The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-24
AN IMMEDIATE DUTY.


of the poor increase. It is a fact that
Salt Lake never saw a time when 50
much assistance was needed for the
worthy poor. How to supply their real
necessities is a problem for the benev-
client
An old saying is. There are. three
kinds Of poor: The Lords poor the
Devils poor, and the poor devils But
they all need food, raiment and fuel
and in a land of plenty none ought
to perish for lack Of either. At the
same time there should be discrimina-
ton in the bestowal of relief. The
worthy poor are the least likely to
complain. The second class have more
complaints than necessities. The
third lot are chemically helpless, eth
er from natural idleness or encouraged
pauperism.
The frst-named require searching
out. Some Of them during the cold
months, unable ITO find employment
will suffer want in silence and shiver
in hunger without food or fuel be-
cause too proud to beg, too honest
to steal There are organizations in
this city, specially to relieve distress,
and they should see to it that the
worthy poor are helped in due sea-
son, and in such a way that they will
not be made to feel degraded.
Caution will have to be exercised in
reference to the other classes, for
some of them viii take all they can get
whether they really need it or not,
and careless of how many others may
have to go without if their own i'm
portunities are regarded. They will
accept and seek for aid from every
source available except through labor,
and if there are a dozen different
society or persons distributing aims,
will take from all if possible.
For these and other reasons there
ought to be a general plan, systema-
tized and regulated, so that some of
the poor shall not be surfeited with
assistance while others go without.
And every means at hand should be
used to provide some kind of labor for
the poor who are not aged or disabled.
Almsgiving is but an expedient. 1t
is very much abused and is only right
as temporary means of relief.
To pauperize people is to do them an
injury. The proper mode Of relief is
to give people something to do and pay
them for it. They thus preserve their
self-respect and are helped to eeome
self-sustaining. The community is
saved from an incubus ana Inc in
dividuals from the degradation of beg
gary. Every man and woman in Salt
Lake who can manage to give employ
ment, if only for a day, should do this
for the public good. It will be the best
kind of benevolence. There are hun
dreds of people who would be glad
to do anything honest to earn their
daily food. In city of the size and
population of Salt Lake. there ought
to be something for every able person
to do, sufficient to bring enough to
supply their actual necessities
It is proposed by one society to OBJ
tain means enough to set some men
to work on the boulevard. That is
the right kind of charity 1t is prac-
teal and worthy of public support.
Are there not some other projects by
which funds can be collected and ex-
pended for a public object and to pro-
vide personal employment? Let the
brainy people set their wits to work
and the kind hearted people contri-
butte of their means. so that during
the coming winter. when SO many
mouths will have 10 he fed pv the
hand of benevolence there may be no
unnecessary suffering.
Cooperation among the various
churches and societies for the purpose
of preventing imposture and mutual
help in the good work of relieving
distress. will accomplish much more
with less means than entirely indepen-
dent philanthropic work. Will not the
practically charitable take hold of this
with a vim and work together for the
sake of INDECENT humanity?