New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-07
CHARITY,S WISE ALMONERS.


or THE DISTRESS OF THE POOR
The relief of the actual restitution III large
cities requires great expenditure Of time ana money'"uu
ia attended with difficulties which only those VINO nave
devoted their lives TO the work sulciehty aPpioi"'
NewYork IA no exception 10 the general RUE IN TINS Ie
spect but on the contrary has passed through III tue "a
poiiences and suffered all the reverses that ha.o III "
attended efforts this direction In the carry
wears Of the city, when the population was sma anu e
suppy OF laborers not largely in excess OF the ueanu
was comparaiivclya easy task TO learn he
d ,eve the snferngs Of tho few dependents through
the operatons OF individual charities ana without any
ingeniously contrived system with the rapid growth
~ the CITY however. IL was not enough
that d,snicrested benevoence alone should be exer-
eised Thousands were collecting here from every
quarter of the globe who had no friends no trade, no
money no claims upon the good offices of private citi
zens The miserieS arising from drunkenness and crime
gradually increased. and society menaced with
dangers which were easily removed. The years OF
financial disturbance were accompanied with much
physical distress. and finally numerous ORGANIZATIONS
were formed each devoted 10 particular class Of
poor These were followed by attempts at more sys-
temato and general charity from which have sprung
the efficient societies IN operation. What they
called upon the present Winter and how well they
accomplish the work. the following facts will serve 10
explain:
The amount OF restitution now" said gentleman
who,for forty years familiar with the!povery
OF New York sis greater than have before known
IT," This statement is fully substantated by the est-
mony OF many others. In 1857, when the crops had
failed for two years, and specie payments were sus-
pended demands OF the poorer classes upon puDhc
charity made earlier than this year. Dut were hot
so great and far this Winter the applicants Tor aid
have been from onehaf TO twOhrds greater than for
the same length OF time since 1857 That year to DO
sure, there more bosterous demonstration
the fence around TOmpknssQuare was taken down and
carried away for fuel bread wagons were stopped IN
the street and there frequent rOtings the straits
70 which the woringmen had been driven by the panic
OF 1854 from which they had not yet recovered drove
them to desperation and nothing too vio.ent for
them: but il is doubtful II the number OF men
and out of employment. or the number
families absolutely dependent was 40 great in proper
ton TO the population at present Nevertheless there
was doubtless greater degree of actual suffering then
than now. Vast amounts of money we're expended with
little discrimination charity dispensed to every
vagrant, aud 1t common notion that so long as
money and food given out, 1t mattered little to
whom or in what quantities. BY this means many
really deserving neglected. while premium
was placed upon Incidence and drunkenness Since
then society has learned better methods of providing for
the door the good effects OF which beginning to be
seen. There IL still danger, however, Of many people
who are easily moved by OF distress, and think
they their duty only by giving to every unwashed
and unclothed vagrant who to their door wasting
money which really needed by those who know just
where 10 put il. There IL limit TO the number Of
street beggars On a single morning recently, for in
stance twenty beggars called at door on Fifh-aye.
The knd-hearted lady gave them money or
food, actuated by the principle that 1t is bet
ter to he deceived twenty times than TO
wrong one sufferer suchI charity harms ImoreIthan It
aids the poor In 1885 much Of the public charity took
similar shape In many wards OF the city soup kitchens
were opened the!Deneh of the poor and while they
blessing to many deserving ones
they bore fruit in the increase OF ideness and
of fha ufnlp Of fami lies re-
eyed nv the Association for Improving the Condition of
tho Poor in 1855 over 1854 IN the wards where there
we're soup kitchens TOPPER cent above the increase
where there were and the increased expenditure
was over 200 per in the 1.-THE other The
direct aud immediate effect of the kitchens was to de
base tue poor No series of facts could demonstrate
more clearly the wrong OF indiscriminate charity.
The various relief societies fluid II uext TO impossible
20 avoid becoming victims of mpOsure, as 1t appears
IA such varied shapes. One society for example, re-
Gently found that pasterer who had been drawing aid
Tor few weeks offered 50 day for his work but
refused it, preferring live charity rather than
work for than 81 per day His name was OF course
struck from the list woman applied for help, repre-
sentng herself be in the most distressing cFcun-
stances several children her hands, her husband sick
and nothing in the house TO eat or to burn visitor
,alled found the drunk but in no distress, her
husband beng blacksmith. learning s. per day. until
informed by the visitor he knew nothing OF his wies
oretenses Another that of young man OF
cesnectable appearance and dress who called at the
house Of an officer Of the societies. his
told his history SAID that he had had nothing to eat
for two DAYS; wanted S. which he said he could IN
vest IN such way himself right; he got g. de-
rined warm dinner and departed only 10 call at the
centeman's Office day or two later with his spectaees
remoyed name changed aud with enlarged ideas of So
cety's obligations to him He had gone the length OF
ms rome however. aud advised to leave the prem
ises. II there 10000 of this kind OF beggars In the
city as there believed to be, they have no friendly
feelings for benevolent societies. and WILL II they
ran msrepresent them. Their stories should be eau
tousy listened 70 and received with much allowance.
There are also many OF the honest poor overcome by
tho hardships they have experienced who regard soc
ETY. "A responsible their misfortunes and arc only
too glad TO relate their struggles They are SID Stories
at the best but the that for years have
been reheased Twenty more OF these cases OF suffer
ing were narrated byone OF the Sunday publications
rsntly TheI famiIieswere represe to be without
and and in frlghtful condition but 1T afterward
found that Il these famesiwere drawing weekly aid
from q single society 1t hardly be expected that
there should be any less deceit among the poor than
among the better classes There doubtless hundreds
OF the worthy poor who might safely receive more aid
than Is already rendered them, but !the theory upon
which the relief societies work is that the poor should
receive enough 20 prevent suffering but not enough 10
encourage idleness.
To attempt 10 estimate with any degree of accuracy
the number OF persons In YorkIwho have no means
OF subsistence except charity at the present time,
would he a hopeless task. Thousands OF families are
privately aided by friends ladies' sewing circles or
church. societies that would otherwise be compelled to
ask lodgings ana food in more public institutions
of its own poor. and the demands upon of them
have been ACKNOWLEDGEMENT within the past month
Then too nearly all the institutions devoted 70 any
kiud OF bcnevoence render less assistance 70
the outside poor that under their immediate no
Very known