Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-15

AUGUSTUS POOR.
An Able Sermon on Their Needs by
Rev. G. S. Cummings.
Calculated 10 Excite Interest and Demand Tor
Reforms Ia That pspariMsnt.

poor, and to thy needy, in thy land"
which hs the i n sny s"e s"sa sp. sas@e
another it IL on the obligations Of com
muntties TO care for the poor and the
dependent. Bear. We one another's bur.
, The object of this service is TO arouse
an interest In the worthy and dependent
poor in the Augusta aims house: When
the slave as Uncle Toms Cabin re-
vealed 1t, the end of slavery quickly fol-
lowed The public know but little OF the
So%se and sheS are es alive
to their needs We have beautiful city.
beautifully situated. Its citizens are in
telligent and influential and public spir-
the insane hospital II b clean and light
and attractive. The poor vlctims. of dis
visitors to the State House. the postofflce
the library. &c. But do you ever take
them to the aims house? Why do you
st n sssau IS visit not You poad
ashamed of it. TO be sure we point it
out from afar. From the east side We
look oyer TO the stately pile Of brick and
say. that Is the aims house," but it IL
case where distance lends enchant-
ment to. the view" The hospital for in
sane and the Industrial school are proper
places for strangers to visit: why not
he home for the dependent poor? 1t is
time the condition and management of
many OF these institutions in New Eng
public are largely at fault They take
little interest In them unless II be to
complain conn, of their expense If Chris
POOR and the dependent.
Let us look first at the comparatively
small amount of money that is appro-,
priated by the city government for the
ing that 1t is not sufficient ii properly ex-
pended: but the idea that the city APP
propriates large sum for the poor de-
three and a half times many people
appropriates five times as much money
as Augusta. This city appropriates an
while Gardiner appropriates - cents
llallowell 81 cents and Waterville 81 80
II is quite possible that the poor depart
ment costs this city more than its appro-
priation OF $500. | think it does But II
IS impossible from the city reports to
determine Just what the cost is. | would
suggest that one reform needed is re-
formed system of accounting for expen-
ditures In this department. No one can
tell from the report how many poor peo-
PIE were assisted. nor to what extent.
No one knows what the average number
was at the aims house for the year
Neither can any one tell what the aver
age cost per individual was. Nobody
care Tor them there than to board them
out: What became of all that was raised
; ana produced on the city farm? Must
| w .uNSu W TIE dIuOuut OI expense
Indicated in the report? The slip shod
method of purchasing supplies would not
pe tolerated by any. business man In Au-
gusta. Think of allowing a man to con-
tract u hiii for the city. purchase the
rlaterill OF himself. approve his own
Dill and draw his pay. Before there is
the farm and barn supplies for cattle
and hogs think it would be better to
look after some of the human needs i'm
me house According to this report NOR
0np-fOnrfh ha fipo
ton was spent for grain. hay. dressing.
a driver for the farm team and kindred
expenses although the same report says
that there were hundreds of bushels CT
grain raised on the farm, and 20 tons of
hay. Every. man who spends money for
me the poor department should be fully
expenditure and any inflated bill is not
simply the getting of money out of the
city treasury. but is the taking of bread
from the mouths of the helpless poor and
poverty. More than $50 articles were
purchased last year.none of which appear
city. among which were II axes and IL
whips. the latter at an expense of Sl3:5
II some of the money spent for whips
nae teeh spent for fine tooth combs 1t
fort of the inmates
What Is the, condition of some things
az the poor house," Well. 1t is in re-
tnat Il city maintains that is not tit
place to take visitors is disgrace TO
n rnat h city There is need of an entirely
Ierent arrangement. Think of men and
women of all ages. of children and in
.ants' OF the sick. and the well. the in
discriminatory in one department of !.
house. No chance for retirement nor Sc
cr recy expiring ting the worst kind Of
actions. and all kinds of noises. The
worst kinds OF immOralities are liable TO
occur The only common room for the
K liirnates Is the eating room where ali
the clean and the unclean. the men
tally sound and the mentally irrespon-
a anW on su of are the changes Of time tina
to die in the aims house Why not ap
ply the golden rule to our city poor? ~
NO one Is required to keep clean. The
room but the inmates are not allowed
to use It,: 1t was said to me that some
we, were 81, SO filthy they didn't want them to
common tubs If they choose: but some
or them evidently do not choose to wash
; ~ an; There Is woeful lack of disci- !
~ afflicted with those .'suctoria para
site insects. one variety. of which l. |
e cad e. scientifically .pediculus capitis
hair and an 5nf1Segh the forests Of the
cuius vestiment" and feeds upon the
more more delicate parts of the human frame
mere Is JUST one cause Tor this. viz: |
neglect and dirt. Why are people allowed |
TO become inmates here without inspec-
lion. washing and clean clothes? II
cleanliness. Is next to godliness some Of
these people have been allowed to stray
lar away. The fact that very many Of
the dependent are difficult to get along
with makes 1t all the more necessary toll
have competent head in the home. |
When vermin once infest house 1t IS 4
probably difficult to eject them; but
there should.be at least some effort made. |
Think of . man sick of a fatal disease
and tortured by those ''wineless blood
sucking. hemipterous insects some times
infesting houses and especially BEDS
What Il relief for such u man to die, no
natter where he goes to. And after he
dies the funeral is not a very expensive
affair. The overseers allow the UNDER
taner s. for the coffin. robe and his ser
vices. and nothing whatever for religious
services. neither is there any provision
for any form of religious services in the
home. The city physician receives but
$50 for attendance upon the city poor
for the year and furnishes his own medi-
oines. Surely out of all the thousands of
reither the inmates nor the undertakers
the physician nor the clergy get very
much
We need Il better arrangement for tho
POOR more than we need new hospital.
WHY not take the $500 that Is to be ex-
pended on the Governors bah and snend
II where 1t will minister to the needs of
mankind? The dependent DOOr sho"H
fare as well at least as the criminal
population, Put the women at the State