River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1895-01-10
Methods for Relief o. the Very Poor
THE following paper was read nv Rev. Jane
Evans before the Foringhtly Club OF This cit
on the evening Of January 5th 1896.

Methods for Relief on the Very Poor"
! [The following pfper was read nv Rev Jane,
| Evans before the Foriuightly Club OF This cit,
on the evening of Jann 9TH 1895.
1t is section of the great question
which we call Sociology that engrosses
the thought If the worlds great
thinkers as never before in its history
The Press, Platform, Pulpit, the
Editors. Lecturers, Preachers. Teach
ers, Statesmen, Prime Ministers OF
Governments ponder il as an impor
| tant problem and desire 20 find its
solution. We of the present age are
| learning the great lesson, Look
| not. etc." but also on the things OF
| others IL the DCSK THAT Tears the
name of Solomon, blessed j. ,ie tat
considereth,n etc, THE Creator. :
THE poor always-do them good. ;
That the very poor ought TO be re
| lieved goes without saying. That the
very poor are not cry numerous in
River Falls is to every one a matter OIL
qualification.
Some five weeks ago | met in this
| city man whom some 10 or II years
| since / knew as a lad in nay SUNDAY
| School at Monroe. Wis. lie is now Z
membe of some larg, mercantile
| firm in Chicago. and active in one OF
| the many charitable organizations
and he told me there are no HARD
| Times in this region-no poverty. II
makes me tired TO hear people talk
about it. | wish | could take You tC
Chicago, l would show you what pow
erty is.
Nevertheless. there. are some in.
stances of poverty in River Falls
Some of the suffering, the destitute
the neglected.; these ought to be
| found, for the worthiest, the self.
respecting OF the very poor" make
no ostentatious display, and such des-
titution and suffering should be
promptly relieved.
Booth knows more about it than
| any other man. This man, while es-
sayists have been writing and theO-
rists have been theorizing has, more
| than any other MAN in the world, in a
practical way, contributed to the sOlu-
| tion of the problem we are discussing
ut has been hard struggle" said Gen Booth
| of his work with the salvation Army, "but tn,
| joy have had from il 40 tongue can tell. So
| ciety is helpless IN The presence of the evils
| which exist, and what we need il an organized
/ system OF dealing with the lost and fallen with
| strong hands and by The grace of God. There
| must be a way, and the Salvation Army is Gods
| invention for the solution OF the problem" Il
must be with feeling OF i1mph, as well AZ
Joy, that the general looks hack over his life
| tor he has forced recognition and appreciation
| from world that once held him and his army
| in the most supreme contempt.
| Gen. Booths experience. like that Of DR.. Park.
1 hurst in New YORK city, demonstrates anew that
| in practical lite reforms are seldom worked oul
| along the lines OF commonly approved methods
| When Dr Parkhurst resolved that vice and
| corruption must be exposed and put down he
was openly abused before the public, and had
| to proceed in the face of disapproyal of close
| friends, who granted that the object aimed al
| was praiseworthy, but who insisted that the
methods of the vigorous preacher could not be
| sanctioned. DIR Parkhurst has come out of the
| conflict one OF the most respected men in the
/ nation. One of his happiest moments was
| when President Seth Low Of Columbia College
whose disapprovsl in the earlier part OF III.
| crusade had panied him exceedingly, declared
| a few days ago that DR.. Parkhurst had been
| right throughout the struggle. The result
have justified DR.. ParB hurst.
| 1t has taken lifetime with Gen. Booth e
| complete the cycle from contempt and ridicult
| to recognition and to demonstrate that the work
/ his organization has Accomplished was not t.
| be done by conventional methods. Gen. Booth
| saw the way TO reach the submerged tenth.
| Perceiving the value OF the military form O.
| organization, the shout and the tambourine Ia
| securing influence with this class. be freely
| made use of them. The grOtesqueness of eel
| tain features OF the aviation army yet remains
to appeal TO the indifferent by their very Oddity
| but the days Of persistent persecution are over
| Gen. Booth like Dr. "arkhurst, stands out as n
| man to whom honor is due tor accomplishing
| what he attempted, despite all dlscouraging
| opposition and hindrauces.
