The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
THE WRONGS OF TIE POOR.
A Foor Mans General Description OF wha
He Regards Them to He.

A Poor Mans General Description OF What
He Regnrds Them 20 He.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: "what
are the wrongs Of the poorf" you sneerinely
and repeatedly ask the Rev. DR.. Warren. No
man who Is Door would ask such q question.
No one who'is not poor can answer It. Do the
poor. then. in your opinion. suffer no wrongs; or
is It only tho rich who are wronGed; or
nre there no human wrongs II It be grudglngly
admitted that there are human beings who
are wronRed. who. pray, are they but the weak.
tho despised, tho unfortunate. the helpless. in n
word. the poor. and mainly because they are
poor? But the poor do not suffer because they
do not complain, says the editor: because they
do not proclaim their distresses from the house.
tops: because their cries do not reach him In his
comfortable rooms or in his more elegant homo;
because they endure and make no public lamen.
tation. Thus the editor becomes at once and in
one. witness and judge and recorder in the case
and from the record there is no appeal.
Alasl 1t is too true that the poor have NO
mouthplece while the rich have many organs.
Some of these organs fairly plaster the town
with ostentatious proclamatlons. that only the
best" that Is the richest, people are their
patrons and readers. / much doubt whether
THE SUN, which shines for all who have money
mo one expects papers to be printed for nothing).
will permit this letter to appear, except, per-
haps. in Rarbled form. and even then only to
hold up to ridicule some slip in grammar which
the writer has made. AS l say, the poor have
no organ. no forum. no court of easy access.
no champion; and II perchance some benevolent
and observant man of God declares from his
pulpit that upon the poor wrongs arc perpe-
trated by their wealthy fellows, with what scorn
he is held up to ,reprobation. with what ane
sarcasm he Is scathed. with what confidence the
truth OF his statement is challenged!
l who write these lines do not guess. for I
dn knnuy that fha mar a - Nh N-r1rra aN thA
hands Of the. rich; do know tha. between rich
and Door a line is drawn. a ditch is digeed.
eyes To ses or sensibiiities to feel: and it is
quite beside the point TO assert, what Is indeed
quently crossed and recrossed by one or the
other. The wrongs OF the poor are multitude
o npa tse eoh e bo,h sn, Hnd sps ' mn,, Sp h1s the eo story tory
the range of your circulation Tint cannot iii
preston and other forms of wrong suf-
issr n at the hands Of the opulsnt and
saying is a true one. that one-half the
people in the larger towns get their living and
II it Is instances you want | can give You
dozens from my, own experience, What child
i nhv ieS T Sn; folly to ask for what is no; only
come in contact. and that is every lfthe
editor Of THE Sun. would put on the Garb ana
assume the inien Of poverty 1.-THE gRrb would he
easy. the mien might be dificultj. and 60 forth
into the markets. the stores. the shops. the pub
Nv bihtcs'. II pNuilS convey anCeS. anu par
ticulariy the fashionable Protestant churches
on Sunday-I say. IL after "A weeks active expert
encc in the Ruise of n poor man he does not find
answer to his tremendous conundrum, What
are the wrongs of the poor 2" then | will admit
that my experiences and those OF dozens OF my
friends have been the fancies Of distem pered
imaRilations.
~ you want SPECIFIC instances, l am ready TO
give them: hut, AS perhaps this letter Is already
longer than you will care to print, | close by
saying that wherever the poor man goes. except
IN Roman Catholic churches. he is unwelcome.
Nay. contumely is q word that fecoly expresses
the sum OF indignities that almost daily are
heaped upon him and his children for the sons
and daughters of the wealthy are quick to per-
ceive and swift to take advantage or the differ
ences that exist between themselves and tho
children Of the poor whenever they come in
contact with the so-called best I" people in the
larger American towns. Poor MAN.
BROOKLYN. Dec. Do.