The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-28
Bohemians ON Soup Houses.

1t is proverbially difficult to please every
body, and the man who would hesitate to act
until assured of universal approval would
benefcent work. At time when the poor Of
New York were suffering extreme want, and
the complaints of the INDECENT and distressed
were unheeded by protest. nal philanthropists,
the HERALD suggested the establishment of soup
houses to alleviate the temporary distress
We may be pardoned for having thought
it no crime to assist the humble
sufferers left without bread through the
monetary crisis caused by respectable and
pious spectators, but there is class of men
connected with the press who never forgive a
contemporary any act which is likely TO be ap-
plauded by the public. They never do an
unselish act themselves and never pardon
one in another Praise bestowed on contem-
porary is to them SO much gall and bitterness,
and they needs must sputter out their spite
without waiting to consider how in endeavor-
ing to belittle others they lower and degrade
themselves. An insignificant contemporary
has shown strange example Of this mental
blindness. The cause is not far to seek. By
one of those strange freaks in which nature
from time to time INDUCES q man becomes ON
editor who was born to be lackey but the
traces of his original vocation always remain
with him.
Because the HERALD first proposed the gen.
eral establishment Of soup houses Bohemians
have circulated the silliest and most un-
founded reports about them. They were
represented as attracting to the city the poor
and the dangerous element from other cities,
and when this stupid report was exploded
the unemployed poor who sought relief were
heartlessly denounced as 'bummers." This
latter charge is best answered by the reports
Of the police captains under whose super
vision and charge the soup houses are
placed If any abuse has taken place, and
we doubt it, the police and not the HERALD,
are responsible.
Nor was the service rendered confined only
to the poor. Want and famine stared large
portion of the community IN the face, the
streets had become infested with beggars, and
general Generalization was spreading among
the poor with alarming rapidity. But when
the soup house brought its ready and unques-
tioning aid to the famine-stricken homes
the storm that was gathering in mems
hearts dissolved under the softening in
fuence of human sympathy. Contemplated
bread riots were stopped, and the Com
munistic agitation, which was gathering
strength from the despair of the unemployed
poor, was checked and brought to an end be-
cause all excuse for its continuance was
done away with. These are some of
the benefits conferred on the community OF
large by the establishment of soup houses
and the consequent alienation of distress.
We recommend them to the consideration of
those Bohemians who denounce needy bum
mers while they are hand and glove with the
pious Aminadab Sleeks who have protested
charity for ''twenty-one years, and grown fat
snd prosperous at the expense Of the poor.
Tie cry to do away with the soup houses is
needless; the opening of the spring trade will
soon, we hope, render their continuance un-
necessary, and the professional charity
mongers will once more have the field to
| themselves. In the meantime, however, there
remains much to be done, and we have no
/ doubt the charitable will perform their duty
without needing the heartless criticism of men
without decency or the common feelings of
humanity. The HERALD proposed soup houses
| ~ it advocated charity performances in the