The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-10

is a case: A poor old woman is rescued from
utter abandonment BY some poor families in
"A tenement house; she is i'll. and. after lingering
the crowd 10 buy a cheap coffin and have her
tody taken out decently TO the cemetery, IL
Ia hard TO let the poor body go out 70 Dolores
city cars. smelling Of picnic, acid. A pool
tailor pawns his coat, his example 10 contagious.
Money is raised and the dead woman is re-
The great lack here is practical education.
manual training schools for boys, housekeep-
ing and sewing schools. for the girls In o
trained people. The people. are bright. and
well trained would do much for themselves.
in Havana our charitable people are finding
fashioned spanish way; not the very. poorest
women. for they. usually 60 TO work early,
but. the middle-class women who are so apt
to fall INTO poverty when the man who sup
The Church needs to get down to. solid bust:
ness. and. instead Of talking complaoently q
the poor being always with. us. to see TO- II that
there, are fewer causes Of poverty. A very
excellent priest told me the other day that he
iamented the lack o. means OF PRACTICAL edI nee
teal workers, well trained in handlcrafts. or
to prepare them for the great industries grow
ing up here. Alexander Won Humboldt. who
lived here in the very opening years Of the
century, noted that the children Of the lepers
were bright and often of marked artistic tai
VhbS' Nv vi tIit ~
II you look into this matter Of the under
dog. who is SO numerous, you will see that he
lacks trained talent, The world is big. II has
skilled hand is rareas is the discipliped brain:
Another curse here Is the prevalence OF
a aEiSsins Rab i i !. an not GO tSe q Tssslt Of T The maln ane
triton OF the poor rather than their desperation.
Most, people are poets that i. they have an
Of liquor down your throat, and for an hour
YOU are a prince and joy and music are yours.
The heavy fabric Of the earth dissolves and you
blame the poor for drinking to purchase en-.
trance into the devils paradise? They are all
wrong in doing so, OF course. but when the world
Portable classes look on your disdainfully. and
mutter something about laziness. holding you
in less regard than their pet dogs, you, will go
or some other vile dram, but containing the
entrance fee TO an hour's oblivion Of your lot.
That is what the poor do here. II they were
Our civilization is semi-barbaric. say what
you will. 1t has is hordes Of desperate.
halt,savase people They are hidden away
AZ abro oss n hm al their 'l rassed pun misery ners '8 While ss VIZ
Porto Rioans and the Cubans and the Tasaloes
Sr ,ampls; she G sriif1s Is mot St,s ssn y, = Re !. it a = sxasi
OF the slums that y could not rest till they were
abolished. There is only one way to do Il. and
that that Is srs by h going right IN among the poor S, devils.
ing that they have practical manual training,
decent homes and a fair show In the world. The
Christian religion has the cure for poverty " II
will only pray less and do more. The religion
Is all right, for II means fraternity. but when
fraternity Is ignored the salt has gone out OF II
all. pray. the clergy and the layman ever so
often. The poor are keen witted: they zee tho
humbug Of society and they sometimes rage In
their hearts.
,.I The poorest pool the dirtisst and most nb-
and perhaps they are equally wretched In
Pachuca and Guanaiuata. Elsewhere they
are cleaner, more hopeful. happier, Here
we have the dregs Of the country and the de-
scendants Of The lazzaroni for nearly 400 years.
One would like to see the undeniable pros
perity of the country reach this lower strata
Of society. II Is a gloomy theme, and one
marvels IL the Sultan of the Skies has II In mind.
II Is all. so sickening to see men and women
with red blood like our W going about hag-
gard. vicious. hungry.
Somehow the brightest day Is clouded for
us when we think OF the hells that poverty
makes, Not the poverty OF the clean and
busy Indians OF the mountain villages, where
frugality is the rule and a modest happiness
prevails. But cities are cesspools covered
over. and their stencil arises as from a nit Of
the inferno. ! think II we made less talk Of
progress and looked beneath the surface,
we should be doing the honest thing.
Wherever the American arms have gone,
and we remain "a conquerers. We shalt nnd
tnnity to the moor. Our Spanish-speskirs
wards need patient support, enlightened d(.
~rection. and TO be ted from the raging
greed Of the all-axploiting svndlcates who
regard flesh and blood "A motive rower and
rejoice In low wages as a means to quick wealth.