Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-04-02
POVERTY AND ars CAUSES.
An Address Before the Social Scfenc
CLUB Yesterday Afternoon By Henr
q. Whffe.

<
CIuD Yesterday Afternoon By Henry
@. White.
Attorney Henry G. White addressed the
Social Science league yesterday afternoon on
''Poverty: Its Causes Before introducing
the speaker Mr.. Thomas Benton made few
remarks. He said: ga certain body in this
city has seen fit to attack these meetings.
think if any member of the Sunday observ-
ance society would attend one of the meet
ings they would withdraw their objections
This organization is the outgrowth of pub
lie lyceum, and has always conducted it's
meetings peaceably, and we intend to do SO
in the future"
Mr.. White on being introduced said: The
best way to get at the subject for discussion
to-day is to view ii as whole. Not to take
out particular points and condemn them and
others and praise them. Two years ago 1
visited the hospitals and almshouses of New
York, and on that occasion asked the super
intendent what was the leading cause of the
great number of people in such institutions
As the main reason for such state of things
he gave twas the wrongful disposition of the
means that the associated charities had at
| their command for those needing aid"
Up to the time of the fifteenth century the
church was obliged to take care of the poor
After that time the condition of the
| church became SO that it was una
BILE to do this and the State stepped
1 in and gave aid. The church and
| State not being equal to the task the
| local government was brought in. To-day
1 Ia nj ruith fI1a Init IF
| taking care of the poor. The State has laws
| in regard to vagrancy, the municipality is
| doing more than ever, but in spite of all
| these things we find, according to some very
good students, that we are only making
| things worse and pauperism is on the in
| crease. How do we account for such state
| of affairs9 By the fact that the state OF
| society under which these things originated
| Is very different than the time when these
| things originated. The great change
in the railroad system allows trans
portation from one place to another
| very easily, and in the olden
\ time the industrial system was different.
| The number of persons employed by any one
person were so few that personal acquaint-
| ance usually existed between employee and
| employer and in case of need it would usual
ly be known. Many foreigners have come to
| this country and have been obliged to change
| their mode of life; this has been followed by
4
| dens. More than one-half of the people
| cared for in the United States are either
| foreigners of foreign parentage. Again
| the concentration of the inhabitants in the
cities tends to create this state of affairs. In
| the New England States more than fifty per
| cent. of the people live in the city while in
| 1890 it was only four percent
The two modes of giving aid are by the
| State and by charitable societies. In most
States the statutes regulate the way it shall
be given. Up TO 1887 in many towns the
poor were let out on the contract system .,
The man bidding the lowest for their keep
ing Nr the year was given charge of them.
Again, petty criminals are oftentimes sent
| to the almshouse and there come in contact
with the deserving poor. Of tho two kinds
of relief, outdoor and indoor relief the for
mer the giving of aid to those outside of the
almshouses-there is more in this State than
any other in the country, and this system
1t is not only the most expensive but tends
to directly increase the very evils which we
are trying to do away with, there are great
number of evils incident to its administra-
ton. People receiving s1ch aid know that
any time by applying to proper authority they
can secure it. This is the very thing we want
to do away with, and it is the duty of every
man to work for that end. One of the evils
we have to contend with, politics, comes in
this question to a considerable degree and
makes II more naroer 10 90 away with. Ihere
are many cases of private charity that we
never hear Of The different societies and or
CARNATIONS are usually the most active workers
in the relief of the poor. These two modes
of giving relief go on with their work with
out any knowledge of what the other is do
ing. They have failed to learn the funda-
mental principle that cooperation is neces-
cary. They also work only for the present,
never looking to the future or the cause for
the present need. The method adopted by the
associated aid societies, one of Investigation,
is ths best yet adopted, frauds are detected
and the result of Investigation kept for fu-
ture reference. The best charity that is
given to day, in my opinion the best in the
future, will be personal charity and assist