Evening star., 1895-01-04
CASES OF SUFFERING
The Cold and Hungry People Ere in Need
Of Everything.
Organized Charities Busy Helping
Needy - Systematic.
Work.

Steadily and persstently. although handi-
capped by tremendous Odds, the local or
ganizations which are engaged in the work
of relieving suffering among the poor move
on, and are doing all they can with the re-
sources at their command to alleviate the
condition of the helpless of the city. 1t is
a well-pigh hopeless task, for the stream of
applicants that keep pouring into the Of
fees of the Associated Charities is strong
er than the stream of contributions.
What to 10 with all the cases that come
before then: is a problem that is a hard
one for the charity workers to solve. Some
people want food, some clothing, others
shoes to keep their feet from the cold, wet
streets. Some want money, and are dis
satisfied when they are told that it cannot
be given to them. The almoners seek to
do the best in each Individual case that
comes into their view. But there are so
many different kinds of suffering this Win
ter-really it seems as though there were
more than ever before. Some cases must
be relieved at once, or there is imminent
danger of actual starvation.
Some cases have to he looked into with
considerable care before the agents OF the
charity organizations are willing to take
it upon them to give assistance. 1t is
sad state of things, but nevertheless true.
that at this time of the year when there
omen who are not in any sense deserving
objects of charity take advantage OF the
times and impose upon the sympathles OF
people who are already worked up to
hign pitch of interest by the true tale of
want. Both at the Central Union Mission
and at the office of the Associated Chari-
ties every effort is made to put u stop to
fraud and to imposition. and the success
which has met their efforts is to people
who Interested in the situation the
strongest argument in favor of organized
charity work.
Wisely Distributed.
Without some such organization there
must necessarily be cases of duplication
where claimants get more than they actu-
ally need, while others go unassisted. With
the experience of years this danger has
been reduced to a minimum in this city.
People. therefore. who have not the time
or inclination to examine carefully into ali
the cases of those who apply to them for
aid, but who are willing to go deep
into their purses to relieve distress, have
the satisfaction of knowing that their aims
have been wisely distributed ard in places
where it would do the most good.
Meal Tickets.
Tire officers Of the Central Union Mis-
sion, who are working early and late in
the good cause, advance what they think
is fair and reasonable argument against
indiscriminate giving at doors to all who
ask for food. They say that it but offers
an encouragement to mendicancy. 1t is
undoubtedly true that the people CT Wash
ington have a reputation for charity and
equally true that there are only too many
people in the land who are willing and
anxious to get the better of just such gen
eroSity.
The Central Union Mission has, as one
of it's systems of charitable work, the plan
of issuing tickets which it sells to citizens
for cents each, and which are good for
D cents in the payment of a bill for meals
in the missions dining room. But these
tickets will not get meal of themselves.
Tackled onto them Is the condition that
the recipient is to work out cents worth
of manual labor, and the combination then
entities him to 10-cent meal In the cell
lar of the big building is the wood yard"
and here strong and able-bodied men are
put to work with the saw or ak, and must
do certain dole before they sit at meat.
spent with the ak splitting kindling en-
titles a man to a bed or meal, the
case may be. OF course this rule cannot
be applied without variation. This is true
especially in the case of those who come
late at night or on Sunday. but if they are
allowed to eat and sleep they are still ex-
pected to work out their bill before they
leave the building.
IL must not be supposed, however, that
a man always or ever works as much
he eats 1t is not altogether 4 business
arrangement. for 1t is necessarily run al
loss, but 1t gives a man the chance to
prove that he wants to eat bad enough to
work for it, and it also keeps him from
feeling altogether dependent upon charity.
This latter is of itself no mean cCnsidera-
ton, for there are many men who are ask
ing charity this winter who a year or two
ago never dreamed that they would ever
be in such hard luck.
Not All Willing.
But not all of those who apply, by any
means. willing to work ever SO little
for what they get. 1t is not at all uncom-
non to have men come in with tickets
which have been given by charitable peo-
ple and when they find they must do some
thing too, tear up their tickets and go out
in disgust What they want is something
for nothing, charity. pure and simple.
Say, wot do L want to work for when l
can get a better hand-out at Almost any