The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-29
a CASE OF CHARITY.

a CASE OF CHARITY.
The charity so beautifully bestowed upon
the deserving family of Gustav Fleischer, of
New York city, illustrates the emotional ma
ture of humanity and the uncertainty Of hui
man sympathy. This family, for weeks in
the grip of poverty, and with no hope Of de-
liverance, suddenly inds'itsef in comparative
comfort, and the way opened for future sub
sistence. This pleasing transformation has
been brought about by the publicity given
desperate attempt on the part of the husband
and father to commit suicide by throwing
himself from the Brooklyn bridge, failing in
which he was taken into custody under the
statute Furnishing men for such attempts An
examination of his case revealed the fact that
Fleischer was a sober, industrious man, who
through ili-luck could not obtain work, and
who had not cent left after paying his
bridge fare. His family, consisting Of a wife
and eight children, were literally on the verge
of starvation. The papers brought the atten-
ton Of the public to the merits of the case,
and, as if by magic, money and provisions
began to flow in upon them. A sum amount
ing to $500 was quickly realized A reporter
says that "the Fleischer abode was sight to
see Heaped up On the floor, on tables,
and on chairs were great piles of
clothing, meat, vegetables, and all
conceivable substantial things to eat.
The stream of provisions, and clothing, and
money, instead of decreasing, grew in We
locity and volume as the day wore on, and
the little woman's neighbors came to her aid
at last and helped her stack up the things on
chairs and tables and against the wall. To
the string Of grocers' carts and pedestrians
elegant carriages were now added, and ladies
in costly apparel came in and out Of the
Fleischer abode for hours, each leaving behind
some substantial token of her visit Mrs.
Fleischer left the manual labor of stacking
things up to her assistants and opened a
banking business, with the upper bureau
drawer for treasure vault" In addition to
all this the husband has been provided with
work at good rate of pay, so that the out
look is bright for all of them. This is
pretty picture, and greatly to the credit Of all
who aided in making it possible.
But there is another side to the picture.
There are undoubtedly hundreds, and it may
be thousands of men in New York city just
like Gustav Flaischer-honest, hard working
men with families on the edge of physical dis
tress because Of lack Of employment. There
are men similarly situated who suffer on and
make no sign, nor prove as weak as
Fleischer, who would have escaped his duty
to his family by suicide. What effect must
this exhibition of extravagant charity have
upon other men whose families are poverty
strickenY What but to induce them to make
a pretended or real attempt upon their lives9
The well of charity, which, in this instance,
the thing, and the effect cannot be as good as
though greater moderation had been obtained.
1t is well to give Fle;scher something to do,
and to come generously to the aid of his fam
lily; but so long as distress is so common to
many, it should be the desire OF the charitable
to so administer their bounty as to accomplish
the greatest good. The men who are brave
enough to suffer with their families, to stand
by them even to the uttermost, and not to
seek to fly to the Tepose of death, are the kind
of men who deserve assistance. Fleischer I'M
doubtedly deserved help, if for no other
reason than that he is a foreigner, unable to
speak English; but there are others even more
deserving who should be looked after and en-
couraged New York should Organize its
charity; not into Procrustean arrangement,
which never finds any one of the proper size;
but all charity should be so organized" that
there could be a steady, intelligent and help
full flow to all possible cases of real distress.