Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-23
The ". W. Morgan Clothing Co.

of view of the looker-on in Havana We
know marvelously little here (high govern
ment circles excepted) of which is really
going on in the great world of American
and continental statecraft.
Through all the drubbling and the won-
dering. the beggars of Havana laugh, dance.
sing or groan time or the occasion
serves. merry lot they are. and careless;
fat. withal, and not unpicturesque in their
scanty linen, dirty calico. or homemade
apparel. Three years ago there was more
than 100 begsars. mostly children, in Ha-
vana. known TO the police and endured as
a necessary evil: That number has been
and lack of work. The beggar boys and
girls ply their trade in all most frequented
places. with not absolute freedom but gem
orally sure of the courteous answer from
Spaniard or Cuban in Gods name pardon
me-. This courtesy even in refusal breeds
impudence past all belief
They cling to the garments or run by
the carriages of Americans, who; when
newly come. are an easy prey. While some
are repulsive-made more so by beggars
arts-and nearly all are annoying. a few
among the children are so pretty. naive
and jolly that they reap a copper. even a
silver. harvest here. Take 4-year-old
dinary to the correspondents. Her plump
little figure, bronze skin. deep. netting
eyes and flowing head dress Of dingy SILK
are attractive in their way, but pale their
Intellectual fires before the jolly sunshine
of her SMILE and the conscious certainty
of her demand for '.una peseta" co cents).
days ago your correspondent, walking oh
Obispo street. near Villegas. heard low
song from a doorway and: looking within.
saw little lad of or 10. to whom was
clinging very atom of baby as to size
and weight. though from its eyes and face,
it must have been Is months Old The two
had three garments among them, the baby
using one. From its socket, recently. one
of the boys eyes had been torn, and the
or care. He accepted the proffered coin
with a smile and a "gratios. senior" but
when an interpreter was secured, wc
ed FOR or a Il long ~ time e' reserve born Of fear.
cruelty and sad experience. 1t is not
necessary to repeat his story.
among the canes and beneath the palms OF
a happy home in far Puerto Principe, played
with brothers and and sisters a1d G,s was cared @ Ior
and with them death. destitution. famine:
The lad Luis escaped with the loss: Of
the little one on his hip.:the load grew
lighter as food grew harder to get and
scarcer-Luis walked all those weary scores
find an aunt. He found her former home.
but she had gone to the States. so Luis and
his little charge went, went out & into III the a, city
not beg). or die in doorway as he tried
to hush the baby he held. The boy and
sure c. a comfortable home. But how
about the hundreds of similar cases which
never come within the view of the char
Cuba is the land of the outstretched
hand. and it is good to know that the hand
is not pushed aside empty any more. Great
strides have been made in relief work for
the last week. The orphan asylum which
General Lee started. and now under the
care of DIR. Lessar and his wife, Is doing
wonderful amount of good, and Louis
Klopsch's soup kitchen and relief station
will soon be in a state of effectiveness
which Spaniards and Cubans did not be-
lieve possible. So far may be every
needy family on the island. reconcentrado
or otherwise. is being scheduled. II any
still doubt the need of systematic relief.
let him read the plain figures and mark the
percentage of distressed in the total pop
ulation: Total population, 9,175; distressed,
II 800.
Relief in this city and probably else
where is being given on the principle, bet
ter feed 20 per cent of undeserving beg
gars than risk suffering among so per cent
of the deserving poor"