The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-02-01
THE SUFFERING POOR.
EFFORTS FOR THEIR RELIEF-THE PEG.
PIE G-ENTERTAINMENTs AND
AMUSEMENTS For benefits.

ADJUSTMENTS FOR BENEFITS.
''The people don't know how much aetna
want really exists in this place." said Capt
Peck Monday night, in speaking of the harsl
winter and hard times. why, the otEe
| day mechanic. sober, industrious and hard
working, and who never knew what it wa
to ask favors, much less charity, told m,
that he only had Il painful of flour in Tho
knew what would become OF his wife ant
three little children. No one had any worl
for him to do. he had neither money MOI
credit, and everything that was worth sell
ing about the house had already gone; and
yet that man would not go to place where
charities were publicly dispensed, because
he is 100 sensitive, too proud to let people
know that his family is starving; lie won't
send his children, for one of them is going to
the public school. and he is afraid that the
child's schoolmates, as children are too apt
to do, will throw out sneers and talmts.''
Il heard, too,' said the captain, ''of all
odd years OF age, and who during all of this
long hard winter las maintained herself and
invalid granddaughter by doing coarse sew
ing. The granddaughter is dying with con-
sumption, and the old lady is almost killing
herself in the effort to keep body and soul
together. She has seen better times in er
life, and you can't force her to beg. 10 this
sort of people the shame is almost as bad as
the suffering, AID they will bear one to the
very extremity before submitting to the
other. Oh sir, it is terrible, it is terrible y
and the captain started off on his rounds.
ga lady told Inc Saturday. said Major
Newton, the chief Ct the Temperance cause
in Staunton, that she had just come from q
house where the mother was sick in bed, and
had been sick for a month. There were four
little children, and they were suffering for
fire, food and clothing. One Of them, from
actual want Of something to eat, had con-
tracted disease that would prove fatal
The father was drunkard, and spent every
thing he could get for whisky. Whilst the
mother was able to work, she had managed
20 support the family. but since her illness
they had lived upon just what the children
could pick up in little jobs of work and what
would be given Them II heard, too,"
continued the Major, ''of another case pre-
cisely similar, except that there were only
three children. The father was a perfect
slave to liquor, and every cent he could lay
his hands OH Went to the bar keeper. And
yet these people were ashamed to let their
condition be known. They thought that the
people generally would look down upon
them, and that the temperance men, par
ticularly, would have little sympathy for
them, because whisky had been such pow
erful agency in reducing them to such ex-
tremities. But told them it was just such
cases as these that the Temperance men de-
sired to relieve"
&C But it isn't the improvident only,' the
Major went OH to say. II know OF an hon-
est, industrious mechanic who hasn't had
work for several months, and who for the
past month hasn't had mouthful OF meat
or spoonful of coffee IN his house. Bread
alone has been the subsistence Of the family.
and even that has been very carefully, al
most niggardly. dealt out. The thought
applying to the Poor Board is repulsive to
these kind of people. They don't under
stand the business of begging; they haven't
been used to it. They are men who, until
this winter, have always been able to sup
port their families comfortably and indulge
in little ;uxuries, and they have that indie
pendence and manliness about them which
scorns to accept CHARITY
MEASURES OF RELIEF.
At length the people do seem to compre-
bend the suffering in their midst, and they
have gone to work in earnest to relieve it.
Of course, it was relegated to the ladies,
and they have undertaken it with that vim
and efficiency characteristic of all their eff
forts. On Tuesday morning a free lunch
house was opened in the Piper Building, on
New street, with bill Of fare which, whilst
neither eXtravagant nor extensive, was yet
tempting to the poor who applied. There
was good bread, coffee, meat and butter for
all who chose to come and eat, and great
basketsful were sent out to the many whom
PRIDE prevented from calling in person.
Operating in connection with the lunch
house are various committees, whose duty it
is to canvass the city, block by block. and
ascertain who really are in need These
committees make their reports, and provi-
sions are sent out so unostentatiously that
many receive from this source without their
next door neighbor being aware Of it. 1t
would surprise not q few to know what class
Of people are helped in this way. Many are
the families of mechanics and laborers who
ere generally well-to-do, and whose wives
and daughters have always been accustomed
to the comforts of home. They have been
taught to believe that honest labor is always
independent, and that good living awaits
all who will work for it. There has been
long, dark page added to the book of their
experience this winter though, and it is so
entirely new, so at variance with the teach
ings of a lifetime, that they can scarcely
comprehend its meaning. They would far
rather work and render full value for every
mouthful, but there is nothing for them to
do but starve CT accept charity.
The lunch-house is open from IL O'Clock
to o'clock each day, and any contribution
in provisions or money will be thankfully re-
ceived. Already our citizens have responded
generously to the call, and 1t is hoped that
all will do their share. 1t is not voluntary
contribution for charity's sake; it is a de-
malld which humanity makes upon you for a
debt you owe, and which duty to yourself
and to your fair name requires you to pay.
You cannot repudiate it with better grace
than you can repudiate any other just ,obli-
CATION.
WHAT THE COUNCIL DID.
On Tuesday night last a special meeting
Of the City Council was called at the request
of the Special Water Committee, who pre-
sented the following report. which explains
;tealf md which was unanimously adopted: