Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-10
HUNGER AND COLD
--
Charity Comes From All Sources
and Glasses.
HUNDREDS ARE STILL IN need
A Few Sample Cases Of Suffering
and Distress.
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED

This long-continued spell of inclement
weather has brought in its train endless
suffering and misery. Rich people get their
feet wet once in a while. and sometimes
they catch a little cold that makes all
sorts Of trouble. But they at least can go
home and put on dry clothing and toast
their feet by a coy fire.
But what Of the others? What of those
that belong to the Submerged tenth?'
They get wet all through, and for them
there are no dry garments and CHEEKY
CRATE fires. They simply grin and bear it,
or they have to bear it without grinning.
Bitter cold weather causes the most in
tense suffering, but next to that, and not
so far behind it, comes just such weather
as we have had in Washington during the
past few days. Poverty shivers and empty
stomachs know no relief. There are hun
dreds Of people in this city today who are
dependent for their daily bread upon the
charity of others. Men who are heads of
families are out of work, and all their eff
forts bring them nothing for their idle
hands to do-men who are willing enough
to work, but who have been thrown out of
employment for one reason or another, and
can get more.
An old story? Perhaps it is, for The
Star has been printing just such for days
have been induced to give of their plenty
who would otherwise never have thought
of 1t. And the suffering goes on just the
same, and the fact that poor man had
something to eat last week or even cou-
pie of days ago does not prevent him from
getting hungry again. 1t is many years
since there was as much suffering for
the very necessities of life there is just
now. 1t is an old saying and a true one
that he gives double who gives quickly, and
a dollar in cash is worth million good
intentions.
No Emigration.
1t is not in any sense an exaggeration to
say that there has been a marked and
noticeable increase in suffering In Wash
ington since the present storm set in. Some
may think that man who makes the
rounds of the poverty-stricken every day
and delves into the problem of relieving the
existing restitution would be tempted to
paint the picture in too gloomy colors. The
truth of the matter is that printers ink,
black as it is, is not black enough Any
enc who makes a study of the situation
must be impressed with the sadness of it
all, and if he is not tempted to give it Is
because he has nothing.
Who are the most charitable? Those who
have at some time or another felt the
pressure of poverty. A man who has once
been hungry has more sympathy for a
hungry man that has he who never knew
the pangs Of hunger. Proof? Yes. The
gree of regularity to relieve the sufferings
of others are themselves poor people. The
case Of the poor man, told in yesterdays
Star, who had not cent, but gave a half
peck of potatoes, was not an isolated enc
or an exception.
Among the letters which came to The
Star this morning one from a wo-
man who described herself as in strait
ened circumstances. She said she could
not give much, but that she could give
something, and she asked for the address
Of some deserving poor family, saying
that she could at least keep them from
hunger and cold.
A Terrible Case.
The letter was turned over to a mis-
sionary of the Central Union Mission, and
already that woman has been put on the
track of a family in theWest End the mere
recital Of whose hardships would touch
the hardest heart. The husband, an intel
ligent, Woodworking man, is out of work
and can get none. What little he has been
able to earn in months has gone to keep
roof over their heads. Three children,
under four years Of age, and a fourth
likely to put in an appearance at any time,
not a stick of wood or piece Of coal in
the house-paint the picture blacker than
that If you can. When the missionary
called at the house day or two ago, he
found the young mother stitching together
pieces Ct old rags to make garments for
her little ones. She lives just out of the
SWEETEST residence section of Washington
and within stones throw of some of the
handsomest houses in town. And she was
stitching together pieces Of old and dirty
cloth to make garments for cold and hum
CRY babies.
Hunger and cold are bad enough at any
time with any people, but when it is in
the case of little children they seem to be-
doubly hard. And yet a very large pro-
portion of those who ask for aid the
fathers or mothers of large families for
whom they can do nothing.
Central Union Mission.
There was a large increase in the num-
Der Of those VINO came today to the Central
Union Mission and the office of the Asso-
ciated Charities. Both places were Hooded
with appeals for aid, appeals so pitiable
that it was hard indeed not to answer all
at cnce but this was absolutely impossible.
Contributions are coming in fairly well, but
nothing like to the extent that they are
needed. The resources of the Central Union
Mission have been taxed to such an extent
during the last few weeks that the time has
come when 1t is necessary to surround its
charity with greater restrictions. To many
of those who called today it was impossible
to give all that was really needed. To
some Of those who begged for food and fuel
the answer was made that both could not
be given. There was not enough to answer
all the calls They were asked to name
their choice, whether they would take coal
or groceries.
If you were cold and hungry, gentle read
er, which would you elect?
Another Sample.
There was a peculiarly distressing case
called to the attention of the police to-
day. The case that of colored wonl-
an named Jones, whose husband is serving
five years in the Maryland penitentiary
for grave robbing at Oxon Hill last sum-
mer. The woman lives on Hope avenue
near 18th and d streets southeast She
has six children, the eldest boy of four
teen years, who is nearly dead with the
Fund Exhausted.
In police circles the applcat lions for as
are more numerous than ever and
as the demand is SO much greater than the
contributions the charity fund Is ex-
hausted. At the police stations many sad
scenes are witnessed when mothers appeal
for bread for their children, and men out
of employment appear and ask for fuel and
food to keep the wolf from the door. AL
Though the fund is exhausted, the police
are giving orders for food in some extreme
cases of distress and are trusting to the
charitable citizens to pay the grocery bills
lat Gf ha I ooin