The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-13
BISHOP PoTTER'5 TWO STORIES.
A Letter of Recommendation Gives a
Man a Lying for twenty Years.
EJ.OHl the Nom York SIM

A Letter of Recommendation Gives
Man a Lying for twenty Years.
From the Ne,o York Sun.
Bishop Henry c. Potter, the head of the
Protestant Episcopal Church of this city,
was one of the first citizens to take an out
spoken stand against the indiscriminate as
sistance of applicants for financial aid who
confront men and women in this busy town.
Recently the Bishop recited two incidents
in his own experience to illustrate why he
assumed the position that such aid, however
laudable the motive that might prompt the
giving, is liable to work more harm than
good
when I was head of the Grace Church
parish, y he said, st ere came to my study
one evening a man somewhat advanced il
years v no applied for financial aid in a very
plausible manner. He handed me a letter
of Introduction TO prove his reSpectabihtv
| discovered upon reauiug il thtU IL was
one that my own father mad written Just
twenty-one years before. 1t recommended
the bearer us Il ma VINO was deserving OF
assistance, aud recited the fact that he had
met with Teverses that were peculiarly dis
tressug. | remembered tine man and the po-
Sition he once occupied. | knew OF the cir
Cumstauces Jnat placed him 81 idenly III
position of dependence. But further inves-
tigatIon proved To me that that letter that
my father had written in the goodness of
his Heart, had, without any inteution on his
part, become the means of starting that
friend his upon a prolonged career OF
professional mendicancY. The bearer OF the
letter h Il discovered that the document i'm
meliatey opened up To him avenues OF as
sured income whenever ne presented it, and
that, without any particular effort ON his
part, he could secure money when Yer he
needed 1t. For twenty-oAe years he had
gone about In various commun, Ties exhibit
ing the letter and Obtaining money readily
because OF the name that Was signed to the
appeal. / determined that tins had gone
on long enough, and resolved 10 put n stop
TO il.
"'My dear sir, l said, 4 will not give
you a penny as so-called charity, but | viii
give you $40 II you will let me have that
letter.
Il WISH" Bishop Potter added, "that
could picture tine expression of naughty
contempt that came over the face OF the
mendiCant as he folded the letter upand put
il back into his coat pocket.
"'Sir, he said, coutemptuously, 4 wish
you a very good evening" and that Is the
last | ever saw OF hum or tie letter, which
may even now 90 employed as an expedient
for securing money 81 u from mistaken
philanthropistS.
The great CT or OF tnat letter, BISHOP
Potter continued, was that 1t was signed
without being specifically addressed, and
any one VINO writes similar letter to secure
assistance for some one in distress lays him
self open 10 having his written appeal TO
friends similarly mlsused.
The other story that the Bishop tells is an
illustration OF the trickery of a class of inn
posters whom he effectively described as
charity repeaters.n He tells it in describ-
81 hat ,,ntI 70
of the late DR.. WaShburn, rector Of Calvary
Church, on Fourth avenue, one evening
As he entered tue study woman dire, sed ia
widows weeds left. DR.. Potter recognized
her at once, and turned 10 his fellow clergy
man when she had gone and said,