Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-04

| good to be true, that there are men and
| women resident beneath this smoky sky,
| who can paint pictures that are worth any
| bodys attention. When we all wake up to
this discovery, and begin to spend our
| picture money for Pitts burg pictures, then
our young men who dream dreams and see
| visions, and catch the CLEANS of them on
| canvas. will not need TO move away.
1t is now nearly a dozen years ago that I
| saw here in Pittsbufg collection Of the
| paintings of John Alexander. They we're
not being shown to the general public, and
| the general public OF that day might not
have been interested in them. They were at
| the house of a friend of mine who is still O
we'll known and useful Citizen of this town,
| who had the blessed good fortune to dis
cover John Alexander. He found him, be-
lieve, as a schoolboy, somewhere in the Ea st
End, OF perhaps still farther out along the
line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. And be-
coming aware that the wise Providence,
who knows so much better than we DO what
is best, had bestowed on Alexander the gilt
of genius, but not the gift of wealth, he has
tened, as he told me, to do the service
which was thus suggested to him.
What fine thing it is that none of us has
everything he needs! That would put q
stop to all the fraternal ministeries that
make the best part OF our life.
Thus John Alexander, who to-day in New
York can get for his pictures almost any
sum he chooses to ask, got his first start. He
had just come back from Europe when saw
him. There is picture of his that 1 often
see Venetian street at MONDAY. And
remember how he described his sitting out
in the hot sun for good many days to paint
it. The sun of deserved success has been
shining very warmly on John Alexander
ever since.
All this is apropos of Alexander's picture
of Walt Whitman which makes frontis-
piece for Hdrper's, and of another little
glimpse of Whitman heading a poem now
especially notable by reason of the poets
death. Walt Whitman is depicted in this
little sketch with the face and whislrers Of
great Jove himself-an American Jupiter in
eyeglasses!
Another Name on Our Scroll.
THE other Pittsburger is Robert Woods,
of whom have already more than once
made mention in my Monday Homily.
Woods has the leading article in Scrib,,e7's,
heading the series of papers which that
magazine announces on the life Of the poor
in great cities.
I see that somebody has objected to this
series beforehand, from q mere reading Of
the titles, on the ground that it deals with
the symptoms and not with the disease.
There is much to be said, the critic COM
plains, about the condition of the SUBJ
merged classes, but nothing concerning
remedies.
1t is well, one would think. to get all the
facts before one proceeds to construct q
theory. The doctor, I believe, begins his
study Of the case with diagnosis. What is
the matter with the patient2 Where are
the pains, and what sort of pains are they?
How goes the pulse and the heart and the
temperaturef Then the doctor may guess
at the disease and hazard a conjecture as
to the remedy.
That, 1 understand, is the purpose of these
articles. How do the poor actually live in
our great cities2 Are they as badly off as
some people say? That is what we wan" to
know upon the very threshold of the consid-
GRAFTON, whether of prevention or of cure.
And to this, in the case of London, Robert
Woods addresses himself in his article, "The
Social Awakening of London"
What Is Needed Here.
Il AM glad to learn that the Charity Or
ganization Society, which in London takes
the place of our Society for the Improve
ment of the Poor, has so approved itself to
the reason and conscience of the citizens
that "it is almost a part of popular ethics in
London to refrain from giving without due
investigation" That is what we need hero.
The Charity Organization Society has to
contend with great deal of mistaken senti-
ment. People have considered it way of
helping the poor by machinery. Of giving q
cup of cold water at the end of pair of
cold tongs. 1t does away, they say, with the
personal element of direct kindness and in
terest without which charity bellies its
name. The same objection is made to the
Society for the Improvements Of the Poor
and is always made wherever there is an
endeavor to put down mendicancy by Or
gan;zation.
But it is forgotten that the organization is
only meant, OF chiefly meant. TO deal with
the unknown beggar at the door. 1t rests
upon the assumption, which in its turn rests
upon experience. that, in transactions with
this kind of mendicancy, neither the re-
ceiver nor the giver can be trusted. The re-
ceiver Of aims is probably getting the aims
on false pretences, and the giver is probably
deceived.
People are both credulous and kind
hearted They are. in II majority of cases,
unqualified to judge whether this gift will
be one of the ninety-nine which is a harm
to the receiver, and malediction to
all honest poverty, or whether it is the
hundredth which will do real good. In such
q case, there is need of genuine investiga-
tion which will amount to something.
ferSonal acquaintance, ulrecO Kindness,
ministratfon OF hand to hand, which is the
ideal form of benefaction, has plenty of
room and scope in cases that ought to be
known to all of us where both worth and
poverty are matters of our own observation
Charity Helpful to the Rich.
Il AM sorry to learn from Mr.. Woods
article that the Peoples Palace has failed
somewhat of our exalted expectations The
Diapers Company, one of the medieval
trades unions grown venerable and aristo:
cratic with its inherited wealth, has given
great deal OF money to the enterprise and
seems to be thinking q little more about
che glory of the Drapers' Company than of
the good of the people-one OF the most in
sidious temptations known to charity On
the circulars, Mr.. Woods says, they have
"Drapers' Company's Institute" in large
letters, and "The Peoples Palace in smull
However, that good work is still accom-.
plishing great good. and may presently even
convert the Drapers' Company. It does not
seem to be remembered that one OF the ben
efits even of the most laundering charity is
its help to the rich. 1t does people good to
give, whether It helps anybody else or not.
And anyhow, We have the book that built