The herald., 1897-04-05
TOUCHING LETTER
MRS. JESSIE BENTON FREMONT
ON THE UNEMPLOYED
"reminiscences Of the Days After
the War and the Exhibition
of Christian Charity

Mrs. Jessie Benton Fremont, now tenn
porarily residing at Long Beach, has
sent the following letter to q personal
friend of hers in this city, connected
with the work for the unemployed:
LONG BEACH, March 80, 1887.
Dear Sir: In New York I had the
honor and real happiness to be taken
into the inner circle of those who could
not rest seeing want unrelieved-the
Sanitary Commission (both west and
east), the Soldiers Orphans home, Sick
Babies (St. Johns guild, and perhaps
the most needed and promptly met of all
the Southern Famine Relief society,
all made me know some governing
truths, as applicable here as in New
York. First, the object must be wor-
thy of help, and then the Nelief must
be sure to reach those needing 1t, to
get to them without waste or deduction,
beyond absolutely necessary require
ments. These two points fixed, the
money pours in. New York is gener-
Gus in helping and rich; and the rich
give.
After the war there was dearth of
labor in the south and poverty we
shall never know again, for only sick
and disabled men, women and little
children, were left on untitled lands;
no usual labor left. Then came drouth
then floods, then actual hunger. This
appealed closely to me, for starvation
and freezing had been so often the
generals lot that l suffered to know of
this Private help was inadequate.
for three states were in want. Good
women began in their usual way on
fairs and amateur concerts and such.
My good friends, Gen. Banks in the
house and Senator Trumbull in the sem
ate, l wrote to fully, and quickly as it
could be Sut through relief bill was
passed both houses, sending a United
States vessel with provisions, her United
States flag supplanted by another, with
Relief on a white ground, and again.
and again, and again, she went on her
message of peace and good will, bring
ing q truce to panied feelings as well as
to hunger.
Gen. Q. O. Howard, then in Mississip-
pi, in command of the Freedmans bu-
reau, was directed to share all his sup
plies-clothing, seeds, agricultural i'm
plements, as well as stores of food and
grain. The governors of the states were
made the distributing centers, aided by
the local clergy, who knew the wants of
their people, and, as good is as contag-
ious as evil, more prosperous northern
states, Maryland, New York and others,
voted very large sums of money while
personal efforts and gifts in New York
never relaxed, until in few months the
contributions, personally and honorably
distributed, amounted to oyer $11, 900, 900
in money, in clothing and stores, in
means to renew their lands with good
seed, good implements, and only God
knows what renewed faith in him and
human nature.
1.-THE same vein of human sympathy Is
sure to answer anywhere in our rich and
generous country. More or fewer people
needing help do not change the case,
and while being helped to earn even this
scanty living the helped are giving back
fourfold in the nobler feelings that they
have called into active life, and the
whole community will be proud of the
boulevard which they are making. In
Prague, after time of famine, tn king
opened his treasury and set the unem-
ployed to build a wall that runs from
the river up to the high hills near the
royal palace-it is named to this day
tn Hunger wall" Each time we drove
over that beautiful bridge, with its wall
leading nowhere, the general looked
long at it, saying: ''That was well
DONE" We need no king, for every one
with heart to feel can give much If they
have much, and the little from those
having little will be twice blessed-in
the giving and receiving. Yours sin
cerely.
JESSIE BENTON FREMONT"