The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-04-30
THE CHARITABLE POOR.
Help One Another Regardless Of
Good or Evil Return.
An Illustrative Instance Taken from
Reporters Investigations
Among the Poor Germans
of New York City.


economists everywhere have con-
demned indiscriminate charity again
and again, and they have checked the
evil somewhat among the intelligent
rich, but the poor themselves have never
been restrained in the least. In city
like New York very large amounts of
money are given away every year by
people who have little to those who
have none. No questions are asked;
none are necessary, usually, for the
giver knows all about the unworthiness
of his neighbor He simply helps the
man in need by instinct, and satisfies
his sense of the wrong he is doing by
scolding him, or, at least, by telling
the truth about him.
One day newspaper reporter went
over to East Fourth street, in the poor
German quarter of New York, to in
quire about suicide. A little old Swiss
tailor had put an end to his life in the
back room of a model tenement where
he had been living for a year or more.
His neighbors were gathered about the
door talking about him, and they did
not obey the Latin rule to say nothing
but good of the dead. They were hold
ing a pitiless inquest on his character.
He was a bad man, they saba brutal
husband, a cruel father, an intolerable
neighbor, a lazy tailor and an I'M
profitable tenant.
'Wait!" said the reporter. "Give me
some details; what did he do to his
wife?"
He wouldn't support her, and when
she would support him-which she
couldn't because she had to support
the children-he beat her. And when
she moved away and he followed her
to where she kept boarding house,
she took him in once more as a board
! er on his promise to pay two dollars
week. But he only promised. AS
soon as he was in he stopped work and
began his old ways again, till she had
to move off. Then he came here"
'Well, how did he behave here?"
"Awful. He swore at us all the time,
and told lies about everybody, especial
ly about the women, who, according to
him, had no business to be born. The
children did not dare to play near his
door, and the men could not talk to
him without his wanting to get up a
fight. Why, last Saturday he hit Herr
Schmidt over the head with a stick, and
he said that Olga Droeschler was bad
girl. He told dreadful stories that were
lies about her"
"How did he make his living?"
"He didn't. He wouldn't work. He
said the world owed him living by
his being born in it without his being
asked, and he would rather die than
work."
"Then how did he pay his rent and
buy food?"
''He didn't. He let the rent go and
ate only what we brought to him"
A policeman came up at this point
to make some further inquiry. After
the routine questions had been asked
and answered, he wanted to know who
had seen the man the last time alive.
81 did," said Olga Droeschler. 81
have seen der man Sunday. My mutter
an me, we thinks as maybe nopody have
! give to dem man something to eat dat
day alretty, so we go NIT some bread
for him"
what did he say then?" asked the
patrolman.
''He said it in German, NIT swear
words, dat 1 shall get away NIT my
dirty bread vonce. He shall not have
some of my stuff from so bat girl like
me, and beside also he have got plenty
to eat from some people before alretty
Get oud!"
''Who seen him first dead ?" asked the
| policeman next.
81 haf," said Schmidt 81 hat went dis
morning init some soup to him which
my wife made me, and knock, and
when he hat not swear at me 1 thinks
maybe something was not all right, so
L tell der janitOr and he broke NIT a
stick der door in and der poor teufel
he vas dead alreatty. Ach, he was not
any good, fer sure"
Tell u.s." said the reporter, eff he
was such a bad man what made you
support him; he only abused you for
all your kindness to him."
Olga, the girl he had told lies about
hung her head. Herr Schmidt rubbed
the bruise on his scalp moment and
said:
81 always told him I help him nc
more, but it was to weep to tink as may.
be he have hungry NIT holdings to eat
So what was 1 to do?"-N. Y. CONNER.
cial Advertiser.