San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-02-02


ton had not even name"
"SYsrEMIzED CHARITIEN," Is the head
Of the following article from the Hous-
ton Post: The poor ye have with ye
always" the scriptures say, and again
bread cast upon the waters will return
again after many days increased four
fold" Every where under the blue can
opy OF heaven, and everywhere Gods
sun shines, be il a land fertile and rich
and prosperous, with the bounteOus
gifts from the horn OF plenty in super
abundance, or 4 land that is sterile and
bleak and barren, we find the helpless
and the poor appealing to us in piteous
tones or in silent woe for aid and for
help. 1t is Gods law, ii is natures law,
that this should be SO, and We who are
blessed with health, who have about us
something Of this worlds possessions,
should not be slow TO obey the divine
injunction to give aims to the needy.
Be it said TO the credit Of the great
masses Of the people, to the innate good
ness OF their hearts, appeals for the in
digent are never made In vain. In every
city and town OF the land we find ladies'
aid societies, church benevolent socis-
ties, and kindred associations of every
kind, for the relief OF the poor; but the
great lack in this work seems to be sys-
tenn in the dispensing OF charities. The
san Antonio Evening LIGHT has the fol-
lowing most apropos paragraph on
this subject: There are many cases
of want and restitution in San An
tonic, and the city has reached The
proportions where it 10 almost abso-
lutely necessary to have board OF
public. charities. Numbers Of people
are willing to provide good and warm
clothing for needy poor If they could
place 1t where 1t would do the most
good. AS it 10, much Is distributed,
but great good could be accomplished
if there was an organized board where
donations could be received and appli-
cations for relief be Investigated and
relieved 1t seems 10 the Post that the
State law, il strictly obsyed and carried
out, would exactly and fully cover the
case. Under this law every county is
charged with the care Of Its panpers.
By this it means the aged and cripple
class Of psupers, who must be charge
while they live, and that class who may
be unable temporarily to care for them
selves. To do this systematically and
at the least cost, and at the same tine
with more comfort TO the unfortunates
themselves, there must be poor house.
When each county in the STATE has its
poor house, as contemplated by the law,
their support will be by taxation, and
the support will fall much lighter on the
people than under the present manner
of raising subscriptions, soliciting do
nations, and the various other methods
adopted by the charity societies for
helping the poor. There can be
no intended or unattended discrimi-
nation under this system either
for all will be cared for alike, all as a
rule receive the attention and aid they
may need. Stillunder this system there
will always be in the larger cities calls
upon the charitable and the liberal for
the relief CT the distressed who may not
be within the purview Of the pauper
law. In the metropolitan cities even
this class or character of charity is sys-
tematized and regulated to great ex-
tent by the establishment Of orphan asy-
lums. hospitals and houses of refuge.
The different charitable institutions Of
this city-snd to their praise and their
glory il is q fact that it is woman's
mind, wOman's heart and wOman's
hand, that conceive, organize and man
age these sssociations-could support
such an asylum and with less labor, at
less cost and with the certainty of a
more.equitable distribution OF the bene-
fits than can be accomplished at now
carried out. There are many, alas
very many, cases OF real suffering and
want that in our great city are never
found out, and consequently must suffer
on until from poverty, exposure and dis
ease, death as friend comes, with his
charity OF surcease of earthly woes and
misery"