The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-09-28
THE POVERTY OF A DOLLAR.

lGc brain tho 'Diary Of a Dollar This OIL
lar was "subscribod by charity for the Homt
Of the Hungry Frieudless and Needy" and
details Its experience, saying that ''in
trying 10 got to the poor
have gown very poor myself
Thus, the expense of being collected
10 cents; for salary of minister in charge of
tho Home of the Hungry | pay 20 cents; for
rent of Home of the Hungry pay 10 cents;
for salary of secretary, 8 cents; for prospectus
and yearly report, 8 cents; for getting up u
yearly dinner TO celebrate the Home Of the
Hungry, cents; for current expenses of run.
ming the Home, cents; for bakers and
butchers bills and employees, cents; for
extra polish on knocker of big front door OF
the Home of the Hungry, cents; for insur-
ance and taxes, cents; leaving balance due
in treasury of Home of the Hungry, Friend
less and Needy, 25 cents, which may 60 to
relieve the hungry, frendless and needy, it
not otherwise called for' These figures are
evtravSgant Of course, are used to point the
satire, but if applied to the general run of
charitable institutions, they are decidedly
more truthful than poetlcal, and they give
food for serious reflection. The country is
filed with what are known rs eleemosynary
institutions which are but the CHASTITY imita.
tions of what they purport to be. Like the
hulks of old shipa, they are filled with rats
that eat up the substance that goes
to them, are covered with barnacles
that rotard their progress. The expenses of
are out of oil proportion TO
tho labor done, to tho necessities of the case.
can be cheaply and wisely bestow-
cd, and with promptness, and VIC want no
better evidence of this than the management
and distrib uton of the New York Herald
Irish relief fund. No, only was this money
in this country through the energy.
enterprise and characteristic generosity of the
Herald, but it WAS transmitted across tho
ocean, used in very nearly dozen different
ways, flowed through near thousand differ.
ont channels, and relieved the wants and
sutlerings, directly and indirectly
of hundreds of thousands of people, and ye.
the entire cost of disbursing 1t and keeping
the accounts and auditing them besides at.
mding to all tho details redistribution, was
only one fourth of one per
cent. The expenses of distribu.
ting and managing the Mansion House Fund
collected for the same purpose, was about
fifty times as great. A recent examination
into two of tho leading charitable institu-
tons in New York reveals the fact that the
cost of the management of these establish
ments is 10! per cent, or in other words, the
poor get but sls corts out of
every 100 donated for their
relief. Then whom we consider the vast
amount of money given away in charity, but
which goes to unworthy objects, it will be
seen that the deserving poor, as Il rule, get
little if any moro than one.half Of what is
for their relief and benefit. The
question arises, what is the remedy for this
evil II is not charged nor believed that
there is anything wrong or wicked in the
management of the two charitable institu-
tons referred to, in New York, but the great
expense attendant upon the administration
Of their affairs shows q lamentable state of
Encouragement There are too many leaks
that are permitted to SO unstopped. Proper
economy is not used and there is too great a
desire for ostentation and show There should
be another thing gravely considered. There
should be some plan, some system inaugu-
rated and carried into rigid effect whereby
to discriminate between the undeserving and
the worthy poor, and also how to aid people
in the way beat to aid them, and that will be
no assault upon their self-respect and pride,
AT the Saratoga Social Science association.
in session recently, thesis on this subject
was read,-- discussing it thoroughly,
thoughtfally and intelligently, and the
writer gave 1t as his opinion that the
best plan to escape imposition was
by close cooperation of all aid
societies. "This," said he, "would act for
their benefit in the way of a mutual in.ur-
ance against fraud. Aid societies co.opera-
ting on this plan could ascertain for one
another the exact condition ofthe needy and
tho exact extent Of the distress to be relieved.
Division of labor and tho district system
would facilitate distribution, prevent impos
turo and duplicate Of relief and enable the
workers to know individually each case COM
ing to them or brought to their notice,
Through these workers all the societies could
know as much as each individual member,
and the business of aid and relief would be-
conducted with intelligence, dispatch and
the greatest possible economy" 1t has oft n
been said that 1t costs 500 to get 81
to tho heather, and the dollar does but little
good after II gets there. However this may
DO II certainly costs fly cents on the dollar
under the present system Of Encouragement
tn It generally prevails to dsbursc dollar to
the poor.