The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-03
CHARITY.


OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF TIE ELBER-
FIELD SYSTEM.
70 THE EDITOR the HERALD
The recent movement The part Of q number OF
the charitable associations Of the Seventeenth ward
appears 10 be step tho right direction. as coopera
tion Is very necessary order do justice 10 the
really worthy objects Of charity Now that the ques
been agitated gbl be we'll h. consider
the present system OF dispensing charity, with view
TO developing any improvements that might be made
toward more perfect system OF organization. In the
present condition OF affairs there appears to be
plenty OF funds to furnish all the aid necessary
for the poor Of this city If II .s only ap
Piled with good judgment, and not IN mere
pttanccs that, really, only servo 10 encourage
paupersm. instead OF assisting In lis extinc.
ton. II appears TO be the object Of many
Of the societies to how many bene1ciarIes
they can keep on their lists, rather than how many
they can materially assist The habit OF doing out
pitancc OF fty cents dollar per month to be spent
in groceries or other necessary articles appears 10 mo
TO encourage pauperism, and In many instances is
conducive 10 the repeating much complained Of, as
the recipient finding that pittance OF comparatively
riaing benefit has TO other societies In
der to obtain further supplies. Any that has
served in the capacity OF visitor for any OF the large
charitable associations knows, perfectly we'll now
small an allowance per head they arc given every
month the poor on their lists, and how much more
real good could be done II they restrict their
donations to one-tenlh OF the number and furnish
some really material assistancc: That should ccr-
taiply be the aim OF tho Association Tor the Improve
ment oil the Condition OF the Poor.
1t apears TO mo ha, such society could afford
more lasting benefits with tho funds at their disposal
II they 10 pay moro attention to the Improve.
ment and cleanliness IN tenement buildings assist
the poor obtain thcr rights IN where they
oppressed, and furnish valuable assistance. when de-
serving, In the way OF months rent rcdeeming
mechanics tools, or IN thousand other ways whcrc
$40 or SIS might really place u man q position TO
support his family and AVOID the stigma OF pauper to
which he must sign when receiving his fifty cents
worth OF groceries from nall dozen different
STEP IN rng RIGHT DIRECTION
The step recently taken BY the societies in the
Severn Is in tue right direction and is the
same as attempted by the Bureau OF Charities in
1873. with Messrs. Ezra u. Kingsley, W. Butler Dun.
can, john Hall, d. D.; Abram ). Hewitt, Charles a.
JOY Henry L. rellcw, theodore Roosevelt aud Joseph
Seigman the management After years. work those
gentlemen stated In their report that they had made
rcgIstrato Of 900 recipients Of charity showing
that Ia aid is received by the same person
from moro than six societies, and that, while a
multitude Of societies. are IN existence covering the
same ground, Is for any OF them TO give
enough 10 satisfy the benehciary's immediate wants.
l, alsu showed how useful the register became to pr
vato citizens ANXIOUS to relieve certain OF dis
tress but doubtful as to their deserving character
The report statcs:-"rhere IS evidently IN New York
excessive abundance OF certain class OF charities
and comparative deficiency OF others. Puupcrlsm
probably exists In Now YORK under moro peculiar and
ueinot alizug circumstances than any other city Of
the same area and population. The causes may be
briefly stated as cniefiy atributable:-l 10 tho
nous number OF imported residents and their de-
sceudants. .. TO the overcrowded condition OF
the tenement houses ana their want OF sam.
tary arrangements, which, us has boon pub
ncly stated, produce disease, immortality, pau
perism and crime from generation to generation,
until vice has become q second nature.' 8. TO the
iniemperance, want Of provident habits aud other
social among the poor. l. 10 the still deficient
supply OF industrial and training schools ind to re-
missness In enforcing compulsory attendance ut the
puUlfc schools. To the great isolation OF the poor
and Their absence of personal cOntac with the BET
ter educated, more refined ana Weather members OF
the community" Referring 10 the register II Is
stated in tue report that both name ana street
register were Kept. the latter proving very useful as
1t proved that persons received relief from moro
channels than ono under different names, and also
showed at once the number OF residents Of mouse
street that Obtained relief. In Mulberry street in
III houses 333 families received relief ana In one
house IA families appeared as benehcares from dit.
lerent societies.
