were besieged. at
times by applicants for i0ans the deposits mostly
consisting OF sverware. The stringency in money
greatly affected the small st0rekeeperS with rents
owing and business at q standstill. favorable
reaction, however, has since taken place, and
those who now patronize the pawnbr0kers do the
same thing all the year round. But that there
exists great amount OF what Is known as "gen-
teel poverty" there can be no doubt. Indeed,
there is no class in the world who 30 much need
and merit the prompt attention OF the benevolent
as those who through motives OF honorable pride
disdain to make known their destitution.