Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-02-01
Alis.Aarsesi,s
What b the Best Way to Help the Peer
- Help Themselves
BY GEORGE z. RIPsON.

How best to make provision for the des-
titute has been q problem which has re-
ceived much attention.
The limits assigned to this squestion. how
ever, will not admit of statement in de-
tail Of the minor methods adopted by both
public and private charities. mach less OF q
comparison of their merits. The effort has
been how best to give the necessary aid.
and how to prevent the increase OF
pauperism, and to reduce the burden OF
support. Free and indiseriminate charity
il a positive injury bota TO society and the
pauper. 1t encourages idleness, which IN
turn breeds multitude of other vices and
tends to educate the children to become
professional beggars.
OF late years the method most in use in
this country ard in Europe (and deemed
hitherto the best) has been that OF .'out-
door, relief; 1, e., giving TO those not
kept at an asylum for the poor. ard gener-
ally with exacting anything as condition
Of relief other than evidence OF poverty
and want.
When employment has been imposed as
a condition. il has reduced the number of
abIe-bodied applicants. The recipient OF
charity soon loses his energy and self-re-
spect: but when he is conscious that his
own efforts are contributing TO his sup
Dor, and that oil his family. .his seff-respcet
Il preserved. and his family learn to rely
more uDon themselves. Those unable to
work. or who, being able. cannot find it.
must not be allowed TO suffer.
Al the twelfth annual convention of the
County Superintendents Of the Poor Of The
State of New York, held at Rochester in
June. 1882, the subject Of poor support
was fully discussed; and in paper read
by Mr.. McGonegal, Monroe County Super
intendent for II years, and approved by
the BODY. il was claimed that three-foruths
of the outdoor relief furnished by public
and private charity in that State was adj
rect injury to the recipients. as encourag.
ing Incidence. And it may he observed
that what is true OF the characteristics in
general of the p ,or Of that State is true al
80 OF the same class elsewhere.
In 1873 the Niagara County Superinten-
dent adopted the plan Of imposing work
as a condition of relief. and, besides re-
ducing the yearly number of applicants
able to perform some labor, large tract
covered with stones was. in the four sue
ceeding wears, converted into first class
farm, and large water-hole into beau
tiful lawn; to do which required about
four thousand loads of stone to be broken
and three thousand loads of dirt drawn.
He proceeded on the idea that if poor
person could walk from Lockport to the
Almshouse-three miles-with the help
of two canes. he could do work of some
kind. This method resulted in marked
decrease of "outdoor" relief
Tho anf lam nf ratioT in npfori
County vas adopted over fifty years ago.
But about three years ago new plan was
acted upon--that of visitation and person.
al examination. and record kept OF each
Applicant and. rs a result, in Geneva
alone, the amount of relief was reduced to
$40. as against from 800 to $1,000
suffered Why? Because work was Of
fered and there are few anywhere COM
paratively, who cannot do something to
earn their own support. The same is true
in Saratoga County. where outdoor relief
was formerly furnished, but being found
bad policy. is virtually discontinued. as
many persons would accept relief at home
who would refuse to work on the Aims
house farm.
In 1870 the County of Suffolk abolished
the poor houses. purchased small farm,
since enlarged to two hundred cleared
acres. on which the poor persons cut 9 900
cords Of wood. worth o. 900; and in 1880
the farm produced 1900 bushels of corn,
2.lO0 of potatoes. 1000 of turnips, 800 of
wheat, 420 of oats. 130 tons of hay, and
other articles. And all this was done by
''pauper" labor. The same plan has late
ly, to some extent, been adopted by the
Monroe County Superintendent. who. in
his report made TO the Board of Supervis-
ors in November. 1879. says: "As con-
sequence. there have been less able. bodied
persons in the Almshouse during the
preceding winter than formerly during
that season of the year." In the
same report he also says that '.if
People would generally unite with the
officers in trying to lead those inclined 70
pauperism to be self-supporting. and as
sist them to obtain employment, the
amount of outdoor relief furnished would
be reduced many thousands of dollars.
and would produce q permanent benefit
upon every family saved from pauper-
ism." What is true of counties is also
true of cities. or of smaller localities.
The tendency of children Of pauper
parents to become paupers is proverbial.
The Mayor of Philadelphia in a recent
public report, states: When public
charity is long continued it is debasing to
the recipient, and pauperism In the
parents generally leads to disease, wee.
and crime in their offspring. as shown by
the records of every department where
attention to this subject is given" Those
who ordinarily subsist on public or pri-
vate charity are notably averse to doing
anything towards earning their own liv-
ing. The writer has lived tor the past six
teen years where he has been called upon
by both sexes, and almost all ages, for
relief. the decided majority OF whom were
able to work; and while all invariably
asked for money or food. they as invaria-
bly, declined. when offered. suitable en-
plcyment in return for the desired aid.
Doubtless this is the experience. on re-
fection. of almost every one. For the
chronic able-bodied pauper there is NO
cure but work. This last class is on the
border line of vagrancy. yet are not va
grants. and cannot be dealt with as such,
but ought to be.
The chief objection to the method Of
sAF Il n