The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-22
MANY CALLS FOR RELIEF.
MUCH WoRK FOR CHdRTTT AMoNa
THE POOR THIS WINTER.

To n Now York ~Chnrity-snmpie stories
Heard by risitors-Mcnns OF Assistance,
For many years. beginning In the days al
Tweed. the poor OF the town had free coal
from the municipality every winter. The new
city charter does away with the coal fund
which in recent years has been $4,000. and
the work Of distributing coal among the de.
serving poor has fallen on the shoulders Of
private charity. This is ~ the charity or.
CARNATIONS would have Il. for the tendency
nowadays Is to divorce relief work from mu.
nicipal government. Charity workers hold
that municipal relief work makes begging o
custom and discriminates but little between
ths deserving and the undeservinR.
The New York Society for Improving the
Condition of the Poor. through it's Depart
ment Of Relief. has undertaken the task Of
giving coal during the winter to those who
are in need of 1t and cannot buy It. The de.
mand for coal has been heavy ever since thu
Thanksgiving week blizzard. and during the
bitterly cold days of last week the distress
among the destitute on the east side wac
great. SO far the association has received
about ST 900 for its coal fund. and as the cost
" distributing coal during the winter will be
about $1,000. tho association appeals to the
charitable public for money 10 carry on the
work. The Treasurer is Robert Shaw Min
turn. whose office is in the United Charities
building, lO5 East Twcntv-second street. and
the general agent of the association is Frank
Tucker.
Every day. in tho office of characterization.
where applications for relief are made, may
he seen scores of poor people asking for a
quarter or n half ton Of coal and for food and
clothing. Nearly all these people are we'll
along in years-helpless old women whose
husbands are out OF work. sick. dead: men
who can't get work younger men and women
in temporary distress. The other day a wo-
man 30 wears old applied for coal. These old
people form n class with which it Is difficult TO
deal. They get along with the assistance of
their relatives and neighbors and aid from or
ganizeG charity at times. A son or q dauRh-
ter. n brother or u sister, helps to support the
old man or woman. hut some day the friend
is taken i'll. gets out of work. or worse. and
relief must be asked Of a charity organization.
Every application for relief Is investigated
thoroughly by the Department OF Relief. and it
soon becomes known in the tenements that
only those in actual need will be aided by the
association. Under the old system Of free
city coal many people got fuel from the city
winter after winter. when they could wen af-
ford to buy It. The experience of charity
workers is that the first and most persistent
applicants for aid are those who don't need 1t,
while the deserving poor. those in actual dis
tress. are often too independent to tell of their
suffering. Through the hospitals. institutions
dispensaries. %inilrmaries, and all the societies
for helping the sick. crippled. insane. incapa-
bic and unfortunate the New York Association
hears Of cases Of distress and does its best to
administer relief wisely.
When an application is made TO the ~associa-
ton for relief. Il visitor, a woman. is sent to
the home OF the applicant. There she soon finds
whether the need is actual or feigned. She
may find that, not only IA quarter. OF u ton of
young children warm, but that.there is a greater
need OF food and clothing. She gives an order
for a dollars worth OF groceries and clothing is
sent from the associations Office. 4 quarter
Of a ton of coal is delivered. The.work Is only
at giving food. clothing and fuel. within a few
days or, weeks aid would be asked for again.
work. the HELPLESS are sent to hospitals and
homes. An hour or two spent with one of the
% Mil give an T iIen Of the WGrk on One One G morn sins
last. week one Of the visitors went out with a
half doz.n visits to make between Twenty,
in q dark. damp. back tenement. living in. two
geon. was found a woman who had asked for
coal. She was II woman of perhaps, 80 years.
not a beGgar by any means: The small living
room was tidy, and about the room were, pic
showed.
Yes" reluctantly. but he's no good. They
tel! me ! can liye better WITHOUT him"
III uocSl I i've WIN you.
The Old man comes and goes, but he's no
account,
Oh my son james gave me 81 a week. and
he earned only 50. He wanted q dolIar-for the
ask him 10 give it all to me"
He's out Of wOrk?'
He had a Job at. a &c good Job, But he wanted
more nay. and he's sort Of bashlul. and he
wouldn't ask for it. He gave up his place. and
'''Perhaps we can get him back there"
81 h2!e YOU can. Miss. for he's good boy.
Where is he nowl'
',Oh, he's ont looking for a JOB. I suppose"
With two healthy boys in a family. there was
little cause for distress; But down on Twelfth
In u back tenement she found II young woman
VIII n sick baby and "A tw9;yeqr:old boy: The
having JUS. completed u six months term for
nttemntinG to rob a BROOKLYN nat The wife
fine OF. $50 so that her husband could be free.
Her sister had, hciLGd her pay The rent. and
i R%y and noe cilh AMI 1he at h tim %9nf Ie %HTm!n tRe sp bab fsoh IN
IA, day nursery. But the sister had been un-
able to help her longer apd she had been too
Temporary aid was given her-money to buy
some food for the day. and some coal, The
In another back tenement on seventeenth
street was found g sirlly German ~widow.with
her rooms rent free bv caring for the tenement
and the adjoining one BY working IN q res.
luuTaII Snt HHU lliiIlt money 10 NV lpDl, Duy
illness had kent her at home. She needed
medical attendance. food and fuel. and q
chance to do more heaIthful work.
Every morning, Al II o'clock the associqtion's
visitors 20 on their rounds. As the visitors
good "" "dsme N and kimGiy; beaTInG. The need;
OF the unfortunate. the sick and the distressed
are made known and dealt with in q careful.
reasonable and kindly way. A study Of the
work Of the Relief Department will show that
its 100000 or S5O.OOOa year does a great
amount Of good. Last wear 80. 1876 visits were
made. 1870 cases were. received. 5.lS6 aided:
g.t7+ persons received groceries, G,bOl re-
ceiyed coal. 4.OiG received clothing. 3t5 re-
cci Jed shoes. lodgings were provided for
1870. meals for 1894. transportation for PIG.
Of the work during the winter General Agent
Tucker says:
The New York Association for Improving
the Condition Of rhe Poor urgently appeals to
the charitable public for contributions OF
money. second. hand clothing, and SHOES. The
work of the association for tho month of De-
cembcr was vcrg heavy. Nearly 100 appli-
cations for relief we're received during the
month. 81 100 was expended nv the aRSOcia-