The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-01-24


it spares neither kin nor cline, and is as
necessary to the proper adjustment Of
our civic life as Is labor to our mental
or physical being. 1t is not parasite;
it Is strictly part of our body polite
1t is the index finger which points to a
nations wealth. 1t is the autithesis of
affl uence, but without it municipal
growth would be drawfed by the lack Of
emulation.
When poverty loses it's accustomed
modesty and stretches forth It's shriv-
eled hand it is then that it's hand-maiden
charity martials her legions and con-
clusively proves that the purse of rich
is the pocket of The poor; the we'll being
Of the INDECENT, is the wish OF the affiu-
ent. Success may be chance. poverty
may be circumstance. and charity
bridges the gulf between.
Any one who, witnessing the labor of
tho ladies' benevolent societies at THE
TIMES office, would have certainly
agreed with the poet: 1.-The labor we
delight in, physics pain" for bright
and early these workers commenced
their depredations upon the supplies
the people of Roanoke had donated to
the Food and Fuel Fund, and o con.
tinuous stream was seen constantly
coming and going, bringing in and
carrying out tho necessaries OF life,
which were to bring happiness to the
hearts OF their fellow beings. After
picking out dresses for the people who
wero almost destitute of warm clothing,
hn 1a1 ifo+ ~.
suitable clothing for school and Sunday
wear for the children from the ample
stock in TIE TIMES building. A SALLY
was now and then made upon the gro
Gerry depart nent, and every one who
could show the proper credentials went
away with an equitable supply.
Early in the morning wagon load of
potatoes and turnips were brought in
from Cave Spring, and these necessaries
played no unimportant part in assist
ing the poor Too much cannot be said
of the work of the ladies of the city,
who are laboring so earnestly to dispose
of the supplies furnished by the citizens,
and it can be safely said that tomorrow
night there will not be needy persons in
Roanoke. who have not been assisted.
The city is to be congratulated upon
the manner in which she has guarded
hor poor, and 1t is fact worthy of
thought that in lack of poverty she can
look from an eminence upon the older
and more wealthy cities Of the world,
who are now Struggling with want.
Compare Roanoke. the village OF ten
years ago, the Magic City of to day,
with tho cities of Europe. London.
with it, workmen, starving in public
squares; Amsterdam, with it's unem-
ployed laborers. goaded by hunger and
urged on by anarchists, engaging in
hand to hand conflicts with the gem
darmes, in their search for bread. Look
at Berlin, with it socialism and hunger
rampant. Twenty-Five hundred of the
city's poor were fed in one district in
Washington on Saturday. A Balti.
MORGAN, speaking to a TIMES reporter
yesterday, said:
ut is the longest siege OF cold weather
since the weather bureau was formed in
1872. The Relief Fund has already re-
ceived S6,76l.05 for the benefit of tho
poor, and money is pouring in. l tell
you it is the unprecedented weather.
why, there is an oyster famine in the
question OF pcv 7rty, but Of circumstance.
We are going through q climatic era
which probably will not oe duplicated
in a decade. Business is prosperous,
but the suffering has been among the
class who rely upon outside labor and
live from hand to mouth"
A meeting was held at the old Opera
House yesterday afternoon to devise
ways and means for receiving and dis
trlbuting aid to the deserving poor.
The meeting was called to order by
Mayor Trout, who made terse speech
upon tho object of the meeting. After
referring to the destit,t Oh in certain
quarters Of the city, he stated that his
auditors had been convened with q two
fold object Ono was to devise means to
obtain supplies for the needy of the
city and the other was to find method
for their proper distribution. In refer
ring to the work heretofore done by
charitable societies, he said Roanoke
ought to be thankful to the Ladies'
Union Benevolent Society and those OF
tho Circle of Charity; in fact, Roanoke
has the best ladies of the world. He
also stated that what poverty there was
in the city was due to the Unprecedented
weather. from which outside labor had
been discontinued, consequently in the
majority OF cases the laborer and his
family were the sufferers.
at is our object" he continued, ito
centralize our point of distribution in
order to avoid giving unnecessary aid TO
those who live by that means" He
stated that al the preliminary meeting
on Saturday last they decided that Miss
Josephine Woltz was the proper person
to manage the matter from the fact
thai 70: ten years she has devoted her
time 20 tho needs of the poor, and also
that she vas a member of charity,
which Tor years has supervised the
allotment Of tho city into districts,
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