The New York herald., 1879-08-26
BLIND MENDICANTS.

HOW THEY HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY TAKEN
FROM THE STREETS OF THE CITY-THE
WORKINGS OF A NOBLE CHARITY.
Within the past few years it has been noticed that
blind mendicants plenty in the streets Of the
city, are very rarely The idea of q man with
tin breastplate inscribed with the legend II am
blind. was once inseparably associated with that
OF street scene in New York. Blind and
women were to be met with on all the great thor
oughfares four or fve years ago. and no picnic
ground was fully appointed without blind fiddler.
But the fiddler aud the mendcsnt. like Che one
legged soldier who for years succeeding the in
tested the city's highways and excited SYM
pathy by turning hurdy-gurdy crank.
has disappeared from public view. The soldiers
have been gathered to the Home at Bath.
but exactly what has become OF the blind beg
gars is not generally known. The decrease in this
once numerous class is due to many causes chief
among them the stringent regulations of the Com
missioners OF Emigration regarding the admission
into Castle Garden OF cripples and blind folk and
the system OF granting stipends. inaugurated by
the Legislature of the State in 1876. OF old the
system OF supervising the transportation from
abroad of blind people very lax, and the abuse
finally became great that very stringent meas
ures had to be adopted, as it was discovered that
regular system Of shipping blind and crippled pau
pers from many European countries had been long
in operation. The first step in the direction
OF curailing these importations very ehectual.
law was passed requiring the steamship compa-
nies to file a bond with the Commissioners of Emf
grafton to indemnity the State for the expense of
keeping any blind or crippled people transported in
their ships to this country who might become
State Charge This restriction resulted extreme
caution the part OF the steamship owners for
egn ports. and all passengers found to be blind
crippled were rejected. Under certain conditions
however, the companies continued transport blind
passengers, as for instance where the relatives OF
the blind person filed bonds to support him. This
bond being fled the Commissioners of Emigration
gave u release to the steamship owners, and in
the emigrant became charge on the State
during the ensuing two years the relatives forfeited
the bond. In this way the influx of blind from
abroad was cut of, but those already here and the
usual casualty among the native population made
the numbers still appear large. The gradual ab-
sorption OF these professional mendcants into the
duced the number Of street wanderers. and final
blow at blind mendicancy the Legislature passed the
law of 1875. spoken of above. city ordinance of
previous year made 1t misdemeanor for these people
to beg on the Streets and in order to give aid to
those who endeavored to keep out of public chari-
table institutions by begging this law OF 1875 di
rected that appropriation be made every year tor
them. and that it be distributed through the Com
missioners Of Charities and Correction.
FORTY DOLLARS APIECE.
About five hundred blind men and women sti-
pendiares this law Of 1875. The law provides
that payments shall be made once q year, and that
no payment shall exceed $50 year. Owing to the
large number to be provided for the division or the
much fifty dollars. Thus the appropriation for
the present year was $4,000. and this divided
among tho worthy. amounted to something short Of
| $40 tor each On the 25th and 26th Of last
month the blind were paid their yearly benence
Some Of those whose applications passed have
not yet been paid. but Mr. Blake Mr. kellocks sue
cessor Superintendent of the Outdoor Poor. gives
assurance that it will be paid within week two.
The discrepancy between the number of applicants
for charity under the law Of 1875 and the
number of those who admitted to it's
| benefits is great indeed Mr.. Blake said
| that two hundred who have applied have been
| denied help. as they could not take the oath
| qulred. 1t Is easy to SEQ that unless some very
stringent test applied to applicants the place
| would be overrun aud much Of the money would 20
to unworthy people, Nearly all the blind asyluins
in the city would be emptied just before the appor
tionment OF the money unless 1t was made con-
| dition that no one who had been an inmate of
asylum for year preceding the application should
receive aid Those who to get relief from this
blind fund must le able to show that they have lived
in the country ve years; that they have been resi-
dents Of New York city for two years. and that they
have not for year preceding the filing Of applica
ton been any almshouse or jail Further. the ap-
plcant must have two respectable citizens to sign
his applicaton and. even then the granting Of the
application for relief is contingent the report OF
the commission 3 physician.