The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-10
Charities In France.

Charities In France.
We observe in the French journals the re-
port Of meeting of the members of the Paris
press, which was held at the Palace Of the
Elysee under the presidency of the Duchess OF
Magenta, the wife of the President of the
French Republic. All the chief editors OF
the Paris press were in attendance. The wife
of the President made on address, in which
she pictured the misery which winter had
brought upon Paris and the extreme sufferings
of the poor. So widespread had this suffering
become that nothing but the most urgent
measures would prevent the starvation of
thousands. Already food for ten thousand
persons daily was distributed. but the
numbers of the needy had risen to
thirty-fve thousand. To provide for this in
creased demand until May / it was necessary
to raise forty thousand dollars. What the
Duchess proposed was the establishment of
cheap cooking establishments in the poorest
sections of Paris, like our New York system
of soup Kitchens She earnestly requested the
editors present to appeal to the public for sub
scriptions to that end To this assent was
given, tHu tue JouTudllstS pISScuo uSIeeu w
open subscription lists at once.
There are some points that may occur to
our readers in connection with this meeting.
When a calamity Threatened Paris, as it
threatened New York, all journalists without
distinction of party-and this too, in
country where such distinctions are
strongly marked-came together to con-
suit for the common good. The first
lady in France was willing to preside
over their deliberations. What the Ouch
ess proposed was precisely what was proposed
in New York, when the poor of our city
suffering-namely, that food should be
at once provided We have no doubt there
are wise men in France who would
have fastened to say to the Duchess that
nothing could be more improper, ill-timed
and calculated to encourage idleness and
pauperism than furnishing soup and bread
and meat to thousands Of worthy and suffering
people. But it was most certainly felt by all
that the important point was to prevent
French men, women and children from starv-
ing, and that nothing could be more cruel
than to discuss theories while fellow beings
were crying for bread. Nor did any journal
list propose that the money thus to be collected
for the poor should be paid out in 'salaries"
to some French Brace or Barnard.
Nothing, strange to say, was said about
stsalaries," and when Brace and Barnard
read these proceedings their contempt for the
Of oh
journalists will be unbounded. In fact, the
more we think of the meeting the more keenly
we regret that our beloved Brace, who occa-
sionally spends part Of his SALARY in visits
to Europe, did not on this occasion find him
self in Paris. With what zeal and precipi-
tate promptitude he could have visited the
Elysee! With what energy and eloquence he
would have denounced the proposals Of the
Duchess of Magenta and the senile journalists
who surrounded her With what triumph he
would have demonstrated that, instead of rails
ing forty thousand dollars for soup, the true
way would be to raise twice as much for ''sal-
ary," and that one salaried Brace would be
more useful as a charitable influence in Paris
than thirty thousand poor laborers over their
soup and wine.
At the risk of again offending Mr.. Brace
and his brother Barnard, who are, as we have
had occasion to remark, among the most ex-
pensive paupers Of the age, we honor the
Duchess of Magenta and our brethren of the
Paris press for their prompt humanity in pro-
viding means for the relief of the poor. This
gathering of journalists to assist in the work;
this sinking of all political and personal diff
culties to sustain the first lady in the State
in her humane purposes; this direct and prac-
tical method of dealing with the threatened
calamity-all Of this earnest sef-denying
union Of labor and sympathy is very beautiful.
We commend the example to friends at home.
The Murder OF MIR. Jones Mt South
Oyster Bay.