The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-08-21
Our AImshOuSes.

| LOOK AZ tDSul AZ Oily AlSht VIC uloy
large proportion of tn simshousee
of the country are the ghastlies: fail
ures. The best houses do not win the
poor from pauperism; the worst dc
not frighten them away. The idle
and vicious pauper makes shit TO
indulge his vices, get his liquor and
tobacco, and avoid work in the worst
almshOuses. The worthy poor stsrve
quietly rather than enter them. The
large body OF paupers, not altogether
depraved, although idle and thriftless,
have every lingering impulse of man
Illness extlnguisbed IN the almshouse
atmosphere The insane are tortured
in the majority of almshsnses, and
children are hopelessly corrupted in
every slmsbouse which keeps them,
the best az well as the worst. Under
these circumstances, can We say that
our present system of caring for the
indoor pauper helps more than it
harms the poor? We spend every
year millions of money to support
system which persecutes the most
worthy class Ut paupers,-a system
which the poor themselves sbhor
We educate the poor man to believe
that the shelter of the almshouse is
his right. "The world owes every
man q living" is the appropriate
motto for an lmshouse door. The
generality of the people will grant
that any belief in rights which carry
no duties with them lie fraught with
ruinous consequences to the state;
yet this is the belief our system of
charity directly teaches. And at the
same tiue that We thus by our laws,
from our pulpits, in our daily journals,
persuade the poor man that the alms
We give belong to him by right. we
madden him by the barshness of our
giving. What eau be done to help
matters, ard who are to blame
for the present state OF things?
In the first place, it is evident that
an almshouse is no place for children,
for the insane. for epileptics, for idiots,
or for able-bodied psupers. What
shall be done with these classes lex.
cepting the last) is the question. 1t
will naturally suggest itself to most
people that by building cottages in
stead of palaces for the insane the
state may be able to care for q greater
number. By using the labor of the
insane it rosy care for them at less
expense. AS fer the able-bcdied
paupers, there is no reason why they
should be supported in idleness.
Their sphere is the workhouse, not the
In the eecond place, a thorough
system of classification of inmates is
demanded. The need tor this has
already been made plain. The in
mates should be classified not only |
with regard to sex and age, but with
regard to behavior.
In the third place, discipline can be
more afectually maintained by the
deprivation of privileges than by the
infection OF penalties: it is better. for
instance, to deprive WORKOUT old
creatures of their tobacco than to
beat them or lock them up in the
lark.
In the fourth place, the labor OF the
osupers should be used. Although !
10 able-bodied inmates are Supposed
% be allowed ia the reforming aims.
house, it by no means follows that
he inmates shall not work; on the
contrary. light occupation ia good
10th for their minds and their health.
By giving them a small proportion
II their earnings their cooperation
could readily be secured.
In the eth place, buildings should
70 erected or prepared for these
nds, and keepers should be chosen
because of their fitness for the posi-
ion, not to crafty political bench
nen or to save few hundred dollars
( slaary.
And in the sixth place, local
government uumolested having
,roved q most disastrous failure,
here should be rigorous inspection of
lmshouses by some central authority;
nd the entire management of char
ty should be taken out Of politics.
Il present, in our large cities, the
fices, in almshouses are part OF the
polls of victorious party.
These suggestions make NO claims
D originality; they have come to
1ost experienced almshouse keepers
nd directors. and their substance
lay be found in almost any report
| the various Boards OF Charities
Icta % Thanet in Au1ust Atlantic