The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-05-16
About Alms.Gfying.

Almost everybody will give something,
a quarter or q penny, to an old man, to
an apparently sick or lame man, to a
woman who carries q babe, to q pale
little girl, or to boy who recites his
tale of woe. Christian people who have
heard that giving to the poor is lending
to the Lord, and nearly. all people,
whether Christian or not, who have
much respect for much-abused texts, are
apt to surrender dime or a nickel to
some, if not nearly all, who ask. The
dole is small, and big heart has an un-
comfortable way of reproaching its owner
for refusal. Thus the beggar wins, and
beggary gets its continued lease of life.
/, 1t required years to convince US that
there is no charity so thoroughly kind as
refuses to give at random There is not
doubt that refusal is always best in
cities, and Just about best in the country
also. The study has been a sad one to
US, but kind, firm refusal is not only best
but duty. Nothing in the land is bet
ter organized than the science and art of
beggary. The deserving may rely upon
help by city societies which investigate
every applicant. Moreover, every county
, in the land has its poor-fund, and save in
exceptional cases, which may occur in
any place save Heaven, no worthy person
need suffer for bread or shelter.
Abuses of aims are enough to tempt
man to bruise the beggar for making
merchandise of human pity. We know
of case wherein begging family lived
in almost luxury in good home. They
'took turns" by regular detail in assum-
ing the mean garb and lying mien of the
poor, and maintained hut in the rear of
the home to which, through the alley,
cautious investigators were led to view
the ready provided rags, bunk and simu-
lated misery. Women borrow sick chill
dren to point their lying story; la'neness
is assumed, and cash earnings are spent
for drink or sensual qualification. We
once paid a man to watch "maimed,
blind man" all day. The report was
that about four hundred people gave at
least penny each, and some probably
gave half-dimes, or more. Our estimate
of receipts was from six to eight dollars
la senator's salary. The man Gmped
into back street and suddenly throwing
off all disguise, sato his joyful way home,
spent the evening in a saloon and went
to bed drunk. Old clothes are begged and
often sold to the secondhand dealer. In
some cases baskets of cold food are sold
to nether-world restaurants; in Others are
vended to those who feed them to chick
ems or pigs. We have seen man in the
street experimenting, at distance, a
half dozen children who separately ap-
piled for food "for a starving family" "
and whose collected victuals were sold
for cash. The devices of these lying
cheats assume fifty forms. 1t is a just
rule never to give money or food unless
the latter is eaten in your sight. Even
in the latter case, it is better to make the
beggar earn the food by some little work
before eating.
Shall we, therefore, have no ''bowels of
compassion?' That is not the alterna-
tive. Give to some poor fund, but never
even to that, unless it will, in your stead,
closely investigate every applicant. The
citizens of the smallest village can better
afford to pay some one to investigate than
to give at random. A great curse is that
soft hearts unwittingly support profes-
sion which attracts people to mendicancy
and mendacity. The crowning curse ID
J in the destruction of manhood by bring
ing up race that abandons self-help.
The wretch who will not earn his dinner
by the wayside by saving wood or rak,ng
yard should be sent away hungry
Christian AdrocOte