The sun., 1881-10-30
The Homeless Poor of Paris.

The Homeless Poor of Paris.
The results of a careful inquiry into the
| condition of the Paris poor are now in
| course of publication in the Rerte dcs De,Lr
Mondcs. We have already pointed out tho
privations undergone by that fraction Of
the Partisan population who are just able
to hire by tho quarter or the month q
small unfinished room in n cellar or an
attic, in which to stow n whole family and
its belongings But there is, of course, in
the French capital. as there is in all large
cities, a nomad class entirely destitute OF
personal property, or of the means to hire
and furnish an empty room, and which, IL it
finds shelter anywhere, must hire bed for
the night. 1t is this most painful phase Of
Partisan pauperism which NJ. DHAUssoN-
VILE discusses in his last article.
1t appears that for five years past no sta
tistics have been collected in Paris bearing
on the number and capacity OF the buildings
devoted to furnished lodgings of the mean
est sort let by the week or by the day. In
1876, however, n census was taken. accord
ing to which the number of persons accom-
mudated in the lowest catcgorics of lodging
houses amounted to more than $4,000.
There is reason to believe that the volume
Of the floating population has of late sig
nally increased, for the number OF fur
nshed lodging houses has been aug
mcnted In four years by 1,43l, and,
according to NJ. D'H..UssoNyILLE, these
are almost exclusively occupied by tho
poorest and most fugitive kind OF ten
ants. The character Of the lodgings offered
to the nomad class. which. as We have seen.
must number at least 100000, varies accord
ing to the sum paid from small room
furnished with bed, a chair, and possibly
q bureau, to cot in chamber where from
fifteen to twenty persons OF both sexes arc
huddled together. According to NJ. D'HAUs-
soNvILLE. who has visited many OF these
tenements, their stencil and filth are ap-
palling; and he adds that recent attempts
to exercise official supervision over their
hygienic conditions have resulted in very
little improvement. An ordinance was
passed, 1t seems, by the Police Department
three years ago, that all furnished rooms
must contain at least fourteen cubic yards
OF air for each lodger; but as no money was
granted for the inspection necessary to carry
out this regulation, 1t came to nothing. At
present the poorer lodging houses OF Paris
compare most unfavorably with those of
London, from the point OF view OF health
and decency. In the British metropolis.
during the last thirty years, a series Of
laws, eliminating in the General Sanitary
act of 1875. have put an end to the british
promiscuity which formerly prevailed, have
insured adequate ventilation and tolerable
amount OF cleanliness, and have taken ef-
fectual precautions against the spread Of
al In,
the French capital is far behind the British
metropolis; and, so far as regards the pro-
lection ofits nomad population, it has scaxce-
ly advanced step beyond the wanton and
pitiless negligence of the middle ages.
To sleep anywhere. even for night,
man must have few cents in his pocket.
and to get these he must work. But every
man cannot find work to do, and some will
not even look for it. Thus. below the float
ing population. which migrates incessantly
from one lodging to another, We have the
class of vagabonds, voluntary or involun-
tary, which, although not larger perhaps in
Paris than in London, is certainly more un-
fortunate. Under the French civil CODE
vagabondage Is crime; but the State
which makes it an offence against the law
to have no domicils or regular means of
support, has taken no measures to supply
place of temporary refuge to the famished
and the homeless. In London, on the other
hand, there has existed for long period
what is known as the " casual ward" in each
Of the thirty warehouses of the metropolis,
where any applicant can obtain, without un-
dergoing any scrutiny Of his antecedents, n
bath, piece OF bread, and a bed for the
night. In Paris no provision of the kind has
been made at the public cost but during the
last three years two houses of refuge for
men have been opened by private charity,
which up to Jan. l. 1851, had received 5000
dodgers. In these asylums any person can
obtain lodging gratis for three sue
cessive nights, and among those who
have had recourse TO them are emu
merated. besides some two hundred
school teachers. several officers on half pay,
two lawyers. two civil engineers, two jour
nalists, and a number of painters and
pianists. Naturally, however, the great
majority OF the applicants We're men who
depended on the work of their hands for
their support; and it is noteworthy that
nearly one-half Of them were field laborers.
who had migrated from the rural districts
to the capital. beguiled by the hope of higher
wages. We should add that in 1879 these
asylums for men were supplemented by
house OF refuge for women and children,
which at most, however. can accommodate
only l00 inmates.
NJ. d JACKSONVILLE concurs with other
students OF the subject in admitting that
the lot OF the Paris vagabond is decidedly
worse to-day than it was in the middle
ages. Formerly those who had no roof to
shelter them were at least masters Of the
street, and there was a special quarter
known as the COur des Miracles, in which
destitutiun, "a well as crime, could find
refuge At present those who, from any
cause, find themselves without lodging,