The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08

!
| tually felt the pangs of hunger and expe-
rienced the sensation of not knowing
! where the next meal was to be obtained
| 1t is easy for people who have always been
able TO earn living, even a plain one. tC
! speak in condemnation of this woman. who
| had not the courage TO face her destiny
and rescrted to suicide as the only way
| out of her troubles. But after all. have
we any right to condemn her as long as
we do nothing to prevent the possibility
OF such occurrences?
| 1t ought to be impossible. in any Chris
tian country. for man or woman. anxious
! to work to find no way Of earning bread
| There should have been some place where
| this woman could have obtained work
| enough TO support herself and her chill
| dren. Undoubtedly there was. But she
! did not know how to find it,
/ If labor could be evenly distributed. so
that the people who want work and those
who have it to give could be brought to-
! sether. there need be no such pathetic
cases as this. They are altogether too
common to be overlooked much longer.
1t is often said that one cannot provide
for all the poor who are in need of work
| and bread, because there are so many of
them. What a commentary on civiliza-
ton, A comparatively small sum will tide
very poor family over a crisis. That
grocery bill of one dollar and six cents
could have been paid a hundred times over
out of the florists bill of many a young
man about town. But as matters stood it
cost three lives.
There is one feature of this particular
situation which probably had something
to do with its tragic end. The mother
might have been able to face starvation or
the poorhouse herself but what about her
children? Could she see them suffer for
want of food? Could she take them with
her to associate with the squalid inhab-
itants of an asylum for paupers? WHAT
would be their fate if she should die and
they should be left to grow up in want
and degradation? All these things must
have occurred to her and made her ready
to sacrifice their lives and her own rather
than face the practical certainty of mis-
cry or degradation. Women do not commit
such deeds as this unless they are either
insane or driven to destruction by the
conditions of their lives The evidence in
this case is that want and despair were
the cause of the tragedy
There are two things at least, which
might be done to prevent such incidents
in the future. In the first place, there
shOuld ha some SORT nf apnDIovmant ht,-
reau, at which the poor could always be
certain Of obtaining work enough 10 sup
port life, and, if necessary, aid in the
shape of food, clothing and shelter. Sec
ondly, there should be industrial schools,
supported by public funds, in connection
with the public schools, and every child
should learn at least the rudiments of
some trade, and learn them thoroughly,
before attaining the age of sixteen years.
One trouble with many of the poor who
seek work is that they do not know how
TO do it. Their hands have never been
trained to deft and careful handling of
tools; and the kind hearted person who
gives them employment often finds that
the work has been slipshod or clumsy. If
thorough instruction in some one thing
were given every child in the public
schools the problem of finding work for
the unemployed would be considerably
easier. 1t ought not to be impossible to
teach every girl at least one branch OF
cooking. sewing Including
or laundry work. Fifty years
ago all girls were expected, at fifteen. TO
know something of all three of these arts,
and TO have some education besides. Why
should it be impossible, even with the
specialization of today. to teach them one
trade thoroughly. without interfering with
really important studies? The same course
could be pursued with the boys; and thus
an employment bureau, in course Of time,
might furnish workmen who could really
earn their wages and need not be alto
sether objects of charity.