The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-05-23
RELATION OF TEMPERANCE TO
PAUPERISM.

Paper by Samuel p Goodwin, ESQ.,, President of the
Franklin Reformatory Home for lnebrates Read
by Request Before the Philadelphia Society for Or
ganizins Charity. A. D. 1880.
The poor we have always with us. This is
true of all the past; it will doubtless be true
of all the future. Could we substitute virtue
for vice, and industry for laziness, III all cases
there would still remain abundant cause for
poverty. Accident, disease, bodily and men
tai deformity, and the various Irregularities
of society are beyond the perfect control of
the wisest and noblest human effort; and
these are frightful sources of poverty There
seems no escape from the conclusion that
poverty, and even restitution, among large
portion of our kind is ordered by infinite
wisdom as one of the conditions of life.
But the greater portion of existing pauper
ism we must believe to be the result of pow
ers abused and resources wasted. Vice and
crime folly and sloth, are sure to make pow
erty, and are necessary to its continuance.
Poverty which is ordered of God we can only
alleviate, but poverty born of vice we must
endeavor to suppress and preoent
1t is great drawback in our warfare with
pauperism that we have no reliable statistics
on which to base Il sound philosophy or an
intelligent course of action. The reports of
the states and countries of the civilized world
upon paupersm are wholly unsatisfactory for
our purposes. The analysis of causes Is not
pushed far enough. The report of the Penn
sylvania state board, in assigning the causes
of pauperism in individual cases is not more
specific than to say want of occupation,
desertion by husband" desertion by
parents. " desertion by friends, 6 sickness"
etc.
We are accustomed to think that in our
land no worthy person need long s1ffer for
lack of honorable and remunerative employ
,nent: that god husbands and fathers do not
desert their wives and children and that for
many forms of sickness, while we cannot
withhold sympathy, we can assign causes
which fix the responsibility on the sufferer.
The reports from other states and lands are
not more instructive We would be greatly
aided in our work if the laws imposed the
duty of thorough analysis of causes and
faithful record of them in every individual
case of pauperism. Each case might be
traced to its innocent or guilty source We
might then intelligently direct our benevo-
lence to the alienation of the one case, and
our energy to the suppression of the vice
which was the father, or more remote ances-
tor, of the other. But for the present we
must rely as far as we can upon our imper-
feet statistics, and supplement the limited
knowledge thus obtained, as far as we may,
bv common observation and common sense.
Starting from this basis | am prepared to
believe, and to persuade others that more
than one-half of our American pauperism
and mendicancy are the offspring near or re-
mote of intemperance. My own experience
in visiting the dens of vice and pauperlsm in
our own city for many years. Will convince
YOU how little | am disposed to exaggerate.
On one occasion | went with the excellent
superintendent of the Bedford Street Mission,
and saw personally, if L mistake not IN
figures, about sixty men and women, black
and white, huddled together on the floor OF
one room, all ignorant, dirty, poor, vicious
and lazy; and on carefully lnqulrlng the
cause of their condition, found that III every
case intemperance was the direct cause
What am [ to infer as to their posterlty!
On another occasion, in company with
some of the Judges of our courts and select
and common council I visited the house of
correction, and if | mistake not as to the
figures, Mr. Cattell, the superintendent IN
formed me that there were about 1868 inmates
at that time in the institution, and over 9Oo
of them were there as paupers IRON the Ill
rect cause of intemperance what am TO
infer as to their posterity?
It is superfuous for me to say as regards
the pauperism connected with the families OF
those who have been admitted to that great
power for good" to which God has called me
to be the overseer viz: The Franklin Re-
formatory Home for Inebriates, " that in every
instance the direct cause has been lntemper-
ance: what am to infer as to hetf posterlty Z
And so we could multiply incontrovertlble
facts as coming directly under our own obser-
walton and experience The knowledge OF
this vice, derived from common Observation
and years of study, and without the aid OF
classified facts enables us to assert that ao-
iect poverty is the inevitable consequence OF
intemperance Laws recognizing this truth
are on every statute book.
The Young man beginning life is wealthy ;
then again he is not wealthy, but is honest
and has brains and health. He learns to
drink more than he should. The end IN
either case is pauperlsm.
Details are unnecessary. No intelligent
citizen will deny this as general proposition
commission of inquiry into the impofta..
ton. manufacture, sale and consumption OF
alcoholic liquors, and the result IN the
United States, has been proposed IN the SEN
ate of the nation Let us hope that 1t may
be established and may | presume to urge
its advocacy upon the attention OF this excel
lent society, as necessity of their work
In this field science may win rare iaureis.
Political and social philosophy and economy
cannot afford to be ignorant on TINS topic.
This society could accomplish much greater
results when thus privileged to act intelligent
ly. Such an inquiry, conducted by consclen-
sious. able, scientific men, would be nation
\ f1l xuAn