Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-05-19
THE POOR OF LONDON.
THE KINDNESS SHOWN TO ONE
ANOTHER IN MISFORTUNE.

mcnt---AdoptinG Chiidrep--,A Sister In
Aiisfortupe A Dead Comrades Pet.
Kindness to Animals.
II Is not only In their perhaps thriftless
Rlmsgiving that the poor show their sym.
pathy with their own order They show
1t In their practical help'in times OF sick.
ness and bereavement; they show II In
their readiness to share their scanty food
and shelter with the hungry and the home.
less; they show II In the way In which
they take other peoples troubles upon
their already overburdencd backs; and In
the way they frequently sacrifice their
time and their money In endeavoring to
put their poor brothers and sisters who
have been pushed down In tho battle OF
nfe once moro upon their legs.
Tho poor live 30 closely together that
they know good deal Of each others cir
cumstances. and naturally the ladies' are
the first TO find out each others business.
30 IL comes that the poor woman living
with ber husband and family In one room
knows that the people In the next room
are without food She and her husband
20 short and send In half their loaf to
their starving neighbors. and she sends In
the teapot with the leaves left In It, and
she fills II up with hot water This, at
least. gives the recipient warm drink.
whatever tho particular flavor of 1t
may DO.
Ono rcparkable way In which the poor
show thd1f kindness OF heart Is In adopt
Ing children. 1t frequently happens In
neighborhoods where the laboring and
criminal classes herd together that fam.
lily Of children may DO suddenly left with
out father or mother Father gets put
away" and mother. In her grief and do
spalr. goes to drown her sorrow at the
public house. and sometimes ends by fall
ing herself into the clutches OF the law.
Such cases as this occur over and over
again. and In five cases out Of ten the
children are taken care of. washed and
dressed and fed by some poor mother liv-
Ing In the same house. who herself has O
large family All this Is done ungrudg-
ingly and as duty" II you ask such
woman what prompted her TO burden her.
self with the maintenance of another
woman's family she will tell you there
was nothing wonderful In the act. "She
supposes as some neighbor 'ud do the
same by her young 'uns If ever she was In
trouble"
poor. unfortunate girl. living In ten
ement house with others of her unhappy
class. fell seriously Ill The landlord
other girls said NO not II they knew
It" These poor creatures pawned all tho
clothes they could spare in order to pay
for a clever doctor--for her case was o
complicated one--nnd they clubbed to-
gether aud got her all the doctor ordered
her. They relieved each other at the sick
bed and took 1t In turns to nurse her day
and night and they made her stop at
home when she was better for over six
weeks. as the doctor said there would still
DO risk In her going out, during all Of
which time they paid her rent and every
expense incurred by her illness, though to
do 1t they had to deny themselves not
only any comfort but almost any ncces.
Bary Of life Brave girls those and good
girls. How different would their lives
have been. perhaps, had they known in
their homes such love and devotion as
they showered upon their sisters In mis-
fortune
Tho poor man who loses his wife finds
plenty Of sympathy aud practical help
among his poor noighbors Some good
soul comes In at once and sees to the
young children for him II he has none old
enough to look after the others. The
baby not infrequently finds a new mother
to take 1t to her breast. and even the
mans comfort Is not overlooked. Mrs.
Jones will run in for half an hour while
he Is away at work, and tidy up his place
for him; and Mrs Brown will pop across
the road and get his tea ready for him
against he comes home There are some
charming little idylls of the courts and
alleys which are waiting TO be told-ten-
der prose poems, fragrant with the self
sacrifice and the heruisms of the poor and
the lowly but they must be told from
the beginning to the end To cut them
down into n bald narrative of Incidents
would DO to rob them of all their grace
and charm,
The sympathy of the poor shows itself
sometimes IN a tender regard for some-
thing which has been the pet of dead
comrade or neighbor. Some little time
back. a hawker in the East End lay dying.
lie was a widower aud childless, but he
had one companion--a faithful, loving
little dog, who had lived with him for
many years As the poor fellow lay on
his death bed. tho little dog stretched it.
self out beside him, and every now and
then licked the weak, thin hand that
rested lovingly upon its little head. The
old hawker's mind was tortured as to
what would be his faithful companions
fate after he had gone to his grave;
30 one day he sent for a mate. and no
said to him; Jim, when I'm gone,
take my little Fan, and let her have
a home with you till she dies, will
YOU, mate? shall die happy If l know
as she'll have friend to take care
OF her after I'm dead" jim, a street
hawker of dolls. pSipped his friends hand
and said: Yes. mate; I'll take her, and
promise you as she shall DO as comfort.
able as can make her"
This kindness to animals is by no means
u rare trait among the poor. have seen
lean and hungry lad many time shar-
ing his scanty meal of bread and butter
with stray cur in the aums, and know
ono common lodging house cat, who died
In the kitchen amid the tears and sobs of
the rough men and women, who clustered
around to see their pet breathe its last
nf m Ivu