The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1891-04-15

class. Let the public authorities keep
their eyes on them.
Again: Among the uprooting classes
! place the oppressed poor. Poverty
to certain extent is chastening; but
after that, when II drives man to the
wall and he hears his children cry in
vain for bread, 1t sometimes makes him
desperate. think that there are thou
sands Of honest men lacerated into vnga-
bondism. There are men crushed under
burdens for which they are not half
paid. While there Ii no excuse for
criminality, even in oppression, state
II as simple fact that much Of the
scoundrelism Of the community is con-
sequent upon ill-treatment. There are
many men and women battered and
bruised and stung until the hour of de-
spair has come, and they stand with the
ferocity Of wild beast which. pursued
until 1t can run no longer, turns round,
foaming and bleeding, to fight the
hounds.
There is vast underground New
York and Brooklyn life that is appalling
and shameful. II wallows and steams
with putrefaction. You 90 down the
stairs, which are wet and decayed with
filth, and at the bottom you find the poor
victims on the floor, cold, sick, three
fourths dead, Sinking into still darker
corner under CLEAN of the lantern Of
the police. There has not been breath
Of fresh air in that room for five years,
literally. The broken sewer empties its
contents upon them, and they lie at night
in the swimming filth. There they are
men, women, children; blacks; whites;
Mary Magdalen without her repentance,
and Lazarus without his God. These
are "the dives" into which the pick
pockets and the thieves go, as we'll as
great many who would like diff
ferent life but can not get II. These
places are the sores Of the city, which
breed perpetual corruption. They are
the underlying volcano that threatens
us with Caracas earthquake. II rolls
and roars and surges and heaves and
rocks and blasphemes and dies. And
there are only two outlets for It: the
police court and the potter's field. In
other words, they must either go TO
prison or to he'll. o, you never saw 1t,
you say. You never will see II until on
the day when those staggering wretches
shall come up in the light Of the judg-
ment throne, and while all hearts are
being revealed, God will ask you what
you did TO help them.
There is another layer Of poverty and
destitution, not so squalid, but almost
as helpless. You hear the incessant
wailing for bread and clothes and fire.
Their eyes are sunken. Their cheek
bones stand out. Their hands are
damp with slow consumption. Their
flesh is puffed up with dropsies. Their
breath is like that of the charnel house.
They hear the roll of the wheels Of
fashion, overhead, and the gay laughter
Of men and maidens, and wonder why
God gave TO others so much and TO them
so little. Some Of them thrust into an
infdelity like that OF the poor German
girl who, when told in the midst OF
wretchedness that God was good, said:
mo, no good God. Just look at me.
No good God"
In this cluster Of cities, whose cry Of
want interpret, there are said to be,
nc far as can figure IL up from the
reports, about three hundred thousand
honest poor who are dependent upon
individual, city and state charities. II
all their voices could come up at once,
It would be groan that would shake
the foundations of the city, and bring
all earth and heaven TO the rescue. But
for the most part, II suffers unex-
pressed II sits in silence, gnashing It's
teeth, and sucking the blood OF It's own
arteries, waiting for the judgment day.
o, should not wonder II on that day IL
would be found out that some Of US had
some things that belonged TO them;
some extra garment which might have
made them comfortable in cold days;
some bread thrust into the ash barrel
that might have appeased their hunger
for little while; some wasted candle or
gas-jet that might have kindled up their
darkness; some fresco on the ceiling
that would have given them roof: some
Jewel which, brought TO that orphan
girl in time, might have kept her from
being crowded off the precipices OF IN
unclean life; some New Testament that
would have told them Of Him who
''came TO seek and save that which
was lost" o, this wave OF vagrancy
and hunger, and nakedness that dashes
against our front door 5tepl II the roofs
of all the houses destitute could be
lifted SO we could look down into them
just as God looks, whose nerves would
be strong enough TO stand II? And yet
there they are. The ffty thousand sew
ing women In these three cities, some Of
them In hunger and cold. working
night after night, until sometimes blood
spurts from nostrils and lips. How
well their grief was voiced by
that despairing woman who stood
by her invalid husband and invalid
child, and said 10 the city missionary:
"a am down-hearted. Everything Is
against US; and then there arc other
thinga" "what other things7" said
the city missionary. 20" shc replied,
my sim" What do you mean by
that?" "Well," she said, II never hear
or see anything good IT'S work from
Monday morning Till Saturday night,
and then when Sunday comes can't go
out, and walk the floor, and Il makes
me tremble TO think I have got 70 meet
God. 0, sir, It's so hard for us. We
have 10 work 20, and then we have
30 much trouble, and then we are get
ting along so poorly; and see this wee
little thing growing weaker and weak.
er; and then TO think we are not getting
nearer TO God, but floating away from