The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-10-27
SIX WEEKS AFTER THE STORM
HE'D CROSS YORK IN CALVES
 TON

What it Is to be "Nistress of tn
 Robes'' Ina Distributing Reiief-Arti
 cIes, Useful and otherwise' Whtoi
 the Good People of the United state
 are Sendins-"O'er True Tnies'
 Graphically Told.
 Especial Correspondence of the Journal
 and Courier)
 Galveston, Texas, Oct. 22.-An effo"
 neous impression seems to be gaming
 in the north that Galvestons greatest
 need is over and that her wants nave
 been fully supplied. During the last
 week several small donations have
 come to the Red Cross, accompanied py
 apologies from the donors for the late
 ness of the gift and expressing a hope
 that opportunity for it's use has not en-
 tirely gone by. The truth is that con-
 tributions were never so urgently need-
 ed as now, when the storm survivors
 are just beginning to realize their loss
 es and to take up the business or lire anew. So far donations have been
 mostly in old clothes; and it is hlgh time that halt was called in that mis- taken form of charity. From every city, town and crossroads hamlet in the United States clothes have poured in upon us by ship-loads and traln- loads Most of the garments saw their best days long, long ago, many are en- tirely out-worn, and some are so dlrty that the distributors are fain to handle them with gloves at ans length Fer haps even these produce in the breasts of the givers that comfortable feeling of having "lent to the Lord;" but re- membering that the ladies and gentle men for whom they are destined lately had homes and belongings as good as anybody's, the proffer in their aft1ic- ton of clothes which back-door tramp would disclaim, is insulting, to say the least. A few merchants have contributed new goods-mostly shop worn and out of fashion, but still usa- ble; and may Heaven bless them, every one, for the worthy charity, even he who sent a whole box of beautiful new shoes, all for the left foot, ((probably Jdrummer's samples), as there really are few one-legged folk in Galveston. The worst box I have yet seen opened came from New Jersey-it would be un- kind to tell you the town. Fortunately 1t was not very large, containing doz- en or so pairs of workmens trousers, plastered with mud, paint and grease, filthy and odoriferous flannel shirts, fe- male under-garments ragged and dirty, uv,d fni irl 6rOnnjnp pieces from the ravages of moths. Of course 1t would never do to offer these to anybody, nor even to contaminate better hings by putting them in juxta- position. What we do with such use less articles Is a well-kept secret, but perhaps at this late hour I may whisper it in your ear. The natural impulse is to pitch such things out of the rear window and afterwards to make bon fire of the whole business. But that would be bad policy, as false stories would be sure to get abroad concerning our wicked waste of good material So we adopt the same plan that wise woman, Miss Barton, originated years ago and has practiced successfully on various fields, viz, all worthless artl- cles are carefully put into new barrels which are rolled outside toward even- Ing and apparently forgotten. And ev- cry morning the barrels are found emp ty--the very last dirty rag stolen, which the poorest plantation negro would re- fuse to accept as a gift!
 The office which we facetiously term Mistress of the Robes''-that is, chief of the clothes distributing department 1 lis no sinecure. For time it de- volved upon the undersigned, until too 1 much flesh and blood could no longer 1 endure the strain and a fortunate col- lapse relieved her from its onerous du- ties. During that first fortnight in Gal veston the knowledge thatAI gained of l human nature, noble and ignoble, l would fill volumes. From early morn ng till darkness rendered these torn | ID streets we'll nigh impossible, a crowd of poor humanity surged around | he warehouse doors; and, as always, | he strongest, if not the least deserving, pushed and elbowed their way to the ront To have given free entrance would have meant chaos and utter sus- pension of business; so windows and loors were barred and abe-bodied po- 6 ldmit only given number at time. From a convenient loop-hole inspection # the crowd was frequently made and, IS far as possible, the aged and feeble md mothers with young children were admitted first. Each member of the distributing committee took people in harge and fitted them out from top to oe, beginning with hose and ending with hat; and as nearly every one of he four represented a family of from hree to dozen, each also to be out tted, the one round represented the of at least twentyfour people. ,hen these, with their bundles big and title, were hustled out of the back cor and a fresh relay let in at the ront and the weary round again begun. 'hus in a days time the workers in his strange department store were ble to wait on several hundred non aying customers including the absen- ees, represented by Their relatives here are not many of us and the men f the party were kept busy as bees caring open boxes and piling the con- snts in their respective placeS-shoes one room, food-stuffs in another, un- here, infants clothes lere, ladies' dresses in another corner, nd so on through the gamut of con- sivable commodities. Some weeks ago
 change was made, when local com