New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-16
WHAT IS POVERTY"
"a RELATIVE THING" SAYS JOHN Ora
HAM BROOKS
RELATIVE IN TINE AND RELATIVE IN PLACE
THE POVERTY OF $50 YEARS AGO NOT AT
ALL LIKE THAT OF TO-DAY.

ALL LIKE THAT OF TO-DAY.
What Is Poverty" was the subject Of John era
ham Brookss lecture yesterday morning at the
Berkeley Iyceun and every available seat in the
semby room taken: everybody wanted 70 hear
the answer.
NJ. Brooks began by saying that poverty was
relative thing relative IN time and relative in place
Poverty In India where thousands are now dying OF
hunger Is a very different thing from poverty in
England where the standard OF living Is four or five
cents day, while the poverty o. 80 years ago was
az all the the poverty of to-day They
have treacle and butter in the almshouses now. but
IN years they did not have them simply because
the poorest people outside the almshouse to-day have
;-eacle and butter while 80 years they did not.
We have got TO recognize this relatively the
lecturer continued. ~ want TO act inteigenty
with regard 20 poverty. Some people are not really
50 poor as think There is great deal OF talk
in these days about amusing the poor, but in reality
they have as much amusement we have. on the
other hand people really poor when they appear
TO others be rich They may be so poor that they
have 20 Europe
Some people 10 not believe this. but NJ. Brooks
SAYS he knows 81 many who have gone abroad for
that reason and who in cases. have taken four
servants with them.
But this not the kind Of poverty he wanted 10
talk about Such poverty. though real. did not de-
prve those subjected to IL of what was necessary
to their wei being There was kind that meant
destruction OF health and character 10 the Individual
and inevitable injury to the community well. To
show what this was he gave some examples from the
records Of the associated charities
The first that OF a drummer, whose family. con-
ssting OF wife and four children had adjusted lts
life on scale of 50 900 a He lost his position
In the late business panic and. owing 10 impaired
health. has been unable TO get another. He has been
practically out OF work for FOUR years and though
he has struggled agans, his fate with splendid
pluck doing everything. even TO shoveng snow.
can earn now only from $500 10 $40 year. The fam
lily has gone pieces. and the poorhouse. the lee
turer said. is only question Of time.
The second instance was that of a school teacher.
She started life with bright hopes. hut as she was
Roman Catholic and lived in a town where the
A P A. is doing a great deal of bad work" she has
been able to earn more than 500 year. She
has an old and helpless mother and a sister who
wanted 10 go to college. and her. inability to do
VIVA, she wished for them has Undermined her
health so that she has TO spend much OF her meaGre
salary in procuring substitutes. In this struggle
third instance was that of cardriver who
ss Vie ai s 4 route ends d'fn
whore the rents are high and, as consequence ne
work is done. This made him ILL., and now the doc
tor is continually in the family -.
he called poverty These familie were struck by
poverty and were going 70 peces-losing health
question Of time when they would get down to the
line where Juvenile crime and prostitution begins
and everything else that polsons society 10 us very
They all cases or strictly OnHerlteQ poverty
too and Mr. Brooks purposely confined himself 10
this class "since such conditions are those over
which we have control, and against Which
Of our lying excuses are available.
He thought IL entirely possible 10 help such as
these and said that charitable machinery had
now reached such perfection that. barring accident
Unwillingness TO ask for help there need not be
q single hungry person I'm the community.
In conclusion. he mentioned some or the ways IN
which money might be spent for the benefit OF the
poor. There were many OF them. he said that II
mere sophistry 10 say that we dent KNOW now
10 help others with money. and therefore we
VII throw II away. He knew for fact that the
city q Boston could millions Of dollars " they
could be obtained In the municipallzed pawnshop:
and Millions more could be spent in model tene-
nents and loan associations. ,
He thought that with sufYe ring and restitution all
around had right TO spend money extrava-
ganty. He said. so conservative Il publication
as The Saturday Review has seen this ana has
said that n the Viceroy of India, Lord Sandhurst;
We're 70 give a banquet at the present time all
D.. England would howl with indignation .
Among those present at the lecture were MIS-.
Charles Duggen. Mrs. Robert Able, Miss Able.
Ira Waller. Of Yonkers; Mrs. Minor. Miss colgate,
Ars. Lorllard Spencer and Miss Kate Bond
Mr.. Brooks lcctured at the Teachers College IN
e. the afternoon on The New Offence OF Charity
BIS next lecture AT the Berkeley Will be given on
Friday at 430 o'clock in the theatre and VIII be on
The Tramp and the Unemployed