The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-04-20
Chr Chilly Areas.
Independent IN Eoerythtaag.
CHARLOTTE cusHMAS ON CHARITY.
She Brings the Begging BUSINESS Down to
Its Bearings, 4f
From the New York Trihun,

From the New York Tribune
The dramatic critic OF n newspaper in a
|neighboring city recently wrote to Miss
Charlotte Cushman, asking her, without
much ceremony. to give gratuitous rep
resentation for the benefit of the poor of
that place, and requesting her answer by
telegraph yes or mo- To this sum
mons Miss Cushman sent the following
sensible and appropriate reply:
DEAR SIR: am in receipt of yours
of the LIST, in answer to which | find myself
under the necessity of saying no to your
request that | would give one OF the nights
| of my short engagement in Washington
for the benefit OF your local charities NV
reasons for this decision are as follows:
Il think the time has come in which
some one should make protest against
| the system now so fully inaugurated of
making artists pay so much more than the
rest of the community for charities in which
they are not specially interested, and which
have no claim upon them. You simply
ask of me that should give $4OO or $500
to your poor. while those more immeda-
tely concerned, those who are bound by all
the ties of neighborhood and common
brotherhood, think they are doing their
part in paying a quota OF dollar or two,
when they receive in return full equiva
rent in the labor, severe enough, of the
lofien harl pr ,ssed and struggling artist.
Each one of b sse already does to the best
ot his or her ability, within the range of
the claims which fall upon every human
creature alike.- You may think it indeli
cate, but it is surely not irrelevant, for me
to Say here that L every year give 10 my
poor and needy, and my poors poor and
needy, upward of s. 00o, which consider
a very fair percentage upon my income.
As for myself. it would take every day of
every year, If 1 were t. respond to one half
the applications OF this kind that meet me
at every tuln; aud each one of US who are
so freely called upon in these ways. have
no doubt, have not only their regular
clientele of claimants to whom they are
bound. and for whom they are accountable,
but also hosts OF such applications and
claims for which they a. in no way bound
1T strikes me that the whole affair is
ne sided, and that a word is necessary ia
the way Of jnstice | am willing to place
myself in this breach, and say for all my
contreres in art-whose errors have never
been on the side of niggardliness-th it
is unfair we should do all the work, and
pay also, both publicly and privately, as
we do to my certain knowledge.
ALLOW me to suggest that in place Of
this easy manner of doing good house to
house visitation for charitable objects
would place it within the power of every
citizen to help the poor of his own city and
neighborhood, with much greater comfort
to his conscience than this cent per cent
contract of so much money for so much
a uusement-and the pour thrown in. Be
lieve Inc TO be, with much consideration
respectfully yours,
CHARLOTTE CUsHMAN.'
J The Tribune says Of the above, editorial
y:
rhe letter of Miss Cushman, which W
publish in another place, is one whicl
= ought to have been written long ago, an,
which, nevertheless. no one who did no
Ipossess this great artists social and pro
J fessional standing would have dared t,
write She is strong enough in the fam
of long lifetime of lavish munifcence I
refuse to obey the requisition of self ap
/. pointed assessor of charities There
nothing more vulgar and thought
d less than the habitual practice {
p all sorts of committeeman calling upon al
TT fists to aid their work to an extent who'll
disproporti0ned to their means. Men c
: large fortune think themselves very genel
sr Gus in giving hundred dollars, but the
~ think nothing of asking for an evening
performance, for picture, or poem, G
ID "A sketch, which may represent a week {
labor, and consequent deficit at the en-
i OF the month, to the overworked arts
who furnishes it. All classes of artist
usually give to charity fully as much a
they can afford, and do it willingly an
y gladly. But we are glad to see that OF
, of the greatest of them, whose motive
cannot be misconstrued, has taken occ
sion to protest against the unjust demand
5 which are constantly made upon them