Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-24

temporary aflment, but Tor long course
of sickness. To treat a person I'm the hos
pitfalls will cost the city 90 cents a day.
To treat them thus at home (such people
seldom ask to be led ALSO only averages
the city 26 cents daily for each person.
C2)-The last class comirp under this
Sc 'ours Domicile ere those who take
the benefit of what is termed dss secours
representative d'hospicc. Old folks instead
the cost of keeping them is high, may
take a pension and live as they can, most
often with their children or some relative
almost as poor as they. The monthly pen
sion Lcts So.
Thus this home help may really mount
up, for a family wise enough to ask it, to
a very decent figure. Take a family where
the old grandfather draws his s. monthly,
having chosen to live home and not go
to a hospital His So helps to keep the
table going. His daughter may be drawing
her allowance for her youngest baby
which she nurses. That helps also. Her
where they are given free lunch and free
clothes. They are drawing out as in
digents very serious supply each month
of tickets for all household necessaries. If
they could also get themselves upon the
Rothschild or the Montyon charities (ad-
ministered by this same Bureau de Bien-
faisance) their rent would be sent round
to them. ear trumpets bought for them
(should they be deaO and so on, follow
ing the various special dispositions of these
semi-public, semi-private charities. And
always, 1t must be remembered, private
charity, religious charity and practical
politics assistance from ward bosses will
go far TO fill up any gaps. 1t Is not
strange, therefore. that there should be
at times some comments, some suspi-
cionS
An Abuse of Charity.
In 1901 the city Of Lyons was quite dis
satisfied with its Secours Domicile. 1t
appeared that the demands for assistance
kept on rising yearly, out of all proper
ton to sound reason. The funds available
remained the same each year. So that, by
being so divided up in consequence Of the
increased demands, the sum which could
be give to each applicant became absurd
1t seemed as IL the workingmen and wom-
en- of Lyons had made their minds up
each to get his share, though not worth
going after. The list of indigents Inscribed
grew up to 27.325. The sum Of money
which might be distributed was only AS 400
francs, or is francs Al centimes yearly
for each assisted person. The actual price
of bread and meat ami rent made the "as-
sistance' of franc 30 confines a month
(some q cents) appear too comical.
Now this is said TO be the case In Paris
also. You may be inscribed upon the lists.
That Is all right. BaI If there are too
many on the lists your share will not be
quite as much as IL there were too few
upon the lists. They, say that Paris has
10000 900 francs to thus distribute in Se-
cours a Domicile. 100000 people on the
lists Though IT is more) would give an
average 100 francs TO each or $40. Count
out the expenses of administration. Count
out girl mothers, who must be paid I'D and
taken care of always first. AMI you will
find that many a poor old grandpa with
his name inscribed al regular and straight,
will die, lie buried and forgotten before
the help he asks can reach him. He Is
entitled to it-but there is no money
They are q practical people, the Lyon
nese. They thought rightly that help for
the poor should be real help and not an
imperceptble falling of dew. They also
thought that persons who are helped with
out having a right to 1t or without suf-
fcient reason are really corrupted and de-
rnoralized by it. Now, this class of per-
sons who are improperly helped is very
numerous In great cities. Such cities have
rot only to give aid to the poverty-stricken
who belong to them, but to many others
who come to the cities in order to share
in their charities. In the country part of
France they have a saying that beggar's
sack is worth more than a yoke of oxen
and much easier to handle. Experience