, 1874-02-23
CHARITY PROMOTING pAupER1sm.

English thinkers say that tho primo oauBo of
tho frtghtful prevalence Of pauporiam In TINT
country Is tho poor-lnw syetom THO State for-
mally assumed charge Of tho oxtromely moor Ill.,
dor Henry VIII. md Elizabeth. within tin ,a,t
fifty years 1nany efforts havo boon rnsdo to got
rid OF this principle Of announcing that a rnan
shall DO ablo to 1.-Two a. tho oxponao of othora II
ho doeH not choose to support himself, but all in
vain. Charity keopB Oh bogotting objects Of
ohnrlty. Tho taxos for tho Bupport NJ
paupers aro 30 heavy TINT many in-
dustriot'a artisann who my them layo
losH loft to 1.-Two upon than tho recnions of rclief
got. Moreover, many mon who would work dca-
poratoly to support their wivos md children II
thoao would otherwise atarvo, agroo with tl1or
wiveH to temporarily desert thom whom times are
hard IN order that thoy may rot pariah rolicf:
In this country, tho problem Of pauporism ia be-
ginning to domand a solution. Tic OWL Ia uat,,-
rally greatest inNe~ York City. Tie statiou-
housos there aro tbrongcd with professional
vagrants, many Of whom hayo como hundreds
OF miles to got the froo lodgings and free
food furnished thom in dcforenco to mis-
takon aoltiment. Besides those professionals.
numbers of workingmeu on strike recruit thu
ranks OF charity-rocipionts, a1ld 80 unfit them
solyos Tor future honest labor. The "Ca,-
Makers Union " is aakiug for subscriptions to
aid its members in holding out against their om-
ployers, although wages from $40 to $40 a weel
eau bo readily earned at tho prcsont ratos of pay
3Ydr M fHr Jtatp1 rtu AL.
atar-bulldors; 30 hnvo worry many carpon-
tors. It l8 cstimatcd tint strikes iu tho
building tradoH >ast year coat tho workingmon
5o,00o,000. Tho Now York Times save; ..We
presume that not ono-hundroth part Of tho
usual number Of now buildings aro go-
ing up.' Tho mon who arc thus thrown.
or who thus throw themselves, out of
employment will novor all got back. Some Of
thom will inevitably prefer the easy life of q
beggar to the sometimes hard life Of q 1aboror.
Iho better clasB OF them appreciate this fact,
At recent meeting Of tho working casaos for
tho purpose of organizing somo co-oporatiyo en-
torpriscs, the Chairman Haii: "Tho prosont
atato Of af1airs in the city is most deplorablc,
"A3 a.HA <A1lA itk CGTtA1l
partios arc plunging tho workers into
worse state by serving them with choap
soup gratuitously." State charity soclal
charity, mud the charity Of indiyiduals,-
most OF tho givers nro women,-combino to
promote pauperisn. Tho rulo Of not giving
something for nothing may DO bard ono to fol-
low n caBes Of immediate diatrcss, but in it lies
tue one hope of escaping tho curse that presyos
upon England aa heavily as tho Old Man Of tho
soa did upon sindbad. Loss evil will rcault from
few casoH Of individual suffering than TINT
hundreds Of thousands should bo encouraged to
drug out thoira "a inert droncs permitted to tax
all honest men to get the wherewithal to keep
their bodies clothed and fed. Illinois paid, in
1850, s45.2l3 for 797 paupers; in 1860, s19e,1s4
for 4,o2s; and. in 1870 s55G,oG1 for
G,o54. Tho total tax thus imposed upon
tho country in 1870 WAS about S11, 600,
ThoHe figures. great az they arc, do not include
persons receiving temporary and partial relief.
When the aid givon them is added to tic tax, it
is nearly doubled. Even this is not oil. Private
charity cannot bo computed. II ia the roady
victim of a lying story, and, probably, does more
to promote pauporsm than al othor things COM
bincd.