The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-28
sLUMM1Ne FOE CHARITY.
Wealthy Women who Visit the Ten e.
ment Houses and Assist Poor Fami-
Exon. the Nee York world.

lies. ~@t4 atDeaS
From, the Ne,o York Wcrld.
Summing is the most heavenly fad ever
affected by a woman of fashion. And just
now, when people of abundant means are
leaving the city and the tenement poor are
succumbing to the enfeebling heat of sum-
mer and the hardships resulting from a
dearth of clean water and fresh air, the in
terest and encouragement from the ladies
who go through the sIums are beautiful be-
yond expression. A lady living in the
shadows of the Park Avenue hotel, who
will not permit her name to be used, has
religiously performed the self-assigned task
of helping ten poor families to help them
selves every week since May l. She says:
eve are going to spend July and August
at the seasore and | wanted to earn the
right to enjoy so much pleasure l haven't
a great deal of money to bestow, but every
day am convinced that the helpless and
hapless want something else besides money.
They want work, first of all, and then some
special instruction Ito be pedagogic) as to
the best investment of the money and the
most economical way of living. Daughter
and give Monday and Wednesday morn
ings to actual visiting in the tenement sec
tions.
Generally we start out to find a family
suggested by an aid society, and in the
search almost countless cases of sickness
and restitution, all worthy of assistance,
thrust themselves upon our sympathy. We
find them in rear buildings, on top floors,
in straits of poverty that are touching be-
You'd description In such extremes money
must be advanced before any missionary
work or ethical culture is possible. We
show one housewife how to keep her kitchen
and bedroom clean, another how to reduce
her grocery and meat bills. and others,
again, the way to patch old clothes, and
procure new ones. We personally appeal
to cruelty negligent land agents for better
surroundings, we provide tickets for the
use of machines in free Institutes and facto-
ries, and distribute cards bearing the name
and address of intimate friends who promise
to give the bearer a days work, some suit
able clothing or few dollars when the
card is presented. ~.
1--WE have shown fifteen women how to
prepare inexpensive and wholesome dishes,
such as soup, cream toasts, egg salad, fish
balls and potato patties for breakfast and
supper in order to dispense with meat, and
dozen at least l have taken to market and
introduced to wholesale dealers who gener-
ously agreed to furnish everything at actual
cost and considerable for nothing. It's
trifie, to be sure, to say we teach mothers
how TO care for their children, but it's pitt
ful TO see the success with which they are
neglected In one week we carried about a
bag with odds and ends of shoes, properly
fitting the little feet and taking away in
exchange the shorter shoes. At the sama
time we solved the problem of clean
| heads by shingling the matted tresses,
having each child IS cents who
consented to be shorn by the clipping ma
chine. A few families we assisted to pro-
cure oil stoves, and everywhere we preached
against the robbery of the pawnshop sys-
| TEN. One friend offered to buy up $500
worth of pawn tickets, and as his agent we
redeemed 100 articles, showing the loans TO
| average less than g. There were shaws,
| tools, albums, wedding-rings, beds, pillows,
| household furniture, fatirons, scissors,
pieces of jeweIry. watches, umbrellas, furs
| and shoes and clothing, wash boilers, tubs,
| and wringers in abundance. One little
pair of shoes we redeemed belonging to
| dead child, aud with the Is cents advanced
| on them the poor mother had purchased
white Grape TO tie round the bell pull. We
| can't do much, the need is so great, but the
| little we try to accomplish makes an excuse
| for the summer outing we enjoy so much.
1.-THE other day / met Mrs. Hicks Lord
returning from a Friday stunning. She
was coming from Essex street and boarded
crosstown car to go to her horne in Wash
ineton SQUARE She was dressed in black
cotton suit. Isle thread gloves covered
her hands, and from the brim Of a black
straw bonnet a heavy baize veil fell over
her face. 1t was evident that she did not
wish to be recognized, but the nickel with
which she paid her fare was the last coin
in her purse, and black shopping bag that
she carried was also empty"