The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-10


The saving holds good in this day OF
: plenty. All round the storehouses
where warm stockings and good SHOES
are set in tempting array are women
and children barefooted and shiverlng-
In sight of the windows where bread
is stacked I'D in piles are families
hungry; watching the coal wagons go
bv. are people who have no fire; MP
bling at crusts are many right IN slghC
of the butchers shops piled full OF
meat. Still people go right along, many
of them never thinking OF the scantliy
clad '.minding their own business
nracticing charity begins at home,
never needing the sufferings OF Their
fellow beings. The banker watches
with greedy eye that the notes are
paid the same day they are due; the
collection agent hounds mis- victim with
persistence. lest q few cents commas
sion escape him; the pawn broker notes
that the pledge has expired ana hangs
the goods in the window for sale, ana
all because it is legal, and each and
every one hugs to himself the money
gained in the plying of his trade, sell
dom if ever thinking of the unfortu-
mates who gaze in hungry, chilly envy
at his well clad, well-nourished form
There are others. too, in moderate
needy poor. were the matter brought
to their attention, but in the hurry and
scurry of every day life they become
needless and such matters are over
locked Some Of them go to church
and hear the parson speak of the nun
CRY in spirit, in far away lands where
the heather. who has no need OF
clothes. bows his head before his
wooden god and, affected by the dis
course they dig deep into their pockets
and contribute literally toward edu-
eating some black cannibal il BoorlC-
boola-gha. and stumble over shlVer-
ing. starving urchln IN gong nome
Others subscribe sums for asylums,
where paid officials absOrb large sal
aries in disbursing small amounts II
alternating suffering and are contented.
But there are times when the misery
which stalks before our gates shows his
gaunt and Sombre form and brings US
to z realization of the distress which
exists among those with whom we
mingie Yesterday was one of those
days and there were five men in this
city most forciblv reminded that right
here in Salt Lake City, where plenty
is presumed to abound, there are peo-
pie who are destitute OF the most com
mon necessaries OF life.
Those men are DR.. Theodore Never,
W. B. Preston, J. c. ROyle, Father
Kelly and A. S. Geddes. It is but
Fair, however, to the latter gentleman
to say that he is thoroughly familiar
with the situation The quintette al
luded to constitute the committee
which had the distribution of the $1,000
left by the late Fred Auerbach to be
given to the poor of the CITY.
There were plenty Of applications.
Had the dead man left his entire for
tune to the poor. there would have
been none too much for all who ap-
hn M
chance to Deruse the many notes sent
in hy the unfortunate wish he was
worth millions that he might go out
and alleviate the distress of these peo-
pie.
One man wrote that he had wife
who has been belfast for six months
and four small children, the oldest
aged TO- while he was out of employ
ment Vision of the angel of charity,
what a Christmas that family Will have
unless some kind soul comes to the
rescue and helps enliven the cherries
homel
Another was from. a family OF three
the head of which is a woman, who
has struggled along with a cripple OF
IS years on her hands to take care OF.
Poor. tired old soul. If that five-dollar
bill could only be multiplied by the
wishes of the writer ii would have two
ciphers after the FIVE. Another came
blind Think of that, you who can see
to carve your rare roast beef, and
thank your stars that you are not in a
similar condition. An old man of Co.
with wife who has been III for %
years, asked for a little portion of the
fund, and got it. He will be happy for
brief time as result-happier than
he has been for some years-and then
il viii begin all over again, for the
winter will be a long one.
One woman came with a letter from
q well-knoWn resident. certifying that
she was destitute of eVerything-out Of
coal and, money, and nothing with
which 10 pay the rent. Another whose
husband left her with five children
year ago. humbly asked for a small
portion. None of The children are able
as yet to dc anything. CThere are
three or four husky young men on this
paper who would like 10 meet that
father just a few minutes in a secluded
SPOT. free from police interference
One letter recited the woes of a poor
widow who has been i'll and unable
to leave her room for days. There she
lived in the cold, with no one to assist
her except a neighbor poor himself
but willing TO divide. Another widow,
with an invalid daughter, perfectly
helpless, asked for something. A weak
woman, who earns a little by washing,
when she is able. asked for something
TO enable her TO warm her two chill
dren. who are too small TO help keep
the wolf from the door. Another, IN
able TO work at all sent in word that
her husband died two weeks ago, leav-
ing her four little mouths TO feed a
lady living in the west part of the city
wrote that her husband was i'll and
required her Whole time and attention,
and that she had three children.
Scrawled on a scrap of paper was
letter written by cramped hand, per-
haps chilled by lack Of a stove to warm
it, as follows:
81 appeal to you to send me some
coal. / an nearly freezing without it.
/ am a widow left with two children,
and cannot get work to get me some
fuel and food
Here is another sample:
Il an widow of 20 years and make
living by washing and grinding
horse radish. Any help your commit
tee can give NE will be greatly appre-
ciated.
But by far the most pathetic appeal
of the lot is that of a blind woman
living in the northwest tern portion of
the city, which appears in the cut
The poor woman had nc writing ma
1erials. and, lest she should be too late
decided to prick the letters in the
paper with the point of a pin. which
She did with great care, making a very
unique missive.
There were all sorts of letters-old
men with infirm wives, and old wives
with infirm husbands; husbands out of
M a ROE miles and m ooaI IN.