The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-23
SARGE PLUNKETT.
atlanta Constitution.

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'hard times" Soup houses nor re-
lief committees can do nothing sub
stantial for the relief of the poor.
Like patent concoctions taken for the
liver, they leave the patient in worse
fix than they found him when you
stop the dose. The Atlanta people
have struck the right key for the re-
lief that is healthy. Create the work,
build your exposition, thus relieving
the pressure that is upon US with a
fair prospect of getting good return
for your investment.
Without doubt work il scarcer than
ever before all over Georgia, and all
over the world, I reckon. This will
be one drawback if work is started on
the exposition grounds that should be
guarded against. 1t will no sooner be
circulated that work is plentiful in
Atlanta than every fool that can saw
a line or drive a nail will start for the
place. At once the world should
know that there are plenty of men in
Atlanta to build this exposition. Let
other places follow the example Of At
lanta and create work for their own
locality. Chicago is suffering now,
from the great number that focked
there to build the fair and who were
left without work when the fair was
over. tits mighty nice to talk big
about the prosperity of ones city and
about the great amount of improve
ment going on, but if it causes an in
aux of surplus workmen it is bound to
be ruinous in the long run. The
prosperous place is where there are no
idle men, and we should all make it
our business to keep outsiders from
Aocking to Atlanta that her good peo-
pie may reap the reward they 30 much
deserve for inaugurating way to put
men to work. Three cheers for At
lanta is what I say, and God bless the
rich folks of the place who have
thought Of such sensible way to help
the poor among them. There can live
no anarchy in such place, there can
be no clash where such spirit reigns.
All over the world there are plenty
of good people to be found. Not a
village nor a hamlet but what has its
good people who are more than glad to
help the needy. Atlanta surprises
them all in the good sense shown in
getting about this help, and 1 do hope
she will have many imitators. Create
work! Let the mechanic and the la
borer gather his little brood around
the 6reside on Saturday nights and in
their midst be the greatest man in all
the town to their minds, while he him
self Gan feel the consciousness of hav-
ing earned by honest toll the things
which brings them cheer and makes
him his children's hero. This is the
kind of charity that is healthy, it is
the stay of the household, the incent-
i've of good citizenship.
I am cranky on this dispensing of
charity and the melting out of pity.
Browns little grandson came home
the other day crying like his heart
would break. He had never known
that the patches on his clothes meant
anything but that he had one of the
dearest and neatest mothers, but some
pitying friend, in goodness Of heart,
too, wanted to remedy the matter, and
thus the little fellows eyes were
opened. A great surgeon would never
stuff his patients mind with stories of
his weak condition before beginning
his operation-the mind has much to
do with endurance.
Much of the dissatisfaction of the
masses is brought about by the over
attention in wrong way Of people in
the better conditions of life-it is not
the scornful bearing of the rich which
cuts the poor man, but pitying sym
pathy that pats upon the head and
says to his child:
"You poor little thing y
"How cold you must be y
This is the severest cut of all to the
parent and is often meted out to a
child who never thought of being poor
and who was born to breast the
storms. Give the old daddies work
and wages; his children will look up
to him, his wife will be proud of him,
tie old man will be happy himself and
all the homes be cheerful and discip-
lined. This is the kind of charity
needed, the sort of pity thati healthy
and it is just what the building of an
exposition will bring to Atlanta if too
many fools do not rush from other
places to kill the effect desired. Any
how, I say three cheers and God 8