St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-02

This is the problem of the unemployed.
This is not question of charity. but of
humanity. Charity is for the helpless,
but work is for the strong. The great
trouble is not at this moment with the
workers. 1t is disease of society
Into the diagnosis of that disease we
cannot enter tonight. One ty is
plain: Every pair of willing hands
must be made busy. In this we have
no choice. 1t is not gratuity to the
men-it is their right.
There is no occasion for pessimism or
alarm. Our beautiful and thrifty city is
not bankrupt, and will not be. Every
home can be provided with the necessi-
ties of life, and all the helpless can and
will receive the proper aid. Our wealth
is great, and our love and conscience
and humanity will be equal to this hour.
Let us not think of our poverty and
lack. Times are hard? Our means are
small" do you say? Bring them hither
to me-" says the Master. And the spring
time will find us not with few baskets
of fragments only, but with granaries
of bounty and warehouses of plenty.
DR.. Smiths remarks were followed by
the singing of the chorus HE, Watch
ing Over Israeli" after which DR.. A. b.
Ancker talked on the
PUBLIC CHARITIES OF ST. PAUL.
He said: 40 my mind it is more
than unfortunate that the duty of at
tempting to enlighten this audience
on the subject of public charities should
have been assigned to one so unskilled
IN the art of public speaking as l am.
For, although / have had many years
experience in almost every department
in which public charities are admins
tered in the city and county, could
never tell with what diffdence | attempt
to address you on a subject that should
command the serious consideration and
the intelligent investigation of every
good citizen, and of every one Interested
in the welfare of his fellow creature.
Of all questions affecting society none
gives more food for thought to the
student of sociology than that of public
charity. Volumes have been written
pro and con, for and against it, laws
without number have been passed and
repealed, passed and repealed again,
affecting the methods of giving relief to
the poor and afflicted, and yet the best
method of caring for the dependent
classes remains unsettled: but, as
understood it, it was noN the in
tention of the association which
honored me with call to this platform
tonight to have me discuss the rights
and wrongs, the lights and shadows, of
public almSgiving, but rather to tell you
what is being done in that direction in
our own city and county. That there is
need of some one proclaiming to the
people at large OF this city and county
that there is such a thing as public
charity; that there are such things
as charitable institutions supported by
a INV Of hn I
have odoubt. for while there are not
few of our citizens who are thoroughly
familiar with the facts, l am sure that
if statistics could be gathered there is
large proportion of the population with
whom the existence of the board of
control and its work is simply tradi-
ton.
suppose that so long as there is
world, and that world is peopied with
human beings, with all the possibilities
OF human nature, vice. bad habits and
lmproyldence with their logical con-
clusion, restitution and pauperism will
prevail; and as long as they prevail
we must have with US what is popu-
larly known as the dependent class.
1t was with keen realization of this
that the board of control was created. to
preside over and administer the char
tiles Of the city and county. Most of
you are familiar with its work, and in
regard to the department with which [
ain connected, the city and county hos
pital, that its work is always on the in
crease, for, whereas, up till September,
in 1892, the number of patients cared
for was 1877, this year 1872 have received
treatment up to the present time.
III. Ii. Hart, secretary of the board of
charities and corrections, spoke of the
work that is being done by the associ-
ated charities in the city. He said
that, while it is very easy to theorize in
regard to the best means of doing charity
work, it is often very hard to plan for
practical work. That, while we have
only about one-quarter as much poverty
in st. Paul as any other city of the
same size, we only give about AZ cents
a person per year, while in New York
the amount contributed for charity is
about S1.05 per capita. He said further
that $500 cases of distress bad been re-
lieved within the last twenty-one
months.
The meeting was brought to a close
by the singing of BLESSED are the men
who fear Him" by the choir, and the
pronouncing of the be nediction.