New-York tribune., 1874-11-21

grew more and more bitter. until In the
middle OF Winter the community was brought
face to face with the most extraordinary and wide
spread suffering. requiring immediate relief. Through
the agency OF charitable institutions,
which were represented In every ward Of the city by
competent and Trustworthy visitors 1t was estimated
that fully 100000 persons out OF employment The
larger portion Of these also without means anu
this class included thousands Of clerks and statesmen
who had been thrown out OF situations by the
prostration Of general trade. To meet this unusual
destituuon. there nothing to be done but
to create large funds, extend the operations OF
existing charitable institutions and establish
new ones, employ new as well as old methods
and increase. In every possible way individual efforts
All Of these things were done. The appeals OF prom
nent charities eagerly responded TO. and thelr
treasures received double aud triple their customary
amounts temporary organic atoms. such as ward com
mttees, the Howard Relief soup houses ana countess
oS Snd seG OF and
business introduced for the nrst time 10 ne
wrechedness and degradation of the city through their
desire TO do what they could relieving distress There
great public anxiety. ana so many were tne t1oIlcS
Of suffering that some OF the IN more eGnssrsa S,saa
proved OF the indscrminate giving OF the uses
permit of sentiment to check regulate
the almost universal impulse to give freely; so ,ou
the rags with broken sick babies. blind
eyes and whatnOt, but live in luxury, with respectable
bank accounts drawers full Of bonds This despicaoe
class numbers. 1t is believed, upwards OF 3Oooo anu,
when reinforced by outside members OF their
through the magnetism of the soup-houses. the
number rsss far above that figure. For any spbtan-
qurements these vagabonds were obliged to depend
very largely upon the sympathes OF individuals. me
societies with hardly an exception shook them on at
the outset like the vermn they are and used every pos
sibe appliance TO prevent their receiving assistance in
ems and lodgings police stations but for such
people there little attraction in either of these and
neither pride m0desty prevented these appealing TO
uptown mansions which mad acquired good reputa-
lions among them for generosity and o.o little tie
life they follow they choose to make 1t as agreeable as
Jelly the kitchens courts Of their wealthy patrons
and well furnished parlors at their own retreats Iney
generously leave the soupurns and loathsome station
lodgings 10 those who actually needy but VINO retain
something OF native sensltiveness The countless Incl
who know or ought to know well enough that they are
the constant victims OF mposture are directed Dv their
feeling instead of their Judgment. The societies unite
in declaring that such unwse doorway charity Is doing
more than any other element TO increase the Vagrab
class in the population and prejudice the interests OF
the deserving poor.
Many of the established organizations look upon the
souphOuse system with equal repugDance and as rad-
oay wrong their tendencies and results There
"a Kitchens in operation during the latter part OF the
Winter and in the Spring and fully 5000 persons re-
ceived soup rations daily. Not few, however, regard
these as public necessity adapted to the demands OF
last Winter when the organic ID agencies OF the pubic
were taken by surprise aud equal to the
sion, but as wholly out OF place for the fu-
and facilities Of the foremost charities have attained.
the true philosophy OF kitchens may be-
Il
the enforcement the worst regulations OF tho labor
unions Instances abounded where union men who had
large families to support and were without dollar, or
an unnecessary piece OF property upon which TO raise
dollar offered reasonable prices for their labor but
refused work unless they could get the exact gures
which their union had dictated This fact perhaps,
any other demonstration IN years. pe)udced
the general public against the unions ana deprived
union men in rags and misery of all sympathy The
responsible societies regarded such men as on level
with professional begGars. -
Many Charitable societies severely criticised last
Winter have been siuce for joining tue general cry
Aaat, ,tntfn hat rye
their eagerness to furnish abundant relief they were
accused of aiding to produce panic on the ed subject o
cases their motives questioned some OF the prom
pS,s best tilted ' aSd se to
the poverty in their vicinity 1t was claimed mat
boPhood But most Of the societies oppose this
that the churches are notorionsy deficient
one of the pastors for example, who adopted publicly
the view above mentioned potwitbstandng TINS as
TO the OF of the relief societies asking
that certain members OF n De
prove the falsty OF such position was
4s' in Of SIGHT Of asS n%H Which o6R
in the discussion family OF nine or ten children, for
without fuel or food and with nothing but single strips
Of cloth to cover their nakedness. single facts ike
distress nothing short thorough system of
visitation and expenditure can properly 1o meet
ment. There are organizations enough, aud
more than enough to n N tie sa ss hs
cbief mart of the work Including in their systems the
entire city s % order T o h WORK 6o
oughly Could the large amount OF food and money
which dispensed at the doors OF private resi-
dences and more than half of which thought to to
professional beggars be turned Into the treasures OF
the organized charities. problem which staggered so
many last year and is not likely TO obtain complete
solution this year, would be easily solved. -,
The Bureau OF Charities organized last year with very
worthy aims was In any sense a dispenser OF
charities object briefly stated TO facilitate the
various benevolent societies Of the city,
and 10 acquaint the public with the manner in which
their contributions were expended Toreach this end
regarding its objects and the regis
traou the persons receiving aid from the societies.
wsn tain the ex exact value Of existing organisations
to the general work. The cooperation OF all
work of the Bureau OF real value. This was unfor-
tunaely not obtained Most Of the relief societies were
skeptca and did not expect fruitful results from ITS
efforts and some were unwilling or neglected TO furnish
the desired information About Go names OF the ben.
ecares OF societies were obtained but as TINS was ar
from complete list IL is comparatively OF little mpor
tance Many of the societies which furnished these
which stem even II complete at the outset would
be Of little ie iSs na lane bas SesD o. s
sufficiently TO prove that such system can be advan-
Se secured One Of the prominent effects Of this system
registration expected to be found in preventing
others The Bureau was stouty opposed by many
societies. because II aimed at this since no society was
able Winters to give all the aid that poor and
sIck families needed, and the agents Of society,"
after doing what they could, have been accustomed TO
refer them TO other ORGANIZATIONS IOr lurter
The Bureau. IN its recent report, pointed out as
an Of the value Of the system that one person
was found be the list OF nine societies at once al
though the that the total amount received in this
only Is per month seems TO detract from the
value Information. The system however, serves
expose mposters who obtain relief under dlnerent
names and the inquiries OF the Bureau have revealed
many abuses the part Of the benecares OF the be-
nevoence Of which they sharers. The Bureau was
successful In exposing certain fraudulent organ
whose only office proved to be the collection OF
money from charitaby disposed persons and applying
1t to the benefit OF the officers of the societies. Toe
report OF shows that the amount OF receipts
Of 1853 societies reached A.325604.
The directory recently published by the Bureau differs
very sghtly from the Charity Directory printed in The
TRIBUNE last Winter and either OF them wi be OF real