WHERE LITTLE Is DONE
Speaking 81 the small donations made their bene-
lciries by some OF tho societies the report says:
''rEat some charities FURNISH such small
their bencnciaries, the justice Of whose claims Is
thoroughly suUsiantiated. TINT tho poor are
Obliged 10 make application 10 many-sometmes
five SIX ana occasionally nine-soceties.
Tho result may show apparently large
amount oi work, but the good done must necessarily
be very small, and the absurd spectacle Witnessed
of numerous societies, with their procession OF visitors
succcsSrou oil expenditures, relieving with their
does a family for which ono society alone should
provided. The Tact TO DO dcducsd IRON this
OF things is highly important. IL Is that the cost OF
the extensive machinery OF distribution vastly exceeds
tho sums TO be distributed the expense involved
accomplishing the rciei of n single case being IN
almost ludicrous contrast to the which Is dOlcd
out in thereof" With reference to the simplest
method ot testing and verifying applications tor aid,
ana directing claimants to their proper source
OF reet the report urges very strongly the necessity
OF proper regstrut1on accessible to all visitors duly
qualified periodical inspection OF the work reported
fnn aVnrn hnno
visits, and II system Of reporting fraudulent and
unworthy cases are essential In order to insure
economy aud efficiency OF administration. Further
speaking VI the funds ut the disposal OF the charitable
associations, The report says:-"rhe total amount OF
oil los Societies, according TO the data
nished by them to the Bureau, reached nearly
ST. 1926 604 during the year. and allowing the
winch have made no return II APP cars that prob
ably S5037,4l3 may bs considered available the
relie OF the poor ana distressed IN this cry This
amount . money contributed by the pubic large
that citizens not unnaturally complain of the dsprO
portion between results and expenditure tho
that in addition 10 tins sum the Comm fasteners Of
Charities and Correction are authorized 10 expcnd
Sll50,39s Us IN the public Institutions during The
coming year"
BoARD UNITED CHARITIES.
Since tho publication OF the above report the Bureau
oil Charities has passed out oil EXISTENCE us the gentle
mon engaged III the WORK became com pleteiy dis.
heaftoDod with the many obstacles thrown III their
way Dy the very people IRON whom they expected as
lance but vino appeared 10 be intent Edivid
u pront than the public good. It's place. however has
been taken by The Board oil United Charities, very
liable ASSOCIATION, that III gut with little encourage
MeDt perform great OF eoOu IN tue way OF
ccntralZatiOn aud inducing tho Inherent societies
work together with long pull and u pull together.
THIS organization Is now experimenting the dstrI
button OF the 5000 half tons OF coal that Mr. keock
has 10 give away Their volunteer VISITORS are doing
the work. making an earnest investigation oil tho
ditton The applicants Tor coal and reporting the
suit OF their isbors To MIR. KcliocS. They complain,
however that the city AUTHORITIES tke rather long TO
distriDuc the coal 10 those which hcy nave
reported avorab Y, ana assert that no deliveries have
as yet been made IN the Nineteenth and Twentieth
wards Their reports, however, speak IN tho strong
OF the dcstiu,Ion that they have discov
cred during their v,ss They say 1t Is SIMPLY appa.
ling aud most wrctcncd order, far worse than
that 10 fou nd Tho large European cities. some
Of The tenement houses that VISITED
sheltered nlteen and twenty families There
light OH tho stairway, 90 signs
OF cleanliness, while tho most disgusting
vdors prevailed, and the yards were nlcd up with
garbage ana ashes. In these dcns vi pestiIcncc
many under the eyes oil the visitors oi suf-
crng people mat were too feeble TO apply IN person
Tor relief aud tight their way aongsde o the healthy
In, nj thn uou ha wus