Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-12-28
How o. Help the Needy.

uOW - .OsR snU H~
This il . o. sson of alms-giviAg, and
there are hundreds Of worthy objec ts
on which to bestow charity. There arc
also hundreds, yes tn ousapds, OF large
hearted charitable citizens who are
ready to help necessitous cases If they
can only find who they are, and know
that they are worthy objects of charity.
Most of the poverty in our city Isl
brought about through intemperance
and idleness, and while our charitably
disposed people know this to be fact,
and cannot be blamed for keeping their
pockets and their purses closed until
they know for a certainty that the
charity they would bestow will bel
worse than wasted, 1t seems very
hard not give it to al apparent SUI
ferer, but nobody has right TO forget
in an etfusion of sentimental emotion,
that there is no greater wrong to honest
labor than to reward idleness and swim.
ding.
Nohody need go far without meeting
persons in want, actually suffering, for
the necessarles of life, but to clothe
them and help them would be but 10
contribute to the support Of the source
that made them beggars. 1t Is lament
able, too, to think some of these de-
graded beings have somewhere wives
and children, suffering from the cold
blasts of winter, and with the pangs OF
hunger.
How to help them is the puzzling
question, for by contributing to their
assistance, the man who is the cause OF
their sufferings, would even rob them
of what was given them through chart
ty. The kind hearted citizen who
gives promiscuousiy toevery object OF
wretcbedness and poverty that presents
himself, only throws away his money.
Proniscuous alms-giving simply en-
courages idleness and Incidence, be-
cause those impostors who are the least
worthy of charity, soon find that they
can make more money by lying and
laziness than they can by honest labor
This system of alms-giving is wrong tt
all concerned. Wrong TO the beggar il
whom it destroys self-respect anG
honesty wrong to the industrious
worker whom it seduces TO deser
honest industry for lying and crimina
beggary wrong to society, by degrad
ing character and perpetuating paupsr
increase of taxation which comes 3
last from the honest and industriou
poor man. Then what is to, be don
to relieve suffering. The only way b.
which it can be doneis by cooperating
with benevolent associations organizes
to Look after necessitous cases no mat
ter to whatgrade of society they belong
Many real genuine cases Of want com
to the public through the agency of til
press.
All such men toned in the REPUBLl
CAN, can be relied upon as worthy, ne
cessitous cases. The Provident Societ
il one of the means through which al
can be judiciously dispensed, but
better way is to make personal inve'
tgation OF through some person i
whom implicit confidence can b
placed. Nearly every community ha
its necessitous cases but some hav
more than others. These should b
looked up and attended to. In iookin
after them it should be remenb here
that the greatest sufferers are those VIII
keep up An appearance OF comfol
rather than to disclose their want o
the contrary there are many who al
almost boisterous in proclaiming thei
poverty who, when their cases al
closely investigated ARE found not to
in real want.
All these conditions but show no
careful charitable people should
in the distribution of their charities
But what" asks some kind hearte
individual" is to be done with the poo
miserable, besotted drunkard, to who1
we would advise no charity to
given 2" We can answer that questiC
very quickly. Send them either to Il
Almshouse az paupers or to the count
Jail as tramps. They are not tit to run
large anyhow, and when they a
either in the Almshouse or the prise
al the taxpayers in the county wi
pay an equal proportion in keepir
them