| We have said that Gen. Booths associations
| have been mostly 18th the iowly ana depraveu
| Archdeacon Farrar Whites OF him: His mission
was TO the neglected, to the wretched. 10 thu
destitute, to the residuum. TO the submerged. Ht
went to the sheep without sheperd, who Were
| wandering INTENDED On the hills Oi darAness; Il
| wretches without a home and without hope
| to street Arabs and gutter children, the walls
and strays of our horrible Sums; TO men anu
4 rnfn nv rin nd y 1
deus foul as the laiIs OF wild beasts Tor whom
there seemed to be no earthly prospect but the
cell OF the ielon, the grave OF the suicide, or the
| dreary misery OF The workhouse
In his address in Chicago a month
| ago he said he bad been accused OF
making poverty easy" This is what
ne said. How does he do it?
THREE RULES.
LIST. No inquiry made, or care for
'antecedents Of the relieved. Lei
Dim explain. "A mans man for al
| that"
| "a. He permits no beggary, gives
nothing out and out TO any; all nell
is paid for iH part by the helped.
sd. His aim is not amelioration but
deliverance out OF thoir wretchedness
and to make them partners, and co
operative in the work of their OWL
delivery.
FIRST SATISFY RoDILY WANTS
| "lfyo want TO heiY these people you mus
| satisfy their wants; IL .hey are hungry YOU mus
| iced them; you must for GOds sake and man
sake; yOu cannot leave man to die OF hunger
| Ii is impossible uou't care what they have
| been; don care about their past; you cannO
| lei them die OF hunger; thst is sort Oi murder
| sir. You must feed uhemi aud II they are naked
/ don't care what j. costs will show you how
| You can do it, ana u can make profit of IL
| and then perhaps you Will attend TO II.
| I'VE have ia London 1900 hungry people.
| they have been ted tonight, aud that withOu
! very great cost to chsrlty Tonight there wi
| be sleeping in our hutnes in that city no lest
| than 5, U0O wretched nlen and perhaps 0O0 womef
| mostly men; men who but Tor this would b,
| IN the workhOuse, in the prison, committing
| robberies or dying, sleeping on the emhank
| ments OF the streets. We take them i'll tor cent?
| anu for 4 cents we give them something
| better; we do not allow them to beg from us
! he would get nothing Tor his trouble if he dld
| We make them ali work. A man is in pool
| condition ii he cannot either beg, or borrow, ol
| earn or steal cents. III he brings his 2 cents
what do we do Tor him? In the first place w
| give him nice, we'll lighted, warm room II
| which TO sleep. For cents we give him nice
comfortable so that be an put his head down.
| In addition to that piece OF bread that take;
| Oh the gnawiug OF his hunger: we give hin
| clean water in which he can wash himself.
| And then, ii he wants bath, Tor another
cent we give hinia not BATH aud Il Il man has
not been washed since ms mother washed hin
| it is a comfortable SENSATION aud makes hin
| feel quite religious. Aud then. while having
his bath he may find his Clothes have gont
| away without hands. We have chamber o
| horrors; we cremate them sir. / am not d
| friend of the Ordinary crematOry, but | am
| friend OF cremation GA this principle; so that /
| he goes in 6O,U00 strong, he comes out quit,
| different.
MAKING POVERTY EASY
Il know that il has been said-very loudly
| said, and the echo may have come over tn,
| water-that Gen. Booth is making poverty
| easy Ii seems 70 me that il is rather excusa
| Ole There have been great many making
| riches easy for q long time. Let me try my
hand at making the lot OF these poor. desolat,
people a little easier than it has been; smoothing
! The rugged roadway they have to travel, espec
| iaLy when all the ease | give them IS 10 eutic,
them 10 enter into the service OF the living tod
all hey say the undeserving poor are waste
! full extravagaut and vicious lot of people whOu
| Won cannot help. The more you help them tn,
| worse they will become. And they inYestigdt,
| thesr things 1t they ind that a man has beer
drunk aud been found out, that is put dow
| against him II he hadn't any work TO do, Iha
| is put down against him. 1t he has ever had
conviction that is terrible, anc that is put dowI
against him. Is there any criminal page in hi
liie? Did he ever 60 wrDng2 Was there ever AM
| criminal taint in his family? | protest agains
| Ali this as being inbuman and unchristian; to
did not Jesus christ come TO call not the right