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

shows that this Is still truer Of the emigra-
ton from villages and country places into
was to find out the number of persons
whose only right was to be stricken of the
list receiving the Secours a Domicile.
The Lazy and Pretenders.
1t was In vain to hope for a radical re-
form at the hands of those who had al
ready been employed in distributing the
city's charity. Most Of them did their
work out Of mere good will and good citi-
zenshlp and could not be expected to show
any great severity. 1t was decided that
the Investigation should be made by paid
employees. and that these employees should
have the charge of distributing the city's
char1ty' but only after the lists had been
revised This regulation began in 1891,
Wnen twenty agents were named, with a
salary OF from 800 to $50 dollars a year.
IL Is good pay for a government clerk
After six months the humber of nersons
assisted had fallen by over 700 indiyid-
uals This gave to the 10000 worthy poor
remaining a possible addition to their re-
not been too severe and the following wear
4,oO more heads fell and 1000 new, more
WORTHY poor were elevated to the public
teat. part Of each agents duty was to
or relatives who might help them TIE
general opinion has been that only the
lazy and pretenders have been dronnad
M MIn the additions represent real misery.
IL is SO hard to learn the truth on anv
subject, may be cleaned from the following
newspaper clipping from this mornings
Debats, where scandal turned ont
10 nave been no scandal:
socla1st Journal published yesterday
ING story OF new scandal which II
tnought II had discovered in the bureau de
pien!aisance or the fourteenth arrondisse-
H.. Nj. H.
married man, and the father so II was
sald, OF TWO children, having but a single
room FOR his lodging, and for all his fur
hIture only a mattress on the floor had
applied 10 the bureau, and received this
answer: Your situation is not worthy of
interest. We cannot grant you any help
when the officers of the bureau were
asked, they gave different version of the
matter On the 18th of October, NJ Chas
Ponet, bookkeeper twenty-four wears
old, married to a young wife of twenty
seven, and father of a child of two: made
an application for the gratuitous assist
ance or midwife as his wife was about
70 make him father for the second time
rms request was granted on the 31st of
october. Some days later NJ Ponet made
new application for help According to
custom, a visitor was sent to his lodging
ana gave in his report. From this IL an
peared that Nj. Ponet had work although
ne worked but irregularly, and that the
neio asked would be much more useful
was, therefore, not dismissed. but simply
adjourned"
SOcialistfc Criticism.
This little extract ought to give a fair
impression OF the workings of this one
side OF the public charities of Paris. Fig
ures tell very little. The total resources
yearly OF the assistance publique - for
hospitals. poor houses and the bureau
de bienfaisance-runs up to 100000
francs, OF which 100000 only 20 to this
Secours a Domicile. The strange thing is
that there Is not more trickery and pecu-
iation. AS fact, I know that hospitals
are free as air, and even for the foreigner
In France. as well as Fpenchmen And,
Notwithstanding this the socialistic
journals never cease to speak against them
They would have you think the pampered
bourgeois get their daughters into them as
nurses that they may drink up the sick
folks wine and brandy. Poor folks are
refused admission. while the well-to-do are
never turned away. II they can say such
things OF Paris hospitals, perhaps there is
as little truth in what is said against
Sec n IRIS Domicile.
STERLING HEIIIG