The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-13
C0ndiaioa Of the Po0r-HsW 20 Re-
lieve the Hungry.


Foremost in the number of topics of public
interest now before tho people of this city is
the condition of tho poor Many thousands
OF persons ordinarily employed are idle, and
as they mostly lived only 'from hand to mouth"
while in the regular receipt of wages it Is 70
be presumed they are now in want 1t neeos
little imagination to conceive tho misery .na'
results from any considerable loss OF employ
ment with those whose labor is their only sup
port, for unfortunately the subject Ii out 100
familiar in every great city but loss OF en-
ployment as it commonly occurs Is small
evil by comparison with that now upon us.
Our whole population below those actually in
dependent has felt the weight OF the monetary
calamity. and many of those who are generally
well-to-do are now in sraitened clrcum-
stances. In crisis that cramps people Of these
classes the less fortunate find themselves at the
verge of starvation. Twenty thousand is very
small computation for the number of men now
idle who usually support themselves and fam
lilies by their labor yet this number supposes
not less than sixty thousand persons-men,
women and children, the workmen and their
famiies-without means and dependent upon
charity. And there are probably more work.
ingwomen idle than workingmen, for the occu-
pations in which women are engaged are those
that are more strictly related to luxurious
tastes-occupations, therefore, which are dis
continued in times when scarcely any one
feels '.dush," simply because there is no sale
for the products OF these industries. 1t is not
assumed that the obligation to care for the
poor is any more binding upon us because
especially of the greater number now in want;
but there are apparently some persons who
are so ignorant of the condition of the city as
not to be aware of the present distress, or 80
needless and heartless as not to care for it,
and it is in reference to their doubts that we
outline the clear facts of the misery of por-
ton of our people.
For the credit of journalism it is to be re-
GREETED that any member of the fraternity in
dition Of the people as to suppose our accounts
Of distress were chimericai, or, if not igno-
rant, should regard the distress with such
heartless indifference as to treat the endeavor
to attract attention to the subject as ''news-
paper sensation" For our part, we make no
pretence to especial virtue, and We believe if
there are journalistic Pharisees we are hardly
in that category; but we act thoroughly in
the spirit of that good line of Terence which
the Spectator made famous as q principle for
newspapers Nothing human is Indifferent
to us" We chronicle the distress as it exists
in the city because it is our function
to give the news, and the condition of
the people seems to US an important
part of the news. particularly when, within
the limits of the city, very great numbers are
living on the charity gathered from day to
day. Starvation is not SO common fact in
this city that its possibility on any large scale
can be contemplated in trivial spirit by
every one. It is certain that though there
have been other times when there was great
distress here, there has never been any season
so severe upon the poor as the present and
we have endeavored to lay before the public
true picture of the trouble, believing the
simple facts in such cases to constitute the
most effective appeal to the af1uent If this
is denounced as creating newspaper sensa-
weigh so heavily upon Us as upon those who
have the bad taste to make it.
Some definite objections are made to the
proposition for the establishment OF soup
kitchens. This proposition has been urged
by us, though certainly none Of our readers
are so poorly informed that they need to be
told the idea is one that has been often acted
on in many cities 1t was urged by Us as
practical and immediate means of relieving q
larger number of poor persons than can be
relieved in any other way 1t is objected that
it 'sdoes not reach the most deserving poor
the silent sufferers, who are ashamed to beg
and truly need assistance" No one pretends
that any single means Of assistance can reach
all the classes OF the poor. But is it an argu-
ment against certain plan that it only re-
lieves nine out of ten who are hungry and
leaves the tenth man to be assisted by some
other means? AS for the 'silent sufferers"
we regard them with due respect, but only
with due respect; and We do not believe
that in the wretched homes of the city poor
there is father or a mother who will see
their little ones starve when he or she
knows that just down the street dish of
good soup can be obtained. Other OBJ
iections are that the establishment of soup
kitchens will "pauperize the poor" that
they will support persons on strike as we'll as
the more legitima.ely needy; that they will
draw to this city all the Migrants of adjoining
States, and that they will prevent the revival
of business by taking from the laboring
classes the ipducement to resume their occu-
pations. Our opinion of the press is better
than to suppose such arguments give the
staple of its intelligence. In the last point it
will be seen there is gratuitous insult to the
poor generally. 1t is gravely argued there
that they will not accept employment while
thew can live at public expense, There must be