The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-02-03
MANY KIND HEARTS
And willing Hands are Now ia the
Charitable w Ork.
S0HE SAD TALES OF MISERY.
ToDeI1a7s Poor Not a. Numerous as in
other cities. But There are Enough


ToDeIza's Poor Not a. Numerous as In
Other cities. Esut There are Enough
Never in the history Of our city have
So many people become Interested in the
poor. Never before, have SO many given
up their time and money to relieve dis
tress and suffering as have done SO this
winter.
While we are more fortunate than 4
large number of places. yet ia our city
there are cases of distress almost as
heartrending as viii be found ia the
larger cities. While we do not have the
disease breeding tenement houses, vet
we have houses which are not fit for hab-
itati0n, and in these miserable little how
els and shanties people are living out an
existence that would be unbearable were
it not ia the hope for something better.
SIS Life Worth Living on Doll
lar and Half Day. was
the title Of q famous article written by a
Topeka lady some years ago. The arti-
Gle proved that it wasn't, particularly if
the breadWinner had a wife and three
children to support. How then, is life
worth living on nothing at all but chart
~. We can give the destitute food and
clothing and hold out to them the hope
Of something better soon. ii 1t were not
for that hope .'thaE springs eternal in the
human breast" the lives Of these poor
people wouldn't be worth Evings but all
VIII see better times, and until they do
the "davesa should d0 an they can to
keep that bright spark Of hope alive in
the hearts of the "Have-nOts."
No case of destitutioa discovered has
been passed by without help. even though
the applicant has not been living life
worthy to receive the charity of the pe0-
pie. IL suffering has existed it has been
because 1T has not been reported or
found out, and 1T is this special feature
Of the work, of finding out cases that
would not be reported, that the different
committees have begun a canvass Of the
city, and VIII make house to house
visitation either to find poverty or to
secure food, clothing and money to
alleviate 1T.
Persons canvassing the district south
west Of the city, including Quint0n
Heights, q few days ago, found a pitiful
case Of family whose husband and
father had been sick the entire winter,
ana had not been able even TO
go out of the house The poor
wife and mother has tried to
keep the little family Of four children
from starvation and earn enough fo pur-
ing washing: she did not even have
wash tub. bur had t0 dc the work ln large
lard cans, and when she would leave
her home to do work a six year old girl
would assume the charge Of the house
hold. eft the poor woman didn't com
would be SO much easier f She had
wash tab instead OF Old cans. She has
been helped by the charitably disposed
people of the city ana her life made
much pleasanter with the thought that
people are Interested in her welfare and
that OF her family.
A case has been reported at the Assoc
ciated Gharities headquarters Of a widow
with several children. residing on Lime
street hose existence during the last
few months has been almost unendura-
bic. one of her children has been sick
all winter, and until recently she has not
had sufficient bed clothing to keep the
sick child warm. She has attempted to-
earn living by doing hing, but the
care Of Aer child has made &C. almost Im-
possible to leave her home. and She has
been dependent upon charity for her ex-
jstence and chat of her family
The Associated Charities have done a
noble work and they have only started
upon their crusade.
a married lady On the North side has
spent three days doing hard work for
charity7a sake. She was practical IT'D her
Efforts. She spent an entire day looking
for situations for women. She found SIX
places at two Of which servant rlrls were
desired, at another a nurse girl. and at
others scrub women. Then she started
out and hunted UP women who wanted
work, and get them into the situations
she had looked up. This is the kind of
charitable work that counts; bul III ISN'T
easy TO DO it. ~It Is hard work to love
thy brother as thvse.f.7 and 70 make that
love mean something more than empty
words.