The herald., 1897-03-20
THE CAUSES OF PAUPER|SM
Responsibilities Discussed by the
Friday Morning Club
CURE Of MANUAL TRAINING
Neglected Child-Life aud Indiscriminate
Giving
Paper-Lobor Should Always Be Hon
ored-An Interesting Discussion

The Friday Morning club yesterday
Responsibility for Pauperism." The
subject was opened by paper presented
by Mrs. d. G. Stephens, and after
wards generally discussed by the CLUB.
Mrs. Stephens advanced the idea that
the two great causes of pauperism were
neglected child-life and indiscriminate
giving, and she further criticised briefly
the attitude of the state. society. philan-
thropists, the church and the home to-
wards this great class of people.
Neglected child-life and the senti-
mental giving were treated at some
length.
One great solution of the problem
would be found in manual training
schools. if established by the state
and made a part of the education
of every child; not a smattering of a
trade given child but skillful and per-
feet knowledge Of the trades. the fitting
of skilled laborers being part of the reg
ular public school work. In each child
being carefully fitted for the life before
it we would find a great preventive for
crime. If the public school system
taught self support to rich and poor
alike the future would take care OF
itself. Instead of waiting with your help
until the individual is at the foot of the
ladder help him so he will never reach
that point.
MAKING PAUPERS.
Free dinners, free soups are an injury,
not a help. If food must be given let
it be given in the raw state, and the peo-
pie taught to cook it properly.
If a change in the marriage laws was
made so that the person who performed
the ceremony of marriage between pau
pers or imbeciles could be killed off there
would be fewer imbecile marriages; IL
the gibbet was the denouement of the
fashionable wedding, there would be
fewer children in the world incompe-
tent and paupers.
The paper closed with the idea that
while the writer was not an alarmist,
yet she believed that unless we. as a ma
tion act with better Judgment and more
like rational beings, our downfall will
be upon us; we must suffer social, moral
and political death. as other nations
have done in the past.
SOME OF THE PROBLEMS.
Animated discussion followed the pa
per. Mrs. Gibson presented some of the
unemployed women of Los Angeles.
Mrs. Shuttle deplored the hack Of re-
spect for labor. The tendency of the day
was not toward the life OF a workman.
but towards clerkships. The mothers
and fathers of today didn not welcome the
trained workman as guest in the
house, but the 6apper young man whose
employment was a salaried one. In
less we reform our own state of mind,
our young men will not seek to gain
knowledge of trades.
Mrs Murphy deplored the lack Of
care for children, the neglect that sent
them on the streets and from there to
the reform schools.
Mrs. Christian thought It the duty Of
the women to brighten the lives of the
children in the neighborhood In which
they lived, to feel some responsibility
for those whose homes were less attract
i've. and whom we could benefit by SIM
pie attentions.
Mrs. Graham believed that more re-
sponsibility rested upon fathers than
was o~erally conceded. She thought
the example of the fathers not bad
thing for children, and 1t was not neces-
sary for the mothers to shoulder all the
evils of the world
Miss Collier touched the tramp ques-
tion. She said it was against her con-
her door. The fact that he was one of
the great army of beggars was against
him ait the outset. She preferred rum
ming the risk Of one good man starving
rather than feed twenty who were pro-
fessional beggars
THE VALUE OF HOME LIFE.
Prof. Diekenson, who was the guest Of
the club, thought that much of the evil
of today resulted from the distinction
of the home life, that the church, the
Sunday school, the foreign and domestic
missionary societies, the Epwortn
league, the Y. M. c. A., the Y w. c. 7.
u, the Y. P. s. c. E.. etc, tended to de-
stroy the morale of family life and help
ed to people the reform schools. He fur
ther believed In giving the same prestige
to manual training that has been given
to the High school. then our sons and
daughters will be in the workshops and
the results of this higher education will
solve many problems.
Others Joined in the discussion, all
giving some idea of their solution Of the
present problem.
Big bargains, Campbell's curio store.