The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-26

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Spsttal, corapoadSase f ne isstli!tae.r.;
WEBSTER GRovRs, NEAR ST. L1uf', No,
RsBy$ p --seeiuS latcly In your column,
an account ofthe twOnty.at,h aunivor.
tary celebration Of tho Chlliron's
Honei as also como references to the
work Of other charitable organizations
II, your midst, reminded mo OF some
recent ob,orya,ions OF my own In 70.
gard to what Is going GU In tho same
direction In the city Of st, Louis. This
\ has been a hard winter on tho poor in
eyetyrart3 Of tho country, on account
oktheBeverlty otths weather and tho do.
pre,slou in business, aud the demands
on the charitable as we'll Us Oh the or.
ganized charities of tho various cities haa
been much beyond tho average OF late
7 years. The resources OF charity rs we'll
az the demands upon II have apparently
increased hand In hand ovsrywhere. At
Wheeling, Tor instance, ono charity
after another has sprung up, until. In
proportion to population. think you
have as many helps aud aids 10 that di.
rec.ion as any town in the country.
The. addresses delivered ut tho Chill.
dren's Home celebration recalled very
distinctly tho great meeting In the early
spring OF 1860 hold at old Warrington
Hall on behalf Of the initiation OF tho
movement There was no speech on
that memorable occasion that struck
home 20 the audience like the practical
remarks made by Lawyer ben" Stan.
ton. He put the matter before the tax
payers as q dollar aud cents affair. pure
aud simple, and Ignored nil that had
been said about II as . religious duty.
! remember his grizzly appearance aud
maateriul style as II it were but yes,cr.
day, and particularly recall the appro.
batory comment ola well.snown citircn
who sat near me. which was to the eli.
feet that old "Ben," like a true lawyer
and y map-ot the world, knew how to
trame an argument that would reach
the pocket nerve. He said that 1t was
simply ACQUISITION OF q voluntary and
minimum contribution now or an in.
4, voluntary and maximum contribution
further along in the history OF the des.
tituse children OF the town. In other
words, it was simplya choice between
spendinga small amount then to tax,
these children away from vicious sur.
= rouDdlngs and starting them on careers
toi self.support and seli-respsct, or
spending a much larger amount in the
shape OF taxes to pay for their deprcda.
lions on society and their prosecution as
criminals. lie a,nplilisd and elabora-
ted this textin all It's phase, and made
a. success OF the meeting more than
anyone else who took part in it.
~ j, ST. LOUIS cHARlrtE4
But. getting back gain to my remark
about St Louis charities. may mention
that a philanthrophic friend OF mine.
who. dwelis near by me in this suburb,
was telling mo recently Of visit he had
: made to n place on tho river front OF
The city, called the Central Home OF
Rsst-an nprovised charity where they
gave homeless and unfortunate man u
nights lodging aud breakfast in the
! morning Tor nickel. There are two
such places on the levee, tho other ono
called the Bethel, in the success OF
which our former townsman, Mr.. d. T.
Wolf, once OF the firm OF Geo. 4.
Taylor < Co., takes special interest.
Aud, by the way, nave most favorably
renewed my old time pleasant impress.
hoEs OF Mr.. Wolf after seeing tho man.
ner OF his lie here. He is one OF the
directors and leading spirits in the St.
Louis Provident Association, the Oldest
aud most extensive public charity In
the city, and have been indebted to
him for an inside view OF its practical
workings in its different ramiications.
Many years ago, as | am told, begging
became such n nuisance in the streets Of
ST. Louis that an Organization such as
this Pfoyident Association became a
necessity, and how we'll il has served its
nufpose its history tor many years pas.
fully nt,ests, as I shall hope to chow
further along in this letter. Meanwhile
! am speaking OF ths Homo OF Rest, a.
No. North 1.evee. which ID q much
smaller agency in the work OF relief
these hard times and this cold weather.
hut nevertheless somewhat unique and
interestlng in It's modus operandi.
The 81. Louis leres IS quaint old
place these latter days, and illustrates
whn. | said some time ago
about the havoc tina. tho rail-
rooads have played with the river
business. No doub. the old timers Il.
Wheeling who boaied here generation
or more ago sIil retain vivid msmorle,
OF It's quay lis 4 sceno of ",umultuoua
I,,,ll ,rnll I i.
n, scene OF that character in 1855. The
contrast with the lcvce OF to-day could
Z not DO more complete. The boats have
gone and tho warehouses are dilapi.
dated and deserted. An elevated track
and surface tracks and the moving oil
freigh, cars tell Tho story oil the change
that has occurred. When won't on my
pilgrimage. TO No. 0. | thougn,
would take in tho outer situation
before proceeding with tho inner
one, and DO l walked mile or
moro along tbs tracks and took n survey
OF the river, frozon fifteen inches deep /;
OF the people who were cutting leo on thu
Illinois side; Of tho others who wcro
sliding itovOr on skids to tho wagons
on.this side; o: tho fellows who we're
hoistinyafthe thick blocks into the
wagons, and tho darkies who wore
driving tho teams that wero barely able
to haul their loads over tho cobb.c
atones to the cold storage warehouses.
All these workcrs were Of the transient
oloment that finds homo these cold
nights Mt tho Bethel and tho Home OF
Rsst and NJ other places OF choap enter.
tainment. The ice cutting has boon n
gndscnd to them. That IL, 1t would DO
II no many Of thoie pennies did not find
their way to the doggeries aud joints
that iniest tho levce. This business and