Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-25
PROVISIONS ARE SHORT
Charity Supply Running Out and Sufferers
in Need
At the Central Union Mission and the
Associated Charities - Com
ing With Baskets.

The charity organizations Of the city are
still pegging away at the almost hopeless
task of answering calls for aid from the
destitute. There is no let-up in the num-
Der of appeals, and probably the busiest
place in Washington this morning was the
Central Union Mission. where supplies are
given out to those whose cases have been
investigated and favorably reported by
the missions regular force of charity Wis
itors. 1t was necessary again to call into
service the big auditorium, where services
are held, to relieve the congestion of hui
manity, but even then the rooms and hall
ways were crowded with hungry people.
BY far the larger majority, four out OF
five probably. of all that come to the mis-
sion these hard times are cOlored people or
the class that are able to get some enl-
ployment in the summer time, but who
lever lay up q cent for a rainy day, and
when winter comes ON and there Is no
work for the laboring men; when there Is
little building being done and less work
on the roads and streets, they become
charges upon the community. 1t is hard
question to solve, that of the proper pro-
vision for people of this sort, but at such
time as this those who are engaged In re-
lief work have little opportunity to stop
and discuss the ethical and economic
phases Of the situation. Homes are visited
where there Is neither fuel nor food. sick
Eess, perhaps, in the family, and no out
look for employment of any sort.
1t resolves itself simply into the question
whether the hungry and cold are to be fed
and warmed allowed to starve. So long
as the wherewithal to help them holds out
the Associated Charities and the Mission
will do all they can to prevent suffering, or,
at least. to alleviate it.
Supplies Scarce.
The difficulty of securing supplies in. any
thing like sufficient quantities is becoming
greater every day, for donations for the re-
lief fund seem to have come to a complete
stop. Now that the great collection of pro-
visions that was secured by the pound
party Is beginning to fade away there
comes nothing to take it's place However,
great things are expected from the syste-
matte canvass that is to be made over the
entire city next week and then the work
will go on with renewed energy and with
even greater results During the interval
it may be that there will be some hungry
people who will have to go on being hungry
so far as the associations can do anything
to help them.
Central Union Mission.
This morning by $3.50 o'clock the work of
distribution at the Central Union Mission
was well under way and from then on I'M
til afternoon there was not single break
or lull In the work. 1t took more than
half dozen clerks, volunteers. of course. to
keep record or all that applied, 1Cr the
rule Of never giving aid except after in
vestigation Is rigidly adhered to- and while
it necessarily causes some delay in get
ting out assistance to the needy ones, 1t
does away with the risk of imposition. The
calls upon the resources Of the mission
were so many and 50 strong that it was
not long before they had exhausted all that
was left of the missions share of The
Stars pound party, and they were COM
PEELED to send out and buy groceries at re-
tail prices.
The central relief committee had still
some supplies left in its room on the
ground floor of the mission building. not
the fact that a big wagonful
of Anacostia, and when Mr.. Gardner, the
CT airman of the committee. heard Of the
straits Of the mission people he at once
sent upstairs for Mr.. Robbins, who Is In
charge of the missionary work, for full de-
tails. Learning that things were as re-
ported, Mr.. Gardner at once turned over
four barrels of -four and fine big lot OF
groceries, and the work Of filling the bas-
kets of the hungry again went on without
interruption.
Soup Houses. --as.- e..
The soup house which was opened up
yesterday afternoon at 400 Louisiana ave-
nue. has already caught on with the needy.
and there was long line of people there
today for bowl Of the stew, which really
comes pretty near to being a substantial
meal, eked out, as 1t is, with a big piece of
bread. By l o'clock this afternoon fully
500 quarts of soup had been given out in
this way, and as many hungry ones sat
listed.