Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-23
PAUPERS.
Facts Regarding Their TncreaSe---Sta-
tistics Gathered in New York.

Facts Regarding Their Tncrease---Sta-
tistics Gathered in New York.
The New York state board of charities
has made a thorough investigation of the
several poor-houses and alms-hOuses in
that state, and has collated the greatest
mass OF statistics on the matter of pau
perism ever collected in a single volume
in this country. The report, which is
before us, shows how thorough an exami-
nation was made to show why persons
become inmates of poor-houses. Every
poor-house in the state was visited, and
answers were obtained to sixty
questions SO framed as to obtain
a very full knowledge Of the antecedents
OF all the inmates as well as the
condition of their ancestors, going back
two or three generations. The tabulated
statements in regard to age and previous
condition OF the paupers of New York
serve to show the erroneous ideas most
persons entertain in relation to the in
mates of poor houses. The opinion COM
monty prevails that paupers are gener-
ally too young or too old to gain a
livelihood, and that large proportion
OF the latter class are persons who,
through misfortune in business or in the
ingratitude of children, have been re-
duced to poverty, and are therefore en-
titled to great consideration.
Now it appears that the great majority
Of the paupers in New York are in the
very prime of life, if this class of persons
ever have any prime. Of the 2,614 per-
sons found in the poor-houses when the
examination was made, 1921 were be-
tween the ages of sixteen and sixty, while
1927 were between the ages of twenty
and forty. The number over 70 was only
go, while the number under ten was 2,O12
Infancy and old age, therefore, cannot b
regarded as among the prominent causes
of pauperism. Neither does loss of
property seem to be q prominent cause
tor sending persons to the poor-house.
The commission failed to find the person
whom Will Carleton describes in his
touching ballad, cover the Hills to the
Poor-House," or any person hav-
ing corresponding history. It
was learned, on the contrary,
that scarcely one Of the adult pau
pers ever owned any real estate, or was
possessed Of any personal property worth
mentioning, unless it had been obtained
from estates to which they were heirs.
If they obtained property in this way, it
had generally been squandered. Very
many of the inmates of the poor-houses
were born paupers, had spent their lives
as paupers, and bid fair to die paupers.
It was ascertained that 1851 of all the
paupers were offsprings of pauper
mothers. In many cases the date of de-
pendence dated back to the third genera
ton. OF the entire number of inmates
2,O73 had pauper brothers or sisters, or
both, while very many Of them had few
or no near relatives who were outside of
poor-houses. In some instances persons
Of the same family name were found in
poor-houses Of dozen counties.
Paupers are prolific class The num-
Der of heads of families consisting Of one
or both parents was 2,746. They were
said to have 7,O40 living children. Of
these there were known to be in poor
houses, 1,O1O; in asylums, 149; in refu-
ges and other feformatory institutions,
Al; bound out, 346; condition unascer-
tanned, 900. In the Albany alms-house
233 families were represented. These
families had produced, in three genera
tions, BIZ paupers, 81 insane, 10 idiots,
and 231 drunkards. In the Essex county
poor-house was young black woman
who was the mother of ten Children,
seven of whom were illegitimate. In the
Oswego county poor-house was wo-
man under thirty who has had five
illegitimate children Her father,
mother, and five sisters were all
paupers. AS rule, paupers are
addicted to much marrying. A large
number of pauper women have had as
many as four husbands. In every in
stance they continue to go on raising
children without any husband. From a
lare number of poor houses young wo
man goes out in the spring and comes
back in winter bringinga child with her.
A perusal of this report will serve to
cure any persons of sentimentality on
the subject Of pauperism. It shows that
the greater number of paupers reach that
condition through idleness, vice, improv-
idence, or drunkenness; that most pau
per women have no regard for virtue, or
even decency, and that heredity shows
itself as clearly in pauperism as intellec-
tual or moral greatness.