Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-21
THE MISTAKES OF CHARITY.
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH. p,

IHaG Is 10 say lie Is Guo cXcept1OH. 1He ObucT
90 are frauds and rascals. Even this esti-
mate is probably too generous. The chances
are that out Of the next hundred people who
come into our Offices, or who knock at our
doors, with petitions tor help, not single
one will be deserving of a penny
This is the result of some experience in
endeavoring to help the poor. have no
doubt that it will accord perfectly with
the experience of nearly every other man
in PittsburG who has given assistance to
outdoor petitioners and has taken pains to
follow the matter up, and see just in what
way the assistance assisted. In good many
instances the assistance assists that great
institution of our Christian civilization, the
saloon. More of the dimes get into the
pockets of the barkeeper than into the
pockets of the butcher and the baker added
together.
Indeed, this whole business of giving to
people who ask is nothing but disappoint-
ment, deceit and encouragement to vaga-
bonds. 1t ought to be stopped. The truth
is, that no good man or woman in Pittsburg
should give penny, or piece of bread, or
an old shoe to any unknown beggar. The
giving is simply so much of an addition to
the misery of the world. The giver thinks
to give blessing and, perhaps, to get one
for himself. He may get one, possibly; for
ignorance or foolishness. But he may be
absolutely sure that he is not giving one.
He is distributing malediction. He is walk
ing over the down trodden. He is hindering
the cause Of the poor. Every bit of aims
given at an Office desk or at a kitchen door
in this city ought to be given with accom-
paniment of bell, book and candle. 1t is
only another (and more effectively kind of
curse.
How Charity Goes ~ stray.
AND vet what are we going to do? We
want to help the poor. We are sorry for the
pitiable people who tell these pitiable
stories. This poor woman, whose husband
was killed on the railroad, who has seven
children, the eldest only 10 years old, and
four of them down with scarlet fever and
whose landlord is going to set her and these
sick children out into the middle of the
street this afternoon unless she gets 81 to
pay her back rent-we want to minister to
this sad case. What shall we do? We hand
out 81. The acting is pretty good. 1t is, in
deed, so real that we mistake it for actual
life. But 81 is good deal to pay for it. We
can see Modjeska cheaper than that.
One of the best men who ever lived in
Pittsburg did great deal of harm every
of his life by his conscientious
patronage of that sort of private theatricals.
which came everybody who wentad help.
And he heard their stories and helped them.
That is, he believed he helped them. He
gave them money and grocery and coal Or
ders. In real truth, he pauperized them.
He paid them for telling lies. He increased
just so much the worthless part of the popu-
lation of the CITY,
There was little set Of pictures in one of
the illustrated papers some time ago that
showed just how this giving business works.
man comes around q corner and encount-
ers blind beggar; he drops penny into the
hat. The next morning, round
ing the same corner, there is the same blind
beggar and his brother, also blind. Unhappy
family! Two pennies. The next morning a
ame cousin is added to the expectant COM
pany. Alas! alas! three pennies. And so on.
The good man simply induces knavery. He
does his daily sum in the arithmetic Of pau
perization. A man in London who gave a
daily dole of bread to the poor of his neigh
borhood had to be stopped by the police.
He was demoralIzipg the whole community.
Giving Not Helping.
Or course there is the New Testament
md the Sermon on the Mount, and all that.
But, dearly beloved brethren, the kind of
giving that is enjoined there is synonymous
with helping. The Master, We may be quite
sure never gave to anybody when He knew
that the giving would be harmful. 1t is our
duty not to give to people, but to
lelp people. 1t is our Christian duty not to
give at all, when giving does not mean up
fitting, bettering, really helping. Iwould
'ay then that the Sermon on the Mount in
is spirit, in its actual meaning, forbids all
ndiscriminate distribution Of aims over
,fice desks and out of kitchen doors. And |
" sindiscriminate.n do not mean only the |
irving which does not ston to investigate. |
int all giving which is done on the decision |
wen of what a man thinks is his accurate |
udoment which ia based on the seemino |
rnth of the regyar,s story or on the seen.
no honesty of the beprar,s face Recause |
III that sort of Judgment is utterly fallacious.
;ome of the most pious looking men in AlIe- |
-benv county are in the penitentiarv. You
annor tell You absolutely cannot tell.
rbe only good n,an for anvbodv who wants
q be res,ly beInfu, is simn,v to cav "no,, tn |
ve,v onniicant without excention,
no" 10 ne"ch 'ho deserving oor'
THAT, however, ought not to be the end |
# it, 1t may be that this beggar is that
MYTHICAL person the hundredth man. It
nav be that four of the children have the
carlet fever and that the cold-blooded
anolord will do something quite inhuman.
he lacks his seven dollars In that case
what? Why, two things-either of them.
DOCS this applicant belong to any church?
f yes. then the church ia the place To 90 to
he oarson is the nerson who can intelli-
entiv Judge. Eyerv church has its aims
und. Every church desires to look after
ts own poor, and is. in most cases, quite
BILE to do it. People who want to help the
poor can get at those of them who
elonS TO the churches ny conCripu6ins 10
hev are connected.