The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-29
Charity That Makes burdens.

] In this city-a city that IS not surpassed
I by any other in its charities-heIp to the
/ poor is distributed through too many
/ sources. Besides the county poor fund.
! each church has a charitable organization
and there are several independent organ
/ izatiOns OF the same character. What is
the result? II is this. The number that de-
ponds wholly upon charity is stead
ily growing larger. When the char
ity OF the county commissioners
is exhausted, the independent char
lilies and the churches are applied
20. and in that way those who have made
up their minds that they VIII be taken care
Of without any special efforts on their part
manage to exist from one years end to
another. And so they viii continue to eX-
list as long as the present system OF dis
tributing charity continues.
1t gets voiced abroad that it is an easy
matter TO live without work i'm Savannah,
and from the surrounding towns and even
adjacent states the shiftIess and poverty
stricken either beg their way here or else
transportation is furnished them by those
who want to get rid Of them.
Take as an illustration this Jarago fam
ily. about which there has been so much
in the newspapers recently. Hasn't that
family been living on the charity of the
town for three or four years? There isn't
one Of the charitable organization that
hasn't furnished that family with supplies
time and time again. SIN. the family is
"a, al,o,t tbo eo,r,,o ,o,.lfffor - x.as v.-bor
il reached the city and so it will continue
to be as long as the hand Of charity is
held out to it and the children are permit
ted to beg on the streets.
Well what ought TO be done. is asked?
In the first place. all such families as the
one under consideration ought to be sent
TO the poor farm. and there required to
perform such labor as the members of it
are capable of performing. AS we have no
reformatory in the county it would be
much the wiser plan for the county to use
the money it now distributes in driblets
to this and that needy person, in erecting
suitable accommodations on the
farm for people who are steady
subjects of charity. There they
could be made to do something, and a
school could be maintained for the chill
dren. The poor farm could be so managed
that it would afford a living for several
hundred poor people.
1t may be said that poor people would
not go to the poor farm. They would so
there before they would starve. and per-
haps some of them would show they could
earn a living before they would suffer
want or go to the poor farm.
As to the numerous charities in the city.
it is evident to every thinking person what
ought to be done with them. They should
be organized. Now while they are reliev-
ing some suffering they are in reality max
ing paupers. BY endeavoring to support
all who come to them for aid they are let
ting the impression get abroad that it is
only necessary to ask to receive. Conse-
quenty, many ask and receive who. If
left to their own resources. would find a
way to earn an honest living. No help
should be extended except to those who
are entitled to it, and the question of who
is entitled to it should be decided by per-
sons selected for that task. because of their
fitness for it. sympathy rather than judg-
ment now determines to a large extent
where relief shall be extended, and it not
infrequently happens that help is being ex-
tended to the same dependent persons by
two or three charitable organizations at
the same time.
The time has been ripe for some time for
an arrangement for a wiser handling of
the money given for charity in this city
Steps ought to be taken for effecting such
an arrangement without delay. The coun-
ty commissioners should consider at once
the advisability of extending the county
charity through the poor farm, and the
charities of the city should extend aid only
through one set of officers.