Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-15
Gen. Woods Idea of the Best Gifts to
the People.
THE HIGHEST FORM OF BENEFITS
School Houses, Orphan AsyIums
and Hospitals.
NOGOVERNMENT GUARANTEE
Copyright, 1900. by ]. D. whelpley)

SpeClal Correspondence OF Inc Evening SUM-
HAVANA. Cuba. February 10. 1900.
When General Wood was In Washington
on his last visit he met some ladies who
were interested in Cuban charities and who
wished to submit their ideas to him to
the disposal of the funds. Each of these
worthy and charitable ladies had particu-
lar purpose in view. One wanted to spend
all her money for Shoes another wanted to
buy several hundred dollars worth of toys
to send to the Cuban children to divert
their minds from their misery. on the prin-
ciple enunciated by David Harum that ii
was good for a dog to have fleas to keep
him from brooding over being dog.
The governor of Cuba heard of all these
things with patient kindness and under
standing of the generous impulses which
prompted the gifts but he expressed his
views completely when he said that there
was too much indiscriminate charity in
Cuba. that the efforts of those interested
should be concentrated upon some one OBJ
ject of helpful and permanent character
and not wasted in many directions upon
things which were really not necessary and
of only temporary effect
Highest Form of BENEFIT.
Governor Woods idea of the best gifts to
the Cuban people from American friends
are those which fall close to the lines upon
which he is working in the reconstruction
of the government. The highest form, he
believes, such benefits can take Is that OF
school houses, orphan asylums, hospitals
and other Institutions of like character.
He believes that If a charitable fund is eX-
pended in building and fully equipping
school house, and this school house is then
turned over to the local Cuban authorities.
the best use possible has been made of the
money.
Next to the school house, and closely al
lied to it, in his opinion. is the orphan asy-
lum, any other institution which cares
for. educates or improves in any way the
condition of the children, in whom. as a
matter of fact, lies the future of Cuba as
seif-governing country. In short he be
lieves not that there is too much charity
being expended in Cuba, but that it is too
iudiscriminate and. therefore, a great deal
less effective than if several of these eff
forts We're combined to produce some really
valuable. tangible Improvement OF note,
which would stand for years to come and
have a constant. daily influence upon the
Cuban character.
1t is also doubtful whether Governor
Wood believes that the question of imme
diate relief for temporary conditions in
Cuba is as pressing as IS generally believed
in the United States. or that it is wise to
encourage the dependence of any people
upon the generosity of another. 1t has
never been successful even in Anglo-SaXon
countries. and it would be much less so in
a country where the people are less fore
handed. more willing to accept the gifts
the gods bestow. regard the future with in
difference, and are lacking among the poor
er classes in that independence of character
which refuses to accept charity except un-
der extreme circumstances of distress, and
then no longer than is necessary.
Population of Cnba.
Intelligent Cubans believe that the last
Spanish census of the island was very de-
fective, and that the real population of
9Th. S,,lIr
2.Oo0.O0o They believe that the thorough
methods adopted by the American census
enumerators will find the present popula-
ton of Cuba to be about l, 100000 for their
estimate is that 100000 people have, as they
say, Disappeared from Cuba in the last
hive years. That is, they mean that Jo6.1#'
people died of bullets. starvation. impris-
Onment and sickness during the war with
Spain.
The last Spanish census was in 1887 and
the population then estimated to be
about 1,6O0000 If the American census
suits in finding population of 1.J0D.O0O ii
will apparently prove that the war with
Spain was not SO disastrous to the Cuban
people the Cubans honestly believe. If
it is allowed that the Spanish census was
incomplete. then there is room for the i'm
agination or the symDathies to make any
estimate of the deaths resulting from the
war which may be desired. If the Ameri-
can census results in finding a population
such as is estimated by Governor Wood
and General Ludlow. say l.250.0OO, then it
is evident that the Cuban estimate of the
distress and disaster which resulted to the
Cuban people from the with Spain has
not been much overestmated even by
them. for it is far more likely that the
Spanish census understated the population
than overStated 1t.
1t is stated most emphatically by Amer
lean army officers whose duties have
thrown them in the way of investigating
conditions in nearly every community ihat
the of pFrb1na in (',th Is
largely overastimated by public opinion in
the United States. and that there are very
few more orphans in Cuba today. in pro-,
portion to the population. than there are
in any other Spanish-American country. if
as many. On reflection il will be seen
that this position is logical, for tine NOR
tally among children with the lower class
eS in the SpaniSh-American countries is
very great Even in the City of Mexico
which is accredited with being as healthy
any of the large cities south of the Rio
Grande. it will be noticed that in the daily
procession of funerals to any one of the
great cemeteries those of children below
the age Of FIVE greatly predominant.
During the times of famine, sickness and
distress such as prevailed in Cuba during
the war with Spain the children must have
suffered more than the adults. The very
young and the very old are the first to feel
the effects of famine and exposure and
with the natural lack of constitutional re-
sisting power of natives of the tropics the
mortality among the children must have
been very great. in fact, very much greater
than among adults. There are. however
great many orphans in the centers of
population IN Cuba, and this fact is made
more apparent and more distressing owing
to the lack of provision made for their
care. 1t is this which brings the question
so prominently before the public This con-
dition will not asst for long for as soon as
the civil government gets under way the
schools, asylums ard other institutions ma
terially assisted by the generous contribu-
lions which have been made from private
sources, will dispose Of much of the trouble
and somewhat remove it from the, painful
prominence it now occupies in the public
eye. In Havana alone one fund raised for
the benefit of the orphans of Cuba has
reached total of many thousands of
dollars. As Gov. Woods ideas are followed
in all pubic matters. 1t is probable this
will be used to build large orphan asylum
which will be a permanent institution and
not merely a temporary relief establish
ment.
Alleged Charitable Schemes.
Some of the alleged charitable schemes
are unquestionab,y inspired by those who
expect to profit individually, taking ad-
vantage of the general sentiment which
prevails in the United States toward holm