The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-08
do more than give little temporary relief
to these old ladies'

do more than give a little temporary relief
to these old ladies.
'The people who deluge MS most with
applications are not the beggars. They
belong to the class that would be ashamed
TO go to charitable institutions. They
come here quietly and tell us of their des-
titution as they would tell it to friends,
and we help them as best we can. Some
times we are able to give them clothes and
they clean the things and make them over
these people would do anything to hide
their poverty. This morning little girl
called in here on her way.to school. Look
how nice my mamma has made the frack,'
she said. 1t was an old thing we had given
her, but the mother had made it over till
the child looked really we'll in it.
"Such little instances as that show US it
is the deserving poor and not the wolves
and vultures who are deluging us with
applications this winter. One has to be
right in the work to realize the extent of
this restitution, though"
On the captains desk there was slip
OF paper containing long list of names,
attached to which were explanatory notes.
Eyes. it is one days fresh applications,
he said. They began before half-past
this morning. Here is a destitute man
recently discharged from the City and
County Hospital who wants work We
sent him with q letter to the Labor Com
missioner. Next comes a woman with a
letter from the Mayors office. Her hus-
band is an engineer who has been out OF
steady work for two years; they have a
couple of young children and are without
means. The next visitor is an old lady
from the hospital Who is without shoes
| that IS to say there are uppers but no
soles, so her feet are on the ground"
Captain, may come p asks bright
young ensign, with bundle of War Cries
II. Il l.
port, the girl says eagerly, when she has
been given permission to enter. eve have
| investigated it. A woman OH Natoma
street, clean, but OH SO poorl She is old
and helpless. May 1 give her pair of
shoes"
| The ensign was given the key of the
wardrobe room, the contents of which are
rapidly diminishing. owing to the numer-
Gus calls upon it. The captain, taking up
the list again, read from it the pitiful roll
call of restitution for one day; and the
saddest part OF it was that the majority of
names on the list were those of women, too
old to be OF any use as workers or else
women hampered by helpless, dependent
children.
GA man can get along on IS cents dav,
and he is poor man if he cannot scratch
up that" said the captain. "But it is the
women and the children we want to do
something for. The way in which men
are beginning to desert their wives and
children is something appalling. They
don't seem able to stand poverty as bravely
as the women can, and when there is
actual restitution they sneak out quietly,
leaving the wives and children to struggle
on or starve.
What we want is q home where these
destitute women and children can be taken
in and cared Cor till the deserted woman
can get on her feet again. When she has
no good clothes, no money and nowhere
to turn it is practical impossibility for
her to get work with her helpless children
dragging at her skirts, but if she could go
into temporary horne for a week or two
and have her children cared for the poor
creature might get a fresh start for llfe''