Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-31
SEEING HUMAN NATURE.
ITS DEVELOPMENT AS SEEN BY A
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE POOR.

The Female Shylock-A Mothers Love
for Her Afflicted Boy-A Recent Ar
rival-shipping Paupers from Europe
A Discharged Sailor.
Mr.. William Blake, superintendent OF
outdoor poor, works from a. m. until
p. m. every week day, and while he talks
he is listening to complaints, appeals,
arguments and inquiries, and his hands
are busy signing papers, making mem
oranda, handing out bottles Of cough mix
ture, putting his name to vouchers, open.
ing letters and various other occupations.
By dint of doing three or four things al
once when he is most rushed, he manages
to get the average down TO about nine
things per minute that he gets through
with all day long.
While the reporter sat watching him
and waiting to hear about his observa-
tions upon human nature, the dull brown
tatter-festooned chain Of misery that
moved its human links along the front OF
his desk was suddenly broken by very
charming variation upon its monotony.
An exceedingly pretty young woman,
with pouting red lips, sparkling eyes and
rose leaf complexion; young woman
prettily gloved, wearing rich furs and
costly jewelry, and a marvelously hand
some hat-altogether quite a patrician-
ssque young woman-stopped before Mr..
Blake and said:
I'VE have a tenant; widow with q
child, who cannot pay her rent. We have
dispossessed. her, or at least served her
with notice of dispossession, but we
can't put her out because her child is
very sick. So want you to send an am
bulance and take the child away to some
hospital
'sYou want us to take the sick and per-
haps dying child away from its mother,
SO that you can throw the mother into
the street and let your room to better
paying tenantp'
Eyes, SIR" replied the young woman,
stiffly, but with little flush ON her
cheeks, as If she was just beginning to real
ize that her attitude might not be admired
by people weak enough to be humane.
Mr.. Blake's eyes projected themselves,
and he seemed making an effort to swal
low some words that would not have
sounded prettiiy. After brief but inn
pressive silence he answered sternly:
"No, shall do nothing of the sort. II
the poor mother brings her sick child and
asks us to care for it, we will do the best
we can, but We have no right to do what
you ask. We never interfere between
landlord and tenant"
The handsome young woman Redeemed
angrily, and exclaimed argumentatively:
''But she can't pay her rentr
81 have told you that I can do nothing
for you," replied Mr. Blake, in a tone Of
disgust; 1--WE do not interfere between
landlord and tenant"
The pretty female Shylocl gave her
head an indignant toss, flashed look of
scorn upon the poor wretches surround
ing her-who were listening and viewing
her with expressions of loathing and sur
prise-and quickly went out.
A pale, thin, weary looking young wo-
man, still bearing traces of beauty, came
up to the desk, and said, with evident
effort:
''My little boy is deaf and dumb, and
paralyzed. can no longer keep him. l
have come to see if you will put him in
some institution where he will be warm
and taken care Of"
care you widow?'
'tNo, sir. I have husband, but he can
get little work to dc. We are very poor,
and have another child, which is all we
can take care Of"
81 will send your child to Randall's is
land, where he will be very well cared for,
if You desire it. When will you be ready
to have the ambulance take him away"
She seemed to hesitate, but nerving he--
self, replied:
ANY time, SIR"
every well, the ambulance will call for
him tomorrow morning"
She turned very pale, her lips quivered,
and her eyes filed with tears as she eX-
claimed impulsiveiy:
';Ohl sir, make it Friday. Let me have
him one more day.
Mr.. Blake kindly told her how well her
little afflicted boy would be cared for,
which was the best consolation she could
have had, and when she went away re-
marked to the reporter: ''There's more
human nature for you. / wonder If that
young Shylock who was in here while
ago VIII ever have in her breast mothers
heart as tender as that of the woman who
just went out"
The clanking of the human chain that
drags itself before Superintendent Blake's
NOSh ID aiikiOSV "AO4y III O hCy.
Now and then, however, there is q little
relief to its monotony.
A young German stood confidently up,
and in response to the question, asked in
German, "How long have you been in this
country?" replied placidly: Il arrived
yesterday"
"My Godr' calculated Blake "And
you've found this place already! Well, I've
known Of their being pretty soon before,
but he is the freshest thing I've seen yet"
The recent arrival was sent back to
Castle Garden. The state board of chart
ties and our municipal commissioners Of
charities and correction have plenty Of
business in shipping off paupers, the
burden Of whose support properly belongs
upon other communities and even in other
countries.
1.-THE Swiss cantons," said DR.. Hoyt,
''openly and boldly ship us their paupers,
even claiming right to do so, and COM
placently invite US to reciprocate by send
ing our paupers to them, If we can. But
we cannot. Catch our paupers going TO
Switzerland! Not much. They know
when they are well off. We also get
great numbers of the most undesirable
class of immigrants from the Austro-
Polish, Italian and German lowest classes;
the greater numbers and the worst the
Austro Polish. They come here to live
by begging and crime, and if we do not
succeed m catching them and turning
them back they are burden practically
from the day they land"
A tall, thin man, erect, bronZed by ex-
posture to the elements, and wearing
haf To he To
Il have been discharged from the
Trenton" he said, land it seems pretty
hard, for I've been IN the service since
1861; but it was my own fault. want
now to go back TO where l have friends