The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-01
IMPOSTeRS IN cHARITYS NAME
CHURCHES AND sOCIETIEs FOs-
TERING MENDICANCY.

Rev. DIR. Goodwin Points Out the
Need for Organized CharitIes-sR-
vannah Filled with People who
Flock Here to Live on the Liberal
ity of Those Who Give without
Discretion.
1t is rather a strange fact that at the
same time Mayor Myers annual report
in which he advocated organized charity
work as the best means of relieving real
distress and discouraging mendicancy,
was being read to the city council, Rev.
DR.. Goodwin was advocating the same
thing at the prayer meeting at the First
Baptist church.
DR.. Goodwin, Of course, was unaware
Of what Mayor Myers had written, but he
had read the editorial in the Morning
News that morning advocating the same
thing. He called the attention of his con-
gregation to it and approved strongly the
position taken.
DR.. Goodwin, when seen by a Morning
News reporter. expressed himself as fully
approving the position taken by Mayor
Myers and the Morning News.
There is more charity dispensed in Sa-
vannah,'' said he, than any city of its
size know of, and there is less discre-
ton shown in dispensing it, Charity, as
it is dispensed in Savannah, undoubtedly
relieves some distress, but it does a great
deal Of harm. We are actually fostering
mendicancy. In plain English we are
breeding beggary. 1 have had a great
deal Of experience in charitable work,
both in Savannah and in other cities, and
here"
savannah DR.. Goodwin added. us
craving 10 herself a constantly increas-
ing number of people who are willing to
exist upon charity drawn here by the re-
ports Of our liberality. There Is unfor-
tunately a class of people In the country
bred in Squalor, with no idea beyond a
daily existence and no sense of ambition,
who are willing to come in here and live
in the purlieus of the city, if by so doing
they can exist on charity and live with
out work.
THE charitable people of the CITY," he
said, ARE constantly imposed upon
When one Of these mendicant creatures
has worked one church or society for all
that can be gotten out of IL, he or she
will go to another church or society and
repeat the operation. The statement of
the Jerago woman to the chief of police
that she was compelled to send her chill
dren on the streets to beg because the
charitable people of the city would do
nothing for her is false. The First Bap-
fist church save that woman fully 800
worth of supplies during last year. be-
lieve she has worked every church in Sa-
vannah. She is not a member of my
church, though understand that she has
Dr. Goodwin was asked what plan he
would suggest for united action in char
liable work. MY idea is this" he re-
piled. Each church should have a fund
for this work, and charitable organiza-
ton to dispense it. 1t is the duty of each
church to care for. its own poor. What
ever else il does, this should not be neg
lected. Money should be raised regularly
for this work, and whatever amount each
church might have in hand beyond its
needs for its own charitable work should
he turned into the hands of a central COM
mittee. 1t should be the duty of this COM
mittee to investigate all cases reported to
who were not under the care of any
church or society. This committee could
also receive and dispense any donations
from public or private sources"
Il am further in hope" said DIR. Good
win further, that the county will either
establish a poor house or put its poor
farm in operation. l have never lived in
a county yet that did not have a poor
house or poor farm, and ] was surprised
when l found that this county had no such
institution. With a poor farm to send
those who are really paupers where they
could be cared for at a small cost and
partially earn their own support, we
would see a great change for the better.
The class of persistent mendicants which
is now on the increase. would thin out
rapidly when they found they could no
longer live in idleness Many who now live
by beggary would go to work or move
away before they would go to the poor
farm. 1t is very plain that something of
the kind is very much needed"
Mayor Myers stated in his report that
he would heartily recommend an appro-
priation by the city to an organized board
of charity The mayors suggestion of a.
board of united charities is generally in
dorsed, and there seems to be no reason
why such an organization should not be
effected.