The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-01-14
Intelligent Charity.

Among the many vexed questions of
the day which meet US at every turn,
and force ue whether we will or not, to
have an opinion respecting them, few are
more important and at the same time
more difficult than that of charity. As
to the necessity ofcharity, or almsgiving,
in one shape or another, all are agreed.
The poor are always with us, and we
must give of our abundance to relieve
their want. But when we come to the
practical question, how may this relief
best be administered? every man has his
own iopinion, probably widely different
from those OF his neighbors. The result
too often is that the good done is sadly
idisproportioned to the means employed
in doing it. 4aa
In Spain and Italy, at the present day,
indiscriminate almsgiving is regarded as
one of the highest forms of virtue, and
there is too much disposition in many
quarters here to adopt this view of the
question, or some modification of it.
"rGive,'' is the cry mo matter whether to
the worthy or unworthy; they are all
poor, and you are.rich and bound to sup
port them at least in part; multiply your
soup houses and dispensaries, homes and
refugees let there be bread for all the
hungry, shelter for all the homeless.
Those persons, however; who have spent
much time in the countries where this
system is carried to it's legitimate end,
and has borne its legitimate fruit, trem-
BILE at the prospect before them, and at
the thought of the swarms Of sturdy beg
gars who infest the streets of Rome, Ma
pies and Madrid, and who. if this plan
was adopted, would soon become an
equal nuisance here. Their thoughts
turn with sense of refreshment and re-
lief to the quiet and orderly German
towns, where extreme poverty is un-
known, because St. Paurs maxim is
strictly enforced, that unless man
work, neither shall he eat" and with
scarcely less satisfaction to the great
cities Of London and Glasgow, where dis
/. tress exists indeed, but is promptly re-
lieved, and the tide of pauperism, which
might so easily become a deluge, is stead
> lily repressed with a firm but not unkind-
ly hand, .z.t.
These thoughts have been suggested
by the confidence held yesterday at the
Bible House, of which an account will be
found in another column. A conviction
has been growing in the minds of
thoughtful men that the vast amount OF
means expended in this city, whether in
direct alTnsgiving or in subscriptions to
charitable institutions and societies,
might be more wisely and intehigently
administered, and obtain far greater re
suits in the diminution of pauperism,
which, on the contrary, seems. to be in
creasing. 1t was felt, in fact, that the
whole charitable work of the city needed
thorough investigation, in order that
all flaws and unsoundness might be de-
= tected, and the confidenceiof Che public
in those who acted as its almoners be
restored or increased This feeling led
to the creation of the Bureau of Chari.
ties, with committee formed of some OF
our best known and most representative
men, A great deal was accomplished
during the last winter, and notably the
invention and perfecting of a system OF
registration which would enable the
committee, as Mr.. Roosevelt remarked
aeter and resources of any given pes-s-
ficiary" This branch of their work the
bureau now wish to hand over to a com
mittee composed of representatives OF all
the important charitable societies OF
New York. We trust that the societies
will not be slow to avail themselves OF
this offer, which, if acted upon by them
will at once give to our charitable work
that strength which can only come from
union. Not each society for and by 1t
self; but all together working harmo
niouslv-in this we believe will be found
the solution of the question of pauper
ism and almsgiving, and we earnestly
hope that no society will do such wrong
to its own memb and to the public as
to stand aloof from this good work.