The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-14
MISERY IN NEW YORK.

The New York Journal INDUCES in a
study of two recent cases OF poverty in
that city which have awakened much
COMMENT
Society occasionally needs such rude
aWakenlngs as Walter HeineckeS suicide
and Peter HettOf's offer to sell himself
into slavery for 500 down provided for
We see SO many evidences of wealth on
every hand that we have no time to cast
q casual penetrat ting glance into the
crowded haunts of poverty. Fifth ave
nue. is so fascinating to the eye and to
the imagination that neither is disposed
to wander to squalid Cherry street The
mind is SO allured by The mansion of
the Millionaire that it can with difficulty
be seduced into the lodging house and
the sWarming tenement Statesmen not
given TO the habit of statistics din into
our ears SO loudly and insistentIy the
sanseless parrot cry that all is well
with the American people that they
drown the moan of suffering which
bears continual evidence against them.
But now and then some unfortunate
victim of society makes of his misery
pinnacle whence he can cast himself
in the sight OF all men down into obliV-
ion. and then those of us who lounge
in the lethaTgy of comfort are forced to
rub our eyes and do a little unpleasant
thinking
Hettof and Heinbecke are types Of two
classes with which every large city
ab0unds. The first an educated man
with a practised knowledge Of book
keeping anu q LdIlALlHE ACC uaAllLaIlGG
with half a dozen foreign languages,
has tramped the pavements vainly for
an employment of any kind until he de-
spairS and in the instructive hope of
keeping body and soul together is anN-
ious to become the slave of any man
who VIII agree TO do so much. Heinecle
also a man of education has employ
ment as day clerk in the street cleaning
department. But he was compelled to
work IL hours a day and for his services
he was paid only $11S0 a week. Not
withstanding the size of the salary. he
had bought bicycle and had saved $50
besides So it is clear. strange though
it seem. that he had no quarrel with
the remuneration he received Indeed
he said in the letter explaining his sui
eide. that he found life no longer toler-
able because he had no pleasures or
enjOyments,' could hardly secure time
enough to sleep, and was compelled to
work continually Could the slavery
that HettOf seeks be worse than this
Such is the existence of a vast an over
Whelming majority Of the human be-
ings who form the population of the inn
press of hungry numbers keeps them on
the rack of labor all day long and half
the night. with neither opportunity nor
money for recreation, OF they are fierce
ly hunting for a chance to attain even
that dismal condition.
According to good authority there are
now out of employment in this city no
fewer than 17f.000 skilled WOrkmen. The
number of unskilled labOrers who are
subsisting by means Of charity or theft
is probably enormous Reports agree
that in Chicago there are $1,000
men unemployed. Many if not most of
these have families and winter is at
hand
There are those in plenty who wag
their heads and tell US that this prob
lem cannot be solved. Want, they say.
is a necessary consequent of human ma
ture and an unavoidable accampani-
ment Of civilization. If this be true, so
much the worse for civilization; let US
return to barbarism.
But it is not true. as will be shown
when the empty stomachs become more
numerous than the fun ones. Then the
Indifferent ignorance of the rich viii
be enlightened ia such a manner as to
persuade them to lend a hand to their
brethren instead of knocking them on
the head with the mallet of superior in
telligence and greed. Death is unques-
ti0nably better than slavery of the la
Dor market But one day not all the
Heineckes and Hettofs viii accept the
grim alternative without making des-
perate effort to secure life in comfort.
That effort VIII be peaceable, for in this
/ free country legislation can undo the
evils legislation has caused, and it will
succeed