The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-20
THEY WANT FOOD AND WORK
ABUNDANT EVIDENCE or TIE M
CREASE or PRIVA IRON.

Next Monday morning will see the dawn Of
the saddest Christmas New York has known In
years. RometImes people are sksptical about
"the suffering Door." Sometimes they have
reason to be- But this year u viii take more
Christmas bells than the city contains 10
drown tho cry for help which comes from the
streets and alleys OF the tenement district.
Listen to every tale OF sorrow you can hear
land you have never. probably had a chance
20 hear more than now; then multiply them
By hundreds and thousands. and you may
have some idea Of the distress right here in
New York.
II tho lamented Mr.. Sctooee OF Christmas
Carol" fame could have seen all that Sun
reporter cav yesterday he wouldn't have
needed dream to melt his fiinty old heart
Realities would have done It. The reporter
went out on q poverty hunt He did not know
Of single case when he started. but II was
like rollinr q ball OF damp snow; more and
more and more cases were accumulated at
every turn.
There are two ways Of finding out whether
there IL real distress among the poor. One is
20 go and see for yourself. The other 10 to oak
the charitable organizations who go and 500
for themselves. The reporter did both. Tho
people Of the societies are 80 accustomed to
tales Of woe that they know q real one whom
shey hear It. and when thoy just quietly say
that the poor are really suffering. you may
know that things are decidedly 10 n bad way.
At the Charity Organization Society. on the
porner Of Twenty-seoond street and Fourth
avenue. there is a man in . gray suit and brass
buttons who stands outside the entrance and
receives the widows and the fatherless and tho
poor land the sick. till you would think his
sympathies would be callous. pale and
fearful woman was just turning away: as the
reporter came up
pretty busy these daysY' tho reporter
ehesrfull7 asked the man in buttons.
.Ahl my. yesg' no replied with reproyfnR
mournfulness.
Can you rick out tho impostors among
the se people7 pursued the reporter.
mo. sir. I can't. Because they amt nonei
Thky deserve all they get, and more. too"
Up stairs the superintendent and u force Of
assistants wero hard at work.
I'VE are receiving" said the superintend-
emit "throe times as many applications as we
usually have. and the number will be In
creased to fvo times as many before the win
ter 10 over. And. besides. We hndthat q much
larger proportion than usual are really
worthy cases. The people are in actual need
of food. and clothing. and fuel. We antici-
patsd this condition OF things last autumn.
when the CRY OF starvation was raised. The
. eople who took advantage OF that cry mt the
time were the mendicants who thought 10 q
GOOD opportunity to get help. Now the real
sufferers are beginning to come,in. and as the
winter goes on the cases will become more and
more urgent"
"Hns the income OF the societyIincreased to !
meet this extra demand :. -, uo..,,..,,..
We have any prospect Of receiving. butwe shall
20 g. far A. Hr We dA Hss to- Charlie. ,,srs
avalanche OF applications, This society was
quoted yesterday as receiving seventy Ave APP
real number. The applications listened to
every day at the building In Second avenue |
dsssrs soSs by 70 oTd
nary seasons. the hourly delivery brought four |
or dye letters Now 1t has 40 Increased that a
At the College Settlement in Riyington
their work a more than doubled they have Sc
cured some donations for street cleaning
cosn tine the Streets Of tSe G They
give WORK only TO mon with fsmilies, and are |
oyerrun with applieations. While the reporter
said he wanted to see Miss Robins. who had
told him e come for work l., .,
ment." said the young woman in charge. but |
.hs Isn't n now She told you to come at Il
Yes" said the old man.
Well. It's only eleven now. You come back |
The old man looked up appealinGly.
You're sure she'll be here to see me p he |
"0h. yesi She'll be here II you want to
you can go down these inside stairs and wait |
u her oflce." added the young woman. and |
so @ 4 S so
thing. he didn't know what. would prevent him |
But II YOU still have any lingering doubts
about poverty on the east side. go down to l65
East broadway at o'clock In the afternoon. |
In front OF the place are crowded with haggard |
women who fight like animals to get near the |
sSSTls oRs tsr Resds and eRs 4 ss H
VI utter failure In their faces. ,,,s
story. and gives them tickets with which they
nan get coal or groceries. That Is why they |
got IN where those nagical blue and yellow
cietS dlstrl butod these ticEs It did not
snpeet, such So q rush; ana I'M women were
they no ' and 50 for
cess to the front EoS%. Where the So%%istse
hull to straighten m alters out
There is a kind Of open square in front OF the
sidewalk and extended half across the street.
A flight OF steps reaches from the walk to the
'front.' door. and other stems go down to a sa-
Don which is In the basement. As the reporter
,ame in sight OF the building, burly police
SsS IN the GSS5WsS 81 With hall
caring him to pieces. below them other wo-
non reached up their arms and caught hold Of
hose above them In frantic effort to pull |
themselves up nearer the door.
The policeman. fairly purple in the face,
lnally got loose from the women and closed
he door thruSting their hands and arms out
u the opening as he did so, AS they saw this
nance OF getting in vanish. the women
Iuisted down. pushed back their tumbled
lair and waited, The reporter edged through
he crowd and down the steps to the saloon.
through which the women came out after their
ppeal had been listened TO 10 the room over
ead The ones outside NJ once caught the
lea OF going in this way. and IL took the
aloon keeper, his brawny wife. and his halt
loZen customers to repsl the onslaught. The
Gomen seemed to have no sense OF reason or
rider. They had an oysrpowerlnR need. They |
lere cold and hungry. inside were people |
rho would. perhaps, hanish both cold and
unRsr. And so they fought as they would |
ave fought for life. to get In.
ould be got up here in New York. 20 down and
atch the applicants to the Fuel and Aid So
lefty.
This is one way to ind out about the suffer-
&c poor The other is to 60 and see the poor
their homes. You may not find this so easy.
on cannot get directory and look them up |
5 you can the societies. You may walk along |
lilies OF streets and every wall may DO hiding |
anne pitiful story from you, and yet you will