The sun., 1900-06-04
STATUS OF THE POOR MAN.

What is needed is some legislation
that will give brains to the bralnlese,
thrift to the thriitless, industry to the
irresolnte and discernment to the tool.-
John j. Ingalls,.
TIE man who is in danger OF want. or
even in dread of want, is not Tree
man, and the country which does not
guard him against this danger and this
dread, or does not assure him the means
of livelihood, is not a free country,
though it may be the freest of all the
freer countries. William Dean Howells.
These quotations are clipped from the
same page of the editorial section OF the
New York journal of yesterday. We
pfesume that these articles were pub
lished as contribution to the current
thought of wise men about what II now
becoming, if it is not SO alread the basic
question in the politics and life OF this
counUrv-the status Of the poor man.
Relative to the masses Of the people
both o; these men are pessimsts Judg
lug from these articles .theg have no
sympathy With OF faith IN the masses q
the people. 70 one the common life Of
the people is but big garden plot in
which tile roots and foliage give susti-
nance and setting for few great blooms,
and Of which the harvest is oaly few
perfect specimen fruits that on'y
can be counted as successes. The other
seems to imagine that all poor people
live in daily dread OF want, and that thu
dread robs them of all freedom an
rational Joy. The difficulty with these
men is that they are too far away from
the life OF which they write. Possibly
they have fcraotten. Possibly they neve
have known by experience what thai lif
is. To one the poor man is thrlftles
fool. To the other he is a slave.
We protest against these designations
There are as many fools, pro rata, anon
the so-called rich and cultured people a
there are among the poor, AMI as man
abiect slaves, to conditions and circum
stances, among the so-called successes il
life, as there are among the poor wh
are all classed as failures. We thin
that a very moderate statement. Oc
real opinion is that the real successes
life, not counting the great ones VII
springing out of the masses tower ahoy
the world of mankind, are to be foun
among the poor. OF course their virtue
are not heralded in newspapers; the
faithfulness in the discharge OF duty
not recorded; their charities are u
known; the purity and sweetne
OF their home lives, which is
once the strength and glory Of u
nation, is not counted; they are n
credited with having kept the alt
fires OF religion alight; not credited wi
the virtue and vaor Of patriotism th
has made national life possible; ma
tyranny despicable and freedom hont
rble; nor yet are they credited with I
patience and skill in toll to which
world owes its temples, its great hig
ways and it's rapid, easy and luxurio
travel. These things the world over
long to the poor people. In not one
the essentials of good life-a success
one-are they lacking. The virtue
mankind, it's purity, charity, hones
patriotism, its strength in labor, its sk
in art, it's power and capacity for thi1
ing and doing in anv and all of the
partments of the worlds life, is the G
dowment and property OF the pc
people.
This is not true because the poor
many and the rich few. 1t is true
cause God hath made it 80; because
the very nature of things their neces