The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-01-18
Caring for the Poor.


morning an interesting account Of life in
the City Lookup these winter days, Il
will b seen that some Seyenty-fVs
stramps" found lodging at that ipstitu'
ton on Saturday night. Nearly all Oi
these were parties from abroad, and moi
our own city poor. 1t seems that the
number Of these dodgers at the Lookup
has been on the increase since the opening
Of the winter, and the prospects are, now
that a soup house has been opened, that
the number will not diminish very soon,
OF course these persons, thus trapping
over the country, must be cared for these
winter days and nights, No odds what
the facts OF any indiyiduals case may
be, If he or she be hungry and cold they
must be fed and housed for the time being,
But ought there not to be some way Of
utilizing these perSonsI At Columbus,
Ohio, we understand that they have q
!'stone pile" at which they set AZ able
bodied applicants for food and lodging at
work, requiring them to render service to
the city in the way Of breaking up stone
for the streets in return for the entertain
ment furnished them, This is done to dis
courage vagrancy as much as possible!
A tramp who finds himself compelled to
work for his meals Is not so apt to tarry
as one who can get them without work.
He will journey further on or else seek
work at more profitable rates. The only
proper way to deal with this matter Of
Wholesale charity Ia to deal with
it intelligcntly, Otherwise 1t Is
bound to become growing evil
in every community. As showing the
necessity and benefits Of intelligent super
vision Of this subject, we may cite the
recent remarkable experience Of the mu-
nicipal authorities Of the German man
ufacturing town Of Elberfcldt, a place
on the Rhine near Cologne. This mu-
nicipalitywas sorely afflicted some twenty
years since with a chronic condition Of
pauperism, The usual machinery Of
aims houses or Of private charity did
not diminish 1t, II people gave freely
and Unfortunately, the poor came to
depend on aims, and II too many public
means Of relief were afforded there was a
current Of paupers thither from the sur.
rounding country. In 1853, with pop
ulation OF 5O,384, there was relieved 4,224
paupers, or about one in twelve. A GER
tain benevolent gentleman undertook to
introduce reform, in the following man
ner. He had the city divided for the pur-
pose into eighteen districts, and an over
seer, serving voluntarily, over each. Each
district again was divided into fourteen
sections, and visitor appointed for each
section. All these visitors were called
upon 10 meet every fortnight, report to
the oyersser, discuss their caves Of relief
receive their money for the ensuing two
weeks, and give account Of what they had
already spent. ~
The most particular inquiries are thus
made into every case relieved, whether
each person Is doing all in his power fol
his own support, and whether his rela'
tives arc obeying the law in contributing
toward his maintenance. Wherever q
father in decent circumstances is found
with destitute son, or the reverse, cacl
is bound to support the other, and 80 or
with other relatives. The theory OF the
system Is close house-to-houSe vista
tlon and careful inspection by citizens
whose object Is to prevent, not encourage
pauperism. What have been the re-
SulsH
A brief table will convey them best,
the reader bearing in mind that the new
system was introduced in 1854.