Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-13
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.

The fact that the best system OF charity
is the employment of the needy rather than
the distribution Of relief to those who re-
N an In idleness. whether enforced or oIh-
erwlse. mas been proven conclusively, be-
Heve, during the past winter by the opera
tons Of the citizens employment and relief
committee in Pittsbu-g." said r. A. Cor
lash Of Pittsburg, at the Riggs House this
morning. YES, i was a member of the
committee, and was pretty familiar with its
workings Over a quarter of a million dol
lars, or, in round numbers. S253,VO0. were
expenfed under the direction of the COM
mtttee during the winter on the improve
ment of Schenlcy and Highland Parks.
The wages paid were 800 per day, and
over 1900 Zen were employed during the
course OF the work, upon whom nearly co..
Vco otner people were dependent There
were over 22,OOO applications received from
men who desired work. and the system fol-
lowed N the consideration Of these requests
was simple, but effective. Each applicant
condition was Investigated to see whether
he needed relief and was resident of the
city. This latter point prevented the idle
ana unemployed from the outside from COM
ing in The applications were handed to the
police authorities. and the policemen in
quirei whether the applicants were eeserv-
ing, or not, and reported.
In this way We effectUally prevented the
unworthy and iEpOSterS from receiving
help. There was such large number of
every man a show, that there were frequent
discharges. For instance. a man would
work two or three weeks, and then be laid
OF to give another deserving applicant a
chance. the men thus laid on were re-em-
pioyed when the opportunity arose, but
when man was discharged for cause he
was not allowed to get work again. 1 be-
heVe that organized charity in all the great
cities should be carried out upon such lines
There are hundreds upon hundreds OF the
deserving and needy who would starve or
even steal before they would beg. 1 know
that Is a broad statement, and the latter
part OF II indicates good deal of innate
immortality on the part of humanity, but
the 1act still remains that a grea- many
people VIII commit crime before they will
beg. while the instances of starvation from
motives of pride under such circumstances
are too numerous to need mention. Both OF
these classes, however, would eagerly take
advantage OF honorable work by which they
could secure the necessaries of life. 1t is a
question that should be deeply considered
oy those philanthropic citizens upon whose
JOINT EFFORTS communities depend for the
RELIEF or their unfortunate in time of need
II makes no difference whether relief fund
Is the result of popular subscription or of
state, municipal. or national appropriation.
All persons in need of its help. and who are
abe 10 perform manual or other abor, should
De accorded an opportunity to give some re-
turn Tor the assistance which they receive.
Such a system takes the sharp sting out of
charity for those who dislike to receive 1t
under that name"
There is a mighty good lot Of beer in
tnat so-cart. said Charles II. Levy Of
New Orleans in front of the Ebbitt this
morning as an itinerant Italian fruit VEN
der pushed wagon load of nearly ro,ting
bananas down F street. Banana beer is
not very well known in this country, that
i am aware of. but in the West Indies
where il is also a comparatively new bever-
age, good deal of it is now being made
Inc use or banana juice for cxhilarating
ana intoxicating purposes was probably in
troduced on this continent by sailors who
hao become acquainted with 1t In Africa
In that country it is generally known and
esteemed, especially by the natives CO J-ean-
da To make banana beer the fruit must
be allowed to become as ripe as it can pos
sioiy get, even to the point of decay. The
bananas are then mixed with finely cut
grass or some similar vegetation to prevent
the mass from becoming too pulpy, and Is
put IN a trough with a small quantity of
water and mashed UP. The Juice that runs
on Is collected and set aside IN a cool place
Tor couple of hours. 1t Is then tit to
drink
at all harmful but If IL is left to ferment
Tor three or four days il becomes very IN
toAieating. and is not unlike the Mexican
pulque in its effects. If the liquid in its
latter state Is placed in bottles and secure
ly corked 1T becomes. after six or seven
months. a very creditable imitation of a
WINE, Dut the mead 1t gives
after copious Indulgence in il is to be COM
pared to the head achieved from a dalli-
ance with champagne only as a pumpkin
Is to be compared with hickory nut. A
friend of mine, who is in the fruit business
down in New Orleans. told me all about
this banana wine, and / believe he intro
duced some of it at the Crescent Club with
rather disastrous results to certain staid
members of that weIl-known organization"
"Ore thing that has struck me in this
country" said Gustav Petersen of Copen-
hagen at the Arlington last night, 'is the
very slight attention paid by the rural pop
ulation to the subject Of dairy farming.
and particularly butter making. I came to
this country to get an insight into the Gus
toms and methods of American farmers.
1t seemed to me that people who raised
such immense crops OF everything were
worthy Of being studied with beneficial re-
suits / must say that 1 was very much
disappointed at what 1 found I discovered
that the great crops had read about were
due more to the fertility of the soil than to
any Intelligent system of tilling Ii, and that
the average American farmer devoted very
little time TO finding out what crops were
best fitted to his farm. and how such crops
could be the more economically and profit
ably raised But ir. the east what sur
prised me most was the slight attention
given to dairying. The land around the
- crop raising is concerned, but still large
tracts are given up to corn and wheat
fields. which certainly cannot more than
pay the expense Of harvesting them. With
the expenditure Of money and good sense
they could be turned into dairy farms and
reap fortunes for their proprietors because
they would be closer to the market and /
have found out that nearly all the butter
consumed in the large cities of the east Is
brought long distances by the railroad. In
Denmark butter making is one of the
greatest II not the chief industry of the
country. There are dairy schools all over
the kingdom. and since their establishment
the making OF butter has become so univer-
sal that no less than 100000 900 pounds of
butter are exported every year."