The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-09-14

| no fault of their own, to the uncer-
tain charity of the world. First to
Santa Clara's "Beneticencia," within
whose musty walls $50 reconcentrado
orphans are now congregated. The
old building, whose interior looks as
if it had been the victim OF some rural
fire 'company's success in saving it
from the flames, was fitted up many
years ago, for an Old Woman's Home;
| and then its capacity was supposed
to be limited to 40. During the war,
when needs became so desperate, it
received also old men and their fam
lilies, affording sleeping room on the
floors and the stones of the patios to
| as many as could get inside the walls.
Shelter only was provided, and Incl
dentally a place TO die in. for food
must be found outside, or dispensed
with altogether; and during the
blockade it was generally the latter
alternative. Some of the poor crea-
lures could find occasional odd Jobs
to do, such as washing, cooking, sew
ing, making trousers at 40 cents the
dozen for local firln-until every
body got too poor to pay for help
and meanwhile the price of food
mounted skyward-and so, let us
hope, did the souls of the starved
wretches. And then the Spanish
! army i'll Santa Clara found themselves
in need of another hospital so they
seized upon this and bundled the rest
of the poor old folk into the beggar-
infested streets, where they speedily
died, along with the 5000 other unfOr-
tunates who perished Of starvation in
the streets of Santa Clara within six
awful months.
y few months ago the charitable
people of the town rehabilitated the
old building for an orphanage and
gathered therein some of the rem
nants of recommendation, to the mum
Der of $50 children, under 10 wears of
age. More than half of them were
already on the verge of death, with
skeleton frames and swollen feet
blood turned to water from long lack
of nutrition-and, in spite of the food
that came too late, soon slipped into
the eternal silence. The place is in
charge of woman and her two young
daughters, who are cooks, seams
tresses, teachers, laundresses in
short, the whole hospital staff con
densed, like the crew of the Nancy
Jane.
The disheveled and slipshod ma
trOn, though leaving very much to be
desired in the way of that virtue
which is said to be next to godli-
ness" and sorely troubled with the
landlady's costumary loquacity con
corning better days. is undoubtedly
worthy soul, for the poor thing
gets no pay whatever, and is herself
in need of everything. How can one
pCSpiDly hCCp CICclll III al llOuSt
med with four times its acknowledged
capacity, with the work of q dozen
on the slender shoulders of three, and
water so scarce that every drop must
be paid for at the price of from to 10
cents the bucketful A child of 3 or 4
years, running about as naked as the
minute it was born, elected the apol-
ogetic information that there were
no changes of clothes for the children.
and when dress or pair of trousers
must be washed it's owner had to
stay in bed until the garment was
dried.
That night, through Jealous Quar-
termaster Bean, Miss Barton called a
meeting of the ladies of Santa Clara
to devise ways and means of sustain
ing the Beneficencia. The first idea
of the Santa Clara ladies was the com
mon one in Cuba-viz., that rich
American pigs" might be graciously
allowed the privilege of squandering
their surplus millions in the island
they had liberated, and that the Red
Cross of Geneva, with unlimited
means at its back, be condescendinglv
permitted to carry on the work in its
own way. When we run up against
such cases-which not unfrequently
happens-Miss Barton's opinions as
to the true state of affairs are never
long shrouded in obscurity; and dur
ing the next half hour those ladies
received more wholesome enlighten-
ment than ever before in the course
OF their lives. The outcome was that
the Red Cross gave little judicious
help to the acknowledgements to
place it firmly on its feet, together
with the clear understanding that no
more assistance would be given, and
that it must henceforth be main
tanned locally. And then Miss Barton
rented another house, had it cleaned
and disinfected, established therein
three of her nurses, and relieved the
overcrowded Beneficecia of half it's
children.