The evening world., 1892-06-04
Neil Nelson Pays visit to Som
Homes of Poverty.
TIE SUBSCRIPTIONS.
IN POVERTY'S HOMES
The Free Doctor Corps Is Designed
for just Such Cases.

street. and when we reach The top nat IN a
rear tenement we are short Of breath and
persplring like an ice cooler in an engine .
room.
Betsy opens the door. She replies TO our b
questions with sweet po'iteness, but she has
her doubts a bout uI We have surprised her, |
and 1t Is some time before she RECEIVERS |
There are three children, a baby a few
months, another eighteen months and a third
three years old, all In a row on the floor get
ting washed. There Is vegetable dsn for
the tub and the worst looking towel ever
designated by that term. The nurse In charge
Is such poor, pale, delicate little girl that II
seems perfect crime to make her work.
Her mother sews carpets In a Third avenue
store, her father has went away" ana she
Stays 70 hC me and minds the children and
does all the work. Her Responsibilities have
given her a sort OF deputy maternal impor-
tance that under happy circumstances would
bc amusing. Baby has been sick all the
time and he is worse now. lie does a great
deal OF crying that nothing can stop but 1.-The
drops zone day gave him whole bottle
ful," she con n des to Us, and one day the poor
Fellow Is going to drop OF and glide down TO
eternity. There isn't bone Ia his emaciated
little body that you could not breaE with a
Iced pencil he other children are pal and
thin. Both have bad thruats," and there IS
no, II char & oG clothing for either OF them In
the house. The room Is almost black IN Its
gloom. smoking oil stove heats and
pOlsOns the atmosphere. Here Betsy y"cooks tea
for dinner and hot water to clean with" Has
the doctor seen the baby7
"Oh no. Mamma hasn't any money. She
got the drops from the drug store, but the
doctor won't come unless you pay him"
A few doors east we call on a Russian
! IN N " hn n Or 10 ri
ilege OF the hall on the top noor OF a three
story building. She is sewing on boys knick-
erbockers. Her baby lies asleep in chair,
ana about her are the straw mattress, the
shoddy comforter and the tins she had on
shpboard. The emanations from her miscr-
! able belongings are most orenS!veS she speaks
English with her eyes only, but the language
Is as compre he nsve as the sadness they ex-
press. We do not need to understand Russian
TO know that the child IS dying.
MlsfortuueS may develop strong minds, but
I when they come In fOCks and perch upon
helpless humanity like yultures the spirit Is
very soon crushed. Tie pity OF It all is that
the grecnesr hospital nurse could save the
poor little creature. All 1t needs Is a little
care and lit le food. what IT has Is neglect.
Even the luxury cG pint OF warm water is
denied It to cleanse the liberated eyeliis.
Horrible as Is the d"stltution OF this case, 1t
Is surpassed 10y Il scene In the basement where
two families uG eight persons live. The room
Is divided by Il calico drapcry, which does the
treble duty ~ wall, towel and handkerchief
Tor tn inmates. Light comes from the single
sash-wludDw below tn" level OF til" sidewalk
ana air Is admt'tcd through the door. Four
iHdcsCribabIS di-ty children play az skittlcs
with coUUe- - ones they don t loOl; rs though
they hai been washed since they Lett Russia
No rubbing would clean their small brown
faces until hey hadOee soaked They have %
Shoes, no underwear, aud not whole gar
mcnt between them. The only perfect child
Is the infant, wliah apalsled old woman, bare
foot, ragged and Uald-head"d, Is minding.
All Spring tho youngsters, who are cousins,
have been, not down, but up with the measles
ana stunned by all the neighoOTs. How they
got enough to eat i mystery. a protest
was made by the tenants for their election,
but the janitor refused to put them out
"Theyll di" of In a little while" was his
view OF the case. Two went in March. the
mother o: the laby and fourteen-year-
Old girl. The home Is not only uninviting
but rcallr dangerous, for the ceilings are
SO low that one cannot stand straight, and
whon there IS any heavy walking in thc
rooms above dust ials IN showers lamp
has TO be kept burning to help the scanty
rays OF daylight.
I In Wooster street doors OF opportunity open
, at every turn, silently implDring help and re-
llet The most appalling ca So Of distress is In
an attic room. where the window IS overhead
: and the ROOF slopes down TO the Dashboard.
In single bed q woman half rcCllues sup
ported by cotton straps run through pulley
fastened In the ceiling. Her body Is para,
lyzed from the waist down, and the bed Is
= covered with shop vests the collars OF which
She Is irving to Join. There are TWO grand,
children Wit n her, aged three and ten months
Their Gather Is iu the insane asylum. Iht
children seem TO have Inherited their crue
and cNCitab." disposition, which deUarS then
from admission TO the local day nursery. The
, mother works In a cigar factory, ana during
her absence the crippled, helpless woman
, and the restless, helpless babies are alone
We had sreu all we could bear and wen
= home, passiu- shoals OF sick, sad, hungry
dirty little boys aud girls on The Sidewalk;
every one or whom deserved n better fate.
The "diyinc plan" as seen on the wa.
back, may have had redeeming elements, bu
only the dt Scruct!yo Ones-IiscaSe, Gc-titu
ton and ncG!ect-were apparent some la,
plump faces, Others good eyes. some perfect
formed bodies and others a healthy complex
ION, but very few had ALL For the most par
they seemed to have come from natures har
gain counter. They were notched, bruised
dlslOcated and mDttlei; they squinteu aa
hObbled ana cOugLci they had scars an
sores they were pale, thin and fragile the
had wisttul eyes and garments that were III
very meancsJ apologies for comfort
But they are the children for whom III
fund is being raised. They are the childre
the corps or Free Doctors Will hunt up. 70
can help them. They have a slight claim 0
you. That poor Russian child up In the tent
ment nall must not be allowed 10 die just ye
Your dollar Will do just 100 cents worth
good Poverty is a sad subject, but saddest
all are the lives OF the children OF the poo
and because II is so, children VINO are not poo
and starved and sick ana miserable should q