The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-06-25

nv life. but there are many good people
who have done much mission Work the'e
snd the place is much changed now. anu
vet it is there the poorest people IN the
civ live most of them in cellars WY
down under the ground, and you Will see
sUarns OF dirty, ragged children on the
psvement or hunting in the cutters ioi
scraps of bread. You would never mag
inc these poor little things would care LOT
2 flower, but they DO as you Will see from
what [ am going to tell you
There is q society IN New YORK tfidl
works for these poor people and the presl-
dent has had fountains put UP In different
parts of the city where they can get a
drink of ice water free-you can see from
the picture how they enjoy il. GU must
remember the only water they have comes
frcm the pipes and is hot and aisagreeable
No cool we'll to go TO, SO you can Imagine
on a hot summer day how delightful cold
drink would taste.
This society will now until frost comes
distribute every Saturday afternoon cut
flowers and pot plants to these poor chill
dren. The vice president, Mr. LYON, spends
most of his time collecting flowers from the
country places and distributing them MIN
self, l let you read what he says IN his
own words, for It is very interesting. lie
says:
Last Saturday morning I found that
had not many flowers as l hoped to
have to give away, so L got up early in
the morning and went down to the edge of
a brook in my own garden and gathered
punches of wild flowers which l put in
barrels and shipped to this city With
these and few other cases which had
come in from friends upon whom l always
rely for flowers, we started first dis
tribution of the year
THE joy with which we were greeted
upon reaching the Five Points is indie
acribable. One has to go down there to
appreciate the feelings of the poor chill
dren. l have seen little girls hug rose
just as they would hug a pet kitten. kissing
1t and stroking the leaves every few min
utes. Last Saturday l saw beyond the
rioting crowd of boys that were struggling
to get their fingers into the baskets a
pale-faced little girl. AS her eye caught
mine she stretched out her hand beseech-
she said, l knew by the movement OF her
lips that she was begging a flower.
.It was near the end, and there We're
but a. few sprays of elderberry left Near
my feet stood a little Italian husging d
bunch of violets which his companions
were trying to wrest from him by main
force l asked him if he would sell them
to me, and he nodded his head, yes 1
gave him cents for the bunch and made
my way through the crowd to the little
she took them and said Thank YOU sir;
want them for my mother; she's sick. She
left me, and for a moment followed her
with my eyes, and then decided 10 go ana
see where she would take the movers.
az followed her to a little alley which
runs off Baxter street. up a staircase and
to a dark and dingy room, into which she
rushed crying, oh, mamma, see what I've
brought for you! They are real flowers.
lust like the ones we used to see in the
stood in the door watched her put them
in a cracked cup, which she placed on a
heal table beside the sick woman's bed.
Mr.. Lyon is trying now to interest the