The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-07-25

of which had collapsed and lay in frag-
ments, with its occupant amid the
wreck.
And that was the lodging place of ten
or twelve adults, to say nothing of the
poor little babies and neglected children
who played on the floor or lay sleeping
on the beds!
On going up fight after flight. much
the same sort of scene met us in each
room. though the others had not so
many occupants. On some of the land
ings ash barrels stood filed with refuse
and leavings, and when we got up into
the dark garret we found four or five
small attic rooms in the most dilapida-
ted condition, let off to different families.
After, entering the different rooms
was so nauseated with the foulness of
the air and the pestilential odors that
had to step out into the passageway,
sick and giddy. On going into the
streets again, the air seems refreshing
and cool by contrast, though to come to
these streets from other portions of the
city, one is oppressed by heavy sultri.
ness of the air.
In one tenement house, in the heat of
the summer, the tenants complained
much for over week of the foulness of
the place, and on an investigation being
made in tenantless room, which the
occupant had vacated ten days before,
dead baby was found. The child had
evidently been taken sick, and after it's
death the poor mother knew not what to
do with it, and being too poor to bury it,
hid it away and left the scene to avoid
trouble.
The anxiety through which many
hard working and loving mother has to
pass in caring for her little ones when
poverty and starvation faces them, as
well as the trying heat of summer, baf-
fies description. In one instance an
honest, hard working woman, who. alasl
was IN abject poverty through lack of
work, was found with her little family
OF chileEen absolutely Starving. Her
poor, bare little room was clean. and the
children were as tidy as she could make
them. The baby in arms was sucking
voraclously at it's bottle, but in the
bottle was only cold water. This in
the hot season of the year. when more
fortunate mothers have SO carefully TO
watch that their little ones have only
the most suitable food! l have seen the
little ones picking the damaged. rotten
fruit out OF the ash barrels and eating
1t with the eagerness that spoke of
gnawing hunger.
In passing, I must mention the ad.
miration that ! feel for the way in which
Mr.. Straus has made it possible for
thousands of poor little children to have
properly sterilized milk and healthy pre.
pared food for babies. Thousands of
tickets are given away to mothers who
could not otherwise get proper food for
their little ones; and it seems to me that
this is one of the most useful charities
in New York City, and one of those
which cannot be abused as can the Civ
ing of money or other help. know of
the good work in the saving of little
lives that resulted from it.
If space would allow, much more
could be said about the misery of sum-
mer. Cases of sickness, the terrible
temptations to drink, the suicides and
crimes,-but perhaps it is better to leave
them untold.
There are many means set on foot for
helping the poor in their sufferings,
"Fresh Air Funds" ice distribution (but,
sad to say! many have nothing for the
ice to keep cool), free baths, etc. All
very good and helpful in their way, but,
alas! they are only palliations, not cures.
They can bring a breath of fresh air,
drop of GOODNESS, to the sitting sufferers,
but after it their misery closes in upon
them again.
Oh, for more loving, earnest, Christ.
inspired hearts, to raise the fallen, to
point the straying ones into the straight
path, and to save the degraded ones
from their misery! In SO many cases,
the root Uf all trouble is sin and drunk
enness, and if the heart was changed
and Gods power came into the life a
new ambition would help into newer,
better, happier life.
NEW YORK CITY.