The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-02-10
A DIFFICULT SOCIAL PROBLEM.

I'LL
ings at the session of the State Charities
says, could have failed to be impressed
with sense of the great difficulties by
which all efforts for the elevation of the
degraded are beset. And by degraded,
we mean not only, or chiefly, those who
are suffering the consequences of crime,
or of vicious habits but those who
have been brought into want and misery
by accident, or circumstances for which
they are not responsible, and who have
been kept down until they have lost self
respect and the spirit of self help, and
seek only to get, by hook or crook, what
their mere animal appetites require from
day to day. The number of such per-
sons with us is yet comparatively small.
In the older countries of Europe, they
bear very considerable proportion to
the rest of the community; and even with
us their ragged ranks are visibly recruit
ing. What to do with this class is now
felt to be one of the gravest and most
Perplexing of our social problems.
Criminals we can imprison-even put to
death; the insane and the idiotic we can
shut up In asylums; but what are we to
do with that miserable body of our fel-
low-creatures alas, of our fellow
eitizens-who live from year to year in
want and wretchedness, trembling on
the verge of starvation, vacillating be-
tween starvation and crime2 This ques-
tion Is 80 perplexing, in great measure,
because of the hopeless incapacity of a
large majority of these people. They
are without energy, without self-reliance,
without self-denial. without purpose.
They are poor, weak creatures, the worst
of whom are capable only of petty crime,
the better of begging, and the best Of
silent suffering, but who are utterly in
capable of what is called in a good
homely phrase doing for themselves.
Now the problem is so to help these
people that they may be saved from crime
and from suffering, while at the same
time they shall not be reduced to moral
lmbecllity, and become mere dependents
on public aims. This has hitherto been
found to be almost impossible. The
effort to save those who are perishing
has the effect of dragging many of the
class Just above them down to their
lower level. They see something to
lean upon, and, being just able to stand
and to stagger, they catch at the support,
and, instead of being strengthened, be-
come weaker, and soon fall into the ranks
of professional pauperism. This has
been the result of much of the poor-law
legislation and the private charities of
England; and the moderate improvement
that has lately taken place has been
brought about only by the persistent
labors of wise, sef-sacrifcing, philan-
thropic persons, who for time have
worked almost against hope. Even yet
the failure In some directions is very dis
heartening, and it is particularly so in
regard to the female members of this
class. The attempt to unite education
with. almsg1vlng was a natural one, ac-
cor6lng to the present views of most peo-
pie as to the moral effect of education.
But, as we learn from the report of Miss
Schuyler, the president of the associa-
tion, the system of work-house schools
for girls in England has proved a misera-
BILE failure. OF go of these girls whose
lives were traced after they left the work.
house school, only 79 were reported as
"good," and 145 as "fair," !" 1873 were
unsatisfactory" and 70 were "bad :"
OF the remaining $50, as to whom no in
formation could be obtained, it is safe
to assume that the large majority also
event to the bad"
This is a sad exhibit of the results of
mingled education and aims giving. It
ls not unreasonable to suppose that of the
67O, quite 70 would have turned out
well, and 145 fairly, without any educa-
tion at all. Moreover there was another
great difficulty, which seems to be felt
now, as to girls who are put to house
hold service the world over, here no less
than in Europe. The mistresses COM
planned that these girls "did not know
how to do the work of small family"
Does not reiteration of this old com
plant show that the education, the proper
education, of these girls had been
neglected2 They had been taught TO
read and to write, perhaps to cipher;
they had received certain religious in
struction; but they had not been taught
to sweep and to take care of bedrooms,
to cook, to bake, to wash, and to sew.
In brief, they had been taught what was
OF no particular service to them. and of
that which would have made them good
household servants while they were sin
Kle, and good housekeepers if they were
lnarried. they were left ignorant; that
was supposed to come to them by nature,
or they were supposed to be able to do
without it.
Do without, however, they could not;
and so they became bad and unsatisfac-
tory; for they had been taught Just
enough of other useless things to stimu-
late their sense of luxury, to increase
their lazy dislike of honest labor, and 80
to lead them to seek by vicious mean as
life of ease which meant tn them q life